New Season Finally Underway
Thierry Zvunka’s reign is off to a flying start in Kilmarnock, with two impressive cup wins and an encouraging pre-season in July. It has been a hectic period for the players, with several new arrivals and departures, but the blue and whites have hit the ground running. Details of all matches last month are below (including an almost-famous result against the might of Manchester United!), followed by the concluded transfers in and out of Rugby Park.
Pre-Season Friendly
Kilmarnock 0-1 Rangers
Kevin Thomson (85)
Att: 9372
Pre-Season Friendly
Kilmarnock 2-2 Manchester United
Jamie Hamill (pen 27), Rocky Lekaj (37) – Dimitar Berbatov (12), Tom Dwight (90+2)
Att: 15383
Pre-Season Friendly
Al-Khaboora 0-1 Kilmarnock
Conor Sammon (28)
Att: 650
Pre-Season Friendly
Selsey 0-3 Kilmarnock
Mark Burchill (37), Conor Sammon (63), Rocky Lekaj (90+2)
Att: 297
Pre-Season Friendly
Kilmarnock 4-1 Drogheda United
Engin Bekdemir (10), Jamie Adams (12), Graeme Owens (40), Andrea Signorini (87) – Killian O’Brian (pen 45+2)
Att: 1099
Scottish Challenge Cup
Partick Thistle 0-3 Kilmarnock
Conor Sammon (20,55,pen 70)
Att: 4930
Scottish League Cup
Kilmarnock 7-0 Elgin City
Engin Bekdemir (5), Oliver Norwood (17), Graeme Owens (33), Rémi Elissalde (38), Azzedine Ourahou (40,66), Murray McConnachie (og 62)
Att: 1946
Transfers In (1st Team Squad)
GK Erwin Zelasny (FC Nantes, free)
DC Andrea Signorini (Genoa, loan)
DL Aurélien Calbou (US Albigeoise, free)
DR Chris Premel (US Roan l’Etape, free)
MC Rémi Elissalde (Sunderland, loan)
MC Oliver Norwood (Manchester United, free)
AML Rocky Lekaj (Sheffield Wednesday, loan)
AML Azzedine Ourahou (Bagnols-Pont, free)
AMC Engin Bekdemir (Manchester City, loan)
Transfers Out
GK Lee Robinson (Inverness CT, 10k)
CB Chris de Wagt (Doncaster, 10k)
MC Liam Kelly (Livingston, loan)
AML Jordan Lowdon (Beith, loan)
AMC Craig Bryson (Rangers, 1.1M)
In addition to these signings, Thierry Zvunka has been busy bolstering the youth ranks with new talent, hoping to provide a conveyor belt to the first team within the next couple of years. We will be doing a feature on the new young recruits very soon, exclusively here on KillieMAD!
Most of these transfer deals were wrapped up before the Killie team kicked a single ball in pre-season. The biggest move of all, however, was yet to come – Rangers made an audacious swoop for young playmaker Craig Bryson, and chairman Craig Bryce interviened to accept the £1.1 million offer. To plug the gap, Thierry Zvunka made a massive transfer of his own, landing Turkish wonderkid Engin Bekdemir from big spending Manchester City on a season-long loan deal. From the early glimpses of the lad, it looks like he could well rip the First Division apart, with a lethal combination of creativity, precision passing and accurate shooting.
Rangers-bound Craig Bryson, and his replacement Engin Bekdemir (right)
“I was obviously hugely disappointed with losing Craig Bryson, but we couldn’t stand in the way of him joining a club of Rangers’ size,” commented Zvunka. “I didn’t think we’d get Engin to be honest, so when he agreed to come it felt like Christmas! He will be a huge force in our title push this season. Now, looking at the spine of our team, we are extremely strong: Zelazny in goals has made my French U21 squads, Steven Old is ever-reliable at centre half, Rémi Elissalde is one of the best natural ball-winners I’ve ever seen, while Engin and van Dijk will give any opposing defence a torrid time. I’m delighted with the additions we’ve been able to make, and there will be no excuses if we don’t take the title now.”
Listening to the gaffer, you cannot help but be excited as a Killie fan. Onwards and upwards as they say!
Kilmarnock manager Thierry Zvunka was speaking to supporter spokesperson Hugh Gibson.
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Signings Spotlight
As promised, KillieMAD has been hard at work compiling reports on all the new recruits arriving at Rugby Park this season. Starting with the players that go straight into the first team squad, here is our scouting verdict on Thierry Zvunka’s additions to the Kilmarnock squad.
Zvunka’s additions, clockwise from top left: GK Erwin Zelasny, DL Aurélien Calbou, DC Andrea Signorini, DR Chris Premel, MC Oliver Norwood, AML Azzedine Ourahou, AML Rocky Lekaj, AMC Engin Bekdemir
Erwin Zelasny – the young goalkeeper arrives from FC Nantes in France, and is well-known by the gaffer having appeared in several French U21 squads. A highly rated stopper, Zelasny combines a good aerial presence with impressive reflexes. His only real weakness in rushing out to block attackers, but at the age of 21 he has plenty of time on his side to improve. He will be no.1 this season.
Aurélien Calbou – a versatile defender who can fill in across the back line, Calbou arrives from amateur football with US Albigeoise in the French lower leagues. Solid and dependable, he will be primarily a backup player, but his presence will be crucial when games, injuries and suspensions mount deeper in to the season.
Andrea Signorini – the young loanee from Italian giants Genoa is a sweeper with a great ability to read the game. He arrives to gain some valuable match experience in a physical and demanding division, which will help to improve the defender’s physicality. Will probably be used in a rotation system by Zvunka.
Chris Premel – another amateur addition from the French lower leagues, Premel started his career at AS Monaco but didn’t quite make the grade. He has worked hard to earn another crack at full-time football, and Kilmarnock have given the versatile wing-back the chance he has craved. It seems like he has claimed the starting spot with some impressive pre-season performances, and he seemingly has bags of potential.
Oliver Norwood – the highest profile permanent signing of the summer, 20 year old midfielder Norwood arrives from the famous Manchester United youth system. A player who is comfortable on the ball and can pick a pass, expect him to feature on a regular basis this season. With centre-mid being the most competitive position in Zvunka’s squad, he’ll need to earn a starters spot with hard work and good performances.
Rémi Elissalde – tough tackling midfielders are invaluable in the First Division, and Elissalde fits the bill. Arriving on loan from Sunderland, the talented Frenchman has already drawn comparisons with Patrick Viera. If he can fulfil this promise in his first season of competitive first-team football, expect opposing teams to struggle in the engine room against this dominating figure.
Azzedine Ourahou – the oldest signing of the close season at 26, the Moroccan winger arrives to provide some experienced cover in case of injuries. Ourahou is an accomplished attacking midfielder, who is best when dribbling directly at the opposition. Can also take a mean set-piece, so expect to see him come off the bench with some regularity when goals are needed.
Rocky Lekaj – Norway international Lekaj arrives from Sheffield Wednesday on loan, and looks set to claim a starting spot. A tricky winger, who can play on either side of the pitch, he is capable of regularly getting to the byline and providing quality crosses for those in the box. Can be frustrating from time to time, but can also be sublime by the same token.
Engin Bekdemir – Killie’s most exciting arrival ever? The Turkish wonderkid pitched up from Manchester City on loan after Rangers swooped to sign Craig Bryson, and it looks like we have got a great deal overall. Having only played 2 games so far, Engin has shown perfect touch, great vision, precision in through balls and a lethal long range shooting ability. If he plays to anywhere near his potential, he could well demolish the First Division. Would easily be an SPL starter.
Other Signings
As well as building the first team squad for our title push, Thierry Zvunka has also been busy adding to the younger ranks. His contacts around Europe have thrown together a collection of youngsters from around the continent, who will now hopefully push to break into the first team setup. Several exciting players have arrived, from some famous youth systems – the list below shows the players, their positions and the clubs that they have arrived from.
Roly Bonevacia (DMC, Ajax)
Jordan Mutch (MC, Birmingham City)
Reyza Soudant (AML, Paris Saint-Germain)
Yusuf Unal (AML, Gladbach)
Ravel Morrison (AMR, Manchester United)
Billy Knott (AMR/AML, Chelsea)
Cedric (ST, Deportivo)
Toni Vastic (ST, Blackburn Rovers)
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BREAKING NEWS: Burnley sack Clarke
Saturday 24th September, 2011
Burnley chairman Barry Kilby has tonight confirmed the sacking of Lee Clarke from the management post at Turf Moor. The 2011/12 season hasn’t started well for with the side from the north of England, currently languishing in 21st place in the Championship. Having just missed out on promotion back to the Premiership last year, finishing in 3rd place and then losing in the playoff final, Burnley had set their sights on returning to the top flight this term – as they are now fighting relegation, and the whole dressing room had reportedly lost all confidence in Clarke, they have decided to appoint a new boss.
Currently, Kilmarnock and France U21 manager Thierry Zvunka is the bookies odds-on favourite to succeed Clarke at Turf Moor. His football philosophy both on and off the field are reminiscent of the Owen Coyle revolution which brought the Clarets to the big time, and many fans see the young and talented gaffer as ideal for the role. He has taken Kilmarnock straight to the top of the Scottish First Division this season, and the team impressively remain unbeaten in all competitions (including a League Cup win against SPL Motherwell). His CV certainly seems good enough – whether he would entertain a move so early in his club management career remains to be seen.
More to follow.
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What does the future hold for Burnley FC – Zvunka for manager?
With the sacking of Lee Clarke, Burnley have made public the worst-kept secret in English football. Clarke was a dead man walking, with the dressing room against him and the fans angry with key transfer decisions made during the close season. Now that he has departed Turf Moor for good, what now for the Clarets?
It isn’t difficult to see where Burnley have gone wrong this season. With only one addition to the squad in loanee centre back Craig Cathcart, they have failed to fill the holes where the team has been left depleted. Wingers Chris Eagles and Bobby Convey were key creative forces last season, and commanded decent transfer fees during the summer to leave for pastures new. Inexplicably, however, Clarke didn’t feel the need to fill the void. Now, at the beginning of October, we can see that Burnley’s main problem is – shock horror – chance creation.
As for Barry Kilby, he has to get the next appointment right, or the club could enter a period of serious freefall down the leagues. So where do you find a talented manager willing to take on such an arduous and thankless task until the end of the season? Step forward the favourite candidate for the role, Thierry Zvunka. He may not be well known south of the border, but Zvunka has been causing ripples of excitement in both Scotland and France with his all-around football management potential. Having already clinched an important international tournament in the European U21 Championship with his young French team, the young gaffer has also been in charge of Scottish side Kilmarnock since June this year. Now, 14 games into the season, his side remain unbeaten (winning all but 2) and having taken an SPL scalp in the cup in Motherwell. Two manager of the month awards out of two shows that he’s on the right track!
This may seem unremarkable to some readers, but to emphasize the point it is Zvunka’s “all-around package” that has the football world intrigued. An ardent supporter of youth development, and a purveyor of attacking possession football (think like a less skilful Barcelona) Thierry Zvunka is a young manager with very traditional beliefs. He is as focused on the club as a whole as he is the first team, and Kilmarnock seem to have already benefited enormously from his work ethic – perhaps the best example of this is young Killie midfielder Reyza Soudant; he arrived from French giants PSG with battered pride and a lack of self-confidence…fast forward 2 months, and he has broken through into the first team at Rugby Park, scoring in both appearances he has made so far. Zvunka is more than a talented manager, he is a leader, and a real figurehead for the club that employs him.
The man himself remains refreshingly humble and down-to-earth, as FFT finds out when we met him for an interview. Smartly dressed, with a hint of the ‘windswept’ appearance, he seems at ease with anyone and everything in life. Still, this is before we berate him with your questions…
Q: You’ve had an impressive start to club management with Kilmarnock – how, though, would you respond to the criticism that you aren’t experienced enough for the Burnley job?
A: Firstly, can I just point out that I haven’t been offered anything, or heard anything, from Burnley…and as long as that’s the case I am delighted to be working at Rugby Park. To answer your question, however, I would probably say that people tend to forget that I didn’t start management a few months ago. I’ve been managing the French U21 side since the summer of 2009, and we became European champions just this summer, so myself and the backroom team must be doing something right!
Q: As this is the first ‘major’ job vacancy to appear in English club football this season, and there will doubtless be many more to come, how long can you see yourself staying with Kilmarnock?
A: To be honest, the press can speculate all they want, and I’ll just concentrate on my project here at Kilmarnock. If someone makes an official approach, I will consider my options there and then – until that time comes, I have a lot of work to plough through here to get this club where I want them to be.
It seems like Zvunka is trying to answer all our Burnley-related questions in one fell swoop! Perhaps it’s time to move on to other matters…
Q: What would you consider to be ‘success’ in your current job?
A: Winning the league this season, and re-establishing the club in the SPL is my immediate priority. Further than that, re-establishing the club in the community is just as important. Attendances haven’t been great, and we are aiming to bring the Killie faithful back to Rugby Park through the way we play football and the type of club we run. Naturally, a club that breeds it’s own players through the ranks and into the first team will have more for it’s supporters to follow and relate to.
Q: We have already seen some of your self-declared “youth” signings breaking through, with impressive results. How have you brought these young guys along?
A: Well, the key is my backroom team. They have all been allocated different aspects of training, to further enhance the young lads – that’s the theory anyway! My job is to oversee everything, and to instill confidence in the boys. A happy and confident young man will develop at a much faster rate than an unhappy or unsettled one, so making them feel wanted by the whole club makes a world of difference.
Q: Your playing career didn’t hit the heights in the end – how would you advise a youth player to progress if it were clear that they weren’t going to make the grade at the top level?
A: Is that a compliment or criticism? (compliment! FFT) Ah, just checking! Well the best way to look at it is that there is a level for everyone to excel at, be it in the top leagues or at amateur level. What matters more is your attitude and approach when it comes to challenges like these. I had a great time playing down the levels, and so should any young player if they don’t quite reach the upper echelons.
FFT: Thanks Thierry.
Thierry Zvunka: No problem, thanks for coming!
...so there you have it, the man described in France as the ‘next Arsène Wenger’. Some of the similarities are striking, but it is clear that Zvunka will need to reign back in his overall commitments as a club manager as he progresses up the levels. Would he be a good fit for Burnley? Absolutely! Will he pitch up at Turf Moor? Time will tell…
While you speculate on his eventual destination, check out Kilmarnock’s results so far this season – they make for some impressive reading!
This time, I'll be focusing on following and individual manager, rather than a club, so it should (hopefully!) be more engaging and readable. May I present...
