Kilmarnock the 7th most direct team in the WORLD as SPFL Premiership sides feature in style rankings

Everyone wants to play pretty football and win at the same time, but most clubs have to work with the tools they have, so to speak.

Fans want results first and foremost. If they're getting those, then style would be a bonus. But in the cut-throat world of the cinch, finding ways to win can be the difference between relegation and survival, top six or not, and managers still being in a job the following week. Budgets determine the level of players available to you, and often in the lower reaches, being hard to beat with a high work rate and strength throughout the team is the best option available.

The CIES Football Observatory has been crunching the numbers, looking at teams around the globe to determine who is in fact, the most direct. And there's healthy Scottish representation in the top 20. That's not to dismiss them as long ball merchants however; criteria used include sprints during possession per 90 minutes and 'call for the ball' runs in space - essentially making a run and asking for a pass.

Kilometres travelled by the ball when in possession is another metric. But rather than being an indicator of shelling it long, it tells us who moves it the most when they have it - the less direct sides clocking up the highest distances.

All three are combined to work out an overall index, and Kilmarnock are the highest ranked Scottish club, making the world top ten with an index of 79.5, placing them seventh globally, just behind Sean Dyche's Everton. Derek McInnes' men average 17 sprints per game in possession and 77 call-for-the-ball runs into space (CFTBR). The ball travels an average of 6.79 km per game.

Motherwell are the next Scottish club in the rankings at 13. Stuart Kettlewell's side are struggling for wins right