An introduction on why Killie means so much to its fans

“The most important thing in any football club is the supporters. When I came here we didn’t have so many. We had a disconnect between the support, the board, and the players. There was nothing. When I came in I said: ‘Together we are stronger’. In my time at Kilmarnock Football Club, I’m sorry I didn’t win you a trophy. But I’m telling you as I stand here in front of three stands filled with Kilmarnock supporters, bye-bye Rangers. Make sure it’s bye-bye Celtic as well. This is Kilmarnock, this belongs to you. For me, this is my trophy.”

Those were Steve Clarke’s final public words as manager of Kilmarnock. Yes, I know, someone sound the ‘Steve Clarke Klaxon’ – I’m looking at you Killie Cal & Monty from Forever and Ever! There will be many within the club’s fanbase who don’t care to admit how many times they have watched the Scotland manager’s rousing speech over the past four years. I think it’s important from time to time to remind ourselves of his message as I attempt to liken his quotes to these ramblings.

Undoubtedly there will be Saturdays where you probably have better things to be doing with your time rather than heading to watch the football. There will be a loft needing to be floored, a garden needing doing, a Christmas shopping list needing attending to, an outing with the kids on the agenda, or quite simply no reason other than you can’t be bothered. The highs of sports last for what feels like 30 seconds, and the lows, well, they seem to span an eternity. But when you take a minute to do some soul-searching, pondering why you put yourself through the wringer every weekend and odd midweek for ten months of the year, it’s then you realise that’s what makes supporting a club like Killie.

It’s not always about taking in the game itself. The elation and dejection of following your team is just a part of the journey. It’s meeting your mates for a beer, it’s the pre-match rituals like going for a walk and grabbing something to eat at the same establishment before heading to Rugby Park. Becoming friends with total strangers surrounding you in the stands, all of whom share one common thing. I couldn’t even tell you the names of some who sit within the vicinity of my Papa and I in the East Stand. Every time we meet though, it’s all smiles and hours full of conversation – a close connection formed that would otherwise be non-existent. I can’t make every home game due to my job, but I’m proud to be a long-standing season ticket holder of this great club. I’m a lifelong Killie fan, and this newsletter is designed with my fellow fans at the forefront of my mind.

The aim of this passion project is to deliver meaningful coverage about the club that you love. It is widely known that Celtic and Rangers dominate the media landscape in this country. It has been that way for a long time before I started in the industry and will remain that way for a long time after I leave it. What is on offer here is a high-quality, Kilmarnock-minded piece of reporting on a regular basis. Whether it be an opinion piece, some deep dive analysis into specific players and games, or an interview, the ambition is to cover all aspects of the club from the first team to the women’s side and U18s. I maintain a healthy relationship with the club and I aspire to bring you content you won’t find elsewhere.

Each week’s entry will be delivered with honesty, integrity and balance, as any journalist worth their salt should strive for. This newsletter will always try to remain positive, I won’t deny that. Plenty of people out there – within the media or not – will gladly take the chance to put Killie down, so there’s no point in adding to that unless necessary. With that said, I will call a spade a spade and there will be no cheerleader-style nonsense. Fingers crossed Derek McInnes and his players can start turning these draws into wins to make that easier on my part!

It's great to have you on board and the support shown just a few hours after launching has been incredible. Let’s continue spreading the word and exemplify why Killie’s support is undoubtedly in the top few Scotland offers. Simply put, the more backing I receive, the greater the opportunities are for future coverage.

Just a word to commend the fans who will make the trip to Glasgow on Saturday afternoon. Celtic away is always the fixture I look forward to the least. With two wins at Parkhead in the last 60-odd years, it’s little wonder so many are turned off by the prospect of attending – and that’s before the infamous pole obstructing the view is brought into the equation.

With domestic football pausing next week for the internationals, that seems like a sensible moment to reflect on the opening two months of the Premiership campaign.