Tommy Wright appointed new Kilmarnock manager

Kilmarnock have appointed Tommy Wright as their new manager.

The former St Johnstone boss has signed a contract until the summer of 2023 to succeed Alex Dyer at Rugby Park and he will be in charge for Wednesday's Scottish Premiership game against Motherwell.

Dyer departed last week following a run of 10 defeats in 13 league games which left Kilmarnock 10th in the table.

Wright, who left Saints in May, is relishing the challenge of getting the club back up the table.

"I'm absolutely delighted to be the new Kilmarnock manager. It's a great opportunity for me,'' Wright told the club website.

"I had nine years in total at St Johnstone and the time was right from me to leave there but it is the perfect time for me to come back to management.

"Kilmarnock has had good success in recent years and I'm looking to take it forward and moving us up the table.

"This is a really good football club with good people and I was really impressed when speaking to them, which made it an easy decision to take the job.''

During his seven seasons at St Johnstone, Wright led the Saints to five top-six finishes and won their first ever Scottish Cup in 2014. The club were also Europa League regulars under the Northern Irishman.

"We are thrilled to announce Tommy as our new manager,'' said Kilmarnock director Billy Bowie.

"We received a number of excellent applications but we believe Tommy is the right candidate to lead us up the Premiership table in the season's remaining games while sharing our vision for the club's future.

"He is an outstanding manager with a strong track record in this league of improving players whilst remaining committed to blooding young talent through the ranks.''