When Neil McCann was moved from specialist duties to the Kilmarnock hot seat in January, there was a mixed reaction from supporters.
Some are worried about whether he can “walk the talk” after his last permanent gig – an 18-month spell at Dundee where he won 20 games in 60 appearances.
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But McCann proved his doubters wrong by guiding Kilmarnock to safety in the Premier League with a game remaining.
When taking over at Rugby Park, Killie had gone 14 games without a win and were second from bottom. Ayrshire are just four points above Livingston with a game in hand and five points below tenth-placed St Mirren after having played two more games. The gap is now 16 points and 4 points respectively, with Killie guaranteed not to finish lower than 10th.
He has won six of eight home games to steer Kilmarnock safely into the Premier League and could sneak up to ninth in the table depending on the outcome of the final game of the season.
McCann was appointed Kilmarnock manager on January 6, signing a contract with the second-bottom Scottish Premiership club until the summer of 2028.
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Killie were just four points above bottom side Livingston at the time, with a game remaining. Now that they’ve been confirmed safe, there’s still one game left to play.
Kilmarnock have finished fourth in the Premier League since McCann took over. In those 16 games, only Hearts, Celtic and Rangers have scored more points than Killie’s 24, two more than Motherwell and Falkirk in the top six.
Only title chasers Hearts and Celtic have won more games than Killie’s six in this period, while only Celtic and Rangers have scored more goals than McCann’s side (27).
The cornerstone of McCann’s success has been home form, with his side winning six of their eight games at Rugby Park and losing just one.
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Indeed, following Tuesday night’s 3-1 home win over Dundee, McCann became the first Killie manager appointed in the 21st century, having won six of his first eight top-flight home games.
In his 16 league games, McCann won 7 and averaged 1.50 points per game. Despite the small sample size, this is the joint second-best record with Misu Patlainen of any Kilmarnock manager appointed this century, with only Steve Clark having a better record (1.79).
During the contract period, McCann’s predecessor Stuart Kettlewell coached 17 Scottish Premier League games, achieving a record of 2 wins and 9 losses, averaging 0.71 points per game.
Since McCann replaced Kettlewell, Killie has scored 10 more goals in one fewer game (27 under McCann compared to 17 under Kettlewell) and conceded fewer goals – 29 compared to 32 in the previous 17 games.
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McCann has a winning percentage of nearly 44%, while under Kettlewell the winning percentage is just over 11%.
Now, the next step for McCann is to continue Killie’s upward trajectory next season and beyond.
