The Ultimate Super Ayr Thread

[itzdrk]

We require a football manager. 

[mccurdieboy]

What do you mean has McCall said he's leaving of something

[itzdrk]

23 minutes ago, mccurdieboy said:

What do you mean has McCall said he's leaving of something

He has not said this but he definitely should. 

[UpInTheAyr]

We require a football manager. 

McCall out, Itzrdk?

 

Bold.

 

[itzdrk]

15 minutes ago, UpInTheAyr said:

McCall out, Itzrdk?

 

Bold.

 

To absolute f**k with him in the summer. 

[D'Jaffo]

To absolute f**k with him in the summer. 

I’m inclined to agree although I’m not yet 100% convinced yet. You’ve certainly put it more harshly than I would’ve.

There’s no doubt he’s done well at Ayr and us finishing in the play offs is still a good season regardless of our form after November.

However there’s still questions to be asked over our injury problems over the last few seasons. I’m willing to put the majority of this down to bad luck and having a lot of injury prone players but I think Shankland has been poorly managed this season. He’s absolutely run himself into the ground and he’s likely played his last game for the club.

Secondly there’s an unwillingness to change tact or shape. We’ve played 4-4-2 just about every week apart from the occasional 3 at the back experiments. Most teams in this league will be able to stick an extra man in midfield and that’s us outnumbered. He’s a good but stubborn manager imo.

I still like McCall and will arguably go down as one of our best ever managers but I’d rather him go out on a high rather than get sacked midway through a shit season or relegate us again. And yes I’d imagine other teams fans will think anyone wanting him to leave is mental but this season will be absolutely pointless if we go back down next season. At the moment I fear that’s where we’re headed.

[Young Eddie]

Not sure if itzdrk is serious or not but the notion of wanting McCall punted is bonkers as far as I'm concerned. Setting aside your view of his tactics and team selection, he's come in over the last 4 years and turned the playing fortunes around. We are starting to resemble a proper football club again, one that players will actually be keen to sign for in future. You've got to credit McCall for this, the chairman has not put in any more money than usual and the squad has been assembled through wheeling and dealing and getting the maximum out of players discarded by other clubs.

Look at the list of our last 7 managers and tell me that McCall is not by far the best we've had (he's the only one who's got a pedigree/CV of any sort): Stainrod, Dalziel, Campbell Money, Mark Shanks, Rab Connor, Neil Watt, Brian Reid and Mark Roberts

We're on course for our best season in over 15 years and while I too fear the unknown of next season if we have to go through a rebuilding job, there is no justifiable reason to punt McCall based on the four years he's had so far. Besides, we know from that Lachlan Cameron is reluctant to sack a manager so the only way McCall will go is by resigning. I'd be sorry if he did as the last 4 years (even including a relegation) have been light years ahead of what preceeded it.

[AyrExile]

1 hour ago, D'Jaffo said:

I’m inclined to agree although I’m not yet 100% convinced yet. You’ve certainly put it more harshly than I would’ve.

There’s no doubt he’s done well at Ayr and us finishing in the play offs is still a good season regardless of our form after November.

However there’s still questions to be asked over our injury problems over the last few seasons. I’m willing to put the majority of this down to bad luck and having a lot of injury prone players but I think Shankland has been poorly managed this season. He’s absolutely run himself into the ground and he’s likely played his last game for the club.

Secondly there’s an unwillingness to change tact or shape. We’ve played 4-4-2 just about every week apart from the occasional 3 at the back experiments. Most teams in this league will be able to stick an extra man in midfield and that’s us outnumbered. He’s a good but stubborn manager imo.

I still like McCall and will arguably go down as one of our best ever managers but I’d rather him go out on a high rather than get sacked midway through a shit season or relegate us again. And yes I’d imagine other teams fans will think anyone wanting him to leave is mental but this season will be absolutely pointless if we go back down next season. At the moment I fear that’s where we’re headed.

I would say our injury situation has been a lot better this season. Currently it’s not in a good place but pre December we hardly had an injury compared to other teams. This was part of the reason we made top spot as the same team and key players were playing most weeks

[ayrunitedfw]

It’s a weird one. McCall has almost been a victim of his own success this season given the start to the season we had. Had we been bang average all season and finished 8th I don’t think anyone would have bated an eye lid but it’s the complete collapse we’ve had since about November that has people worried. 

Next season looks pretty grim to be honest. All our best players jumping ship and given the players we have signed up it doesn’t give me much hope (Andy Murdoch aside ). 

I do feel we need a freshness. Whether that’s McCall resigning or a complete overhaul of the squad I don’t know.  If McCall goes he’ll go with my best wishes. I don’t think he will though. 

[Bring Back Paddy Flannery]

From the outside looking in I think you lads have had a fanatstic season overall, but there's no denying you seem to be on a really lengthy run of poor results. Your first half to the season was absolutely ridiculous (generally the first highlights I looked for after our own, a joy to watch at times) and I think it's making the second half look even worse. Whoever is in charge next season has a c**t of a job replacing some of the guys who will move on in the summer but I'd be very surprised if it wasn't McCall.

FWIW Chris Higgins turned in one of the worst defensive displays of the season at our place on Saturday, and trust me, I've seen some utter horror shows this year. Jobby should be knighted for hounding him out the door.

[Trogdor]

McCall only leaves when he chooses to. He has earnt that right tbh.

This season has been an anti-climax. We are limping to the end and it feels like we will get shitfested by the odd goal vs ICT in the playoffs. 

The squad will need an overhaul but look on the bright side we have a long shot at making the premiership and we've managed to stay up in this league! No small task giving the rip roaring arse we made of it the 3 times before.

I also think we will be an attractive option for new players.

McCall should also get the benefit of the doubt as I've not heard him say remember where we were when I got here this season. 

Edited April 24, 2019 by Trogdor

[Mgc1910]

I think the high water mark for McCall at Ayr has come and gone.  Him heading to Partick in the Summer would be a good outcome for everyone.  He’s done a good job for us and I’d hate to see him sacked midway through next season, but really that’s the way this is going which would be sad.  

McCall is a first rate man manager who seems to have a real flair for turning round players who’ve lost their way, but tactically he is so one dimensional.  I think that’s the reason we run out of steam half way through every season under him.  Injuries don’t help, but teams figure us out and we just don’t change or evolve in any way.   His stubborn attachment to 4-4-2 when we patently don’t have the players to play that formation has become immensely frustrating.

[Lochwood]

Agree with most posters McCall has run his course and needs to move on, apart from his tactics the fitness of the team has been a major concern for me, theammount of teams coming to Somerset and running us off the park is there to see. If we had signed a couple of good centre half’s in January we would have went really close.

For me the guy who nearly got the job before him Steve Aitken would be my choice done a brilliant job at Dumbarton until they pulled the budget from under him does really well in the loan market which we need.

[ftk]

Yeah sack McCall bring back Mark Roberts. Ayr fans are unbelievable 🤣

[Yid_in_Exiile]

I'm in the camp of McCall remaining as manager.  Would like him to move upstairs and lead the Board if he does move and I recognise that needs to be managed rather than wait until we have a poor season and then just sack him.

He's made this Club more professional than at any time I've been following them, and by a country mile. He's an excellent man managers and recruits well - we need to retain those benefits even if we may need to freshen up the football/tactics side of things. 

[Iain]

From an emotional point of view it would be good to see McCall finish up this season and choose to leave on a relative high. From the point of view of he probably wants to keep working I can't see anything changing. If there are two part time teams in the league next year we have a strong chance to stay up again. Probably won't have the highs of this season, but there you go. Despite everything, there are seven other teams in the division (excluding County and Alloa) whose fans are probably just as disappointed with how things have played out for their side as we are.

[Guest]

This is the typical "be careful what you wish for" scenario.

I'm the first to agree that our recent results and performances have been far from good enough but maybe there's things outwith McCall's control such as the amount of games being played in a short period, injuries to key players at key times, players being unsettled with pre contract agreements and general splitting up of our team.

Remember, we have one of the smallest budgets in the league, we had a great cup run in the League Cup and we've made the promotion play offs, these are the facts. Ok, we had the disaster of losing to Talbot which is of course one of our worst ever results.

We've also watched some displays such as our 5-0 away victory to United which will go down in our history as one of our greatest ever results, so basically whatever happens McCall has done brilliantly this season and we have punched WELL above our weight.

We've also watched him bring in guys such as Shankland, Liam Smith, Ross Doohan, Andy Murdoch.

Do we really want to risk going back to the junior standard of the "Two Rabs" ?????

[HeathrowAUFC]

We require a football manager. 

This.

I'd be sorry if he did as the last 4 years (even including a relegation) have been light years ahead of what preceeded it.

This.



Ma heid’s in bits.

[rb123!]

Think the main problem was January, didn't do good enough business because we simply didn't have the funds to compete. I mean look at the players we got and who McCall actually wanted.

He wanted Scougall, Erskine and Wright who were three players who would have took us up a level.

Instead we got Cadden and Miller who yes have been quite impressive but they've not come in and taken the team to the next level.

[rb123!]

Btw to talk just now about McCall leaving when we're two weeks away from the play offs is just bonkers. I'm going to sit on the fence just now and wait until the season finishes until I say what he should do.