It has been an awfully messy weekend from a Kilmarnock standpoint.

Owner Billy Bowie may have spat out his morning coffee when he read former striker Kyle Lafferty's comments in the sports pages, presuming he wasn't reading the Herald and Times, naturally.

The Northern Irish striker made some relatively heavy claims that Killie made 'take it or leave it' contract offers which afforded players just hours to decide on. He claimed he didn't walk away as suggested but rather he was "thrown under the bus" by the club for whom he scored 13 goals in a disappointing season where they were ultimately relegated to the Championship.

"My aim was to be a part of the bid to bounce straight back to the Premiership next season but the club have announced that won’t be happening," Lafferty revealed. "The club spoke to my agent, he told them what I was looking for and I wasn’t asking for the earth or to give the boss Tommy Wright a heart attack."

Lafferty's final sentence is one that Killie were especially frustrated to read. And it's obvious why that is the case after the club released a statement - something they insist they rarely do when it comes to specifics on cash and contract negotiation - detailing the ex-Rangers and Hearts attacker's demands.

"We received a series of figures from his representatives which were four times higher than the sum he received towards the end of the 2020/21 campaign," Killie claim. "At this point, we informed Kyle and his representatives that there was no possibility of agreeing to those terms, which would have had a monumental impact on the allocated first team budget for the season.

"Following further discussions and both parties remaining miles apart, it was clear that no deal could be struck and in order to continue our planning for 2021/22, talks were brought to a close."

Lafferty's suggestion that neither he nor his reps were informed of the Ayrshire side's decision seems somewhat farfetched. That they failed, after discussions, to reply to explain their angle and confirm they would not - could not - afford the whopping salary increase that he and his agent wanted.

Mud-slinging is really not a good look for either party and neither stands to gain much from it. Killie obviously felt the need to clarify their position because, at the end of the day, the club will remain even after Lafferty and this controversial episode are in the rear view mirror.

If it is true that Lafferty fancied quadrupling his wages, you've got to credit the man's sense of humour for having the cojones to ask for such a hefty raise after one of the most frustrating seasons in the club's recent history, where they failed to stay in the top tier of Scottish football. He netted a decent return but couldn't do the business to keep them in the Premiership.

And credit, too, must go to Killie for refusing to shift on their budget outlay for next season in the Championship. They may have plans to bring in a few new faces but it's highly unlikely they will be offering the same dosh they might have offered had they stayed up. Another reason this particular situation is such a bizarre one.

Us media types might quietly be hoping Lafferty pops his head out again to respond to the response. Column inches to fill and all that. But for the club, their supporters and the player's own reputation it is probably a better idea for all to simply move on. Tit-for-tat is not a good thing, especially after a relegation.