HAVING walked out on Motherwell back in January because of the toll which the abuse he was receiving from the Fir Park faithful was starting to take on his young family, there were some obvious questions to ask Stuart Kettlewell as he was unveiled as Kilmarnock manager today.
Does he have any worries about the impact which his new job will have on his wife and children? Did he think twice about returning to the dugout? Did the Rugby Park directors have any concerns about bringing him in to replace Derek McInnes? Will he be able to cope with the flak which will fly in his direction?
Supporters of the Ayrshire club are not, like their North Lanarkshire counterparts, exactly slow in voicing their displeasure when things are not going according to plan on the pitch and he can expect to be targeted if, as has very much been the case this season, performances and results fall short of what is demanded.
Kettlewell, looking lean and tanned after four months out of the game and a holiday in Spain, quickly allayed any fears which there may be about his ability to cope with being back in the supporters’ crosshairs.
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Asked if he had any qualms about returning to management given how his spell at Motherwell had ended, he said, “No, absolutely not.
“It’s one that I probably feel I need to shoot down, I think I’ve been very categoric. If anybody wants to go over and look at any words that I’ve said, at no point have I ever asked for a cuddle, at no point have I ever asked anyone to feel sorry for me.
“I made a decision, stood by my decision, still do to this day. I’ve got a pretty strong mind that way. It depends on where you are, what your resources are, what position you find yourself in and what achievements you have had within that. I believe that I made the correct decision in that scenario at that time.
“A lot of people maybe cling on to words or statements and start writing their own story. But, again, I would urge anybody to look at anything I’ve ever said off the back of that.
“But what you also do as well, and I’m a humble enough person to admit it, is you learn little bits about yourself as well. I have said before that this is my job, it doesn’t have to be my family’s life and I really do stand by that.
“I think you learn a little bit from within that and make sure that you do your job and your family live their life. I’m not pulling on the heart strings, it’s just that sometimes you learn a little bit about how close that needs to be or potentially how far it needs to be.”
Asked if his family would be attending Kilmarnock games in the coming season, Kettlewell said, “That then becomes a choice, that becomes a choice that everybody has. From my side of things that will moving forward become a choice for me.
“You understand that people will jump on that conversation and that topic, but I can categorically tell you that it won't affect me doing my job and it won't affect my family's life in any way.”
Kettlewell, who stood down with Motherwell sitting in fifth place in the William Hill Premiership table, admitted that the Kilmarnock high heid yins had asked him about his reasons for leaving his previous post during the interview process.
“I knew that whatever job I went into next that I was going to field questions about it,” he said. “I'm not shying away from it, I haven't done since I'd moved on from Motherwell. It wasn't something that was addressed heavily. But I certainly wouldn't hide from speaking to the media or a board or a supporter or anybody on that front.”
Kettlewell has not been idle during his time out of football. He spent a day watching his countrymen Davie Moyes and Alan Irvine overseeing training at Premier League club Everton. His enthusiasm for the challenges which undoubtedly lie ahead of him at Kilmarnock were whetted.
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“When I left Motherwell, I had the 100 per cent backing of the board, the players and the staff,” he said. “The model of how I work is fine. But I always want to try and do things better.
“It's not a big secret as such. I spent a little bit of time at Everton. I was able to spend time with guys like Alan and Davie, who has over 1200 games of football at the top level. So you learn a thing or two from those experiences. “I just spent a day with them, just watching what they did behind the scenes. I had good conversations, picked their brains on the difficulties that they've faced.
“That was another thing that sometimes comes to light, you sometimes you don't go to a club when everything's broken. That was something that they stressed they found going into Everton. They actually inherited a lot of good things. So little bits like that you definitely take value from.”
Kettlewell suspects there is not much, despite the ninth place finish they recorded in the Premiership this term, wrong at Kilmarnock and is counting the days until the 2025/26 campaign starts and he is once again out on the touchline in the firing line.
“Derek is someone that I respect an awful lot,” he said. “He has done fantastic work here. So it’s a slightly different role to come into I suppose in many ways.
“With the nucleus of the squad that’s here, it’s a group that I’m really looking forward to working with. The staff have been first class to this point. It’s exciting for me and hopefully it’s exciting for the football club. I believe that it’s a good fit.
“But, ultimately, everything’s about what happens when the ball starts rolling, you’re always judged when the ball starts rolling.”
