KILMARNOCK manager Jim Jefferies will have no problem with Billy Reid if he sets out Hamilton to frustrate the Ayrshire side and run down the clock tomorrow.
Reid came under fierce criticism from Craig Levein after Dundee United scraped a 1-1 draw in a bad-tempered clash with Accies last Saturday. The United manager accused Hamilton of negative tactics, time-wasting and trying to kick his players, and cla
imed Reid should be "embarrassed" for praising his team.
However, Jefferies insists all teams run down the clock when they are ahead. He argued Reid would not be doing his job if he failed to modify his tactics after Hamilton's long run without a Clydesdale Bank Premier League victory, which now stands at ten matches.
"Billy has a job to do for Hamilton Accies," Jefferies said. "When you name the system as 3-6-1, people think it's negative, but they nearly beat Celtic and they nearly beat Dundee United.
"I've no gripes with how teams set up. It can be very difficult to break down teams who get players behind the ball. Inverness are very good at it, they play a 4-5-1 and scored two goals from it last week. But it's up to the other team to break it down.
"As for the time-wasting, we all do it. The only way to cure it is if referees add on the time. I know where Craig is coming from. Inverness did what we would have done last week, they took their time with everything in the second half – free-kicks, corners, throw-ins, goal-kicks.
"If the referee put up ten minutes, they might think twice about doing it. It's up to referees to be strong. There is nothing worse when you see two or three minutes go up when you know three or four substitutions have been made and the other team have wasted time."
Whatever way Hamilton play, Jefferies has urged his players to take the initiative at New Douglas Park after being disappointed with their first-half showing in last weekend's 2-1 home defeat to Inverness.
"They controlled the game and passed it about better, and had us on the back foot because we sat back and didn't get at them," he said. "We looked a far better side after the break when we got at them and got midfielders in the box more often than theirs. It's lessons learned."
Meanwhile, Jefferies will continue to look at Armand One in training with a view to a January move, and is seeking clearance for the former Partick Thistle striker to appear in a reserve game.
The full article contains 448 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
