Single point separates the two clubs now

Last weekend, we discussed the tightness of the SPL if you exclude the big Glasgow two and we see no reason to deviate from that discussion this weekend. With third placed Motherwell sitting on 10 points and bottom placed St Mirren on 4 points, 6 points is not a big gap between 10 teams.

Two teams sandwich neatly in the middle of it all are Dundee United and Kilmarnock. The expectations for both clubs this season were markedly different but with the league yet to settle into its stride just yet, it remains to be seen how the season will pan out.

There are signs that Dundee United are starting to come to life again, an easier said than done task for the side that finished third in the SPL and of course, triumphed in the Scottish Cup.

Most SPL teams play better when there are muted expectations on them but who could blame Arabs for thinking that this season could be a bright one for their team. The majority of their Cup winning team remains intact and Peter Houston has resolved any contractual worries surrounding him, so it should be all systems go now for United.

We can leave aside the European exit, as United were a tad unlucky in the second leg, and the Ibrox capitulation, which can happen to many teams….and we think United may just be settling into a groove again.

An extra-time win over Ross County and a scrappy 1-0 win over St Johnstone is not the mark of a great team but it does indicate United are revving back to winning ways.

They will face a test at Rugby Park to a Kilmarnock side who we must admit have surprised us this season. We are big fans of Frank Black but we don’t think much of his managerial career so we felt the Kilmarnock board made a big mistake in appointing him. We know they tried to pass him off as Mixu Paatelainen but we can’t be fooled.

Anyways, Killie have no money and their stadium may have no fans but 7 points from 6 games (including matches against Rangers and Celtic) is not a bad return and the Ayrshire men will think they can match Dundee United on Saturday.

David Goodwillie appears to be getting his goalscoring touch from last season back and when it comes to Killie, we don’t mind admitting we are enjoying the skill of their Alexei Eremenko. We don’t think the player will be around in Ayrshire for too long so we are going to enjoy him whilst we can in the SPL.

If you shove us for an opinion, we think the Arabs will just sneak it but that’s purely because we think Dusan Purnis is one of the best stoppers in the league and United are just a tad likelier to take a half chance when it comes along. We think it will be a close encounter though…

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Big weekend looming

We’re not going to say that all of the colour had drained from Jimmy Calderwood’s face but the manager was certainly not his usual self at the end of the game versus St Mirren on Saturday. The defeat firmly places Killie in the middle of the relegation dog-fight and Calderwood was sounding a bit depressed by it all.

Kilmarnock have had two away games so far in the post-split fixtures but in their remaining three games, have two at home.

This Saturday, St Johnstone come to Ayrshire and could be the big opportunity to put some daylight between themselves and Falkirk. The Bairns will face St Mirren making the 1st of May a massive day for the relegation battle.

Apart from St Johnstone, Killie have scored the most goals at home of all of the bottom six clubs, which is just as well because their scoring record away from home is dire. This may make the trip to Pittodrie on the 5th of May a bit tricky but gives Kilmarnock hope for their two other games.

A final day shoot-out with Falkirk is not going to be for the faint hearted but Kilmarnock can make their life a little bit easier by defeating St Johnstone at home. Killie have to make sure all of the focus is on their match.

The outcome of the Falkirk v St Mirren match is obviously hugely important but Jimmy Calderwood and his team have no opportunity to affect the outcome of that match. They can impact upon their match versus St Johnstone.

Jimmy Calderwood said the Kilmarnock dressing home on Saturday couldn’t believe they had lost the game. This week may well be about lifting the mood and spirit of the Killie camp as opposed to working on tactics and set-plays.

Any predictions for Saturday’s games?

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Must-win tie for the hoops

There was a fair bit of hype going into the last time these sides clashed and this Saturday could be a pivotal fixture in the Scottish football season.

The last game was all about the arrival of Keane but a shock home win was the headline post match. The same result this time could see the exit of Tony Mowbray who has found that life is not easy being green.

Barring a miracle of Biblical proportions, Celtic are not winning the league this season. The ease of Rangers title procession has heaped pressure on Tony Mowbray and he needs continued progress in the Scottish Cup.

No one can guarantee a trophy win so the final in May has to be the minimum target for Mowbray.

Killie boss Jimmy Calderwood knows what it takes to Celtic at this stage in the cup. A 1-1 draw at Pittodrie led many to think Celtic would stroll through in the replay but a Darren Mackie goal won the game 1-0 for the Dons.

Of course, Jimmy Calderwood’s face was bright orange with embarrassment after the 4-3 semi-final loss to Queen of the South.

Atoning for previous cup disasters will be at the forefront of Calderwood’s mind at the moment and he will be desperate to progress.

The strike dup which put Celtic to the sword in February, Kyle and McGuire will be absent through injury and being cup-tied respectively. Manuel Pascali will also miss out but Craig Bryson and Simon Ford can return.

Celtic can bring back captain Scott Brown, who is not suspended for the Cup whilst Marc Antoine Fortune, Glen Loovens and Jos Hooiveld all have a chance of being fit.

Calderwood is set to exit Rugby Park at the end of the season. A home win could see Tony Mowbray escorted from office a lot sooner than that.

Will Celtic atone for Robbie Keane’s debut?

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Can Kilmarnock beat the January weather this time?

Wednesday 20th January is the re-arranged date for the Kilmarnock versus Celtic clash.

The kick-off time will be 1930.

With the Scottish weather being unpredictable, who knows what sort of weather the country will be experiencing by the time this fixture comes around.

If there is snow, will Kilmarnock be able to get the game on? Will Peter Lawell wish to put his stadium footprint up the backside of his Kilmarnock counterparts?

As the rumours go, which side will Kevin Kyle be playing for by the time this match rolls around.

All of these questions and many more will be answered by mid January.

Okay, sorry for the Sky style sensationalist telling of the story, its Hogmanay and we’re just trying to brighten things up a bit!

Wednesday 20th January 1930, thats all you need to know!

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Killie dragged into relegation battle

They’re going to be bottom for Christmas but it will be a relatively happy time for Falkirk fans due to their 2-1 victory at Rugby Park.

The home side are now just one point off the bottom as Eddie May’s first away victory has brought the relegation battle to life. In what was the six-pointer that the pundits love to talk about, the home side knew a victory would have put them 7 points clear of Falkirk.

As it stands, Jim Jeffries is going to be looking glum over the Christmas turkey as he realises his team are right in the middle of a battle. With rumours starting to surface about Kevin Kyle and his future, it could be a grim Winter and Spring for the Killie faifthul.

The game burst into life in the third minute when Carl Finnegan struck the opening goal. Yet again, the main man was Pedro Moutinho and Finnegan followed up his goal in Paisley last week.

Just when the Bairns fans were beginning to think things were turning in their favour, Killie struck back. Danny Invincible is the type of player that has Kilmarnock at the bottom of the league but he did his team a turn today.

He is capable of missing from any distance or angle but Invincible was able to turn the ball home from inside the six yard box and two early goals had set the crowd abuzz. With a lot to play for, it could have went anyway with the next goal being crucial.

It went the way of the visiting team but not in a manner that anyone could have expected. A corner provides a chance to swing the ball in and cause some damage but Ryan Flynn scored direct from the corner.

Killie boss Jim Jeffries said;

“We got on the back foot and it always looked like we could lose a goal – although, not the way we did. It was an unbelievable goal to lose at this level. How it went in, I don’t know.”

It proved to be the winner and narrowed the gap at the bottom, making life a little bit easier for Eddie May:

“I think in certain performances we’ve done well this year but not got the points. The three points is the most important thing in this league.”

“If you can gather that, you can find yourself going up the league quite quickly. But, if you don’t, you can find yourself coming down very quickly.”

“We’re not going to get carried away, we’ve only won two games this season.”

Are the Bairns starting the survival campaign early?