Jefferies long reign ends at Kilmarnock

Jim Jefferies’s title as the longest serving Scottish Premier League manager currently in charge ended on Monday as he saw his eight-year stint come to an end after Kilmarnock announced he and assistant Billy Brown were leaving by “mutual consent”.

Rugby Park had been plunged into turmoil in recent days with Killie chairman Michael Johnston denying allegations he had tried to discuss the 59-year-old Jefferies’s tactics with club captain Kevin Kyle.

Kilmarnock said in a statement: “An agreement has been reached among Kilmarnock Football Club, team manager Jim Jefferies and assistant team manager Billy Brown, which will allow Messrs Jefferies and Brown to leave the employment of the Club with immediate effect.

“The agreement was reached by mutual consent.

“Everyone at Kilmarnock Football Club wishes to thank Jim and Billy for their eight years of service to the club, a period which witnessed several top six SPL finishes and the League Cup final in 2007.

“The club will now seek a new manager with a view to restoring its position in the top six of the SPL and challenging for this year’s Scottish Cup.”

Scotland striker Kyle alleged last week Johnston had “discreetly” asked him to discuss Jefferies’ tactics, although the forward said doing so would have been going behind his manager’s back.

However, Johnston told BBC Radio Scotland on Saturday he had not initiated a conversation on Jefferies’s plans with Kyle, saying: “If I wanted to talk tactics, I’d discuss it with the manager. It was a subject raised by Kevin.”

Jefferies, who has yet to make any public comment on the issue, was reportedly angry with Johnston but the chairman said the manager’s anger was directed at Kyle.

But Jefferies’ exit suggested his relationship with Johnston had broken down.

Kilmarnock are currently one place off the bottom of the SPL table, having won just one of their last nine games.

Former Falkirk, Hearts and Bradford boss Jefferies took charge at Killie in February 2002.

He led them to fourth place in his first full season in charge.

However, a recent lack of resources at Rugby Park had started to tell with the club finishing second bottom in the 2007/08 season and eighth last term.

Now Kilmarnock are just two points in front of basement club Falkirk, who they are due to play in the weather delayed fourth round of the Scottish Cup on January 18.

Jefferies’s departure means Kilmarnock, along with this weekend’s opponents Motherwell and Dundee United, who recently saw Craig Levein leave for the Scotland job, are one of three managerless teams in the SPL.