Derek McInnes clamps down on Kilmarnock’s ill-discipline with fines in training

Derek McInnes has cracked down on needless transgressions in training to steer Kilmarnock away from their red card repercussions.

Midfielder Liam Donnelly was sent off for picking up two yellows in the 2-1 defeat by Ross County in Dingwall at the weekend – the first for kicking the ball away and the second for a foul – and it was the fifth time this season Killie have finished a game with 10 men.

Captain Kyle Vassell revealed the Rugby Park players are fined for committing “silly fouls” in training and McInnes, without the suspended Donnelly and defender Stuart Findlay (groin) for the trip to Hearts on Wednesday night, expanded on the issue, while questioning the consistency of decisions.

He said: “We’ve done it for a while now, for things like pulling. Sometimes in training games that players will make a foul and I want us to get away from that so we fine players for that type of thing, pulling players back and stopping promising attacks.

“Also questioning and complaining dubious refereeing decisions, which is a million because I’m the referee most of the time.

“We introduced that and if anybody annoys me too much they get fined for that.

“So we are just trying to train the players to be more disciplined and more accepting of decisions, good or bad.

“Sometimes I’ll make decisions that are clearly wrong, just to test them and I want us to try and be just a bit more concentrated on everything on the pitch.

“The message to the players is to be squeaky clean, to be really sure about our work.

“We’ve got not to give any sort of opportunities for people to be red carded, but consistency has got to be there, and it’s not there. I don’t care what anybody says, that isn’t there at a minute.

“We’ve got to own the fact that we’ve had so many red cards and we’ve got to be better at that because it’s having a big impact on results, big impact on team selection, and it’s not an ideal situation for me.

“It is the first time I’ve ever had as many red cards managing a team and it’s something that I don’t want to become a habit.

“Looking at even the games in terms of league, we could potentially be another seven or eight points better off.

“There’s two ways about it and we’ve got to make sure that we are, we’re better and it doesn’t become an issue as the season goes on.”

Striker Vassell added: “I can’t put my finger on why so many red cards, but something needs to change. You are not allowed silly fouls in training, you get fined.

“I think that is for the best because the boys know you will not get away with in training and you won’t get away with it in the game.”