North British

Oh you have no idea how much we are looking forward swarming into your little carpet manufacturing spot on the damp old moor .

For the sane Ayr fans , don’t try and reason with some of the buffoons on here , both Ayr and Morton . These are the guys who were horrified when we signed Shankland or told us he was a dud when he was at Morton .They have no idea about our budget and what we are trying to do with it . The Ayr buffoons definitely have an agenda with Hopkins . I think they realise that the days of us trying to play like Spain in a Scottish winter with players on £500 a week are over . The Greenock trolls are gutted their poster boy chucked it because he realised what a basket case that club is . Our club on the other hand is moving forward on all fronts , we recruited our defence now , plenty of options , several who can play in each position . It’s looks like a three man central defence with wing backs . Again all slots covered . Need a keeper , two forwards and maybe a central midfielder . These acquisitions may be a good bit more expensive than the ones we have already made . That’s were budget management comes in . We should have went down last season , post Cammy Smith we were dead in the water , our super talented group chucked it . We simply can not entertain such types ever again . Hopkins will not allow that to happen . So onward and upward ,here’s looking forward to a stabilising league campaign and some fun in both cups . Bring it on .

Isn’t derby day about the third or fourth fixture , ? Late August for a summer’s day out up the road , and make that stand shake ...

If it is McGinty , he’d be the lefty in a back 3/5 . Nobody is suggesting that the entire defence and midfield is crap . To put it into context does anybody think Morton would have finished ninth if they has say Brian Graham and Zac Rudden up in front of a hard working midfield and a pretty decent defence . If you want you could replace Zac and Brian with actual championship strikers like Toderov and Mullan . Morton with either pair would have been much further up the league ...

It’s not mandatory but it is very sensible to have a left footed player on the left side of a back three . Does anybody have a player in mind within our sphere of influence that would do the job ?

The key to our season will be who fills the two strikers jerseys , the rest doesn’t phase me much at all . A back three of Aero Fjortoft and McGinty wouldn’t be my first choice , but hardly the end of the world if we have a couple of 15 plus goals a season forwards up top . If we sign a couple of jobbers for those positions I may start to panic .

So is the Ayrshire Post saying two centre half’s plus McAlister or two centre half’s including McAlister ?

Keep it going lads , the whole of South Ayrshire is roaring you on .

45 minutes to save they’re scrawny necks . I see some red cards here . Keep going the Dee .

Right lads no mucking about tonight , just go out there and put the most arrogant bunch of clowns in Scottish football on their arse .The Championship isn’t a place they will get of in a hurry. Best of luck to Dundee tonight ....

Superb .

You might be right . Although faint heart never won fair maiden .

So our sister club from Perthshire has just won the double . So that’s the dream , that’s ambition , as Jim Telfer said “ that’s your Everest “ . “Do you have the courage to reach for Everest ? “ Maybe just maybe Mr Smith has us on the first steps to Everest . Sit back and we shall see .....

Thought one or two of the Morton boys looked decent . Maybe Dundee will turn it on , on the 4 G . Killie are truly shit !

Cochrane I think , would be too small for what Hoppy is after for central midfield, but the fact he’s an Ayrshire boy sways me a little , as he might see moving home as a way of getting his career up and running again . McGinty wouldn’t seem to be an upgrade on Baird I think , but if Baird is going out the starting xi then a left footed replacement would help . Just can’t see it though . Unless Baird moves to right centre half and Aero moves to right back , with a new sweeper co in to Marshall the lot of them . Long shot .

Oh be still my beating heart . The idea of taking the moor dwellers on , on an almost level playing field is the thing of dreams . If only Dundee can’t put them on their arse ! They have been masquerading as a serious team for far too long , got a way with murder floating their debt off . Now can their chickens really be coming home to roost . You have to think that the powers to be will be very happy to have the Dundee derby back on the table for the tv company’s , and all the city clubs back in the top division . So maybe no more favours from them for poor wee Killie ..... We just have to hope Hoppy can pull a team together in short order . Agh stepping onto the buses at Nerday from the Hub after a few beers and a sing song to head up to the moor to watch our boys scud them , superb ...

Most lightly . Could just as easily be Kilmarnock players though .

On the fence ? Man up mate , what you gonna do ? Asda , B &Q ? Really ....?

ICT got him this time last year , so why sweat . Would be class if we got him though . He will have offers though . All about the money I’m guessing .

I would imagine Hopkins has three or four earmarked the moment he took over . Of course these individuals may receive better offers as more teams move into the market. Having said that I’m sure hands will have been shaken on one or two deals . I hope we learn more next week .

If we’re going with a 5-3-2 then I’d say Baird will cover for the starting three , which should be Aero a sweeper and a left sided central defender , the plot thickens . Also not too many target type centre forward about , high end would be White , medium Toderov and low Cameron . Ironicly Cameron is the one that may turn a big profit being only 20 . Central midfield targets are the hardest to call .... Nae clue there ....

Interesting report . Only 6 players , you have think their caliber would have to be a severe upgrade on what we had . I guess all six will be first XX material. It also looks like two centre half’s are coming in and that would push Baird onto the bench which is fair enough . That being the case , and there definitely needs to be a keeper in the six ., it only leaves three slots for a centre forward and an all court central midfielder , plus one more mystery player ... It’s pretty tight . Hoppy must think he can get some of the duds from last season an extra 20% .....

I’d think of the two year deal boys only Chalmers would seem out of place in the Hoppy dynamic that is inbound . We know he likes Baird , but we also know Baird requires on field management. Curious that he has over 150 games for St Mirren under his belt . Aero gets a tic from Hoppy , I’d imagine the full backs do too . Miller is one of his old boys and can cover right back . Kind of leaves you with Chalmers and Murdock . It would be horrible to see Murdock squeezed out , but it’s a dog eat cat world . Chalmers is a square peg in a round hole , but Hopkins does seem to like him . Maybe he can be carried by ten grafters ! Interesting few weeks coming up .

Hypothetically an eleven not to dissimilar to below , in a 5-3-2.... 1. Scott Fox 2. Jordon Houston 3. Paddy Reading 4. Aero 5. Alan Lithgow cpt 6. Jack Baird 7. Josh Todd 8. Kyle Jacobs 9. Inness Cameron 10. Craig Moore/ Mark McKenzie 11. Nicky Cadden

So what are we left with ? If they all sign again (I doubt McCowan and Walsh will) we should have around a dozen . So six or seven new guys ? Not an impossible task . Four or five new first team starters , the majority of that winners and leaders at their last club . Plenty of clues there . If it’s a 5-3-2 we are talking about , then the new club captain may slide in at sweeper , behind Aero and Baird , they’ll need to be a fourth central defender as cover , maybe a rookie . Two keepers , one a rookie I’d say . Maybe an additional full back to cover or replace our two young boys . That’s four players right there . The next two or three are obvious , centre forward , with goals and an all court central midfielder , maybe two . I don’t think out and out wingers are Hoppy’s thing , think he prefers wing backs bombing forward and three in central midfield . So I doubt Walsh and McCowan have been given platinum offers . That money will be kept for keeper , sweeper centre mid and centre forward . Like somebody said earlier the spine .