Guest Posted July 7, 2022 Share Posted July 7, 2022 43 minutes ago, AUFC 1910 said: Does anyone think we might be a little bit lightweight in the middle of the park? Not in any sense of skill or ability, but in stature and maybe get bullied off the ball a bit easy by other teams? Definitely not, Dempsey and Murdoch are both very combative and hard working and if what people say about Bangala is True, then he's the exact same, as others have said, it's maybe the finesse and goals that we're missing rather than any sort of solidity. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 7, 2022 Share Posted July 7, 2022 59 minutes ago, Yid_in_Exiile said: I would suggest finishing Top 4 will be the target Bullen is set, and if we achieve that it will be a qualified success. As much depends on the manner in which do that (or not) and the progression of some of our long term signings as the actual position. Being in the relegation mix again all season will clearly be an abject failure. Finishing 5th through 7th would be a bit meh and likely to bring down a storm of dissatisfaction on the management but, for me, a few solid seasons of being a Championship fixture are needed whilst we gradually increase the financial firepower of the club. Ultimately it all depends on sustainably increasing the financial strength of the club. That may not be glamourous but it is what is needed after a few decades of going backwards, off the pitch anyway. Rome isn't going to be built in a season or two - the key is never going down until we are ready to go up. Yes, I think for most of us who've been watching the team for 40+ years would appreciate that our current status is pretty much as good as it's ever been in terms of our position in the pyramid and the off the pitch advancements. Apart from the couple of good seasons under Barr, we've pretty much always been situated between about 18th and 24th (whether that was 2nd or 3rd tier)with some very good times in among that and also some very bad. If we can consolidate as a mid table to challenging for the title Championship side, then that's got to be seen as a major positive for the club, especially if it's giving us hope, attracting more support (younger generations) and ultimately progressing the club year on year. As I say, all good for me. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ayrmail Posted July 7, 2022 Share Posted July 7, 2022 5 hours ago, D'Jaffo said: We appointed David Hopkin in January 2021 and for the rest of that season he managed us in 9 games and we picked up 8 points. Our only win (and in fact, his only league win as Ayr boss) was against Dundee at Dens Park in his second game in charge. An entirely dismal run of form and looking back there was probably justification to empty him that summer although a lot of fans relief (myself included) at staying up and the length of contract we gave him probably stopped that. We appointed Lee Bullen in January 2022 and for the rest of the season he managed us in 17 games and we picked up 21 points. Wins were against Killie, Arbroath, Raith, Partick Thistle and Inverness. Performances were very mixed but the difference with Bullen compared to Duffy and Hopkin was that in certain games you could clearly see what he was trying to do and how he wanted us to play. As opposed to the previous regime of kick the ball as hard as you can and as far away from our goal as you can. It was most evident in the games we won but even in games we lost and drew (Dunfermline away and QOS away) we had a clear plan of attack. We just didn’t have all the pieces needed to implement is as best we could. On the flip side there were some really really bad displays and results. They were generally against teams around us and Bullen didn’t seem to know how to play against teams like Morton or Hamilton. Ultimately both managers got us to 8th on the last day of the season however the difference in feeling between post match of those respective games and the subsequent close season tells a lot. Elgin on Saturday won’t be indicative of much unless we lose in a bad way and all I’m wanting is a professional display with a couple shades of some excitement from players. Just to see if Bullen is going to continue to let them play the way that we did at the end of last season or if he’s reverting back to being more conservative. So under Bullen we took 11 pts from 9 games which is an improvement from the last 3 season where we managed 10pts in every 9, easy to say but Im looking for 13 from each 9 which would put us close to the top 4 although it may just miss out, if we want to do better than that we will need the pts early, and we need to win more than 7 games at home when we finished with 54 pts. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain Posted July 7, 2022 Share Posted July 7, 2022 It's difficult to identify two teams in the division who are objectively significantly weaker on paper, so until we see a team come together that's more than the sum of its parts it makes sense to be concerned about another relegation scrap. Hopefully those fears prove unfounded. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itzdrk Posted July 7, 2022 Share Posted July 7, 2022 3 hours ago, ayrunitedfw said: Jury is still very much out on Bullen. While there was a slight improvement when he came in it wasn’t big enough to say he’s definitely the right person to lead us forward long term. Just as a comparison the impact Dougie Imrie made at Morton is much more impressive than the one Bullen made. That being said I do feel more confident having him in charge rathe thanKerr/Hopkin/Duffy. Given the quality of the league I’d regard anything other than top 4 a failure this season. If we narrowly miss out but we can see there has been significant improvement then that may also be acceptable. We still require at least 1 CB hopefully 2 and an attacking midfielder that is going to chip in with 5+ goals as asking Dipo to match Tomis total from last season is a big ask. You will be wildly disappointed this season if you are expecting that from what we have built. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trogdor Posted July 7, 2022 Share Posted July 7, 2022 1 hour ago, Ayrmai said: So under Bullen we took 11 pts from 9 games which is an improvement from the last 3 season where we managed 10pts in every 9, easy to say but Im looking for 13 from each 9 which would put us close to the top 4 although it may just miss out, if we want to do better than that we will need the pts early, and we need to win more than 7 games at home when we finished with 54 pts. 1.5 ppg / 54 points for me is the benchmark. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wullieaufc Posted July 7, 2022 Share Posted July 7, 2022 Kai Kennedy been linked with us according to the Daily Record 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 7, 2022 Share Posted July 7, 2022 1 minute ago, wullieaufc said: Kai Kennedy been linked with us according to the Daily Record Is there anyone in this league that he HASN'T played for ??? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayrunitedfw Posted July 7, 2022 Share Posted July 7, 2022 10 minutes ago, wullieaufc said: Kai Kennedy been linked with us according to the Daily Record Not really sure we need another winger, we already have O’Connor, JML and Ashford). He’s one of these players who is/was really highly rated but has never really delivered in his loan spells. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pandarilla Posted July 7, 2022 Share Posted July 7, 2022 Yes, I think for most of us who've been watching the team for 40+ years would appreciate that our current status is pretty much as good as it's ever been in terms of our position in the pyramid and the off the pitch advancements. Apart from the couple of good seasons under Barr, we've pretty much always been situated between about 18th and 24th (whether that was 2nd or 3rd tier)with some very good times in among that and also some very bad. If we can consolidate as a mid table to challenging for the title Championship side, then that's got to be seen as a major positive for the club, especially if it's giving us hope, attracting more support (younger generations) and ultimately progressing the club year on year. As I say, all good for me.I agree with all this except the positivity you have that our crowd will rise. It seems no matter what we do, we can't get punters through the gates. I fear that McCall was right, in that he took the team pretty much as far as we can go. Even with shankland banging in belters, loads of attackers, and being up the top for a concerted period - the crowds didn't really rise. So, so depressing. But it's my team so I'll keep supporting when I can. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richey Edwards Posted July 7, 2022 Share Posted July 7, 2022 1 minute ago, pandarilla said: I agree with all this except the positivity you have that our crowd will rise. It seems no matter what we do, we can't get punters through the gates. I fear that McCall was right, in that he took the team pretty much as far as we can go. Even with shankland banging in belters, loads of attackers, and being up the top for a concerted period - the crowds didn't really rise. So, so depressing. But it's my team so I'll keep supporting when I can. I think there are people who, no matter what we do, won't come and watch their local team. It's sad really. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1nickydevlin Posted July 7, 2022 Share Posted July 7, 2022 8 minutes ago, pandarilla said: I agree with all this except the positivity you have that our crowd will rise. It seems no matter what we do, we can't get punters through the gates. I fear that McCall was right, in that he took the team pretty much as far as we can go. Even with shankland banging in belters, loads of attackers, and being up the top for a concerted period - the crowds didn't really rise. So, so depressing. But it's my team so I'll keep supporting when I can. Sure there was nearly 4000 overall crowd last match of the season. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
North British Posted July 7, 2022 Share Posted July 7, 2022 Things may be happening at Somerset just now .... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 7, 2022 Share Posted July 7, 2022 32 minutes ago, pandarilla said: I agree with all this except the positivity you have that our crowd will rise. It seems no matter what we do, we can't get punters through the gates. I fear that McCall was right, in that he took the team pretty much as far as we can go. Even with shankland banging in belters, loads of attackers, and being up the top for a concerted period - the crowds didn't really rise. So, so depressing. But it's my team so I'll keep supporting when I can. I'm basing this more on the fact that the club are connecting with the community and that we seem to be getting lots of youngsters interested. As someone else mentioned earlier, Rome wasn't built in a day, but I do think that if we can attract the next generation and also more women and families, then it can only benefit us all in the mid to long term. Hopefully the New Stand will be a further piece of the jigsaw falling into place with much improved facilities, so I suppose we just need the entertainment on the pitch to match the ambition off it and then we can all look forward to the future with much confidence. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ayrmail Posted July 7, 2022 Share Posted July 7, 2022 1 minute ago, North British said: Things may be happening at Somerset just now .... Do tell why 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finlay21 Posted July 7, 2022 Share Posted July 7, 2022 (edited) 3 minutes ago, North British said: Things may be happening at Somerset just now .... Edited July 7, 2022 by Finlay21 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richey Edwards Posted July 7, 2022 Share Posted July 7, 2022 45 minutes ago, ayrunitedfw said: Not really sure we need another winger, we already have O’Connor, JML and Ashford). He’s one of these players who is/was really highly rated but has never really delivered in his loan spells. So is he the new Islam Feruz? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayrunitedfw Posted July 7, 2022 Share Posted July 7, 2022 10 minutes ago, North British said: Things may be happening at Somerset just now .... I purchased my season ticket this morning so it’s probably that cash injection that has got a deal over the line. You’re all very welcome. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D'Jaffo Posted July 7, 2022 Author Share Posted July 7, 2022 Kai Kennedy been linked with us according to the Daily RecordNo thanks 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rb123! Posted July 7, 2022 Share Posted July 7, 2022 Kai Kennedy linked with us and now @North British and @Finlay21 suggesting we're about to get an #imminent 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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