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The Killie vibesmen we'll never forget
The September international break tends to feel like a distraction just as club football is getting going in earnest, something made apparent by a recent Twitter trend.
Compilation videos - often with a period appropriate soundtrack - of âBarclaysmenâ have been doing the rounds on the social media site to much wistful remembrance.
If youâre not terminally online, the neologism basically refers to English Premier League footballers from the 2000s and 2010s who achieved cult status rather than elite.
Thierry Henry is not a âBarclaysmanâ, nor is Frank Lampard, but Massimo Maccarone, Youri Djorkaeff, Adel Taarabt and Kevin Nolan most certainly are.
With that in mind, weâve picked some of our favourite Killie players who would fall into that category.
Weâre not talking stars like Steven Naismith or Kris Boyd, nor club stalwarts like Garry Hay and James Fowler. These are the vibes players, the ones who burned bright briefly, or were brilliant on their day, or just plain fun to watch.
Alexei Eremenko
We couldnât really start anywhere else, could we?
In terms of pure talent, for those of us not old enough to remember the sides of the 1960s the Finn is arguably the most gifted player weâve seen don the stripes.
Born in the Soviet Union but raised in Finland, he came to Ayrshire as a player with 35 Serie A appearances under his belt and experience in the Russian and Ukrainian top divisions.
Were it not for the connection with then manager Mixu Paatelainen itâs unlikely heâd ever have been near Rugby Park, and within minutes of his debut against St Mirren the view from the stands was a near-unanimous, âhow did we get this guy?â.
He scored, of course, and his poise on the ball was immediately apparent.
Billy Dodds highlighted his set piece prowess on Sportscene after the match, though he did appear to refer to the St Mirren goalkeeper as Noel Gallagher.
If someone just cut together a compilation of his every touch from that 2010-11 season thereâs not a Killie fan who wouldnât watch every minute just to see little moments like these against Motherwell.
The fact he was beaten by Emilio Izaguirre to Player of the Year that season remains one of Scottish footballâs great injustices but at least weâll always have the time he nonchalantly skelped one in the top corner at Tynecastle.
Or just take a look at this fantastic team goal against Inverness.
Perhaps the best example of how good he was is the fact Conor Sammon scored 15 goals in 23 games with âLosaâ playing behind him and got a ÂŁ1m move to the Premier League.
Eremenko returned to Killie in January 2014, having suffered a couple of serious knee injuries and, it must be said, not looking in the best condition.
While he didnât quite hit the heights of his first spell his technical ability remained there for all to see and he grabbed a goal on his second debut away at Dundee United.
He grabbed three assists away to Partick Thistle in a crucial relegation six-pointer, his penultimate game for the club, having tortured them at Rugby Park in a 3-0 win a few months earlier.
It feels only appropriate to end with one of his trademark free-kicks - gone but never forgotten.
Souleymane Coulibaly
Neil Young once famously sang âitâs better to burn out than to fade awayâ, and though he made just 26 appearances for Killie, Ivorian striker Coulibaly will live long in the memory.
We got a taste of things to come with his stunning first goal for the club, bringing it down, turning his man and bending it in the far top corner like prime Del Piero.
There was the overhead kick away at Dundee, the run and finish against Hearts, but perhaps the best bet is just to watch all his goals in this handy compilation (just turn the sound off if you doâŚ)
His exploits earned him an ÂŁ800k move to Egyptian side Al Ahly but things didnât work out there and Coulibaly has been itinerant ever since, turning up in Tunisia, Cyprus and, perhaps most unedifyingly, at Gary Caldwellâs Partick Thistle.
It would be remiss not to sign off with his incredible 40-yard strike to put Lee Clarkâs side 1-0 up away to Celtic.
Ultimately it just served to make Brendan Rodgersâ side angry and they went on to win 6-1 but Coulibaly scored from 40 yards and that, to quote David Brent, is the real quiz.
You can read the rest of our fine list of Kilmarnock vibesman over at the Killie Chronicle for FREE.
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