'We want to deliver': Derek McInnes in Killie play-off rallying cry

The manager knows it’s going to take something special from his players to overcome a 2-0 deficit in the Europa Conference League play-off second leg.

Derek McInnes has called his Killie charges to give their FC Copenhagen counterparts hell when 7pm comes around on Thursday night.

The manager knows it’s going to take something special from his players to overcome a 2-0 deficit in the Europa Conference League play-off second leg.

Here is every word of what the 53-year-old had to say to the print media…

You said it’s time to make it awful for Copenhagen. Can you give one or two things about what that might entail?

Awful is maybe the wrong word but I've said to the players we need to be their biggest nightmare tomorrow. And to do that we need to bring everything we've got and we need to play with confidence. We need to play with a flavour of what we were last season in a lot of the bigger games. And I do think we need to score the first goal and I think if we get the first goal then it's a huge step towards being exactly that.

I think we've all got to want to make this happen as a squad, as a staff and as a support behind us. And our will, sheer will, as well as quality and confidence and being smart with our work has all got to play a part. And hopefully if we get an even break, I thought they got a break last week, there's no doubt about it.

They got a break which can happen in games and we can do with everything going our way tomorrow night. But we've got to play the biggest part in that.

As a manager, what would be the biggest achievement? Would you be right up there if you did?

I'd rather talk about that if we managed to do it. But I actually think we're enjoying the work at the moment. It's not without its challenges and I think we're clearly suffering at the minute domestically because we don't have the resources to deal with it. But at the same token, it's like, you know, there was a part of me when I see Stevie Robinson and I spoke to him and I think, I'm not speaking for him, but I think he was like, take a breather, they're out of Europe, they can just concentrate.

And there is an appeal on that, there is a bigger appeal that has got to be keeping this going and bringing £4m in for the club and how we can use that to our advantage and bolster the squad, bolster the infrastructure of the club, just get a bit of recognition and the kudos for that.

The co-efficient would take a huge shot in the arm as well. So there's loads of things, advantages for us being that team. And I do say that to the players, I want to be the manager that does that, I want you to be the players, you should as players want to be the players that deliver that for the club. It's like, as I say, it's never been done before and I think it's important that we, while there is a chance and we think it's more than just a chance, we've got to try and just grab it.

It's a great incentive, as you say, they could put their names up on the walls forever, pictures, whatever. It's a massive incentive.

I think when you come to a club, it's like, you obviously, you get really involved in it. Certainly, I have, as a player, but most of us, even so as a manager, it's like, while you're there you just want to leave your mark. I wasn’t brought up a Kilmarnock fan, but I like the club, I really see the potential of the club and I want the best for it.

While I'm the manager, I want to try and make sure we're just rinsing everything we can out of it. We've got good people working above me, and we've got a good squad of players that I've shown time and time again that can be relied and trusted on.

We need a wee bit of help at the minute, we've been far from our best and sometimes that's difficult for a group of lads who have not been used to losing in games. But I do think there are factors and I don't think anybody should doubt, I certainly don't doubt the players, that once we come through this, I think we'll be better for it, for having the experiences of it. But we want that experience to continue and we've got a chance of doing that tomorrow night.