The Ultimate Super Ayr Thread

[North British]

So it’s the morning after the night before , Not a great start to the season to say the least , nobody can be happy with that . However there are some positives that come out of it , we now know that our midfield three are about as much use as the two we played with last season . Someone said earlier they looked like L1 players . Which means we need three new players in there who are at Championship level or above or maybe two plus Aero !  We also already knew that a striker or maybe two are needed and again at the correct standard . If we are going down the complete upgrade route and brining in a caliber to get into the top half then it won’t be cheap , your looking at close to £200K for salary’s for the season , that represents our entire prize money from last season going on four players  ,unless some clubs can loan us the players and help with the cost ,enter Burnley or Livingston (as they hinted that two were going out as soon as they had cover in) . From the Hoppy interview he hinted that help was on the way but probably wouldn’t be here in time for Edinburgh City . So it’s a waiting game for loans or/and contracted players who’s time is up at their clubs .  I’d expect that one or two would need to go out to help mitigate this cost ,so really it’s sacrificing pool size for an improvement in the starting eleven . It’s out in the open now , this is what’s needed  , Davie Smith it’s over to you . 

As for Edinburgh City if Marius is fit then Aero could move to midfield and I’d expect Chalmers to start if fit . Moffat while never being a Championship starter these days would have been perfect for these LC games . However what ever he has on his plate at the moment we should all be wishing him well and a speedy return .... 

On a side note I see McCall’s defence got done twice with a simple ball over the top , seems oh so familiar . Not one to gloat though . 

[Finlay21]

21 minutes ago, North British said:

So it’s the morning after the night before , Not a great start to the season to say the least , nobody can be happy with that . However there are some positives that come out of it , we now know that our midfield three are about as much use as the two we played with last season . Someone said earlier they looked like L1 players . Which means we need three new players in there who are at Championship level or above or maybe two plus Aero !  We also already knew that a striker or maybe two are needed and again at the correct standard . If we are going down the complete upgrade route and brining in a caliber to get into the top half then it won’t be cheap , your looking at close to £200K for salary’s for the season , that represents our entire prize money from last season going on four players  ,unless some clubs can loan us the players and help with the cost ,enter Burnley or Livingston (as they hinted that two were going out as soon as they had cover in) . From the Hoppy interview he hinted that help was on the way but probably wouldn’t be here in time for Edinburgh City . So it’s a waiting game for loans or/and contracted players who’s time is up at their clubs .  I’d expect that one or two would need to go out to help mitigate this cost ,so really it’s sacrificing pool size for an improvement in the starting eleven . It’s out in the open now , this is what’s needed  , Davie Smith it’s over to you . 

As for Edinburgh City if Marius is fit then Aero could move to midfield and I’d expect Chalmers to start if fit . Moffat while never being a Championship starter these days would have been perfect for these LC games . However what ever he has on his plate at the moment we should all be wishing him well and a speedy return .... 

On a side note I see McCall’s defence got done twice with a simple ball over the top , seems oh so familiar . Not one to gloat though . 

Thats a pretty decent  view of things ,one thing is i don’t think the current board with all the effort they are putting in off the pitch will tolerate us being in a relegation battle , and reckon if a tough decision was needed don’t think they would hesitate too much in reacting , as someone said earlier first round of league games should give an indication of where we are 

Edited July 11, 2021 by Finlay21

[Superhursty7]

Wonder if Craig Sibbald could be one of the guys Livi are going to let go out in, not in the squad for there game yesterday and has been linked with us before he played a lot of games last season so could be he's got a knock so that why he was not involved though and is still in there plans

[D'Jaffo]

Thats a pretty decent  view of things ,one thing is i don’t think the current board with all the effort they are putting in off the pitch will tolerate us being in a relegation battle , and reckon if a tough decision was needed don’t think they would hesitate too much in reacting , as someone said earlier first round of league games should give an indication of where we are 

That’s all very well and good but even if, 3 months down the line, Smith was to give Hopkin the bullet do we have much faith that he would appoint the right man. As it stands he’s got an extremely easy (and cheap) option in Jim Duffy but if he was anything more than a caretaker for a few games or even until the end of the season then I think there’d be a lot of complaints.

I’m firmly in the camp of giving Hopkin the first few league games to see what happens but if the performances and results are tragic then he’ll have to go. The only reason I’m letting him off just now is because he clearly knows that the squad is well short (partly his own fault tbh) and he needs 3-4 players in the forward areas of the pitch. However once these guys come in then he’ll have zero excuses.

[ryanayr1987]

2 minutes ago, Finlay21 said:

Thats a pretty decent  view of things ,one thing is i don’t think the current board with all the effort they are putting in off the pitch will tolerate us being in a relegation battle , and reckon if a tough decision was needed don’t think they would hesitate too much in reacting , as someone said earlier first round of league games should give an indication of where we are 

Hopefully. My only concern is that if the squad is that imbalanced and say that we give him till October we could be cut adrift by then. It would take a St mirren type rebuild at Christmas to try get out of trouble. 
 

he should never have been given a two year contrac. He should have been told save us last season then look at performances and how he is doing. I guarantee he wouldn’t have been in this job now. 

[Superhursty7]

If we take a hiding at rusty park in first league game it will only be a matter if time before he's gone.

[eez-eh]

Even if things are so bad that there’s a change of management fairly early on we’ll be humped until January because the squad will still be shite.

[Moomintroll]

Did, did an A*r fan just have a pop at us for having a dilapidated stadium? We are through the looking-glass here if that is the case.

[D'Jaffo]

If it comes to making a decision on a new manager then it would be helpful if Smith brought in someone with a football background to advise him and run that side of the club. We don’t want Smith being blown away again buy fairly run of the mill, lower league managers.

[Finlay21]

10 minutes ago, ryanayr1987 said:

Hopefully. My only concern is that if the squad is that imbalanced and say that we give him till October we could be cut adrift by then. It would take a St mirren type rebuild at Christmas to try get out of trouble. 
 

he should never have been given a two year contrac. He should have been told save us last season then look at performances and how he is doing. I guarantee he wouldn’t have been in this job now. 

I don’t disagree with you ,just saying that first round of games should be the maximum time he is given , if we lose first 3/4 games then a decision may be needed then , 

[TheScarf]

17 minutes ago, Superhursy7 said:

Wonder if Craig Sibbald could be one of the guys Livi are going to let go out in, not in the squad for there game yesterday and has been linked with us before he played a lot of games last season so could be he's got a knock so that why he was not involved though and is still in there plans

Pretty sure Sibbald is one of the first names on the Livingston team sheet.

[North British]

1 minute ago, TheScarf said:

Pretty sure Sibbald is one of the first names on the Livingston team sheet.

Not on the team lines on Sky App . 

[Superhursty7]

Pretty sure Sibbald is one of the first names on the Livingston team sheet.

Probably is , just clutching at straws and putting two and two together to get 8 TBH

[D'Jaffo]

Pretty sure Sibbald is one of the first names on the Livingston team sheet.

Didn’t play yesterday, hasn’t been seen in pre season either. Livi fans were saying he might be off but I doubt it’ll be to us.

We nearly had him when Kerr came in as well but injuries meant he got back into the Livi team.

[Roxanne's man]

3 minutes ago, eez-eh said:

Even if things are so bad that there’s a change of management fairly early on we’ll be humped until January because the squad will still be shite.

Seems like a waste of time spray painting 'HOP ON, HOPPY!' on my granny's bedsheets to hang at Somerset just yet. 

I'm not a fan of how things are going currently, as Albion are a team I thought Ayr would have beat, I'd certainly give Hopkin till the Kilmarnock game before calling for his head. Hopkin will surely know that he needs new players and the support back on side, his interview technique needs improved too, if not... I'll rummage the hut for the pitchfork. 

[Hazbart]

18 minutes ago, ryanayr1987 said:

he should never have been given a two year contrac. He should have been told save us last season then look at performances and how he is doing. I guarantee he wouldn’t have been in this job now. 

And that’s the kicker.

no decent/self respecting  manager would accept those terms.

[Trogdor]

Just now, Roxanne's man said:

Seems like a waste of time spray painting 'HOP ON, HOPPY!' on my granny's bedsheets to hang at Somerset just yet. 

I'm not a fan of how things are going currently, as Albion are a team I thought Ayr would have beat, I'd certainly give Hopkin till the Kilmarnock game before calling for his head. Hopkin will surely know that he needs new players and the support back on side, his interview technique needs improved too, if not... I'll rummage the hut for the pitchfork. 

Well said. 

[North British]

5 minutes ago, D'Jaffo said:

Didn’t play yesterday, hasn’t been seen in pre season either. Livi fans were saying he might be off but I doubt it’ll be to us.

We nearly had him when Kerr came in as well but injuries meant he got back into the Livi team.

 Sibald is more lightly to show up at the Pars or the like . I’d be more inclined to be looking at Keaghan Jacobs , played for Hoppy before , 31 years old . But yes pure guess work .

[Superhursty7]

The problem with Hopkin is he was not a popular choice among fans to start with we have had one decent performance away to Dundee since he came in and he did exactly what a lot feared and has mostly signed players from a rank rotten Morton team, most mangers get that new man buzz and a honeymoon period that's not going to happen here if he can't turn the corner soon his coat will be on a shoggaly nail.

[HMIP]

John Hughes still available?

Can definitely see Hopkin doing a Neil Watt after that interview.  As others have suggested, we are heading for a hounding at Rugby Park on the first day of the season - he wouldn’t recover from that.