Rangers starlet Kai Kennedy’s loan club Dunfermline have been forced to issue a statement after a dire start to the season.
After a strong-looking summer of recruitment, there was plenty of hope amongst Pars fans that they would genuinely compete for promotion to the Premiership under new manager Peter Grant.
13 goals and three wins from four Premier Sports Cup group stage matches then added to the early-season buzz around East End Park.
However, things went downhill rapidly when the Championship campaign began and after eight fixtures, they remain winless and rooted to the bottom of the table on four points.
So far, highly-rated Ibrox loanee Kennedy has shown flashes of promise but is yet to score a goal or notch an assist for his latest adopted club.
In fairness to the 19-year-old, virtually no one else has been able to contribute in the final third, either, with the Pars only scoring twice in their last nine matches in all competitions.
Such is the scrutiny on Grant’s position as manager, Dunfermline’s Board of Directors felt compelled to issue a lengthy statement backing him on Tuesday afternoon.
“It is always easy to find someone to blame,” reads a section of sporting director Thomas Meggle’s message. “In football, it’s usually the coach. But after my analysis, I believe we need time for the measures to take effect.”
“Peter has proven in the past that he can handle such a difficult situation. Continuity in a football club is an important asset.
“Both myself and the Chairman had a long chat with Peter on Sunday, and he continues to be up for the fight and is desperate to succeed but understands results have to change, and quickly.”
A quick glance at the replies on Twitter shows that the statement hasn’t gone down well with many Dunfermline fans, but a managerial change isn’t imminent in Fife.
Kennedy has a January recall option in his loan deal and if the situation doesn’t improve at East End Park by then, Rangers may well opt to bring him back to Ibrox.
Former Rangers players Graham Dorrans and Rhys Breen are also members of the current Dunfermline squad, although Breen is yet to make his debut due to a ‘nightmare’ start to his time there.
