10 of Kris Boyd's most controversial statements

Kilmarnock striker Kris Boyd. PIcture: SNS Group

The Tam McManus bodyingBoyd's most recent moment came on his official Instagram account where he tore into player-turned-pundit Tam McManus.

The former Hibs striker re-shared an article he wrote last year about Boyd's comments on Aberdeen players being called up to the Scotland squad (more on that later) with the following:

“I wrote this about Kris Boyd last November. Shouldn’t be commenting on other clubs in media while still playing. He had toned it down and concentrated on his club after this and done really well. Maybe he’s bored now he’s not in the team...”

In reply, Boyd took to social media to ridicule McManus' career.

He wrote: “Guys, let’s help get this boy some followers on Twitter. I’m worried his career in the media is going to be as ordinary as his career in the game. His stats says 14 clubs in 19 years and 82 goals!! That can’t be right, can it? That’s 4.3 goals a season!! I’ve scored more goals in one game! (twice *laughing emoji*) Maybe he should have started as a pundit when he was playing - it might have helped!”

In reference to Boyd, McManus tweeted: "To be fair even a diddy like me scored more goals against Celtic... Goals against the big teams about as thin on the ground as his barnet."

The Celtic dressing room divisionThe reason McManus re-shared his Herald column was due to Kris Boyd's unexpected appearance on BBC Sportsound on Monday evening.

On it, Boyd tore into Celtic, telling listeners that he "100 per cent" believed their was a split in the dressing room.

He said: “I know that there was a meeting after the Champions League exit. There’s a divide in the dressing room, there’s no doubt about it."

And he criticised Celtic duo Dedryck Boyata and Olivier Ntcham.

"There’s no doubt that these guys, you only need to look at their performances, are they really that bothered to be playing in a Celtic jersey right now? No for me."

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers shot back, telling Boyd to concentrate on getting back into the Kilmarnock team having only played eight minutes in the last three league games.

The Steven Gerrard-Jose Mourinho axisThis isn't an opinion which has aged particularly well. As Rangers were courting Steven Gerrard prior to his appointment, Boyd had strong words for the board back in May.

He believed the club did not have a plan, going from trying to appoint Derek McInnes to looking towards the Liverpool legend, then under-18 manager at Anfield, and were simply looking for a headline with the Gerrard pursuit, likening it to signing Jose Mourinho as a player.

He said: "The club should have a structure in place. It should have a direction of where it wants to go and, at this moment in time, it doesn’t have that. But when I look at the whole thing…if Rangers said they were signing Jose Mourinho as a player there would be outrage.

“He’s a world-class manager. Gerrard is getting away with it because he’s a world-class player but he’s not been tested on the management side.”

The Rangers unsettlingDespite playing more than 200 times and scoring over 100 goals for Rangers, the Ibrox side have been a regular target of Boyd.

In January, he accused his former employers of unsettling players, namely Jordan Jones who was the subject of serious interest from Rangers.

He said: “There’s one club unsettling everybody; if they want players then pay the money and come and take them. There’s no point in dropping phone calls in here saying they want to do this or that. If you want something you go and get it.

"If Rangers want Jordan they’ll need to pay the money.”

The Barton bodying“What annoys me most about Joey Barton is that he’s a very intelligent guy that speaks well but when he comes on a radio station and behaves the way he behaves, trying to get attention, trying to get people to phone in, for me I don’t really pay much attention to it.”

Some may see irony in that statement. Not this writer, however.

Boyd was stinging in his rebuke to former Rangers midfielder Barton's claims that the standard of Scottish football was "pathetic".

"We also played against them a couple of weeks before that and we should have beaten them as well," he said.

"But what I can remember from that night was, you know, he’s talking about players not seeing passes. Well no wonder because he nearly hit the corner flag with every one he had. All he did was chip it into the corner and hope for wingers to go and chase it.

The Derek McInnes egg-on-faceIn fairness to Boyd, he wasn't the only one who thought Derek McInnes to Rangers was a sure thing. But still, these comments are not only strong but funny. Very funny in hindsight.

“Aberdeen have no one to blame but themselves," he wrote in his column for the Scottish Sun. “When Derek McInnes becomes Rangers manager — and that will now happen — there’s no point in Stewart Milne or anyone else at Pittodrie moaning about it.

“Del did his job by rejuvenating the city, let alone the football club. He won them silverware and brought a level of success they hadn’t enjoyed for longer than anyone could remember. But for four years he kept getting told there would be a new training ground and stadium built... and he’s still waiting.

“I’m just not having this idea that Del is guilty of letting Aberdeen down. For me, it’s the other way around. He’s on the verge of leaving Aberdeen for Rangers because it’s a bigger and better club. That’s just a fact.”

The Aberdeen laughing stockBoyd was not having the inclusion of Aberdeen duo Graeme Shinnie and Kenny McLean in the Scotland squad for the friendly with the Netherlands last year.

He told BBC Sportsound: “Tell me who McLean and Shinnie are going to play ahead of. And who should be in the squad instead of them? When you go down the road, Paul Coutts is flying at Sheffield United. Kevin McDonald has come back to form for Fulham.

“Shinnie is not an international player because I’ve seen him play."

It prompted a fair amount of criticism, including from Tam McManus (refer back to the top of the article).

The laptop managerWith Hearts set to appoint Ian Cathro to replace Robbie Neilson, Boyd used his Scottish Sun column to give his view on the club's choice of manager. And it wasn't positive.

“He’s one of the up-and-coming, modern-era coaches who can organise a session just by flicking open his laptop. “here isn’t a session out there he couldn’t get on to his MacBook.

"But setting up a presentation to a group of players is all well and good. That does not require man management skills, which is part of the game he knows absolutely nothing about."

The coup de grâce?

“He’s probably not been this excited since FIFA 17 came out on Playstation.”

It saw this writer call Boyd a Luddite when in fact he was bang on the money. Sorry, Kris.

The media sycophantsYou can't say Boyd has shirked an opinion, even if the person on the other end is someone he knows well. He is consistent.

And last year, in an interview with The Times, he had a word for those that aren't quite so consistent.

“I just give my straight, honest opinion, plus, I’m not really swayed by who my friends are,” he said.

“I see journalists who have got friends in football, and they stick up for them constantly. They gloss over things, in print or on air, depending on who their pals are. I totally disagree with that. Just give an opinion and give it honestly."

The Caixinha egoBoyd never took to Pedro Caixinha and when the Portuguese manager was sacked following a 1-1 draw with Kilmarnock in October last year Boyd took to Sky Sport News, loaded both barrels and let loose.

“I think his ego is too big, he’s trying to look after himself. And he’s willing to do any damage, cause any damage, to look after himself."

As for the replacement he said: “It needs to be somebody with a Rangers connection to galvanise the place, to get it going."