Criticism of Kilmarnock captain Kyle Vassell over the top

As I signed off my introduction to this series last week I concluded that now would be a reasonable time to evaluate the opening months of the campaign. Most fans are of the same opinion, so my views aren’t exactly a hot take. There’s been some good, bad and ugly stuff from Killie. The flying start was nothing short of sensational and it captured the imagination of every fan. Perhaps that’s what led to such disappointment in September.

After the weekend defeat to Celtic, Derek McInnes’ side are now seven games without a win in all competitions. That stretches back to when Marley Watkins’ strike was enough to defeat the treble holders in August. The manager believes the team has been competitive throughout and that no opposition has entirely dominated a match. It’s difficult to disagree. That said, there’s little doubt that Killie should be at least four points better off than their current total of seven.

Conceding last-minute goals at Motherwell and Dundee flagged major concerns about the team’s mental fortitude. Losing at a similar time to Hearts in the League Cup only added to those worries. However, coming back from two down at home to Hibernian did give the players’ character and concentration some credibility during this period. It’s been a tough watch since the early weeks. The next four games, Livingston, Aberdeen and Motherwell at home, then away at St Johnstone, will be telling in whether the squad has indeed improved, or if it will be another fight to survive. It could go either way given the team are four points off fourth yet simultaneously three from bottom. Let’s wait and see.

Now that small synopsis is complete, I come to the main point of this week’s entry, Kyle Vassell. I couldn't believe some of the nonsense I was reading about the 30-year-old on Saturday. Singling out an isolated striker for substantial criticism after an away match at Celtic Park against the side that has totally dominated Scottish football for well over a decade, really? Come on. It has become increasingly apparent with the team’s faltering form that the captain divides opinion. To slate him after a 3-1 loss at Parkhead is crazy in my view. If it wasn’t for his persistence and tenacity shown against Alistair Johnston, the ball wouldn’t have made it to David Watson for Killie’s goal. He was also unlucky not to score.

Don’t get me wrong, the well-travelled frontman hasn’t hit the heights that he did last season. He’s not the only player who is out of form, though. Of course, he got us back into the game versus Hibs, but he was well below par at Fir Park and I felt he was particularly anonymous against St Mirren. For all the abuse aimed towards Innes Cameron in that game, he was more influential than Vassell.

There are clearly factors that have contributed to a loss of form. Every footballer goes through unproductive spells, and it can hardly be surprising at Killie’s level that their number nine isn’t firing on all cylinders all the time. He simply wouldn’t be in Ayrshire if he was lethal in front of goal. For those thinking about Kris Boyd around about now, touché. Injury issues continued to linger through pre-season for Vassell and after some minutes here and there, low and behold he was not fit enough to start in the opening weeks. While his game time has significantly increased since those few fleeting substitute appearances, the big man is clearly still not as sharp as previously shown. McInnes has got to hope that he can stay clear of niggling injuries and keep racking up minutes on the pitch. It’s also pertinent to mention that Vassell recently became a father. He was absent from the County loss with his partner due to give birth. Perhaps this big change in his personal life could be having an effect to some degree and should be considered to allow him some leeway.

Watkins will hopefully play against Livi. It seems he was deemed an unnecessary risk for Celtic, so it will be good to have the Welshman back involved. We’ve yet to really see what he and Vassell could do as they’ve not yet had a run of six to eight games as a partnership together. If Watkins is still unavailable though, Kennedy should be trusted to stay close to Vassell through the middle. He’s looked more dangerous in that position, with the exception of Parkhead, than he has on the left.

Overall, Vassell has eight goals and three assists in 28 games for Killie. Four of those goals came in the post-split fixtures to help save the club from relegation. It wasn’t just those strikes that were so important though, his general influence on the team carried them over the line to 10th position. His hold-up play, linking the ball with teammates and ability to be a nuisance to defenders was invaluable. It’s no exaggeration to suggest that if it wasn’t for him the club probably would’ve gone down or at least been involved in the play-off.

It's a matter of when and not if he regains that impactful form. The sooner he does, the better.