A defeat to Connah’s Quay Nomads got the ball rolling, and since then, Kilmarnock boss Angelo Alessio has became one of the most scrutinised managers currently in Scottish football.
He has been hit with plenty of criticism this week. Kirk Broadfoot slammed his training methods after his Rugby Park exit (Daily Record) and Killie’s Greg Kiltie has now said he doesn’t believe he’s been given a fair crack of the whip at Rugby Park (BBC).
Alessio has also been slated in the media, with one recent newspaper column calling for him to leave (Daily Record).
It’s unwarranted criticism and Alessio deserves the time to work his magic at Rugby Park.
The critics
We’ll start with Broadfoot, who has ‘savaged’ Alessio’s training methods. It’s a shame that these comments have surfaced, as the centre-back was set to leave Ayrshire on good terms after winning fans over with committed displays over the last year.
His recent interview is media gold but it has left a mark on his Killie relationships. Broadfoot has every right to speak out about the training sessions, he has taken part in them after all.
However, there were never any issues raised about them at Juventus or Chelsea. Alessandro Del Piero, the World Cup winner, also backs Alessio (The Herald).
Perhaps Broadfoot was just unwilling to adapt to his methods, which says more about the centre-back than Alessio.
Next is Kiltie. He played six games during the 2018/19 season under Steve Clarke, before being loaned out to Morton in January of this year.
This season, he has featured four times under Alessio and has again been loaned out to the Championship. It begs the question as to why Clarke wasn’t publicly outed by the winger.
The most recent column on Alessio is just offensive towards the Kilmarnock boss. Because the Killie manager has different views and ideas compared to the normal run of the mill coach in this country, he is on a hiding to nothing, apparently.
It’s a draconian view. What’s the point of learning shape from a tactician who has coached at the highest level, when you can learn about punting the ball from pillar to post? Baffling.
Alessio needs time at Kilmarnock
The former Chelsea assistant rightly came in for criticism following the Connah’s Quay loss. It was a terrible night for him and the club, but since then, it hasn’t been too bad.
They sit sixth after four games. After five last year, they were in seventh. Killie have also shown improvement in their last three matches, not conceding a single goal.
His ideas and tactics may take time for players to get used to, but it seems as though they are finally getting there. Perhaps they haven’t turned the corner, but Killie are certainly indicating.
Alessio has also had to rebuild from what was left of Clarke’s side. The likes of Kris Boyd, Jordan Jones, Greg Taylor, Youssouf Mulumbu and Daniel Bachmann all left over the summer months.
It’s been a transitional summer and the season itself will likely be a slow burner. It’s why players and pundits alike shouldn’t be calling for his head and slating him four games into a league season.
Kilmarnock need to give Alessio time. Only then will we know what the ex-Chelsea and Juventus coach is made of.