McCann’s appointment at Rugby Park in January last season raised a few eyebrows, with the club struggling near the bottom of the standings at the time.
Nevertheless, with assistant Billy Dodds alongside him and Rangers winger Findlay Curtis making an impressive contribution on loan, he guided Killie comfortably to safety. They closed the campaign with four consecutive league victories and scored 13 goals during that run.
Their decline since then has been dramatic. After allowing four goals against St Johnstone, five against Celtic and four more against Dundee United, McCann is facing rapidly increasing frustration from the supporters.
The side’s adventurous approach is creating too much space for opponents to exploit.
Former Rangers, Hearts and Motherwell midfielder Andy Halliday believes the team’s formation is a major concern.
Halliday said Kilmarnock appeared to have plenty of potential before the new campaign because their results under McCann had lifted them to fourth in the form standings by the end of last season.
However, he feels the players do not look at ease in their current setup. He explained that operating as the wide player in a diamond requires enormous effort, as that role must provide width in possession before moving into a narrower position when defending.
Halliday is particularly troubled by the responsibilities given to Kilmarnock’s full-backs. They are expected to push forward aggressively when the team has possession but are often left in one-on-one situations when the ball is lost.
Without an energetic player such as Findlay Curtis ahead of them to track back and provide support, the defenders remain vulnerable. Halliday believes the formation is making their defensive problems worse by leaving them exposed.
Kilmarnock did create opportunities against United, but they failed to convert them. At the opposite end, Max Stryjek conceded four times and could still reasonably claim to have produced a respectable performance.
Centre-backs Cathal McCarthy and Jonathan Meier made their debuts, meaning two members of the back line were experiencing Premiership football for the first time. The challenge may have arrived too early for them.
McCarthy conceded the penalty, while Meier was substituted at the interval. Kilmarnock’s difficulties increased when experienced centre-half Robbie Deas suffered an injury early in the match.
Almost everything that might have gone badly did so. Wednesday’s home meeting with St Mirren may not quite be a must-win fixture yet, but avoiding defeat already seems essential if Killie are to revive their campaign.
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