logo
Kettlewell confident in his 'clear plan' for Kilmarnock

Kettlewell confident in his 'clear plan' for Kilmarnock

BBC News10-07-2025
Manager Stuart Kettlewell insists he has a "clear structure, plan and identity" for Kilmarnock as he prepares for his first competitive match in charge on Saturday.The Ayrshire side begin their League Cup group stage with a trip to Highland League side Brora Rangers.The former Motherwell boss has brought in nine players since joining the club in May and enjoyed a positive pre-season with three friendly wins and one defeat."I think the biggest challenge you've got is if you don't have a plan," said the Killie boss, who will announce his new captain and vice captain to the squad on Thursday."If you don't have a way you want to play, if you've not profiled them, if you're going to just kind of stumble along and hope that you find something, I think that's your biggest challenge."Probably in my nature and how I work, it's always about a clear structure, a clear plan, clear identity of what you want your team to look like."We've been doing our work and our due diligence, so we should start to see the fruits of our labour."Fortunately for us, even in pre-season, I've started to see a lot of bits I like, but also bits I know will still take a wee bit of time to improve on and to start to click."The buy-in from the players so far has been great and I'd probably be sitting here worrying if I didn't see that, but to a man the players have been fantastic that way."
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Robinson hails 'maverick' Idowu and goalscorer Phillips
Robinson hails 'maverick' Idowu and goalscorer Phillips

BBC News

time25 minutes ago

  • BBC News

Robinson hails 'maverick' Idowu and goalscorer Phillips

Stephen Robinson hailed "maverick" Roland Idowu and two-goal Killian Phillips as their St Mirren side secured top place in Premier Sports Cup Group D and a place in the last the Irishman who joined the Buddies permanently this summer after last season's loan from Shrewsbury Town, set up both goals for his fellow 23-year-old midfielder in their 2-1 win over Ayr United."Roland, we played him just off [striker] Mikael [Mandron] and told him to float into those wider areas where the goal came from because it's very congested in the middle of the pitch," manager Robinson told BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound."He was excellent. He was involved in both goals. He's a maverick, he's someone who can change the game for us and he's someone we're trying to bring into the game."Him and Conor McMenamin, Jalmaro [Calvin] when he gets up to speed, are boys that can do things we haven't had previously."As for Phillips, who has signed permanently after his loan from Crystal Palace, Robinson said: "We have worked constantly on cutting balls back and making runs and Killian is getting his just rewards and he's adding goals to the other good attributes he's got."The visiting Championship side pulled a goal back in the second half, but Robinson added: "The way we played in the first half, I thought we were outstanding. We got a little bit casual in the second half and didn't do the simple things well."We lose a goal from a set-play and the momentum swings and puts us on the back foot, but we showed the character and quality and we should have gone and finished the game off with three or four more goals."

Brown expects 'quality' from teenage Celtic duo
Brown expects 'quality' from teenage Celtic duo

BBC News

timean hour ago

  • BBC News

Brown expects 'quality' from teenage Celtic duo

Scott Brown is expecting 19-year-old Celtic midfielders Jude Bonnar and Kyle Ure "to add quality" to his Ayr United side on loan this made his third appearance as the former Celtic midfielder's side lost 2-1 in their final Premier Sports Cup group game away to St Mirren on Brown credited the half-time substitute with helping turn the game in the Championship side's favour after going into the break two goals down to their top-flight hosts."The change of shape and personnel helped and I thought Jude coming into the middle of the park was exceptional and that helped us keep the ball - also a bit of urgency and aggresseness as well," he told BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound."Coming from Celtic to come in and play for us like that, it looks like he's been part of this team for some time."Bonnar scored in his debut as a substitute in Ayr's opening 4-0 win over Arbroath and started their 3-0 defeat of Forfar Athletic, while Ure played the closing minutes in Paisley."Obviously, if you are good enough, you get game time and Jude so far has shown he's not out of his depth and he can probably push on again," Brown added. "Kyle we've not seen too much of just yet, but he was only just in training the other day and gets his minutes on the park today. "The two of them are fantastic footballers and it's another two lefties in the team and they have a good understanding of the game and they want to better themselves. "Hopefully they can get game time and, at the same time, add quality on the pitch."

England's Lottie Woad taking golf by storm after winning first professional start
England's Lottie Woad taking golf by storm after winning first professional start

Telegraph

timean hour ago

  • Telegraph

England's Lottie Woad taking golf by storm after winning first professional start

In another life, Lottie Woad may very well have been turning out for the Lionesses in their Euro 2025 final on Sunday night. Instead, this remarkable young Englishwoman was making history of her own by winning on her first professional start at the Women's Scottish Open. It is fair to say that Woad made the correct choice as a highly-rated 12-year-old in the Southampton Academy. This huge Leeds United fan opted for the smaller ball and vowed to achieve huge things. And despite being in the baby steps of her career it is already a case of mission accomplished. This was no middling event in which she broke her maiden tag at her first attempt (although she was already a winner of a professional tournament). Sanctioned by the LPGA Tour, the tournament at Dundonald featured four of the world's top 10, including No 1 Nelly Korda. Ostensibly it is used as a links tune-up week for the Women's Open, the season's final major which begins at Royal Porthcawl. But it takes some winning, as it should with a $300,000 (£223,000) winning cheque. And the fact that Woad looked utterly nerveless in compiling a 21-under total to beat major winner Kim Hyo-joo by three shots, with Korda a further five strokes behind in fifth makes her success that much more fantastical. However, this was no fluke and definitely would not be classed as such. Three Sundays before she won the Irish Women's Open and the Ladies European Tour as an amateur – defeating English No 1 Charley Hull in the process – and the Sunday after came within a stroke of making the play-off at the Evian Championship and having the chance of becoming the first amateur in 58 years to win a major. Everything on Woad's CV pointed to her being an overnight success in the paid ranks, not least that she did not rush to join the superstars, first going through the age groups with England Golf and then not breaking this link or leaving her long-time coach, Luke Done, when inevitably crossing the channel to enrol in US college. Woad, who has only recently finished up at Florida State University, was the world No 1 amateur for more than a year, a period of dominance during which she won the Augusta National Women's Amateur on the hallowed Masters layout in 2024. It has been clear for a long time that the 21-year-old from Farnham, Surrey could be something special. In April, Karen Stupples, the 2004 Women's Open champion, told Telegraph Sport that ' Lottie is the best golf prospect the UK has produced since Rory McIlroy ' and explained what makes her stand apart. 'Clutch putting is an intangible that separates the great from the good – and she has it,' Stupples said. 'With her temperament and nerve, she'll be very suited to the professional game.' This was evident at the Ayrshire links where Woad grabbed the lead in the second round courtesy of a 65 and never looked back. Saying that, she was caught by Kim after 12 holes and the atmosphere intensified. No matter, Woad simply birdied the next two holes this time she was not about to squander the advantage. As accomplished as her putting happens to be, there is no doubt that her approach play is world class and on the 18th she spun in a wedge to a few feet. There was no wild celebration with caddie Dermot Byrne – formerly Shane Lowry's bagman – which was just added evidence that this is where she expects to be. 'I didn't know she'd got back to level and knew it would be quite tight, as I was only a couple under at the turn,' Woad said, following her 68. 'When I had the two birdies early on the back nine I knew I probably had a bit of a lead by then. 'I was just hoping to contend and played really solid today. It was pretty nice in the end, being able to lay up on the par five.I definitely wasn't expecting to win my first event, but knew I was playing well. It [winning] is a pretty good outcome, I guess.' If Woad was any more laid back she genuinely would have her own reading on the Stimpmeter. She is adamant that it did not bother her that had she been a pro she would have collected almost £400,000 for her heroics at the Irish and Evians. 'I knew that going into those events, so I didn't think about it, no,' she said. 'And honestly, I don't even know how much I've won today. I just know that if I play well then all that will take care of itself.' And what about Porthcawl where she will now command the spotlight after becoming the first Briton to win on her first start as a pro on the US circuit? 'I'm excited as I don't get to play links too often – this is my first time playing links golf since the AIG Women's Open last year [at St Andrews where she finished tied for 10th],' Woad, who is already in the world's top 30 said. 'I wasn't exactly sure how it would go. But it went fine.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store