The Ultimate Super Ayr Thread

[TheScarf]

3 minutes ago, Trogdor said:

Aye, maybe 4 months ago!

You didn’t 4 months ago either.

[Trogdor]

2 minutes ago, TheScarf said:

You didn’t 4 months ago either.

Maybe your comment would have been better made then.

[No_Problemo]

44 minutes ago, TheScarf said:

A few on here said you had a squad to finish in the top 4.

At the start of the season it certainly looked like we did, we are woeful and are five points off a play off position. We appeared to make signings in defence, midfield and up front that would have allowed us to challenge for 3rd. Baird, Chalmers, Anderson, Walsh, Smith adding on to McCowan, Moffat and Murdoch. It’s not quite worked out that way though.

[Hawk89]

Far too many empty jerseys out there today. 90 minutes of aimlessly shelling balls up the park isn't for me, it looked like that was the way we were setup rather than a reverting to type.  It is also possibly a worrying glimpse of what we'll see next season, given it is a common trait of Hopkin squads. 

If we do the same again on Tuesday rather than trying to play football then I'll absolutely be in doom merchant mode between now and the end of the season. 

[Hursty]

Only team today put out by lower league opponents.   An absolute disgrace.   After claiming post match last week that we played well and then that embarrassment today I'm already wondering how long it takes for Hopkin to get the bullet.  January with us 7th or 8th in League 1 maybe. 

[BukyOHare]

Hopkins' inabilities, or otherwise, of rebuilding squads is going to be put to the test soon enough. That in itself gives me the absolute fear. The thought of him buying players to fit into his style of football should be enough to give everybody else the fear as well.

Morton fans would appear to have been bang on the money in terms of his style of play and formation. As terrible a result as to day is, it's not that important in the bigger picture. Relegation however, could set us back years, Partick, Airdrie and Falkirk are finding this out to the their cost. 

We've somehow lost the ability to pose a threat to the opposition when playing at home as well. Not good at any time but especially so when we need every point we can get.

I hate to be negative for the sake of it but this season has a really horrible feeling to it. Can anybody say they think this shower have the guts and mental strength for a real battle to the end of the season? Because that's what's going to be required going head to head with a Dick Campbell managed team between now and the end of the season.

Anyone for a playoff with Uncle Ian, Doc, Stevie Bell and Andy Geggan? Jeez, that gives me the shivers.

[Hursty]

3 minutes ago, BukyOHare said:

Anyone for a playoff with Uncle Ian, Doc, Stevie Bell and Andy Geggan? Jeez, that gives me the shivers.

They would absolutely destroy us. 

[Trogdor]

Are we seriously writing off Hopkin after 6 games? It would be some indictment of this gutless shower if they got 2 managers the sack! 

[AyrExile]

It’s not unusual for lower league teams to cause an upset. Losing to one with a small squad who played several times in a week after a period of hibernation just shouldn’t happen 

[Hursty]

44 minutes ago, Trogdor said:

Are we seriously writing off Hopkin after 6 games? It would be some indictment of this gutless shower if they got 2 managers the sack! 

I'm not writing him off but there are some serious warning signs already.  I gave Kerr far too much time as I thought he would turn it round but I'm already fearing the worst with this one.   Hope I'm wrong and he can empty most of the squad and sign all the right players to fit his style but i can't say that I'm confident of it happening. 

 

Edit:  in fact, yes I am writing him off.  We are going down and I don't have the confidence that his style of play will bring us back up.  

Edited April 3, 2021 by Hursty

[THEHonestman1910]

Even if we get relegated, I would still give Hopkin until October to try and get things right. Mind you, if he isn't near the top by that point, then he should be sacked. 

[diegomarahenry]

Today was fucking awful.

Clyde packed the middle of there defence, allowed us to use the wings knowing that we only have 5’6” forwards. Marked McCowan out the game and we were absolutely toothless. 
 

Walsh was dreadful, Miller was pointless playing a team with a 7-2-1 formation, having one of the attacking midfielders on to try and add something to the attack would have been better. Hopkin appears to be blaming the players tonight and he may be right but there was no formation change until he brought Wright on and appeared to play him in midfield. 

playing quick long balls to forwards doesn’t work against a team playing 7 at the back that didn’t move much forward from Their own 18 yard line all game, Yet we kept doing it.

Tactically dreadful and performance wise dreadful as well. The sooner we can clear the decks the better. 
 

All Clyde had to do was find the player being marked by Jack Baird once and then sit in and it worked from early in the first half.

Second to every ball, no urgency or energy, far to many passengers in that team.

[BukyOHare]

1 hour ago, Trogdor said:

Are we seriously writing off Hopkin after 6 games? 

I don't think it's a case of writing him off. We've all watched enough football over the years to be able to quickly identify the merits, strengths and weaknesses of our own team but also that of the opposition. This is currently not a very good Ayr team. This is not an Ayr team that looks to have the fight for a battle. Not a team that seems capable of having the guile or creativity to consistently create decent chances or have the personnel to consistently score goals. Now minus one of the few players we had who was actually above average.

Having witnessed 6 games under Hopkins' reign and his god awful style of play, you couldn't help but be just more than a touch concerned that we can get enough points surely? The fact that there are 3 teams below us offers some comfort but nothing more. The margin for error under the "knock it as high and long as you can to the lone striker tactic" is extremely small and worryingly decreasing with each passing gameweek.

 

 

Edited April 3, 2021 by BukyOHare

[edinburghhonestman]

What bothers me is that even if Hopkin's preferred approach is hump and hope, he surely must be smart enough to realise we don't have the players to play like that?

It's clear Baird et al have been told to keep shelling it but Moffat isn't going to win a ball in the air, and none of the other front players are close enough to win the second ball.

I'm not giving up yet, but I'm worried both about whether we can scape 8th, but also about our prospects for next season given what I've seen so far. I'm not feeling confident Hopkin can assemble at better squad than Kerr appeared to have this season.

[D'Jaffo]

Even if we get relegated, I would still give Hopkin until October to try and get things right. Mind you, if he isn't near the top by that point, then he should be sacked. 

Aye I would

It’s worth noting that he still got relegated with Livi before then taking them to the Premiership. Albeit I do not want to be stuck in a league that could potentially have Cove, Montrose and even Partick in it depending on who wins the play offs.

[Trogdor]

Just watched Hopkin's interview, he looked raging. 5/6 players underperforming - It felt like more than that for me!

There's no doubt today was a horrendous result. I will say one thing about long diagonal balls, it requires either the forwards to come out wide or the wingers to push up. Neither of which happened today. It also wasn't quick enough, we would pass it about a bit and then hit the diagonal ball which meant Clyde had regrouped and it was meat and drink for their defenders.

It also didn't play to what should have been Clyde's weakness which is tired legs. We should have been stretching play and forcing them to expend energy trying to get the ball. Unfortunately, with Clyde scoring so early that wasn't really an option as they were content with us having the ball.

I'm not on board with writing off Hopkin when he hasn't assembled the squad. Criticism of the tactics is fine but we're scraping points in the league (1W; 2D & 1L) since he took over. If we keep doing that we'll be alright but it's gonna be squeaky.

Edited April 3, 2021 by Trogdor

[Trogdor]

4 minutes ago, D'Jaffo said:

Aye I would

It’s worth noting that he still got relegated with Livi before then taking them to the Premiership. Albeit I do not want to be stuck in a league that could potentially have Cove, Montrose and even Partick in it depending on who wins the play offs.

And Snake McKinnon's Queens Park.

[rb123!]

Losing to a league one team 8th in their league having lost just 41 hours previous to East Fife to come down the Ayrshire Coast for a Saturday afternoon canter is an absolute embarrassment, even worse than  Auchinleck.

Superb fucking stuff Ayr

This season can honestly get to f**k as can 90% of the useless tossers in that squad.

We honestly don't deserve to stay in this league and i would not complain if Arbroath finish above us and consign us to 9th.

If the league had 10 full time teams in it we'd be bottom by a long way and probably already cosigned to relegation

Beginning to doubt Hopkin is the right guy too, brilliant idea to play hoofball against a lower division team in a cup, we played it on the deck up at Elgin and destroyed them in the first half, why not do the same today?

BOOOOOOOO

 

[Trogdor]

2 minutes ago, rb123! said:

Losing to a league one team 8th in their league having lost just 41 hours previous to East Fife to come down the Ayrshire Coast for a Saturday afternoon canter is an absolute embarrassment, even worse than  Auchinleck.

[Hursty]

8 minutes ago, Trogdor said:

Just watched Hopkin's interview, he looked raging. 5/6 players underperforming - It felt like more than that for me!

There's no doubt today was a horrendous result. I will say one thing about long diagonal balls, it requires either the forwards to come out wide or the wingers to push up. Neither of which happened today. It also wasn't quick enough, we would pass it about a bit and then hit the diagonal ball which meant Clyde had regrouped and it was meat and drink for their defenders.

It also didn't play to what should have been Clyde's weakness which is tired legs. We should have been stretching play and forcing them to expend energy trying to get the ball. Unfortunately, with Clyde scoring so early that wasn't really an option as they were content with us having the ball.

I'm not on board with writing off Hopkin when he hasn't assembled the squad. Criticism of the tactics is fine but we're scraping points in the league (1W; 2D & 1L) since he took over. If we keep doing that we'll be alright but it's gonna be squeaky.

Good  - I'm glad he looked raging.  I look raging too!   He made a point after a very poor result and performance last weekend against Alloa (which he thought was good) that he was looking forward to his first full week of training with the players - if the best they can come up with after a full week is that shite against a part time team who had 2 hard away midweek games in that spell then god help us.