Thumper

The France double header is approximately the only thing I have on this list, which began with Costa Rica in '90.

If we'd won, we'd be happy! Levein-esque pish.

That's it gone. Clarke can't see the squad into the Euros, this is fucking insipid.

All things considered I'd rather the team were brutal to watch and won games than brutal to watch and lost them, so that's the baseline Hopkin will be judged on. Choosing to blame Partick Thistle for this, as ultimately it's still their fault.

Dick Campbell was merely mediocre in this league on his last occasion though, instead of guiding his team to relegation like an Exocet missile as McPherson did with QoS.

Ayr don't need to play Morten again this season, so maybe they can share.

Both Levein and Billy Dodds categorically denied they were in the running on the radio last night. It was pointed out that it would be extremely unusual for a manager-in-waiting to be sitting in a booth doing commentary instead of in the stands. Also, and I cannot stress this hard enough, f**k Levein. If the club are going to be shit and never score goals then they might as well pick some gormless pro on the verge of retirement who can barely string a sentence together, instead of having that p***k firmly state that up was down and black was white after every performance.

I'd honestly hoped that covid might finally wipe out the fucking pestilence that is the UK bookmakers market, so to see people credulously throwing money at contrived shitshows like manager bets depresses me.

Michael Moffat holding a scarf above his head. This thread would make for some reading! I feel bad for Moffat because AFAIK he's done nothing to suggest he's gunning for it and yet he's the obvious Roberts of this scenario (club hero striker approaching end of career). Maybe he is getting his badges. But you're always better starting elsewhere unless your club is truly fucked imo.

Broke all the fucking permalinks again I see. One day a web developer will do their fucking job properly and keep pages working after an update.

There's no reason White can't apply. His time as Roberts's assistant was a disaster but it isn't a permanent black mark. If Ayr horse Raith 5-0 at Starks tomorrow then who knows.

"must win" lol, you're second and the **** are going to get the entire league shut down again. Nothing matters except first and tenth.

Careful now, our next 4 fixtures are Raith away, Hearts away, Dundee away, Raith home! league one pish, have-it-in-the-bag pish, regular pish, league one pish. The sort of thing you'd expect a new manager to tackle.

there will genuinely be people hoping for a spike in cases in the next few weeks because it would be good if a few of the country's fattest nazis died due to a self-inflicted virus tearing their organs apart.

it's usually Morten that relegate Ayr, so it's pleasing to have gotten that shit out of the way early. A new manager will hopefully build a bit of momentum towards the end as the thought of needing something in Inverness on the last day doesn't bear thinking about.

There's nothing stopping them interviewing candidates as they apply AFAIK. The deadline (which is indeed today) simply means that applicants after that point won't be considered. That said, I disagree with prejudging late applicants. If you're looking outside the tiny circle of presently-unemployed central-belt lower tier managers, as you should, then who knows when someone is going to have gotten the word, or put together their application.

I started drinking at 9 on the dot for the cup semi, which is probably why I was in a better mood by the end than most of my pals. The county town would like to inform potential visitors from the Blighted East that as it has a new electronic ticketing system, they will somehow need to procure bank accounts before attending.

As seemingly the only person in the world who thought Brian Reid got his cup semi tactics absolutely spot-on, I'd take the worst football in the universe (again) if it got results.

On the subject of crowds, revenue and streaming games: the major concern for lower-league clubs is that the majority of their support lives locally. Yes, there are plenty of Ayr fans in other parts of the country (and while I'm in Ayr at this exact minute I haven't really lived here for eight years and am usually in NL), but they're a distinct minority. Now of course part of the logic of streaming games is that it's the only way to encourage a wider fanbase (Man United aren't the most popular team in Singapore because everyone loved Alex Ferguson's patter so much) but by and large this is a function of the league and not the club: I can't think of a team which really has much foreign clout outwith the league it's in except maybe St Pauli, who are unique for a lot of reasons. So ultimately it comes down to whether streaming is going to lower your gates, and with that lower your catering takings, programmes etc. Ayr have been one of the more forward-looking teams in the last few years (c.f. the early move on the ticketing system) and so I dare say that this will be closely monitored going forward. Anyway, thank f**k for that. Next stop Starks, to remind that bunch of fucking yokels of their place.

Why not. Honestly, why the f**k not.

Stillie is in fact running as an MSP candidate this time again. Renfrewshire South this time. He'll get pumped again of course. I don't mind tories putting bibs and cones out at the football but managing is a little above their level in terms of intellect and human compassion. Anyway, so long as they actually have some managerial experience I don't care. They'll doubtless be on an initial contract to the end of the season.

It doesn't feel like Kerr lost the dressing room so much as wasn't able to tell them what he wanted them to do, which isn't entirely congruous with a sack bounce. Still, Mor10 makes the charm in shaking the current run I reckon. Either that or another dismal pumping.

Deadline of Friday for submissions. Chairman statement was straightforward. Sad to see it end like this but hopefully it turns things around.

Management at this level is always an utter gamble (see a certain I McCall being on the verge of promoting Ayr, only to get poached for a lucrative deal with a rival who he promptly got sent down). So long as it's not another current member of the fucking playing squad, or someone that Smith met on holiday once, then any bet is as good as another.

You can't win one game in ten, with your last game being a home defeat against a part-time side managed by an 85-year-old, and expect more time. As for Kerr's position that the problem was that he's not playing himself, he has perhaps mixed himself up with a ten-years-younger Michael Moffat, as the lack of dig in midfield is secondary to being unable to score in a barrel of fannies. Only desperate teams should ever give current players their first taste of management. For the first time in about two decades Ayr weren't desperate when McCall left and Cameron went for the cheap option anyway. A great parting gift. McCall certainly won't be coming back though. For a start, if he fails to stop the rot then Ayr could still end up bottom, which means relegation regardless of whether League One is stopped (based on last year's precedent) and another pointlessly burned bridge.