How McCann steered Killie to Premiership safety
When Neil McCann swapped punditry for the Kilmarnock hotseat in January there was a mixed reaction from supporters. At the time of his Rugby Park appointment, Killie had not won in 14 games and were second bottom of the table. Since McCann's appointment, Killie are fourth in the Premiership form table.
When Neil McCann swapped punditry for the Kilmarnock hotseat in January there was a mixed reaction from supporters. Some were concerned about his ability to 'walk the walk' after just one previous permanent gig - an 18-month stint at Dundee where he won 20 of 60 games in charge. But in steering Kilmarnock to Premiership safety with a game to spare, McCann has proved his doubters wrong.
At the time of his Rugby Park appointment, Killie had not won in 14 games and were second bottom of the table. The Ayrshire side hovered just four points above Livingston with a game in hand and five below St Mirren in 10th having played two matches more. Those gaps are now 16 and four points respectively, with Killie guaranteed to finish no lower than 10th.
Since McCann's appointment, Killie are fourth in the Premiership form table. Only Hearts, Celtic and Rangers have picked up more points in those 16 games than Killie's 24, which is two more than top-six sides Motherwell and Falkirk. Only title chasers Hearts and Celtic have won more games than Killie in that time, while only Celtic and Rangers have scored more goals than McCann's side's 27.
The bedrock of McCann's success has been home form, with his team winning six and losing just one of eight Rugby Park outings. In fact, after Tuesday night's 3-1 home victory over Dundee, McCann became the first Killie head coach, of those appointed in the 21st century, to win six of his first eight top-flight home games. Of his 16 league games in charge, McCann has won seven, with a points-per-game rate of 1.