Hippo144

AN UNOFFICIAL KILLIE FANZINE

ISSUE NO. 144

Last Minute Winner......

REVIEW OF 2014 THE GREATEST COMEBACK RESOLUTIONS FOR 2015

£2.00

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SHOOTING FROM THE HIPPO I would just like to wish each and every one of you a very happy and peaceful new year. It’s been good to relax with nearly two weeks of work and an endless supply of chocolate, doritos and beer……or the perfect breakfast as I like to call them. As well as the usual entertainment on TV we have the festive feast at Ibrox…..the gift that keeps giving plus Agent Roberts completing his mission at Scumerset. I’d expect he will receive a gong in the next honours list for outstanding service in a third world shithole.

We always say it’s a rollercoaster ride following killie and that perfectly describes the season so far. We did well for three months then were horrendous for the next two before getting two timely wins over the festive period. I never like clubs who continually change managers but I simply remain to be convinced that AJ is the right man for the job. He is a really decent guy and I want him to succeed but he just doesn’t look cut out for Premiership management. He received a geat deal of abuse after last year’s AGM when he stated he didn’t know his best team….I fear nothing has changed.

During the horror run when we took one point out of a possible 27 we resorted to hoofball with Samson launching endless aimless balls to nobody in particular. I don’t solely blame the keeper I may add, we play a few square passes before rolling it back to him for the punt. It’s grim to watch but there may be a chink of light. I have thought all season that a huge problem has been our lack of mobility in midfield when playing Hamill, Clingan and Eremenko. At Paisley there was no Hammill and clingan and the replacements, Slater and O’Hara, brought us some energy and enthusiasm which have been sadly lacking. I just hope that the manager doesn’t simply change back when the full squad is fit although things may change in the January window.

There are loads of whispers flying about surrounding the potential list of the likes of Slater, Muirhead, O’Hara and Connolly plus the return of Boydy from the subway loyal. My big concern is we are in a more precarious financial position than ever and players may be sold on the cheap simply to bring in a few quid.

Time will tell if that is the case and AJ has already said is that we will only get players in if some head out the exit door. I’ve no doubt we could lose Miller or Ngoo and Cairney is another who may vanish. Lets wait and see what happens but I urge the manager to show some faith in the younger players and try to hold onto them if possible.

We look forward to doing another four issues before the end of the season and please keep sending your thoughts on the team, the management, the board and the belter bridies. Finally I’d like to say get well soon to Jimmy Robertson from Dundonald, a great Killie man who fell ill at new year.

Sandy

2015 RESOLUTIONS FOR SCOTTISH FITBA I’m fed up harping on about the state of our club and of our game in general so wouldn’t it be nice if the clowns in charge made 2015 the year when things turned around. I think it’s a case of revolution rather than evolution or we will simply keep drifting into a “League of Ireland” structure.

Here is a list of my wishes for 2015, some perhaps not too serious, that can reverse the slide and make the matchday experience better for all fans: 1. Quite simple, get ditched of the old firm (if only someone wanted them). It’s hilarious reading some comments on the Rangers fans website as they seem to think their demise has killed the game………they have short memories. The game was in terminal decline well before they bumped off their creditors and if they come up next year nothing will change.

It’s healthy to see Aberdeen and the arabs making a go of it this year but just think how exciting and competitive it could be without the bigot twins………sadly it wont happen.

2. Booze – forgive myself indulgence but I even love the sound of the word BOOZE. Anyway, everyone I spoke to who recently attended the rugby international at the Theatre of Pies commented how good it was to be treated like a responsible adult and be allowed a beer at the game. Nobody is going to sit at the game and get bladdered (well maybe if the game is crap) but Scottish football needs to stop living in the dark ages. This is a minor issue but it would improve the matchday experience.

3. Matters on the pitch are a whole separate concern and we need to do all we can to improve the product and make it more enjoyable for all. I’ve just returned from Paisley and saw Craig Slater getting a second yellow and sent off for celebrating a goal……..I despair. I should add that I don’t blame the ref but the rules are Victorian and it almost seems that rules like this are made to chase fans away. Players will tell you there is nothing like the euphoric feeling of scoring a goal and fans love it when they can feel part of that celebration. I accept antagonising away fans is a different matter but celebrating with your own fans shouldn’t be a yellow card….it should be compulsory.

4. My pet hate in football both in Scotland and England is the so called “fit and proper person” test. In reality Hitler would pass the test and it is patently not fit for purpose. In fact I’d suggest that some of the clowns that make these decisions are not fit and proper. The most important thing is the people in charge are there to do what is best for the club and not for their own bank balances. That is the crux of the matter and it is these guys in charge who are killing clubs and killing the game. Self interest is the number one priority at rugby Park, Ibrox etc etc and the sooner we learn from places like Germany the sooner the game will recover. On that issue, if you have never been to a Kaiserslautern game then make that your own resolution……it’s a different world.

5. Finally and in my eyes the most important issue of all…….lets get a campaign started to make sure “Only an Excuse” is never seen our screens again. The material is so old and dated that it would look at home in this fanzine!!

HIPPO SPORTS BREAKING NEWS A major row broke out between Killie and Celtic prior to the league game at Rugby Park after the hosts refused to let the bigots train on their artificial pitch. Hippo sports understands that Ronnie Deila is furious and has locked himself in his wendy house until he feels better. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> We also believe that Killie are already planning on some special preparations prior to their next trip to Parkhead……the squad has booked a long weekend in Palestine. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> From one paranoid lot to another and the crisis at Ibrox deepens with the news that Mike Ashley has been blocked from buying more shares in sevco. This could mean the end of Scotland’s newest club and yet another club will then be born. We can exclusively reveal that millionaire bookie Paddy Power is keeping a close eye on proceedings and if a bid is successful he would christen the new team Power Rangers. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> The “Fit + Proper Person” test has come in for a lot of criticism recently especially after the likes of Whyte, Green and the Easdales got their mucky paws dirty at Greyskull. There is a current review of this test which is causing concern to three potential investors at Ibrox namely messrs Kray, Capone and Hitler. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Good luck to Mark Roberts on the release of his new book “Escape from the land that time forgot”.

LOOKING BACK AND FORWARD Welcome to the new year folks but as we normally do at this time of year let’s have a look back at the previous 12 months………then a wee look at what we can expect in 2015. I’m sure we all want the team and manager to succeed but in all honesty 2014 was pretty poor overall.

Our first game in 2014 saw us beat St Mirren with Boydie grabbing the last minute winner in front of 5410. Interesting to note that our final game of the year (at home to Hamilton) also included a lst minute winner at RP. The win saw us sitting in 8th place with 21 points from 20 games, we were also 6 points below Hibs who ultimately went down. The rest of the month saw us lose to Aberdeen and Celtic, beat Inverness and draw with Thistle at Firhill.

Our 1-1 draw at Thistle was a Muirhead strike after Boyd had a penalty saved….was that our only penalty in the whole of the calendar year?? At the end of the month we were still 8th but only 4 points above Thistle and Ross Co who were 10th and 11th. It should be pointed out that Hearts were effectively away due to their points deduction although they did go on a good run.

February was not a good month for us with only three games seeing us draw at home with Ross County and Hibs but losing away at Tannadice. At the end of the month we were still in 8th but only 3 points ahead of 11th placed St Mirren. We were still five points behind the Hibees…….how quickly things were to change.

March started much better and a couple of home wins against St Mirren and Hearts saw us establishing a healthier gap over the teams below us. At this stage it was very much a case of a battle for the 11th spot and there were about five teams who wanted to avoid the dreaded play off match.

The rest of March saw us lose to Aberdeen and Celtic before Slater grabbed a hugely important stoppage time winner at Fir Park….we were still in 8th, 5 points above 11th and 1 point behind Hibs.

April was an absolute disaster of a month and that was when many Killie fans were starting to mildly panic. There were only three games but we lost at home to Partick and St Johnstone then had a hugely depressing loss at Dingwall. Strangely the result was 2-1 on each occasion as had been the least two games in March although we at least won one of those.

That was us two games into the post split games and our position was becoming increasingly precarious. We had plummeted to 11th place and the hoofball style of football was being slaughtered by the majority of killie fans. The one good thing was that it was increasingly tight with St Mirren in 7th place on 35 points, Ross County, Partick and Hibs all one point behind then Killie a further point back on 33 points.

The biggest talking point was the dramatic slide of Hibs who had gone from top six contenders to the popular choice for 11th. By this stage we knew we were heading to Easter Road on the last game of the season and even at this stage it was obvious this was going to be a significant game. Hibs run of form had been unbelievably bad, from the start of 2014 they had picked up the grand total of 6 points from a possible 45!!

When you get into these situations it is more about bottle as opposed to ability. You need guys that are going to bust a gut for the cause and not many of us were convinced we had that in our squad although we had one huge positive…….Boyd who will always grab a goal.

Into May and out third last game was against a Hearts side who pretty much knew all season they were away. Locke had been doing a good job all the same and they had plenty of good wins as it seemed they were playing without any pressure on them. It is fair to say this was one of the worst killie performances in recent years and the 5-0 defeat had many convinced (me included) that we were nailed on for the play off.

As if the result wasn’t bad enough it included a hat trick from the fat scum lover Stevenson and it was a very unhappy Killie crowd who trudged out of Tynecastle. As stated above it’s all about the will to win and battling qualities, none of which we exhibited at any times on this horrible day.

We were in 11th place and our next trip was at home to St Mirren who had went five points ahead of us after a vital win over Ross County.

Ultimately that may have been an important win as St Mirren had just about secured safety and the game was far more important to us…..a must win.

Less than 5000 fans turned up to watch a nerve ridden 90 minutes but Boyd was the difference and his sole strike was good enough.

Fowler was sent off to make things even more nervous but we held on. Thankfully we showed a bit of willingness and desire that had looked a million miles away at Tynecastle. The win saw us climb to 36 points and into 10th place. We were now one pint above the tumbling Hibs who lost at Ross County. It was all quite straightforward, a trip to Easter Road on the final day and a draw would see us survive.

There was great anticipation in the run up to the game. The biggest concern was that we just go and play for a draw, we were up against a side whose confidence was shot. Over 15000 turned up including an excellent Killie crowd as you would expect. Much like the Falkirk game a few years back when we survived on the last day there was absolutely no enjoyment during the game itself.

In all honesty the home side had more possession and were doing their best though they did look like a team who were struggling to score goals. Boyd was once again the difference with a superb strike just before half time. The timing was perfect as it ripped the heart out of Hibs who had played ok without looking like scoring.

The Killie fans had a huge weight lifted from their shoulders as hibs would need to score twice without reply to avoid the play offs. The home side had to go for it and things could have been different had Craig’s strike not hit the underside bar and came back out. They kept pressing but Killie kept their shape and discipline and it never really looked like we would blow it. The final whistle was greeted with euphoria by the Killie fans and the relief was palpable. In the final reflection Boyds goals had been the difference between survival and possible disaster…….I fancy Hamilton may have gubbed us too.

It had been a depressing season both on and off the park with the fans divided and diminishing, the manager looking lost most of the time and the board dismantling the club and losing any connection it had with the community.

As we hit the close season most folk were looking forward to the World cup in Brazil to take their minds off one of the bleakest seasons in recent history. Many fans were questioning the manager mainly due to his apparent lack of tactics, his preference for hoofball and his admission that he didn’t know his best team. I’m not one for constantly changing managers but it would have been no surprise if we had started the new season with a new face in charge as Shiels had been sacked for achieving more.

It did seem that AJ’s sidekick had a heavy influence all the same and he was very unpopular with many fans. He is a bit of an obnoxious individual, a dinosaur in the modern game and a few public spats with fans had not helped his popularity. It was therefore well received when the news broke that he had left the club. The popular belief was that Clark was influential in our route one tactics so it was going to be interesting to see how we shaped up with him long gone……as an assistant at Albion Rovers!!

It is no secret that AJ and Gary Locke are good friends off the park therefore when Locke found himself out of work after being poorly treated at Tynecastle, it was no surprise to hear him rumoured to be the new assistant. Soon after Locke was announced as AJ’s number two and the appointment was generally well received by Killie fans.

He had done a decent job at Tynecastle in difficult circumstances and it was hoped he would bring a fresh approach to Killie.

We were fairly active in the transfer market also with Boyd leaving for Ibrox, a decision that apparently surprised even his friends and family. We also lost the likes of Gros, Tesselar, Reguero, Nicholson and sadly James Fowler who had been a fantastic one club player.

He is now giving the management game a go at Dumfries and early signs are he is doing well……will we see him back at Killie one day?

The loss of Boyd was a particular worry as it was essentially his goals that kept us up. There was improvement needed in all areas of the team and before the season started Aj and GL were busy snapping up new faces. Defensively we snapped up centre half Mark Connolly, in midfield we signed Tope Obadeyi, Eremenko (again) and another former star Jamie Hamill plus Paul Cairney and Euan Smith.

Boyd was always going to be hard to replace up top so we signed three, Lee Miller, Josh Magennis and Michael Ngoo. With pre season friendlies out the way it was vital for AJ to make a good start.

Last year had seen one of the worst starts to a season ever and a repeat would have seen the manager’s job on the proverbial shoogly peg. The opening month saw us make a decent start with 7 points from the five league games played as well as a 1-0 demolition of the Whitletts inbreds. The first game of the season saw us draw at newly promoted Dundee with a Slater goal of the season contender. We lost at home to Aberdeen and away at Inverness but grabbed wins at Ross County and at home to Motherwell.

Things looked even better in September as we took 7 points from a possible 9 with home wins over St Mirren and Partick thistle and a hard fought draw at Hamilton who were proving the surprise packet of the season. It was quickly becoming a fad for away managers to blame Killie’s new pitch rather than look at theor won shortfalls…..I suspect we will encounter this type of whining for many years to come. The one black cloud in September was a home defeat tp St Johnstone in the League Cup. League wise we had 14 ooints from eight games and were sitting in 5th place…..fans were already whispering Eurpean travel stories.

The first game in October was an excellent Friday night win at home to the arabs and at this stage we looked to have binned the hoofball and reverted to a more attractive style of football. We didn’t have a prolific scorer but different players were chipping in and that was a healthy situation to be in. We then had a fine win at Perth and were sitting in fourth place with 20 points from 10 games……three points off the lead. Our final game in October was a 2-0 defeat at Parkhead but we had played well until Pasca’s silly red card after 35 minutes.

The fans were in an optimistic frame of mind but things were soon to take a turn for the worse.

November was a horror month and successive defeats at home to Dundee and Ross County set the alarm bells ringing. This had all come at the time our big bonus row was escalating so the atmosphere around the place quickly turned sour. Those two harmful defeats were quickly followed by a loss at Tannadice and then a humiliating gubbing at Ibrox. Everyone and their granny had been giving sevco a run for their money and the manner in which we lost will live long in the memory especially for the healthy number of travelling fans. The knives were coming out for AJ once again and things didn’t improve in the early part of December.

We managed an away draw against the Harry Wraggs before enduring 1-0 defeats at home to St Johnstone and away at Pittodrie.

At this stage we had acquired 1 point from a possible 21 with a nightmare display at Ibrox sandwiched in between. The calls for a new boss were increasing by the day and the two festive games against Hamilton and St Mirren were looking increasingly crucial. Our league position was still an improvement on the previosu season but we were sliding fast and comparisons to Hibs last year were already being made. Thankfully for AJ we grabbed a big slice of luck and Eremenko’s injury time winner over Accies could be looked back upon as being critical.

The New Years day jaunt saw us grab another 3 points at Paisley thanks to Eremenko and Slater grabbing a penalty apiece. It appears our fortunes may quickly have turned but the word erratic doesn’t even begin to describe our form. As we prepare to face Celtic on a Monday night TV fixture we are in 7th spot with 27 points from 19 games and with a gap of 16 points and 17 points over St Mirren and Ross County we can hopefully relax and look to challenge for the top six.

So what should be our realistic expectations and what does the future hold for AJ? There is no obvious pressure on us in terms of relegation however money is always king and with each place worth around £80-£90k there is no way we can afford to take the foot off the pedal.

It was noticeable that our midfield was more mobile at Paisley and I reckon that is due to the young legs of Slater and O’Hara replacing the older Hamill and Clingan.

AJ has a few Jefferies type habits, one of which appears to be favouring experience over youth. It’s strange to read paper stories that teams like Swansea, Derby and West Brom are thought to be looking at Slater, O’Hara and muirhead who all generally don’t even start for us. We lost Kennedy without getting any real benefit from him and I fear that will continue if the manager doesn’t learn to put a little faith in them.

The manager himself is out of contract in the summer and I just don’t see him as being here long term. Other than three months at the start of this season his time at Killie has been poor and it will be interesting to see what the parasites decide come the summer…..there are plenty of good ex Killie folk who would be interested in his job.

KILMARNOCK SUPPORTERS F.C. We’d like to give a special mention about a group of Killie fans who are doing us all proud. Some fans got together last year and have organized a team to play against fans of other teams throughout the season…..at the time of writing Killie are sitting top of the table. Here is what their website says about the lads: Kilmarnock Supporters Football Club is a non-profit community sports club and 11-a-side & amateur football team competing in the Scottish Supporters Football League.

Vision Our vision is to be more than just a football team, we want to be a community of Kilmarnock Football fans participating in sport, engaging with the local community and supporting Kilmarnock Football Club Goals • Increase participation in sport through the establishment of an 11-a-side football team and entering into a league • Encourage community engagement • Develop coaches in the community • Work in partnership with other sports clubs, organisations and local businesses I’d just like to wish the lads all the very best for the remainder of the season and you can follow their progress on their own website http://www.clubwebsite.co.uk/kilmarnocksupportersfootballclub /291520/Home

THE GREATEST COMEBACK Kilmarnock FC vs. Eintracht Frankfurt On the 22nd of September, 1964, Kilmarnock F C beat Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 in their first ever European tie at Rugby Park.

In a match dubbed as the greatest comeback in Scottish football history, Kilmarnock defeated Eintracht Frankfurt in a European Inter-Cities Fairs Cup tie at Rugby Park in Ayrshire. The Germans had arrived in Scotland very pleased with themselves, having a 3-0 advantage from the first leg.

Then, just over a minute into the return leg, they had taken a seemingly impervious lead, from a stunning long range drive into the top corner of Kilmarnock’s net by Huberts, the inside-left.

Killie, nevertheless, refused to lie down and fought back to not only win the game, but also the tie, with an aggregate score of 5-4. “Hail Killie Tigers!” ran the next day’s newspaper headlines and “Here was a game that will be remembered as long as football is played in Ayrshire” ran the stand first.

Surely, we’ll never see the likes again.

Kilmarnock Football Club’s early roots can be traced back to 1869, when young cricketers (yes, cricket is played in Scotland; it was ‘invented’ there

by Rob Roy Macgregor) who played on Barbados Green (now the Howard Park) decided that they needed something to occupy their time during the cricket close season. Local pitches at the Grange, Holm Quarry and Ward's Park all hosted home matches in the team’s early years, before the Ayrshire town's football, cricket and rugby clubs agreed on closer ties towards the end of the last century.

Three decades after being founded as Scotland's first professional club, Kilmarnock moved to its present stadium. It is said that, at its first ground near South Hamilton Street, the team played a primitive sort of footballrugby that was nothing like association football. The name of the ground –

Rugby Park – derives from that era.

The opening fixture at the permanent stadium of the new Second Division champions was against the reigning Scottish Cup holders; Celtic. The Kilmarnock Standard reported that “Even the horses of the mounted police danced with joy” as Killie came from two goals down to force a draw on that occasion. Since then, Rugby Park has hosted several Scottish Cup celebrations, the remarkable 1965 First Division title triumph, and the odd, spectacular European evening.

The spirit that saw Killie draw with Celtic way back in 1899 was particularly evident during the golden era of the mid-Sixties as Eintracht Frankfurt, Real Madrid, Leeds United and Everton all endured the intimidating atmosphere of Rugby Park at that time, when Killie challenged in the European and Fairs Cups. Eintracht Frankfurt were selected to be the Club's opposition for its Centenary Match on the 12th of April, 1969, but it is the 1964 meeting between the sides that will live longest in the fans’ memories.

In their first ever European tie, in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, Killie were drawn against Eintracht Frankfurt, which was a team that only four years earlier had narrowly lost to Real Madrid in the European Cup Final. In 1964, they were still a formidable team as Killie found out. The Scottish team lost the first leg in Germany 3-0 and its Scottish Manager, Willie Waddell, came under heavy criticism – nothing ever changes – for setting up his players in a 4-2-4 formation.

On the evening of the 22nd of September, 1964, watched by a Rugby Park crowd of 14,930, Killie got off to the worst possible start. Inside the first two minutes the players found themselves a goal down, which meant 0-4 on aggregate, and seemingly with a mountain to climb. Instead of letting their heads go down, the team simply rolled up its collective sleeves and the rest as they say is history!

Killie had no choice but to attack and, with the crowd on its side, a major football mirkle happened. An inspiration for the team was Jim McFadzean, who had been brought in for the injured Matt Wilson, and the fans didn’t have to wait too long to get an idea that things weren’t as bad as they seemed. In the thirteenth minute, wee Davie Sneddon sent in a cross, which might have led to a penalty, but the Referee didn’t whistle for an offence and Ronnie Hamilton stole through and finished well to make it 1-1 on the night.

A mere two minutes later and Killie’s fans began to dream as Brian McIlroy got a second goal. By now, of course, the Germans were less than zufrieden, decidedly rattled in fact, but they rallied and finished the first half strongly, forcing a great save by Forsyth from the boot of Schamer.

Killie started the second half in somewhat similar fashion to the Germans in the first. After just seven minutes, fullback come centre forward McFadzean, rose like a salmon and headed home Killie’s third goal from a Brian McGrory free kick. The noise from the home crowd became almost deafening and must have been daunting to the Eintracht players as it echoed around the ground and urged on the Scottish players to ever greater endeavour.

The scoreline remained at 3-4 well into the second period and those fans who were not biting their finger nails were hoarse from shouting. The noise had abated slightly and the Germans had regained their composure.

However, with just eight minutes remaining, Jackie McInally delivered a telling blow when he rose above the German defence to head home a McIlroy cross and level the tie. Rugby Park went crazy and young boys ran onto the pitch to celebrate with their heroes. But the best was to come; it wasn’t over just yet.

With just a few seconds remaining on the clock, Ronnie Hamilton grabbed the winner after a free kick by Davie Sneddon. On a night of passionate joy, Kilmarnock went wild with delight as hordes of fans invaded the pitch after the full time whistle. The Polis even had to fight their way through the crowds to get the players off the pitch and to safety. For Kilmarnock, Ayrshire and Scotland, these eleven players did everyone, especially themselves, great credit, for which they will be long remembered.

The Killie team that night: Forsyth, King, McFadzean, Murray, McGrory, Beattie, McLean, McInally, Hamilton, Sneddon and McIlroy.

THE BLOGSTER Hippo says – Fantastic stuff and if you want to ply Andy King with a few pints in the Howard he will tell you all the x rated stories.

PROVOSTS PAGE It has been fantastic to get to know our provost better thanks to his involvement with the fanzine. I have realized that Jim is the busiest guy this side of the Mississippi but without fail he has helped us out every time we ask.

I mentioned before that we have been looking at a couple of community projects via the “Likes For Killie (Open)” page on Facebook. Can I ask that you join the page if you haven’t already done so. Through these projects we will be working with Jim and many others to try and ensure they are successful and are attractive to almost everyone in the town and beyond.

The Likes for Killie Open facebook page is all about promoting a positive Kilmarnock and highlighting the numerous good things and good people in our town. It seems that everyone loves focusing on the negatives……well we are trying to give a bit of balance. Over the last few months I have been meeting with great folk from all over the Killie community and there is a real desire to do positive work for the town.

Both projects may not see the light of day until spring or summer but both have a potential KFC interest. One idea is to have a One Day in killie type tour that will include visits to the likes of Dean Park, Burns Centre, Dick Institute, Centrestage and maybe even a stadium tour at RP. We haven’t yet spoken to the club but since MJ is so community focused these days surely nothing could go wrong??

The second idea is about gathering as many images/photos of the town as we can get our mitts on then showing them off via a website, satellite galleries and road shows……ultimately we hope to have permanent premises where folk will be able to see thousands of photos of our town through the ages until the present day.

You will appreciate there is loads of work but we are in the process of establishing an organization, obtaining funds and we will then start to make things happen. We potentially have two separate premises that would be ideal for this and you will be reading loads more about these in the months ahead I hope.

With regards the second project there is massive potential for a great gallery of killie photos and we have even discussed doing SPL focused stuff that away fans can visit when they are down in Killie. We do need to take small steps all the same so only when we are happy that everything is in place will we start to publicise the specific details.

Of course this all takes loads of time hence on a personal level I am no longer on the committees of either the Trust or KFCSA. Both groups have a healthy number of enthusiastic individuals to carry on the good work and I will promote their work in the fanzine whenever possible. The Trust has recently offered a six figure sum to the club for a seat on the board however the reply we got from MJ was verging on a joke……..talks continue.

As previously stated we will be working with the provost to arrange a great fans night in the coming months and hopefully we will have some more detail in the next issue. We will be raising funds for The Samaritans and the plan is to have some Killie legends along on the night….watch this space.

SPL 6/12/14 JAGS 1 V 1 KILLIE PARTICK – GALLAGHER, O’DONNELL, BALATONI, SEABORNE, CARROLL (FRASER 59), OSMAN, BANNIGAN, ELLIOTT, CRAIGEN, HIGGINBOTHAM (LAWLESS 69), STEVENSTON (DOOLAN 75) SUBS NOT USED – FOX, WILSON, LINDSAY + MCDAID BOOKED – SEABORNE + HIGGINBOTHAM GOALS – SEABORNE 19 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> KILLIE – SAMSON, WESTLAKE, CHANTLER, PASCALI, CONNOLLY, HAMILL, MCKENZIE (JOHNSTON 76), CLINGAN, OBADEYI, MILLER (MUIRHEAD 67), MAGENNIS SUBS NOT USED – BRENNAN, EREMENKO, ASHCROFT, O;HARA + SLATER BOOKED – CHANTLER GOALS – OBADEYI 11 REF – S MCLEAN

CROWD - 3054

DICK OF THE DAY – IAN MCDONALD It’s no secret that there is a longstanding rivalry against this demented lot so dicks are ten a penny.

Of course there are a couple of obvious candidates on a day like this. The fat scum fan is always good for a bit of abuse but his hopeless career is on the slide and I don’t want to push him over the edge with another DOTD award.

The referee is always an option as he is beyond hopeless and has a horrible tendency to give ridiculous decisions against us. However I have been lookin gat a few of our opponents and realizing that some of their dicks from history deserve some recognition. There are Killie fans of a certain age who will tell you this lot always gubbed us with a last minute winner and they had loads of dicks.

The award goes to Ian McDonald a horrible wee homeless looking twat who had no ability but just set out to kick folk……..and relax

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Given our recent run of results a draw at Firhill is a step in the right direction if not much else. Conditions were awful but after an early goal it would have been good to hold on for a win. Lets hope we can build on this starting next week.

SPFL 13/12/14 KILLIE 0 V 1 SAINTEES KILLIE – SAMSON,WESTLAKE, CHANTLER, PASCALI, CONNOLLY, CLINGAN (SLATER 56), HAMILL, MUIRHEAD, OBADEYI, MILLER (MCKENZIE 71), MAGENNIS SUBS NOT USED – BRENNAN, BARBOUR, CAIRNEY, ASHCROFT + O’HARA BOOKED – WESTLAKE + CHANTLER GOALS – ZIP >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ST JOHNSTONE – MANNUS, MCKAY, ANDERSON, WRIGHT, EASTON, WOTHERSPOON (DAVIDSON 80), MILLAR, LAPPIN, O’HALLORAN, GRAHAM, MCFADDEN (CROFT 49) SUBS NOT USED – BANKS, MCDONALD, CADDIS, MILLER + BROWN BOOKED – GRAHAM GOALS – GRAHAM (PEN) 82 REF – D ROBERTSON

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DICK OF THE DAY – RODDY GRANT Having decided to go retro on the award in the Thistle game I’ve decided to make the award retro in all the reports in this issue. That may not be the smartest move since I have a memory like a……..I

forget the saying.

So thinking back to the old days of Perth I think about Muirton Park and its social club, Don McVicar (god rest), a ploughed field of a pitch, John Pelosi (a right dirty wee beggar)and not much else to be honest. Many older fans will tell you we had a nightmare at Muirton in 1970 Scottish cup semi against Aberdeen. Anyway the award goes to Roddy Grant, I don’t have anything personal against the guy but he did seem to have a habit of scoring against us even though I dont think he was very good!!

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Oh well, after the amazing draw at Firhill its back to defeat…….our last win feels like 100 years ago. We didn’t perform too badly but quite simply we need to start scoring more goals. The longer it went there was always the danger of losing and sadly that’s what happened……..the pressure cranks up on AJ.

SPL 20/12/14 DONS 1 V 0 KILLIE ABERDEEN – BROWN, LOGAN, TAYLOR, REYNOLDS, CONSIDINE, MCGINN, PAWLETT, JACK, HAYES, GOODWILLIE (MONAKANA 73), ROONEY SUBS NOT USED – LANGFIELD, SMITH, ROBSON, SHANKLAND, MURRAY + GIBBONS BOOKED – GOODWILLIE GOALS – PAWLETT 69 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> KILLIE – SAMSON, WESTLAKE (BARBOUR 43), CHANTLER, ASHCROFT, PASCALI, HAMILL, MCKENZIE (JOHNSTON 78), SLATER, OBADEYI, MILLER (CAIRNEY 78), MUIRHEAD, MAGENNIS SUBS NOT USED – BRENNAN, O’HARA, SYME + HAWKSHAW BOOKED – SLATER + CAIRNEY GOALS – NADA REF – A DALLAS

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DICK OF THE DAY – MARK MCGHEE I nearly decided against going down the retro route for this award as they have a few current dicks.

Goodwillie made a horrendous tackle that ended Westlake’s game and is a ned however he is let off as he has a comical name like a Viz character.

I usually like giving their deluded fans the award however this season they appear to be laying down a serious title challenge and we will all turn into Dons fans if they still have a chance come May…..doubt it all the same.

However retro wins it and there is a cast of thousands…Miller, McLeish, Rougvie, Nicholas, Strachan, Roy Aitken (Killie got him sacked), Alex Miller (killie got him sacked). The award goes to Mark McGhee who I’ve never liked and I hope he gets another Scottish club so he can get more gongs!

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Firstly well done to the 142 Killie fans who made the jaunt, pity there was no rewards. In truth we were well beaten and we don’t have that player who will do a Boyd and grab a goal out of nothing………the pressure builds more on AJ.

SPFL 27/12/14 KILLIE 1 V 0 ACCIES KILLIE – SAMSON, BARBOUR, CHANTLER (O’HARA 85), ASHCROFT, CONNOLLY, SLATER, HAMILL, MUIRHEAD (JOHNSTON 70), MILLER (EREMENKO 77), MCKENZIE, MAGENNIS SUBS NOT USED – BRENNAN, CAIRNEY, PASCALI + SPLAINE BOOKED – EREMENKO GOALS – EREMENKO AT ABOUT 5 O’CLOCK >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> HAMILTON – MCGOVERN, GILLESPIE, CANNING, DEVLIN, HENDRIE, IMRIE, NEIL (ROUTLEGE 70), MCKINNON, CRAWFORD, ANDREU (LONGRIDGE 79), ANTOINECURIER (SCOTLAND 73) SUBS NOT USED – BROPHY, TENA, REDMOND + HILL BOOKED – DEVLIN GOALS – ZIP REF – C THOMSON

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DICK OF THE DAY – BILLY REID Two days after Xmas, lots of folk back for the festive season and we get a bumper home crowd below 4000. I really should go to town at our board, SFA, the OF, Thatcher, Katie Hopkins and everyone else who raises my blood pressure. However I have decided to stick with my retro theme although its not so easy with this lot as they are not a team who have upset me along the way. My abiding memories of Hamilton are Fergie their mad fan (is he still living?), Douglas Park (the ground as opposed to the sevco puppet), Ricardo Ferguson ( a Hamilton goalie who came from shortlees) and Andy Millen. However the award goes to Billy Reid, the most negative manager in the game……keep him in Scandinavia please.

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A win is welcome at any time but for AJ it must have felt like a cup win especially as we left it until the last kick. It was a fantastic goal by Eremenko but it grates on my man boobs that he is booked for no more than celebrating with his own fans.

I’ve covered that in another article but lets just enjoy the feeling of getting three points and hope it’s the catalyst for many more as we head for 2015…happy new year y’all.

SPL 1/1/15 BUDDIES 1 V 2 KILLIE ST MIRREN – RIDGERS, NAISMITH, TESSELAR, GOODWIN, MCAUSLAND, KELLY (WYLDE 82), MALLAN, OSBOURNE (BALL 65), MCLEAR (MORGAN 81), MCGINN, MCLEAN SUBS NOT USED – KELLO, REILLY, DRURY + BAIRD BOOKED – MCAUSLAND + NAISMITH SENT OFF - MCLEAN GOALS – WYLDE (PEN) 90 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> KILLIE – SAMSON, BARBOUR, CHANTLER, ASHCROFT, CONNOLLY, O’HARA, MCKENZIE (JOHNSTON 90 + 2), SLATER, MILLER (MUIRHEAD 67), EREMENKO (PASCALI 87), MAGENNIS SUBS NOT USED – BRENNAN, CAIRNEY, SYME + SPLAINE BOOKED – BARBOUR, CHANTLER, SLATER + PASCALI SENT OFF - SLATER GOALS – EREMENKO (PEN) 54 + SLATER (PEN) 85 REF – W COLLUM

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DICK OF THE DAY – GARY TEALE This is another obnoxious lot who have a huge number of wallopers over the years. I did quite like the old Love street and a Paul Wright hat trick in the fog (New Year 2000) brings back some great

memories.

Some particular fuds include Billy Abercrombie, Ian Ferguson and of course Jim Goodwin but I decided to give the award to whining ex scum Teale…..he is old enough that he still counts as retro!!

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The howling wind and driving rain made playing good football impossible but we were just about the better team and deserved the points. The game will be remembered for three pens and two red cards but for long spells it was still uneventful!! Slater was sent off for celebrating……this is becoming a habit.

DONATE YOUR OLD KILLIE STRIPS We stated in an earlier issue that we have been getting involved in different community focused stuff. The one thing you realise when you do this is there are loads of great folk in Kilmarnock doing some fantastic work. Please join us on the “likes for Killie (open)” Facebook page as there are lots of ideas that will hopefully get developed in the months and years ahead.

Through this I had the pleasure of meeting Liz and Archie McDonald who do a massive amount of charity work. They do lots of voluntary work which sees huge benefits to local charities, national charities and under privileged communities abroad, Uganda in this case.

I remember years ago there was a big campaign for Killie fans to donate their old Killie strips and that is what we want you all to do again.

We are going to be running with this for a number of months and I will be pushing it through social media, local media and we have asked the club if they can help with putting their name to it.

In the meantime please dig out your old Killie strips and hand them into big Stewart at RAINBOW INK, BANK STREET, KILMARNOCK Ps – of course we want as many strips as possible but all clothing is more than welcome……flip flops for kids are much needed as well….cheers

A WORRIED FAN WRITES…..

Dear Mr Hippo, I can't see where the next point is coming from. No energy and drive from midfield, no service to the front men, impotent strike force and a defence that leaks like a sieve. Teams can beat us when only playing in second gear eg Rangers and Aberdeen.

It was the Ross County game and particularly the Rangers game that has left me seething. People can blame bonus disputes all they want but the players have a responsibility to the supporters who give up their time and pay good money to follow the club.

Ibrox was a total disgrace. The team didn't even compete during the game.

Some dreadful signings have been made. Both Johnston and Locke are involved in this. Ngoo's injury at Parkhead was down to thuggery by Virgil Van Clog but up to that point he was hopeless any time before that when he came on. And Lee Miller ? Do you ever see this player scoring a goal for Killie.

I thought that young developing players are supposed to improve year on year. Do you see any improvement this year from last year in respect of Chris Johnston, Craig Slater, Ashcroft, Barbour etc………….. I don't.

Hamilton are a very competent, highly motivated, energetic well organised team. Is there any point in making the trip to RP on Saturday ? I doubt it and St Mirren won't have long to wait for their home win. They will get it early in January. 21 points is our lot.

The relegation team of 72/73 was better than this lot. They had 18 goal Eddie Morrison in their side and fought for every ball.

They still got relegated but they never lost a dozen in a row and played with passion.

Harry Brown

Hippo says – Thanks Harry and I know many many Killie fans share your concerns about the team and management at present. Harry sent this just prior to the Hamilton game so we would all like to think that we have turned a corner after good wins over Hamilton and St Mirren.

Harry makes a good point about the lack of energy in midfield, something that has been glaring for most of the season. Is it just a coincidence that Slater and O’Hara played at Paisley and we seemed more mobile and combative in that area?

There is still a long way to go and if you read the “Looking back” article in this issue you will see how far Hibs slid after new year in 2014. We also have the transfer window to consider, it will be interesting to see if there is a need to sell some players purely for financial reasons.

One rumour is that Boydie is coming back to join us for a third time….file that under “unconfirmed” for now.

ALL HAIL AGENT ROBERTS

As you may be aware Agent Roberts has completed his mission south of Symington and has returned to base. We would like to extend our sincere appreciation of his fine work at Scumerset over a number of years. We are delighted to see that this work has been recognized and a statue in his honour has been erected at Rugby Park……….One For Colin Never Will