Poet of the Macabre Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 I've started a couple of similar threads to this before (which can be found below) and they've led to some decent discussion, so hopefully this will prove the same again. I was listening to the superb Pelé Podcast last night and Mr Telfer was chatting to Michael Dunlop about starting his career at Ayr United, during their superb 01/02 season. The side reached the League Cup final, Scottish Cup semi-finals and finished 3rd in the old First Divsion. I remember it only for us getting pumped 3-0 at Somerset Park as I was about 9 and was totally distraught that we lost to someone from a lower league. I do recognise a lot of the names, such as John Hughes, Paul Sheerin, James Grady and Eddie Annand of course. I'd love to hear from Ayr fans about that season, the top players and the financial problems that were to come over the next few years. Was this a big chance missed or a brilliant memory? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superhursty7 Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 I was working in Kilmarnock at the time with a lot of killy supporting guys morning after the semi final against Hibs I had cut out every article and photos in the papers and had them stuck to the office wall was a brilliant feeling just getting to a national cup final, reaching for the stars with Barrs money set us back years but TBH I wouldn't change it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D'Jaffo Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 I was working in Kilmarnock at the time with a lot of killy supporting guys morning after the semi final against Hibs I had cut out every article and photos in the papers and had them stuck to the office wall was a brilliant feeling just getting to a national cup final, reaching for the stars with Barrs money set us back years but TBH I wouldn't change it. I tend to agree with the last part. Our best ever season until this one should’ve been the start of something special but instead it left us floundering around the seaside league with the odd year out only to return at the first time of asking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superhursty7 Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 I tend to agree with the last part. Our best ever season until this one should’ve been the start of something special but instead it left us floundering around the seaside league with the odd year out only to return at the first time of asking. I get that and hopefully we are now clawing our way back to being a established championship team who challange in the top half of the league, looking back I was a massive Dalziel fan but would a better manager have done more with the finances we had at the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itzdrk Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 It was both a great season and the beginning of the end of the 'good times'. Scottish Cup semi final. League cup final. Won a derby. Watched the final seconds of Airdrieonians being a football club. But we failed to win in 23/36 league games, we were never really challenging for the title unfortunately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AyrExile Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 It was actually quite a mixed season for many. We had been bankrolled for a few years by that point and had some decent results along the way. However it had become apparent that DL wasn’t actually a good manager and money was making the difference. Whilst the cup runs were good there was a missed opportunity as a better manager would have made a proper go of the league Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D'Jaffo Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 would a better manager have done more with the finances we had at the time. Absolutely The amount of absolute shite he signed is probably more than any other Ayr manager. He of course signed a lot of great players but to get to them he had to wade through loads of absolute duds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superhursty7 Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 Absolutely The amount of absolute shite he signed is probably more than any other Ayr manager. He of course signed a lot of great players but to get to them he had to wade through loads of absolute duds. I don't think Iain Munro gets enough credit for the job he did as first team coach when Dalziel was there don't know if he was still there at the end of Dalziels reign by all acounts he was a big part of the success Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honestly united Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 I always thought the 98-99 team was much better (teale, hurst etc), and were running Hibs close up to the half way point then dropped off at the tail end of the season. The 01/02 season team seemed to know that Ayr couldn't get promoted so we neer seen the best of them in the league, and kept all the best performances for the cup games - 2 semi finals and a final were some achievement and the 2nd year in a row but we splashed out a fortune in wages on Hughes, Annand and Grady etc who turned down SPL clubs to sign for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D'Jaffo Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 I always thought the 98-99 team was much better (teale, hurst etc), and were running Hibs close up to the half way point then dropped off at the tail end of the season. The 01/02 season team seemed to know that Ayr couldn't get promoted so we neer seen the best of them in the league, and kept all the best performances for the cup games - 2 semi finals and a final were some achievement and the 2nd year in a row but we splashed out a fortune in wages on Hughes, Annand and Grady etc who turned down SPL clubs to sign for us.Did we not also pay a decent amount of money for Pat McGinley from Hibs the season before? Or at least decent for a club of our size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honestly united Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 7 minutes ago, D'Jaffo said: Did we not also pay a decent amount of money for Pat McGinley from Hibs the season before? Or at least decent for a club of our size. Yes, I knew there was someone else, think it was a bosman again, but hefty wages Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itzdrk Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 I actually think the season before was our best chance of reaching the top flight thinking back to that time now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I'm Brian Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 Cups great...League absolute drivel. Pretty much summed up the entirety of Gordon Dalziel's management with us as a First Division club. We may not have been able to be promoted, but at least get us into the position where we could argue about it. Even a semi competent manager could have had us romping the league in that season with that team. Gordon Dalziel can currently be heard spouting bollocks about Sevco on Clyde 1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D'Jaffo Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 I thought I didn’t mind Dalziel until I read a piece about how he asked Barry Ferguson for his shirt after the semi final. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super cally Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 2 hours ago, honestly united said: I always thought the 98-99 team was much better (teale, hurst etc), and were running Hibs close up to the half way point then dropped off at the tail end of the season. The 01/02 season team seemed to know that Ayr couldn't get promoted so we neer seen the best of them in the league, and kept all the best performances for the cup games - 2 semi finals and a final were some achievement and the 2nd year in a row but we splashed out a fortune in wages on Hughes, Annand and Grady etc who turned down SPL clubs to sign for us. That was a decent Hibs team that season remember a 3-3 draw at Somerset when we led 3-1 and they did us 3 zip on boxing Day remember coming home on the bus during the famous storm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 I was living in Sweden so I missed most of this season, but it fit the pattern of disappointment in the league campaign and great cup moments like many of the preceding years. The 98/99 team was far more fun to support and even 97/98 when we went through about 80 players to scrape survival on the final day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 4 hours ago, Super cally said: That was a decent Hibs team that season remember a 3-3 draw at Somerset when we led 3-1 and they did us 3 zip on boxing Day remember coming home on the bus during the famous storm That 3-3 game scarred me! I think it was Russell Latapy's first game in Scotland and we had them well beaten right up until the end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommi_Pavlova Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 98-99 is the season I remember fondest. I think had we parted with the money to get another year out of Andy Walker the next season might have been better. His back to goal play and layoffs for hurst and Teale’s pace were brilliant.The Isaac English/Steve Kerrigan/Alain Horace team runs it close but not quite.The whole Dalziel era was a rollercoaster with some of the best and worst days as an Ayr fan. Nights like beating killie away in the league cup with the Ayr end actually moving below your feet live long in the memory. Some of the absolute jobbers that we flung cash at won’t. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1nickydevlin Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 2 hours ago, Tommi_Pavlova said: 98-99 is the season I remember fondest. I think had we parted with the money to get another year out of Andy Walker the next season might have been better. His back to goal play and layoffs for hurst and Teale’s pace were brilliant. The Isaac English/Steve Kerrigan/Alain Horace team runs it close but not quite. The whole Dalziel era was a rollercoaster with some of the best and worst days as an Ayr fan. Nights like beating killie away in the league cup with the Ayr end actually moving below your feet live long in the memory. Some of the absolute jobbers that we flung cash at won’t. The league cup game at rugby park was my first Ayrshire derby as a 7 year old and the stadium shaking too the point I Thought it was going too collapse. I was terrified .Robert connor with the goal .brilliant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Venom Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 That 3-3 game scarred me! I think it was Russell Latapy's first game in Scotland and we had them well beaten right up until the end.Yogi scored the two late Hibs goals too, which iirc came in the last 5 minutes or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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