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Ayr United’s Next Permanent Manager


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33 minutes ago, Thereisalight.. said:

What makes you think that? 

That’s what I’ve been told.

24 minutes ago, Honest_Man#1 said:

Anything behind this?

They both went for the job. Don’t think he’d stay to be assistant to his interim assistant.

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Will Kerr be backed in January with funds to bring in players? Lachlan said he would back McCall back in January last year and we ended up with two loanees. 
 
ETA: Chances of Peter Houston as assistant? Kerr played under him at Falkirk and Houston was assistant at Morton so obviously a job he’s willing to do. 
Houston openly stated he didn't want another Manager job and wanted to be an assistant, helping a young manager, when he joined Morton.

Fits the brief but his contribution at Cappielow by all accounts was even more woeful than JJ's so be warned.
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If you’re in the know, you’re in the know.  Still makes no sense that a manager under contract would risk souring his relationship with his existing club to just throw his hat in the ring amongst 40 other candidates, even if was then cut to a short list of 6.  It never happens that way.  If you want someone who is in a job, you approach them after getting their board’s permission, not the other way round.  
That simply isn't true. Both Ian Murray and Stevie Aitken applied for full-time jobs whilst with Dumbarton. Aitken was interviewed for the Raith job and was pipped by Gary Locke.

It would be rare for any board to stand in a managers way if they wish to move into a full-time management gig elsewhere.
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50 minutes ago, The Moonster said:

So being a youth team manager is enough to "earn your stripes" now? Why? All they've ever coached is kids, how's that translating to adults if they've never done it before?

 All of those names mentioned were relative gambles when they were given their first jobs in senior management, they each have varying degrees of success and all of them are operating at a higher level than Ayr. It's nonsense to suggest that your manager MUST have some experience before taking over. Mark Kerr is 37 years old and has been in full time dressing rooms for 20 years, I'm fairly certain he'll have some ideas about how he wants to run things and he'll take parts of the best gaffers he's worked for and make the job his. It might end up a shambles, it might end up brilliant, but those pontificating that this is an outright disaster or "laughable" are being silly.

When you consider that Darren Young was the alternative, a guy who took East Fife from being play-off certainties to miss out on the play-offs altogether, I'm not sure why folk would have been more happy with him. 

Don't recall there ever being confirmation that Darren Young was 'the alternative', nor hearing that people would have been more happy with him.

The fact is that giving the job to a man who has no coaching experience at all, regardless of how long he has been in full time dressing rooms, is a gamble that I don't believe was really necessary and certainly brings back memories of Mark Roberts, who let's not forget had also been 'in full time dressing rooms' for 20 years.

 

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2 minutes ago, AyrTroopMajor said:

Don't recall there ever being confirmation that Darren Young was 'the alternative', nor hearing that people would have been more happy with him.

The fact is that giving the job to a man who has no coaching experience at all, regardless of how long he has been in full time dressing rooms, is a gamble that I don't believe was really necessary and certainly brings back memories of Mark Roberts, who let's not forget had also been 'in full time dressing rooms' for 20 years.

 

Who would you have appointed?

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Easy option? Nope... we've just had a robust four week recruitment process in which 40+ applicants were whittled down to a shortlist of 6 interviewees. It was no easier to appoint Mark Kerr than any other candidate. 

Cheap option? Maybe, but then when did money equal success? I very much doubt Kerr's wage was the determining factor in him getting the job.

Gamble? Of course it is but what managerial appointment isn't? Falkirk thought Paul Hartley would lead them back to the Premiership after Peter Houston fell just short and look at them now, plus any other number of examples. 

Another Mark Roberts? Nonsense. Mark Kerr's career - which includes six years as a first team regular in the SPL - far exceeds Roberts' plus the club is in much better position (full time for one). 

The appointment provides the continuity that many supporters were looking for and, with an experienced assistant beside him, there is no reason why Kerr can't be as successful as any other manager could have been. 

Edited by Kitty_Boy
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1 hour ago, Jeff Venom said:

 They went through applications and interviews and he has been given it.

This seems to be getting lost amongst the noise. Six candidates were interviewed and he's been selected as the best candidate.

27 minutes ago, AuAl said:

The 18 months is wierd one imo.
 

Why? The terms and conditions will have been made clear to all interviewees and it would hardly reflect well on the club's professionalism if they said to Kerr 'You've got the job, oh and I know we promised X but we've downgraded it to Y'.

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9 minutes ago, The Moonster said:

Who would you have appointed?

Of the list of candidates that was discussed, I would have liked to have went for Peter Houston, if he was interested. 

FWIW, I would put Mark Kerr above some of the candidates that were listed, but I'm just not sure how easy it is to go from 'one of the lads' to being the boss, within the space of a few days.

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4 minutes ago, AyrTroopMajor said:

Of the list of candidates that was discussed, I would have liked to have went for Peter Houston, if he was interested. 

FWIW, I would put Mark Kerr above some of the candidates that were listed, but I'm just not sure how easy it is to go from 'one of the lads' to being the boss, within the space of a few days.

You'd have a guy who has previously stated he has no interest in being a manager again? Could be a bit of a gamble...

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13 minutes ago, Kitty_Boy said:

Easy option? Nope... we've just had a robust four week recruitment process in which 40+ applicants were whittled down to a shortlist of 6 interviewees. It was no easier to appoint Mark Kerr than any other candidate. 

Cheap option? Maybe, but then when did money equal success? I very much doubt Kerr's wage was the determining factor in him getting the job.

Gamble? Of course it is but what managerial appointment isn't? Falkirk thought Paul Hartley would lead them back to the Premiership after Peter Houston fell just short and look at them now, plus any other number of examples. 

Another Mark Roberts? Nonsense. Mark Kerr's career - which includes six years as a first team regular in the SPL - far exceeds Roberts' plus the club is in much better position (full time for one). 

The appointment provides the continuity that many supporters were looking for and, with an experienced assistant beside him, there is no reason why as successful as any other manager could have been. 

If it were indeed a robust process i will be interested to see who the other applicants were and also Kerr’s backroom team of choice. Some of the key parameters being mooted were integrating youth players plus working on a reduced budget. Unless Kerr has someone like Houston lined up I really wonder how he could beat some of the other names mentioned in a fair process. Would robust also have Stewart, Kerr and Brannigan making up a chunk of the face to face interviews unless cash was a real issue

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Yes so he would like to go back full time but he's clearly not desperate.
He has a good job outside football and has a good job in football just now. If he bides his time the perfect job will appear for him I have no doubt.
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46 minutes ago, Walter said:

When McCall left Thistle he was replaced with a player (McNamara) who immediately stopped playing and took us to the top of the league. When he got a bigger gig he was replaced by a player who immediately stopped playing and took us to top six in the Premiership.

Just saying like.

Was going to more or less say the same thing. Particularly when McNamara left right in the middle of the title charge and we replaced him with Archibald. I remember a few people thinking the worst, but mostly I think we got right behind Archie and he ended up better than McNamara! 

At the time of Caldwell being appointed I wished we'd had a player been able to step up, rather than that fucking idiot. 

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