The Ultimate Super Ayr Thread

[diege]

6 minutes ago, UpInTheAyr said:

McCall said that about us after we played Thistle, about a week later he got the job. Obviously conclude Duffy is vying for the Morton job.

If Duffy ends up back at Morton in the next few months, Football is broken

[Roxanne's man]

19 minutes ago, UpInTheAyr said:

He's a league 1 manager where the aim is to survive and that's about it.

That's being generous.

He's a LOWER league one manager at best.

[D'Jaffo]

39 minutes ago, diege said:

I just listened to his interview where he says Ayr United have no right to expect to beat a Greenock Morton side, sorry but a few years back we could beat anyone. Ambition man

But we don't have any divine right to beat anyone in this league, especially with our current squad. It's got absolutely nothing to do with ambition and realising we're currently shite and every point we pick up is a plus until we can try and correct it. 

I really don't get the reaction to Duffy or his interview tbh. 

[rb123!]

1 hour ago, D'Jaffo said:

Aye he seems to be fairly good at throwing himself into tackles as well but never really winning the ball. Hewitt probably won't be back any time soon and Muirhead really isn't a midfielder. He's been okay whenever played there but he doesn't offer much besides being another body. I think with the players we have just now we have no other choice but to try and ride it out with Muirhead and Murdoch in midfield with a front four of O'Connor, Moffat, Bradley and Adeloye in front of them. Keep Afolabi, McGinty and Salkeld far far away from the first team and they would be my first picks to offload in January. That's probably 3 positions we could really do with upgrading anyway. That and another midfielder. We could probably do with a right back as well but I think we'll only be able to stretch to 4 players coming in. From what I've heard it's likely to be 4 in and 4 out. 

Who's the 4 out?

Houston/Afolabi/McGinty/Salkeld?

Still don't think 4 new faces will be enough tbf

[diege]

24 minutes ago, D'Jaffo said:

But we don't have any divine right to beat anyone in this league, especially with our current squad. It's got absolutely nothing to do with ambition and realising we're currently shite and every point we pick up is a plus until we can try and correct it. 

I really don't get the reaction to Duffy or his interview tbh. 

I remember McCall saying something along the lines whilst being our manager of it being a tragedy that teams went to Firhill and bossed Partick Thistle after we pounded them. Few weeks later he was back managing them. 

We dont have the devine right, but we had the ambition that saw Greenock Morton not even being in our scope of thought.

Edited December 5, 2021 by diege

[D'Jaffo]

24 minutes ago, diege said:

I remember McCall saying something along the lines whilst being our manager of it being a tragedy that teams went to Firhill and bossed Partick Thistle after we pounded them. Few weeks later he was back managing them. 

We dont have the devine right, but we had the ambition that saw Greenock Morton not even being in our scope of thought.

We are in a very different position now than we were back then. I'm quite sure if Duffy was managing a team with the talents of Kerr, Kelly, Forrest, McCowan and Harvie then he'd be saying different about todays game. 

I can say with complete confidence that with the team right now, I would not simply expect us to beat any team in Scotland. I went to Somerset last week knowing there was a good chance Albion Rovers could beat us and on another day they would've. Thats not me being unambitious but simply aware of how bad we are. Duffy can't really say much else in interviews besides the usual of "the players are trying, no easy games, we're trying to improve". Those cliches are very frustrating but I'm not expecting a whole lot more from him right now. 

[BukyOHare]

Before I launch into my post I will say that no club has a divine right to beat any other team. I totally get that.

However, having just heard the Duffy interview and the overall tone of it, I'm absolutely staggered that this is the guy our owner has handed the steering wheel to, even in the short term, and continues to believe in. 

World football is littered with stories of provincial teams over achieving, getting promotions and cup wins against all the odds and giving their supporters and communities special moments and lasting memories. 

These achievements simply don't happen by having guys like Duffy steering the ship.

If what he's said is his true belief, then that fully explains why we're going into games not to lose, playing with a fear, dwindling confidence and with the handbrake fully on. 

Under him we make football look like a difficult sport to play, it isn't. Its eleven v eleven and the team that works the ball into the opposition box often enough and creates more quality chances than its opponents usually wins. 

As they rose from the lower leagues to the Premier League, the likes of Ross County, Inverness and Livingston surely didn't get there with such negativity and backward thinking.

Why can't it be us one day? 

If it isn't truly our long term goal, ambition and a relentless pursuit of improving then what is the actual point of just going through the motions week after week, season after season? 

If we keep thinking like "plucky wee Ayr", guess what we'll actually end up being? Plucky wee Ayr. Yoyo United. 

I don't want somebody overstating things publicly win or lose either.  It's results and performances on the park, week to week, season to season, that are the biggest statement a club can make. 

As competitive as the Championship is, the standard overall isn't great. The only part time team in the league is being rightfully lauded for their performances, it's a league that if a club like ours could get their house, (hub) and recruitment in order we could make a serious fist at the right end of the league. 

That simply won't happen under a dinosaur like Duffy. The rumoured 4 additions in January will give us a real indicator as to our hopes for the rest of this season and the appointment of a permanent manager gives us long term indicators.

As the likes of Cove, Queens Park and Kelty start climbing the leagues it's upto the owner and directors of the club to be aware that these clubs are potentially the next generation of Ross County, Livingston or Inverness. 

Ultimately if they keep climbing, there won't be enough room at the table for everybody and if we don't get the right decisions made going forward there's only one way we're going as they go up. 

Teams that have a drive, desire and positivity to win on the park are usually matched by the overall goals, culture, vibrancy and ambitions of the club off the park. They go hand in hand with each other. 

The spinoff of success on the park self generates the likes of youth academies, financial and commercial benefits and an overall positivity from game to game as supporters look forward to attending matches. Does anybody actually remember when that last happened? 

It isn't a quick fix by any means but few things happen by chance or accident, it takes an owner to have a clear vision and to make it a reality. If it had happened 30 years ago who knows where we'd be now. 

More than ever before I believe we're truly coming to a crossroads as a club, keep making sticking plaster appointments and signings like Hopkin, Duffy or McGinty or truly start planning for the long term with creative, out of the box thinking, appointments and decision making.

Build a reputation as a club for being forward thinking and ambitious, one who continually overachieves and who makes other clubs and fans wonder what we're continually doing right. 

Recruitment is a massive part of success at all levels of the game. We need to be so much better in the short, medium and long term, how else do you get it right on the pitch? 

The long term direction we ultimately go in will be decided by the quality of the short term decisions we soon make as a club. 

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results"

Over to you David. 

Edited December 5, 2021 by BukyOHare

[eez-eh]

7 hours ago, D'Jaffo said:

But we don't have any divine right to beat anyone in this league, especially with our current squad. It's got absolutely nothing to do with ambition and realising we're currently shite and every point we pick up is a plus until we can try and correct it. 

I really don't get the reaction to Duffy or his interview tbh. 

We all know that our squad is shite. No one is saying that we have a divine right to beat Morton, just like Arbroath don’t have a divine right to be 3 points off the top of the table.

It’s still the kind of interview that any self-aware manager should know better than to come out with. I don’t think it’s some sort of coded message for “the squad is shite”. If his concern was the quality of player then he wouldn’t be picking McGinty or Afolabi or playing Nick McAllister in midfield. It’s just an insight into his mindset and you can see it with the way the team is set up.

[1nickydevlin]

You do realise when January comes we will sign something on the last day .

He/ they will be no better than what we have.  

[Trogdor]

8 hours ago, D'Jaffo said:

But we don't have any divine right to beat anyone in this league, especially with our current squad. It's got absolutely nothing to do with ambition and realising we're currently shite and every point we pick up is a plus until we can try and correct it. 

I really don't get the reaction to Duffy or his interview tbh. 

I'm genuinely astounded that anyone can watch that interview and think Duffy should remain in post.

We were woeful in the first half we did not play okay. If he can't understand the fan's frustrations then he's an eejit. We don't have a divine right to beat anyone that is obviously true. However, that's about the only true comment he made. It also is related to a lack of ambition, he sets us up not to lose. He'd take 36 draws and think it was a good season.

Moreover, he's actually made us a shambles defensively. This is what he was lauded for before he took over and even when he joined as a coach. His ability to improve defenders and keep it tight. We can't defend high balls or crosses. I'm in danger of sounding like the Queens fan who always moans about conceding from crosses. 

If Duffy remains in charge I expect we'll be relegated. I wouldn't trust him to make January signings. 

Hopkin was an aberration of a manger. Up to a couple of games ago I'd cut Duffy some slack (ie. not his squad) but performances haven't been good enough. He sets us up not to lose and he's made us worse defensively. It also took him 12 games to realise Moffat should start. Whilst Moffat is not the solution either, he gives us something different up front when the young guys run into space. 

Apathy has set in and Duffy needs fired into the sea. He's making things worse.

Edited December 5, 2021 by Trogdor

[Trogdor]

For context - we have 1 league win in the last 10 league games. I'm pretty sure Smith sacked Kerr for that record.

We are bottom of the form table for last 6 games, second bottom in last 8 & bottom in the last 10.

Taxi for Duffy.

 

 

[Toepoker]

Does anyone know how much the club are making from the live video feed on match days? How many people are paying to watch home games online? Do all the proceeds go to the club? Why don't they offer concessionary prices for the live video feed like they do to attend matches in person?

[Trogdor]

One final thought - when you have a limited team you need to make the most of set pieces. We are terrible at attacking free kicks and corners - we rarely trouble the opposition goalie. That is something that can surely be worked on in training? Yet we get no better.

On the flipside, we can't defend them either. Every time the opposition get a corner you fear the worse. Whilst that's the natural state of a football fan when you team is defending I genuinely can't remember it being as bad as it is now.

Both of these can be worked on and we should be better organised. Yet we can't even manage that.

The prosecution rests.

Over to Dave Smith and the board. 

[ryanayr1987]

I agree if we stick with Duffy we are going down. Us I know it isn’t his squad but he knew where the shortcomings of our squad were when the loan window was open and did nothing about it. 
 

this rumour about4 new signings coming in in January, if Duffy has picked them will be jobbers. Morton and Dumbarton fans have already told us what his signing policy is like. 
 

Even if we do sack Duffy though Dave smith will make another bad choice of who he replaces him with as he really doesn’t have a clue. He really needs a DOF in to help him
 

 

Edited December 5, 2021 by ryanayr1987

[diegomarahenry]

Kerr deserved a window to try and fix things, he was a young manager who had made mistakes but you could see that he was desperately trying to get it right. 

Duffy does not deserve a window, he managed to salvage a win against Albion Rovers, where we didn't play well and were second best for most of the game, but he lined up the same way and to no ones surprise, it didn't work. 

Looking at performances and his post match interview yesterday, it looks like he is inviting Smith to sack him. It looks like he has lost interest and can't be bothered with the hassle any more and wants a pay-off rather than quitting. 

When you are floating about the bottom of the league, you expect a manager to fire the team and supporters up, need the fans to get right behind the team, big 6 pointers etc. Not to come out with a post match interview that translates to, we are shite so I don't understand why the fans wanted a win today and the fans slagging the players for being shite is making them shite. 

He will be gone by the end of the season, he is not making any inroads to fix this at all and doesn't look like he wants to, He won't last the full season. It is just up to Smith how much damage he does before he goes. 

Edited December 5, 2021 by diegomarahenry

[No_Problemo]

The interview is very poor. 

It isn’t the actual statement of having no divine right, it is his absolutely incredulous tone that Ayr fans couldn’t possibly expect to beat Morton away from home. 

As for blaming the fans, the act of a desperate manager. He can get to f**k. We know how it normally ends when a manager begins to blame the fans. 

[diegomarahenry]

1 minute ago, ryanayr1987 said:

Even if we do sack Duffy though Dave smith will make another bad choice of who he represents him with as he really doesn’t have a clue. He really needs a DOF in to help him

I don't think that Smith would go for a rookie manager so we just need to hope that he'll go for one that has had decent and sustained (relative) experience and success at a high level, rather than  someone like Duffy. 

I imagine that was what he thought he was getting in Hopkin. Someone who's teams played good football to watch and had a bit of a personality. 

[Hursty]

5 days from now, Jim Duffy:

"The fans have to realise that we have no divine right to beat the likes of Hamilton who let's not forget were a Premier League side last season". 

The players will go out there hoping not to lose an absolutely must win game.   

[HMIP]

Don’t see the point of turning Duffy into some kind of pantomime villain.  I think he’s basically a decent guy and an experienced manager who is as frustrated as anyone with the mess he’s inherited from Hopkin.  What do folk expect him to say?  If he talks us up he’ll be accused of being delusional, if he says it like it is, he is accused of having no ambition.  

The reality is that there won’t be many changes to the squad in January so he knows he’ll have to broadly work with what he’s got - putting the boot into the team won’t help if they down tools on him.  Having a wee pop at the fans isn’t a great idea, but was probably said in the heat of the moment, though it’s undeniable there is a pretty toxic atmosphere at the moment which seems to have spread to the away support who are generally more supportive of the team.
 

[Trogdor]

4 minutes ago, HMIP said:

Don’t see the point of turning Duffy into some kind of pantomime villain.  I think he’s basically a decent guy and an experienced manager who is as frustrated as anyone with the mess he’s inherited from Hopkin.  What do folk expect him to say?  If he talks us up he’ll be accused of being delusional, if he says it like it is, he is accused of having no ambition.  

He didn't say it like it is. That's my issue. Morton are in just bad shape as us yet we shouldn't expect to beat them. If not Morton then who Jim? Who will we actually try to beat? 

He's done.

Someone look out his pipe and slippers as it's time he was put out to pasture.