edinburghhonestman

Good shout. I haven't seen him but he gets a good press.

I'd like to have seen Tomlinson and Watret a bit more involved from the bench or loaned out to League 1/2 at the start of the season.

There's a bit of a lesson there for us in terms of player development. He'd had about 8 bit part appearances in his career and then gets a bit of a run with us. You can see how much he's come on in a fairly short time. We seem reluctant to give our Academy players the same opportunity in the team, or to fix them up with a decent loan that might challenge them.

Puts his tenure in to some perspective. He came in at a time when we desperately needed someone to keep us up after the Hopkin and Duffy fiasco and he did improve things. To be fair to Bullen he was prepared to give up a good thing in Sheffield to take us on and for that he has my thanks. After the high water mark of the home demolition of Queen's Park and a poor January window though, he's found things tough. Without Chalmers and with Mullin losing a bit of form teams found it easier to close down Dipo and we limped in to the playoffs. This season has been a bit of a car crash, though. The recruitment has been poor, there's been no discernable shape and he's been pretty random with the substitutions. We've been sliding back to where we were under the previous 3 managers so clearly time for a change.

Suggests the problems started with the Falkirk game. The reality is that we had a poor January window. Losing Chalmers and only getting the likes of McAlear when we were in a strong position to challenge Dundee was the start.

At least snake oil contains Omega-3 and helps with arthritis.

If it weren't so plausible you should be getting red for that.

Couldn't agree more. I went to my first game in 1963 and this is about the most depressed I've felt as an Ayr fan. I was slightly fortunate in that my kids were young during the worst of the Shanks/Connor/Watt years and I couldn't always justify coming through from Edinburgh but I'm pretty sure I won't be back now until Bullen has gone. Assuming I'm not alone in that feeling from what I'm seeing on here but it feels like no matter how many folks stay away the club are reluctant to act. Before we know it we'll be relegated and facing a drop in income of potentially £200k+ a season. That's going to be a tough place to build from.

And I'd have taken him back in a heartbeat. Given he went to Bromley rather than somewhere higher, I think that's a missed opportunity.

Just realised that. Thought he'd been there longer.

Heard a rumour from a Saint Mirren fan that we may be getting one of their forwards on loan. Anyone know who? Maybe Grieve being recalled from Dundee United as he hasn't been playing?

To an extent I'd agree. A PCA is completely unenforceable but a) it's not that often they are broken and b) it at least shows a modicum of forward planning.

Only works if we scrape survival, which on current form is marginal, and if we have a new coach to sell. I worry that even if the internal view is that Bullen goes in June, we're not doing anything to get the new coach lined up in time for him to assess the squad and do any planning. Sometimes I think Ayr are the only club in the country that have never heard of PCAs.

Perfectly good Ingram goal disallowed before Rangers scored.

If you were going to add any team it should be the 1969-70 team that took a Celtic team full of Lisbon Lions to a replay in the League Cup semi-final after a dodgy penalty helped Celtic to a 3-3 draw in the first game. Several of them are already in the Hall of Fame but that was the best Ayr side of all time. Possibly the best part-time team Scotland has seen.

Wasn't Mark Kerr doing the football coaching degree at Napier?

Just looking at who we have signed beyond June and whoever is managing Ayr next season has a huge rebuilding job. We currently have 12 players, excluding those out on loan, and there's a few of those most of us wouldn't want starting. All the more reason the club acts decisively rather than waiting until the end of June. Currently signed for next season: Mutch Ecrepont O McGinty Stanger Watret Dempsey McGeady Murphy Syla Rose McKenzie Guthrie

Yep. Interesting we have so many shareholders. I think the list is ordered by when the shares were acquired starting with blocks of shares from 1910.

I think Bowyer and Courts are probably the top two candidates. Not sure who else I'd add to a shortlist.

Signed on loan from Wycombe when Murdoch and Dempsey got injured earlier in the season. He'd only had 8 senior appearances by the age of 23 before coming to Ayr but I think he's been one of our best players this season along with Dowds, Murphy and Chalmers. I thought his loan expired on 1st January so we must have extended it.

I said at half time that he was our one bright spark. He definitely gets around the park and offers himself. I suspect he received pretty much every throw in we had while he was on the park

I hope not. I suspect he'd be no worse than Bullen but two wins all season and only being kept off the bottom by the basket case that is Edinburgh City doesn't suggest he's ready for the step up.

Not sure it was a mental collapse. It looked more like we just weren't interested. I wonder what the mood in the dressing room is like.

If Mathie doesn't have the bottle he needs to go too. He's paid to make the big decisions.

If neither Smith nor Mathie can see where this is heading then I'm baffled as to what they think is going on. Bullen is clinging on because there are some horrific teams in the Championship. I can't believe there isn't a manager out there who can't get more out of what is a pretty poor and unbalanced squad. McGinty is back for Saturday which should help a bit, but if it was me, I'd be asking Davie White tonight to start preparing the team for the weekend.