United1973 Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 Does anyone think the football has improved much since bullen took over? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AyrExile Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 8 hours ago, D'Jaffo said: In terms of low points there have definitely been worse times than this. Roberts spell was probably the worst for me but even when we had Hopkin/Duffy I felt less enthusiastic about going to Somerset. No doubt we’re not doing great on the park but if this league has told us anything it’s that teams can turnaround very quickly. It can come down to signings or a change of manager but it doesn’t take a lot to turn it round. The stuff we’re doing quite well at is the stuff that doesn’t happen very often as it requires a huge amount of time and effort and a lot of money and that’s the off the field stuff. The difficulty is getting both aspects of the club on a level with each other. We had this issue a few years ago when we had a squad that was almost ready to go up but off the field we were probably closer to a junior outfit than professional one. I think a change will occur and hopefully it lifts us a bit. If the plan all along has been to just get through this season then i'd expect some cash to appear and a few decent players sign. Despite what Mathie says about no cash this option is probably less of a headache all round than sourcing a new coach mid season. However if the whole thing explodes then i think Bullen will go. That's assuming we do have a plan and it's not something just wheeled out to add content the interviews. Still got the scottish cup to come which could also change our ability to spend. The next few games will bring things to a head though as it's against teams at the bottom and the potential to go either way rapidly 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawk89 Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 7 hours ago, Thumper said: Ehhhhh. Plenty of people wanted rid of McCall during relegation and Kerr didn't work out. There is a balance between style and results. If someone came in and did a Reid-esque job of grinding out results and getting gritty performances out of limited players (fwiw McCall did a lot of this himself) they'd be fine. Last season is a very big outlier in that only the baldest people in the support thought things were actually going well post-Halloween despite, y'know, finishing second. But it's good to be very careful what one wishes for in wanting regime change for the sake of style if results are okay. Obviously the current board position is to let Bullen limp along until the North Stand is finished and then hopefully crack on with the next phase of the plan. If he finishes eighth then a lot of people will consider it job done. The problem is that last season has amply indicated that you're not going to get out of the Championship by giving Lee Bullen better players. It is interesting that you mention Brian Reid, I was thinking about this whilst trundling up the M77 this morning in terms of perspective. Reid was the first "competent" manager for me as an Ayr fan. I started properly going to games about 03/04, with a couple before that. Under Reid I always felt even if the last game has been a hiding that we'd still have enough to get by and grind out games. I even enjoyed our Championship seasons under him as we were at least semi-competitive and you had players who would be able to produce moments of magic or be leaders. It wasn't until relegation was confirmed that I would accept that fate. It has been incredibly difficult since Hopkin came in for me to find the motivation to go to games, I can't really put my finger on what it is but I've gained a real feeling of apathy and resignation with the last few managers. I've also noticed it amongst the fanbase, with even some of the happiest of clappers on the various social outlets coming across totally scunnered. Since McCall left it feels like the squad has lost all the big personalities, guy who can produce magic and the enforcers who you love to have on your side. On the managerial front Reid didn't have the biggest personality but, you'd sure as hell know what Scott McKenzie was thinking on the touchline which always gave me a feeling that everyone was fighting tooth and nail. Watching the various regimes we've had since McCall there is little/no animation from the dugout either, which I think translates into the stands as well. I'm not expecting us to go out and sign someone with a megaphone that does a 10k down the touchline as our next manager but, their body language is a major part of what is being transmitted as well. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itzdrk Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 16 minutes ago, United1973 said: Does anyone think the football has improved much since bullen took over? No but to his credit he is at least attempting to play some this season rather than the hoofball of the past. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richey Edwards Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 7 minutes ago, Hawk89 said: It is interesting that you mention Brian Reid, I was thinking about this whilst trundling up the M77 this morning in terms of perspective. Reid was the first "competent" manager for me as an Ayr fan. I started properly going to games about 03/04, with a couple before that. Under Reid I always felt even if the last game has been a hiding that we'd still have enough to get by and grind out games. I even enjoyed our Championship seasons under him as we were at least semi-competitive and you had players who would be able to produce moments of magic or be leaders. It wasn't until relegation was confirmed that I would accept that fate. It has been incredibly difficult since Hopkin came in for me to find the motivation to go to games, I can't really put my finger on what it is but I've gained a real feeling of apathy and resignation with the last few managers. I've also noticed it amongst the fanbase, with even some of the happiest of clappers on the various social outlets coming across totally scunnered. Since McCall left it feels like the squad has lost all the big personalities, guy who can produce magic and the enforcers who you love to have on your side. On the managerial front Reid didn't have the biggest personality but, you'd sure as hell know what Scott McKenzie was thinking on the touchline which always gave me a feeling that everyone was fighting tooth and nail. Watching the various regimes we've had since McCall there is little/no animation from the dugout either, which I think translates into the stands as well. I'm not expecting us to go out and sign someone with a megaphone that does a 10k down the touchline as our next manager but, their body language is a major part of what is being transmitted as well. Reid is also currently available. Bring him home. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caledonian Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 8 minutes ago, Richey Edwards said: Reid is also currently available. Bring him home. It must have been a different Brian Reid who got sacked by Albion Rovers. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawk89 Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 3 minutes ago, Caledonian said: It must have been a different Brian Reid who got sacked by Albion Rovers. To be fair he must have had an impact at Pafos, their badge resembles him. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AyrTroopMajor Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 18 minutes ago, itzdrk said: No but to his credit he is at least attempting to play some this season rather than the hoofball of the past. This is very true. Shame the personnel at his disposal are utterly incapable of it, which was clear for all to see when we continuously played ourselves into trouble at home to Dunfermline. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trogdor Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 33 minutes ago, United1973 said: Does anyone think the football has improved much since bullen took over? No it's been grim. Especially the direct hoof it to Dipo (and Adeloye before). That was Hoppyball 2.0. Its even more of a laugh that Bullen has tried to change it by passing out at the back but against Morton it was like we had a team of Barry Fergusons they were just passing it backwards and sideways and it was so slow by the time we got into Morton's half they had regrouped and we either lost possession or went backwards again. We don't have the players to competently play out or break a press (see Dunfermline at home). 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richey Edwards Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 @ayr unitedMake today a FriYay and we promise not to mention sacking Bullen for a few hours. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richey Edwards Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 Opened Spotify this morning and wondered why there was a picture of Ryan Stevenson on the "UK Hot Hits" playlist. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1nickydevlin Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 2 hours ago, Hawk89 said: It is interesting that you mention Brian Reid, I was thinking about this whilst trundling up the M77 this morning in terms of perspective. Reid was the first "competent" manager for me as an Ayr fan. I started properly going to games about 03/04, with a couple before that. Under Reid I always felt even if the last game has been a hiding that we'd still have enough to get by and grind out games. I even enjoyed our Championship seasons under him as we were at least semi-competitive and you had players who would be able to produce moments of magic or be leaders. It wasn't until relegation was confirmed that I would accept that fate. It has been incredibly difficult since Hopkin came in for me to find the motivation to go to games, I can't really put my finger on what it is but I've gained a real feeling of apathy and resignation with the last few managers. I've also noticed it amongst the fanbase, with even some of the happiest of clappers on the various social outlets coming across totally scunnered. Since McCall left it feels like the squad has lost all the big personalities, guy who can produce magic and the enforcers who you love to have on your side. On the managerial front Reid didn't have the biggest personality but, you'd sure as hell know what Scott McKenzie was thinking on the touchline which always gave me a feeling that everyone was fighting tooth and nail. Watching the various regimes we've had since McCall there is little/no animation from the dugout either, which I think translates into the stands as well. I'm not expecting us to go out and sign someone with a megaphone that does a 10k down the touchline as our next manager but, their body language is a major part of what is being transmitted as well. We've been shite since mccall left .what a great manager he was for us .just think what he could have done with smith at the wheel. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toepoker Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 In January 2017 Ayr United were 7th in the Championship and 13 points clear of St Mirren who had been rooted to the bottom since the start of the season. Ayr appeared safe from relegation and manager Ian McCall decided to save money for the club by not spending in the January transfer window. But it was St Mirren that ended the season in 7th place with Ayr bottom and relegated after a 19 point turnaround with St Mirren from January. McCall accepted the blame for his decisions, kept his job and Ayr returned to the Chamionship the next season. The lesson to be learnt is that we have to invest in players in the January transfer window if we want to be safe. Ayr are only 5 points off the bottom just now which is no cushion to be complacent about. 2016–17 Scottish Championship - Wikipedia 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diegomarahenry Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 (edited) 31 minutes ago, Toepoker said: In January 2017 Ayr United were 7th in the Championship and 13 points clear of St Mirren who had been rooted to the bottom since the start of the season. Ayr appeared safe from relegation and manager Ian McCall decided to save money for the club by not spending in the January transfer window. But it was St Mirren that ended the season in 7th place with Ayr bottom and relegated after a 19 point turnaround with St Mirren from January. McCall accepted the blame for his decisions, kept his job and Ayr returned to the Chamionship the next season. The lesson to be learnt is that we have to invest in players in the January transfer window if we want to be safe. Ayr are only 5 points off the bottom just now which is no cushion to be complacent about. 2016–17 Scottish Championship - Wikipedia St Mirren also spent a fortune and signed almost a whole new team that window and were promoted the following season to the Premier. Edited January 5 by diegomarahenry 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thumper Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 3 hours ago, Hawk89 said: Under Reid I always felt even if the last game has been a hiding that we'd still have enough to get by and grind out games. I even enjoyed our Championship seasons under him as we were at least semi-competitive and you had players who would be able to produce moments of magic or be leaders. It wasn't until relegation was confirmed that I would accept that fate. I occasionally note that I'm probably the only person who left Hampden thinking that Reid got his tactics spot on. 48 minutes ago, Toepoker said: McCall accepted the blame for his decisions, kept his job and Ayr returned to the Chamionship the next season. The lesson to be learnt is that we have to invest in players in the January transfer window Ehhhhhh. That relegation was a blessing in disguise. Certainly the way that the club went back up provided a great deal of momentum for the following season (momentum that the team's star player then continued to harness). It's no certain thing that the right collection of short-term journeymen coming in that winter and the club holding onto its Championship status would have provided the springboard that led to, say, the 5-0 demolition at Tannadice that occurred after coming back up. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richey Edwards Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 10 minutes ago, Thumper said: I occasionally note that I'm probably the only person who left Hampden thinking that Reid got his tactics spot on. We lost to a goal that shouldn't have counted as well. There was a handball in the buildup. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rb123 Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 1 hour ago, 1nickydevlin said: We've been shite since mccall left .what a great manager he was for us .just think what he could have done with smith at the wheel. I think we'd be in the premiership, or very close to it 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rb123 Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 Claims to be sold out already 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ComradeDiego Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 1 minute ago, Rb123 said: Claims to be sold out already Insert ‘closest we’ll ever get to the Scottish cup’ bit 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richey Edwards Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 6 minutes ago, Rb123 said: Claims to be sold out already You have some notifications m8. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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