diegomarahenry

Raith game is now next Tuesday, the same time as the Scotland v Austria game. making Ayr fans choose to either watch the national team or what they offer currently. It’s almost like we are being trolled now. we’ll also miss out on an away support. if they offer streaming I can see a few fans doing split screen to do them both.

We scored over 100 goals and Shankland scored 30 of them. It’s doing a massive disservice to Moffat, Moore and the way we were set up to play saying it was just about Shankland and his goals. Shankland is probably the best player to come through Ayr in my opinion since the late 80s, maybe even up to Steve Nicol. That includes Conway, Teale and Stevenson who all were called up to Scotland (and completely ignoring Nesbit and McKenna) When Ayr signed him he was on the verge of moving part time and left one of the brightest prospects in Scottish football. McCall may well have got lucky with Shankland but Shankland got lucky with Ayr.

I expect Dunfermline will do the same as they have the last couple of years, look poor early on and then come good towards the end of the season keeping Grant in a job, they have decent quality all through the team and once they settle on a style they will start to get results. The difference between them and Ayr are, we have settled on a style that hasn’t looked like working, we don’t have players showing quality and the manager has had a decent chunk of last plus half a dozen games this season without addressing…and in some case adding to the problem areas. I am always cautious about us signing loads of players because every penny is a prisoner at this level and it doesn’t guarantee success. However, I’d say we need a centre half to replace any of the preferred back 3, at least two midfielders and another forward. we have Chalmers, Murdoch, Hewitt, O’Conner, Maxwell and Miller who can play in central midfield and only 3 fit in to the style of play, meaning the others are either getting paid to sit and do nothing or have to be shoehorned in elsewhere. The ones that have played haven’t dominated a game all season because we get rid of the ball as quick as possible. Do we get in to another Daziel situation where we keep signing players to paper over cracks or do we try and play a way that suits the players we have. with the defence we have, I would suggest defensive football isn’t for us, with 2 wing backs, I would suggest not relying on them being full backs. These seem to be cornerstones of Hopkins approach.

A lot was made by McCall when he signed 6 players from the academy in 2017. McCowan, Murphy, Waite, Hilton, Faulds and Avci. I think only Hilton is the only other still playing senior football. Looks like McCall could have signed them without knowing anything about them.

Forrest and Crawford came through in a period of adversity. Crawford stood out in a midfield of Sinclair (Hi Forzaayr) and McStay. Forrest scored on his debut in a cup game and was barely out the team from 16 years old, in a horrific Roberts team. Throwing Ecripont in during a miserable spell at the club, when expectations are so low might not be a bad thing and may give him a chance to learn. We have had one league game at Somerset in 18 months yet most folk are quite pleased we have no game tomorrow. That’s how low the expectations are. If Ecripont or Hewitt or McKenzie have a bad game, they are guaranteed not to be the ones making the mistakes that cost us goals.

Also, if we were able to keep him, I’d keep him.

Im not saying he’s a bad player or anything like that, he’s became important because he looks like he gives a f**k. As a championship defender, he’s above average, as a midfielder he’s limited but both of these things, combined with his attitude make him a key player in our current squad. if Thistle wanted to pay him more money that Ayr couldn’t compete with then good luck to the guy. It’s all about recruiting well and McCall would see Muirhead as exactly the same as he did when he signed him for Ayr, a decent cover player that can play in 2-3 positions. We don’t have the luxury of signing decent players for cover because our starting 11 are as bad. Muirhead is replaceable in midfield by signing a decent, hard working midfielder. As for a shortage of quality in defence, Hopkin clearly targeted the shambles we have signed at the back and hasn’t looked anywhere else for defenders.

He’s replaceable and in his 30s, possibly key to us this season because we have lacked what he gives us but I wouldn’t be concerned if he left at the end of the season if he left now we’d be fucked even more

An electrified waterlogged pitch would surely be unplayable

To my knowledge he had never condemned Jimmy Saville for his actions either.

Turn the sprinklers on today and by Saturday morning the pitch should be unplayable problem solved

Stillie and Whyte in the dug-out, 6 changes to the starting line up, 4-0 win to Ayr. Like when Reid and McGowan took temporary charge when the 2 Rabs left.

Done

Oh, you have them. Unfortunately both sets of fans will need to watch the formal "handing over" of them at a later date

So far we have seen posted Hopkin is an anti-vaxer Hopkin is ugly Someone hoping Hopkin gets Covid Potential mastermind behind 9/11 There is plenty ammunition to go after him for his performance without dipping this low.

No but I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to get Moffat, Not getting a game, potential match winner, worked with him before.....Maybe Particks version of signing Kris Doolan

Yes and No, gives us time to get a midfielder in but also gives Hopkin more time and excuses (not that I think Smith would pull the trigger if we lose) We were told there was a plan B and C for players coming in but it’s gone quiet on that front since then.

Managers with philosophy’s on football almost always go tits up, I can’t think of any who have been a success. Caldwell at Partick Cathro at Hearts Kerr and McCardle at Ayr At least Hopkin hasn’t had them running up sand dunes in the pishing rain or ballet dancing to reggae music yet.

Don’t think so, I think it was only the cup games you forfeit because of the timescale anyway. We have from Now till April to play the league games. if they do a circuit breaker then it’ll be moved. If there are no more cases then they may make us play based on us having 7 players on the bench on Saturday -2 for this Saturday and that was without Paul Smith.

Good that they are postponing rather than forfeiting the game. we probably wouldn’t concede 3 goals in the inevitable defeat and goal difference might be important at some point.

They were also there when Dunfermline hired Peter Grant……which is even more puzzling

We want to be lied to and told everything will be ok. We want a team of superstars that are always fucking injured for some reason. we want to be left thinking “if only” at the end of a season rather than thank f**k that’s over. We want a manager that thinks beyond kick off on a Saturday and doesn’t sit with his head in his hands when one of his charges makes an arse of it.Again. Then changes f**k all A manager who already knows who he wants in the next window and has already spoken to that player. A manager that can convince an overweight part-time bound forward to become a Scotland international. If the free hat and jacket fits anyone else other than McCall then they should get their CV ready

The longer he's out a job the closer he'll get.

John Hughes and Derek McInnes are both out a job.

There are shades of the Neil Watt era, a manager that got a surprise promotion, signed a load of former players and made a team worse. Watt had a good job out of football and realised football management wasn't for him. Hopkin has a good grounding to be a manager but his football philosophy might be suited more to part time teams where he has 2-3 seasons to get it right and signs big, fit players to bully opposition. Playing long ball football on Central park or Cliftonhill. He could have 2-3 seasons at Ayr to get it right if it looked like he was making inroads to getting it right. He doesn't look like he's making progress.