Where did it all go wrong for Kettlewell at Kilmarnock?

"The former Motherwell boss has been sacked from his position at Rugby Park, along with assistant coach Stevie Frail, following a 10-game winless run. Sunday's late defeat at Aberdeen proved the end for the 41-year-old, who leaves with the Ayrshire side in the Scottish Premiership's relegation play-off spot. Kettlewell felt hard done by about the nature of that loss, but the issues under the former Ross County manger run deeper than the Dons' controversial winning goal."

"Kettlewell resigned from his role at Motherwell in January, citing personal abuse he had received from fans during a downturn in form. In a similar vein to this campaign, he oversaw an encouraging start at Fir Park last term before standing down following a run of one win in nine. There is also symmetry in the turnover of players he had to manage over the summer, plus injury issues, which were a regular theme during his time in Lanarkshire."

"Despite the alarming form he was enduring at the end of his Motherwell tenure, it was often the level of performance that attracted most of the criticism. People tend to forget his side were the third highest scorers in the Premiership in the 2023-24 season, when they finished ninth in the league. However, he opted to alter his approach in the summer of 2024 to a more passive, counter-attacking style, which only brought more scrutiny when results did not come."

Stuart Kettlewell was dismissed as Kilmarnock manager after six months, 21 days and 23 games following a 10-game winless run and a late defeat at Aberdeen. The club sits in the Scottish Premiership relegation play-off spot. Kettlewell had previously resigned at Motherwell amid fan abuse after a poor run and had similar patterns of an encouraging start followed by decline. He managed significant player turnover and recurrent injuries. A shift to a more passive, counter-attacking approach in summer 2024 drew criticism as results faltered. Kilmarnock collected only two points from their last 30, intensifying pressure on the club.

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