Ayr United, What now 2016/17

[munro7]

Harkins seems to be getting most of the grief on here but the first few seconds of the St Mirren highlights sum up Cairney's career with us to date as someone effortlessly breezes past him and Cairney looks like he's running backwards as he tries to get back.
That said, it's not down to any one individual, it's clearly a whole team thing.
In my opinion we've been crying out for width for some time now and I'd be going with McDaid & McGuffie out wide for a few games. McGuffie may well be inconsistent but I doubt it would be any worse than what we've had until now.

[ayrmad]

1 minute ago, munro7 said:

Harkins seems to be getting most of the grief on here but the first few seconds of the St Mirren highlights sum up Cairney's career with us to date as someone effortlessly breezes past him and Cairney looks like he's running backwards as he tries to get back.
That said, it's not down to any one individual, it's clearly a whole team thing.
In my opinion we've been crying out for width for some time now and I'd be going with McDaid & McGuffie out wide for a few games. McGuffie may well be inconsistent but I doubt it would be any worse than what we've had until now.

Correct, the only consistency shown by some is poor to middling.

McCall's answer in his 1st Q&A session about the youngsters still raises a huge red flag in my head, Watt's explanation about tying the 4 midfielders together raised a huge red flag at his Q&A session as well, I really shouldn't ignore my gut instinct due to being that desperate for positive things to happen.

[No_Problemo]

Correct, the only consistency shown by some is poor to middling.
McCall's answer in his 1st Q&A session about the youngsters still raises a huge red flag in my head, Watt's explanation about tying the 4 midfielders together raised a huge red flag at his Q&A session as well, I really shouldn't ignore my gut instinct due to being that desperate for positive things to happen.

Can't remember either, what was said?

[Guest]

The identity thing is a good point. Ayr along with almost every other team on the planet appears to be playing the exact same type of nondescript system with no real tactics or individuality in the team. Does anyone remember a ball being crossed into the box yesterday ? Other than Harkins on one occasion, does anyone remember an Ayr player attempting to run or dribble past a man ? I honestly don't get it. Has every Manager and Coach in the country been brainwashed in to believing that this is the only way to play football nowadays ?

If so, maybe we'd be better trying to recruit "athletes" rather than footballers as all people seem to bother about nowadays is "statistics", most of which are completely bloody useless and irrelevant.  The only statistic that matters is the full time score and playing our current way that particular statistic is horrific.............

[ayrmad]

1 hour ago, No_Problemo said:

 

Can't remember either, what was said?

 

McCall basically said he wasn't interested in watching the youngsters as his only concern was the 1st team, not exactly inspiring if you're a kid or parent of a kid looking to force your way into our 1st team at some point in the future, it's also terrible for our academy as Killie are by far and away a better option for Ayrshire youngsters and parents weighing up their options at the moment.

Watt was basically describing how he planned to play an ultra negative formation without actually saying the words, in my desperation for success I let it slide.

I only viewed McCall's online or I'm quite sure I would have fired my hand straight up.

It really is time that the club took back control of the academy and developed a long term strategy that managers were required to fit into rather than this disjointed nonsense we've got at the moment.

We had the absurd situation of a boy refusing to come back from loan to play under Marko on the Saturday only to turnout for the academy side on the Sunday, I'm willing to stand corrected but I think my memory is quite accurate on this issue.

[young buck]

4 hours ago, Jimmy85 said:

What a load of bollocks that is btw. It's a game revolving around 22 men kicking a ball around a bit of grass. 

 

The reason you're struggling is because your players are shite and your manager is clueless. All this talk of brand and identity is meaningless and totally irrelevant drivel. 

Fair enough jimmy I didn't mean rebranding as in the club as a marketable franchise sorry that wasn't clear. What I meant was we very nearly got relegated out of the second division and were on a decade and a half slide possibly to oblivion. We lost hundreds of fans and to halt they takes some nous. Growing that is a different animal because you have added expectation and that makes it a lot more difficult. That is my point, I'm not saying that macall hasn't taken us as far as he can that may well be the case but while he's still got a dog in the fight he's got my backing.

[HeathrowAUFC]

It's pretty difficult to defend McCall at the moment.
 
 
 

Absolutely this.

The inability to prepare a side to take 3 points from a league game since October 22nd provides a rather damning body of evidence despite some very good, and unexpected points picked up away from home.

FWIW, I think McCall is the right man for the job. Despite the bluster and sense of entitlement on this thread, the only realistic target our club could ever expect to achieve this season is another season in the Championship be that via a relegation play off or not.

You can draw a line through any comparison to any other other club in this division other than Dumbarton. We're essentially a part time club swimming with bigger fish. You only have to gauge the euphoria that would greet another Dumbarton season in this division if they were to avoid relegation to make a proper comparison of expectation, and they've been "succeeding" season after season.

I don't buy into this "he's ignored his striker shortage". Only McCall and the directors know who he went after but again, unless we're in direct competition with Dumbarton for a player, we're at a huge disadvantage with anyone else.

I don't doubt he's made mistakes but the playing field is far from even in this division. Most sides can throw a few quid at it, we can't.

Tuesday night sees 2 sides on their arses, McCall needs to earn every penny of his wage between now and then. When there's probably not a great deal of skill on show and nerves aplenty, he needs 11 players who'll run through walls for him. If he can't organise & motivate them for this, then our fate is probably not in our hands....

[pandarilla]

Absolutely this.

The inability to prepare a side to take 3 points from a league game since October 22nd provides a rather damning body of evidence despite some very good, and unexpected points picked up away from home.

FWIW, I think McCall is the right man for the job. Despite the bluster and sense of entitlement on this thread, the only realistic target our club could ever expect to achieve this season is another season in the Championship be that via a relegation play off or not.

You can draw a line through any comparison to any other other club in this division other than Dumbarton. We're essentially a part time club swimming with bigger fish. You only have to gauge the euphoria that would greet another Dumbarton season in this division if they were to avoid relegation to make a proper comparison of expectation, and they've been "succeeding" season after season.

I don't buy into this "he's ignored his striker shortage". Only McCall and the directors know who he went after but again, unless we're in direct competition with Dumbarton for a player, we're at a huge disadvantage with anyone else.

I don't doubt he's made mistakes but the playing field is far from even in this division. Most sides can throw a few quid at it, we can't.

Tuesday night sees 2 sides on their arses, McCall needs to earn every penny of his wage between now and then. When there's probably not a great deal of skill on show and nerves aplenty, he needs 11 players who'll run through walls for him. If he can't organise & motivate them for this, then our fate is probably not in our hands....

Spot on.

[Guest]

The hard facts are that we are in the entertainment business and to go 85 minutes without a shot on goal at home is quite frankly unacceptable. It's changed days and people no longer just blindly follow and to pay £17 for that crap is going to see us lose more and more fans. We should also remember that it wasn't Bayern Munich or Real Madrid that we were playing, it was bloody St Mirren who are anchored at the bottom of this league. 

Yes, we're part time, Yes, we have one of the smallest if not smallest budgets in the league, but that is still absolutely no excuse for that pathetic performance yesterday. The body language of our players (Devlin excused) was shocking and whether it's a lack of confidence or something else I don't know, but I do know that McCall better do something about it and fast !!!

[No_Problemo]

The hard facts are that we are in the entertainment business and to go 85 minutes without a shot on goal at home is quite frankly unacceptable. It's changed days and people no longer just blindly follow and to pay £17 for that crap is going to see us lose more and more fans. We should also remember that it wasn't Bayern Munich or Real Madrid that we were playing, it was bloody St Mirren who are anchored at the bottom of this league. 
Yes, we're part time, Yes, we have one of the smallest if not smallest budgets in the league, but that is still absolutely no excuse for that pathetic performance yesterday. The body language of our players (Devlin excused) was shocking and whether it's a lack of confidence or something else I don't know, but I do know that McCall better do something about it and fast !!!

It becomes more worrying when a member of the coaching staff was on the pitch and wasn't remotely vocal in encouraging the players.

[young buck]

3 hours ago, HeathrowAUFC said:

 

Absolutely this.

The inability to prepare a side to take 3 points from a league game since October 22nd provides a rather damning body of evidence despite some very good, and unexpected points picked up away from home.

FWIW, I think McCall is the right man for the job. Despite the bluster and sense of entitlement on this thread, the only realistic target our club could ever expect to achieve this season is another season in the Championship be that via a relegation play off or not.

You can draw a line through any comparison to any other other club in this division other than Dumbarton. We're essentially a part time club swimming with bigger fish. You only have to gauge the euphoria that would greet another Dumbarton season in this division if they were to avoid relegation to make a proper comparison of expectation, and they've been "succeeding" season after season.

I don't buy into this "he's ignored his striker shortage". Only McCall and the directors know who he went after but again, unless we're in direct competition with Dumbarton for a player, we're at a huge disadvantage with anyone else.

I don't doubt he's made mistakes but the playing field is far from even in this division. Most sides can throw a few quid at it, we can't.

Tuesday night sees 2 sides on their arses, McCall needs to earn every penny of his wage between now and then. When there's probably not a great deal of skill on show and nerves aplenty, he needs 11 players who'll run through walls for him. If he can't organise & motivate them for this, then our fate is probably not in our hands....

 

Well said

[AUFC10]

It's really difficult to see where our next win is going to come from. Yesterday was the most disheartened I've felt about an Ayr team in a long, long time.

Our midfield consists of passengers, they don't influence the game in anyway. When any of the back 4 have the ball the movement in front of them is non existent. We don't seem to have a plan. Nobody wants the ball.

No passion, no creativity, no pace, no width, no idea. McCall can't give the players the will to win but he has failed to bring in a natural winger and a proven goalscorer in two years. I get that's it's difficult to attract players but my point is more that I believe we've signed the wrong type of players.

I don't mind if we are outplayed by teams, but I can't abide being outfought. The first real tackle of the game went in after 79 minutes yesterday and it was Paul Cairney - another who has been a passenger for the last month. The lack of fight is worrying. If we went down fighting then fine but at the moment we're not even competing. We look unfit and uninspiring.

Tuesday now becomes huge. I fear if we lose this, the crowd will turn hugely on the players and manager and people will just lose interest. It's difficult to watch a team who won't run through brick walls for the club. We are where I expected and had you offered me this position at the start of the season, I would've taken it. But, the manner of performances, despite picking up some decent away points has been well under par. I still think if we finish ninth or stay up in any capacity then it's been a good season.

Having said all that, a win on Tuesday might be the catalyst for us to pick up a few results. I hope they prove us wrong and come out fighting.

[grazza]

The loss of John Henry seems to be a big one. Harkins need to concentrate on his playing and boosting fitness and bring in a coach or two to help. I think most of us are realists and budget wise 9th is where we could expect to be its just we are hope even in the middle of the park before it even gets anywhere near the final 3rd. The defence is good but can only do so much under constant pressure.  The club needs to find a way to stay up in this league and go full time or will be knock the bricks over and starting again every couple years. 

[diegomarahenry]

McCall is almost mirroring Roberts in the pick some random players and hope they go out and do stuff style of management. 

We haven't had a balance to the team for about 5 years, playing central players out wide and too many similar players in the middle has cost us. 

Yesterday, Harkins and Cairney were the worst players on the park, if we don't have the ball then they are passengers and make no attempt to get it back, Cairney must have cost us 5 goals at least from giving away possession at stupid times. I doubt that if we didn't have injuries that Harkins would have come off anyway despite not looking interested all afternoon.

We seem happy to absorb pressure and hit on the counter attack, but 90min at home, playing two recognized strikers at the same time, for the first time all season and to register one shot on goal, from a sub in the 80th odd minute suggests something isn't working. 

[D'Jaffo]

The loss of John Henry seems to be a big one. Harkins need to concentrate on his playing and boosting fitness and bring in a coach or two to help. I think most of us are realists and budget wise 9th is where we could expect to be its just we are hope even in the middle of the park before it even gets anywhere near the final 3rd. The defence is good but can only do so much under constant pressure.  The club needs to find a way to stay up in this league and go full time or will be knock the bricks over and starting again every couple years. 

We managed to go on a good run after he'd left. I doubt the problems lie with the backroom staff, more to do with most of our players being League 1 standard.

[Stellaboz]

Could be worse. You could see Ryan Stevenson still in your team.

[ayrunitedfw]

5 minutes ago, Stellaboz said:

Could be worse. You could see Ryan Stevenson still in your team.

He'll score the winner on Tuesday. NAP

[itzdrk]

1 minute ago, ayrunitedfw said:

He'll score the winner on Tuesday. NAP

And get a new face tattoo to celebrate 

[ayrunitedfw]

1 hour ago, itzdrk said:

And get a new face tattoo to celebrate 

Some boy, loves a motivational instagram post. 

[ayrmad]

10 hours ago, HeathrowAUFC said:

 

Absolutely this.

The inability to prepare a side to take 3 points from a league game since October 22nd provides a rather damning body of evidence despite some very good, and unexpected points picked up away from home.

FWIW, I think McCall is the right man for the job. Despite the bluster and sense of entitlement on this thread, the only realistic target our club could ever expect to achieve this season is another season in the Championship be that via a relegation play off or not.

You can draw a line through any comparison to any other other club in this division other than Dumbarton. We're essentially a part time club swimming with bigger fish. You only have to gauge the euphoria that would greet another Dumbarton season in this division if they were to avoid relegation to make a proper comparison of expectation, and they've been "succeeding" season after season.

I don't buy into this "he's ignored his striker shortage". Only McCall and the directors know who he went after but again, unless we're in direct competition with Dumbarton for a player, we're at a huge disadvantage with anyone else.

I don't doubt he's made mistakes but the playing field is far from even in this division. Most sides can throw a few quid at it, we can't.

Tuesday night sees 2 sides on their arses, McCall needs to earn every penny of his wage between now and then. When there's probably not a great deal of skill on show and nerves aplenty, he needs 11 players who'll run through walls for him. If he can't organise & motivate them for this, then our fate is probably not in our hands....

 

You'd think he could find 10 players that can put effort in for 90 minutes, laziness and hiding has absolutely nothing to do with budgets or our part time status.

I'm expecting McCall or Scally to use some of those lines after another couple of losses.