The 40-year-old has been named as Killie's new gaffer - and says picking the brains of the Everton boss can let him hit the ground running
17:59, 26 May 2025Updated 18:01, 26 May 2025
New Kilmarnock boss Stuart Kettlewell(Image: Alan Harvey / SNS Group)
New Kilmarnock boss Stuart Kettlewell reckons spending time with David Moyes has set him up perfectly for his Rugby Park challenge.
The 40-year-old is back in football after penning a two-year deal to replace Derek McInnes as Killie gaffer. He had been out of the game since resigning from Motherwell in January.
Kettlewell was deemed the leading candidate by the club’s board of directors and he believes tapping into the Everton gaffer’s vast knowledge of the game can help him hit the ground running in his new challenge.
The former ‘Well and Ross County boss recently spent a day with Moyes and gained valuable insight, saying: “I spent a little bit of time at Everton with guys like Alan Irvine and David Moyes, who has over 1200 games of football at the top level, so you learn a thing or two from those experiences.
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“I spent a day with them just training behind the scenes. I had good conversations, picked their brains on the challenges that they’ve faced or not.
“That was another thing that sometimes comes to light, sometimes you don’t go to a club when everything’s broken. That was something that they stressed they found going into Everton.
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“They actually inherited a lot of good things. So just little bits like that you definitely take value from.”
Despite learning from the best, Kettlewell insists he will be his own man and the plans and tactics of others can’t necessarily be replicated in Ayrshire, adding: “To be out at a big club with a top manager that I really respect, I’ve come away with some nuggets there.
“But I think it always has to be your version, it always has to be your stamp on it and it always has to be in relation to the club you work in.
“We’ve all seen everybody sit with Pep’s (Guardiola) book and think that they can coach a team, but it depends on the players you’ve got.
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“I feel that I have a pretty good model to work with the resources that I have here and it will be put to the test again. It will come with pressure and demands. but I’m absolutely fine with that.”
Kettlewell will be assisted by Stephen Frail, his former assistant at Motherwell, while Chris Burke and Craig Clark complete the coaching set-up.
Confirming the appointment of their new man in charge, a statement from the club’s board of directors read: “The club conducted a thorough recruitment process, where we were looking for a candidate who has a track record in recruiting and developing players, including young talent and has a strong understanding of Scottish football.
“We identified Stuart as the best candidate to lead Kilmarnock into an exciting new chapter.
“Stuart’s experiences, paired with the above, fits our vision and desires for the future of Kilmarnock.”
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