Hippo153

KILLIE HIPPO AN UNOFFICIAL KILLIE FANZINE

ISSUE NO. 153

KILLIE CONVERT - PAUL HEATON • • • 0

IS OUR GAME CHANGED FOREVER? OUR FRIENDS IN GERMANY NO TROPHIES, NO SOAP, NO BADGE

£2.00

THE KILLIE HIPPO IS ON SALE AT HOWARD ARMS, GLENCAIRN SQUARE, KILMARNOCK FOG’S SNACK BAR, ANNANDALE IND. ESTATE, KILMARNOCK KA1 2RS KILLIE TRUST DESK (PARK HOTEL FOR HOME GAMES) MATCH DAYS AT RP + AT ALL AWAY GAMES

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SHOOTING FROM THE HIPPO

It’s 7pm on a Saturday night and I’m lying in my room writing this mince and sipping a hot chocolate…..I think I have officially lost the plot. There are five constants that should happen every Saturday, Beer, football, beer,curry shop and of course beer. It is almost acceptable to do without one of the five but today I have managed none…….my psychiatrist has been notified and I can hear the sirens heading for Bellfield as I savour that exquistite Cadburys hot drink. Wait a minute it is only 7pm, I will finish this later I’m off to the Howard!

Hello once again and thank you for buying issue 153 of the fanzine that time forgot. Before we look at our great old club let me ask you all for a big favour. I am in the process of organizing a fans charity event at the Howard on January 30th…..you will see it mentioned in this issue. It is a fancy dress night and we will get some “acts” along to entertain you during the night, we will have some fantastic prizes and we will be inviting along some Killie legends for you to meet and grab a selfie. Get searching through the fancy dress shops and make this your first big night of 2016.

We have just gained a hard fought point at Parkhead so the players should be in a positive mood as we now face two massive home games against Partick then Dundee Utd. It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster month (most of them are the same) with us gaining a couple of wins then losing a couple on the bounce. There is no doubt that the team is knitting together much better and hopefully they continue to improve as the season goes on. Connolly made his first team comeback at Parkhead, Carrick is also back from injury so with the exception of Chris Johnston we have the main players back.

Off the field we are still n utter shambles and the situation with the young players not yet being signed stinks of one of two things. Either we are just a pub team run by non football folk with no clue or we are offering rock bottom contracts as we are skint. I’m pretty sure both could be a factor and the lack but cash is directly down to the shocking bank deal that could yet kill the club. Forget the “debt free” message that the parasites tried to get us to believe. The deal was structured to suit two people only and as usual the fans will be the ones left to pick up the pieces.

Our crowds are truly horrendous with just about 3000 now being the norm…..we wont survive on that in the long term. Johnston thinks fans are idiots but the dropping attendances show that folk are fed up being treated like dogs dirt and they are spending their hard earned cash elsewhere….who can blame them?

There is no easy answer but I can say one thing for certain, things wont start to take an upturn until we get rid of the hotel thieves. The fan groups are doing their best to mend relationships but nothing will change until those two vanish….the sooner the better.

Sandy

HOW OTHERS SEE US (Football Life blog)

When I backed Killie for relegation, I was, suffice it to say, not exactly Mr Popular with their fans. They had optimism towards the new season. They had faith that the players were good enough to avoid relegation. They believed Gary Locke could steer them even towards the top six. Told you so.

The 4-0 loss to Ross County, their second 4 goal humbling at home this season, showed the real issues at the heart of the side. Up front, they have a choice of Kris Boyd, who gets isolated and ineffective, or Josh Magennis, who is exceptionally willing but also has never been the striker. In midfield, they have Jamie Hammill, who is a ned version of QWOP and a bunch of underperforming players.

But of key concern must be their defensive frailties, which Ross County exploited to their fullest. Take the second goal where there were two opportunities for County to break through and shoot before the goal itself after a fluffed backpass and poor control. Or the third goal, even more comical, where the entire defence failed to react to a block for about 2 seconds - enough to allow a cross to come into the back post and Liam Boyce to score. Similar frailties were visible vs Celtic, even though they drew, with some incredible lapses allowing them to get overloaded again and again.

Peculiar decisions have also been a hallmark of the season so far - Greg Kiltie deserves more than the bench and simply playing Lee McCulloch, about whom it is obvious to all that his career is done, is asking for trouble.

A season that, for some, promised a considerable amount, is crashing and burning already. It would be hard to say definitively that Gary Locke himself is the problem. Killie aren’t really that much worse than under Allan Johnston and Locke himself averted potential disaster last season with his run of form when he took over.

What is more likely is that Kilmarnock have stayed the same and the rest of the league have advanced and that that has all happened irrespective of Locke showing Locke’s caretaker run in a less flattering light. Locke, like Johnston did before him, avoided trouble simply by finding a vein of form and not changing things. Then, when change was asked of him, performances suddenly fell away.

And while Gary Locke hasn’t yet seen as much fan uprising as Jackie McNamara, the wolves are already at the gate - Ally McCoist and Kenny McDowell were sighted at Rugby Park, and while one can imagine they may well be afficionados of a Killie pie, you’d be surprised if they were just there for a day trip to watch a game.

Also in contrast to Jackie McNamara, Gary Locke hasn’t had that long at the club. Fans will note that it took him a good 6 months at the pretty much already relegated from day one Hearts to turn them, with zero resources, into a side that looked something like a football team and the job at Killie is no smaller. However, signings such as Kris Boyd, Lee McCulloch, Dale Carrick and Scott Robinson weren’t the players they needed - they are all players who, last season, did little to nothing good and expecting players who weren’t good enough for the better sides a division below against part timers to suddenly switch it on in the Premiership is naive in the extreme.

It is a side which he will have to put together from scratch again, as he did at Hearts, but if he takes months to do it again, then he will see his side get relegated again. He may point to a tough start against Dundee, Aberdeen and Celtic, but a draw that should have been a loss at Thistle and a pumping from Ross County show more where the side is right now. Their next 4 games are Motherwell (A), Dundee United (A), St Johnstone (H) and Accies (H) and are against four sides who you would expect to be in the bottom half based on their playing staff and form so far.

If Killie are still sat with 5 or fewer points after these games, then they will likely already be detached from the rest (Assuming Inverness get their mojo back). Their crucial games aren’t those with Aberdeen et al, they are those with the teams you’d expect to be around them and we will have a far clearer idea as to Gary Locke’s future (or lack of it) once that run is complete. It seems that the start of this already highly entertaining season is starting to be defined around the futures of a couple of managers at the bottom of the table.

Gary Locke seems an affable sort of chap, but he has twice now had opportunities at clubs which have presented him with a rare managerial opportunity - a blank slate with few expectations - but has approached them both with a blank mind.

He paid the price with relegation and his job at Hearts and he may well do the same at Killie who, financially, need to stay up more than any other club in the Premiership. If he doesn’t, it may be that it’s Ally McCoist waiting in the wings. And, for everyone’s sake, we could do without that happening.

Hippo says – It’s always good to hear the views from non Killie fans as they don’t have the same blue and white tinted specs as the rest of us.In fairness his piece was written just after our horrendous start to the season and many Killie fans (including me) were fearing the worst.

I was far from convinced that GL would turn things around and although we have clearly improved we still find ourselves in the bottom six. I’m writing this minutes after we have just secured a bonus point thanks to a battling display at Parkhead. Our next two games at Rugby Park against two teams below us namely the Jags and the Arabs and even at this stage they are vital.

Two wins will have us dreaming of a top six finish whilst no wins will see us getting dragged into the relegation battle. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

TOKEN SCUM GAG

Brazilian star Wonfekallinho arrived at Scumerset after his shock move from South America to Whitletts. In his first training session, he was surprised to see Ian McCall get everyone to stand near the penalty area.

He put a ball on the spot, and then, pointing to each in turn, he started chanting "Ball..... Goal..... Ball.... Goal....". This went on for five minutes, when Wonfekallinho raised his hand and said "Excuse me, dickhead, but this is not necessary. I speak perfect English."

McCall replied "I know son. I wasn't talking to you..."

IS OUR GAME CHANGED FOREVER? We don’t normally delve into the murky world of politics, wars etc unless of course it is the dodgy internal politics at Rugby Park. However having watched the horrific images from the Paris atrocities it is maybe time to have a look at the world of football and how it may be affected by the mindless acts of terrorism around the planet. It’s very sad that we are having to address such a serious matter in a football fanzine but recent events may have changed the face of the beautiful game forever.

Football and sport in general has mainly been left alone when it comes to terrorist attacks although there have been a few isolated incidents over the years. The times they are a-changing as the song goes and the modern day terrorist has no morals or scruples, quite simply they will hit “soft targets” that will give them worldwide publicity and sadly that will inevitably mean there will be more casualties.

Among the bloodshed in Paris there were the attacks outside the Stade de France with suicide bombers attempting to enter the stadium to inflict carnage on a sporting audience. As I write this article it is being reported that the Germany v Holland friendly international has been called off as they found the lunatics were trying to get an ambulance into the stadium full of explosives.

In short they will do absolutely anything to get the message across and their complete disregard for the value of human life makes it very worrying indeed. It begs the question what can the authorities do to make our game as safe as possible without impacting on the enjoyment of the match day experience for the fans.

The England v France game is currently live on STV as I’m writing and the pictures before the game showed armed police all around the ground. Of course that is perfectly understandable in the circumstances but looking longer term would parents be happy to send their kids to a sporting event where it is felt that armed protection is required?

The whole situation puts worrying thoughts in your mind because these extremists will attack men, women and children….anything just to grab some headlines. I’ve no doubt that the big English and Scottish premiership clubs can invest in security to try and make match days as safe as possible but not every club will have that luxury. In fact a large number of clubs will simply not be able to afford tight security so will the terrorists simply target a lesser ground where they would be less likely to get caught?

In terms of Scottish football and our own club, you are generally searched if you are carrying a bag into the ground. I sell the fanzine before home games and without fail a steward will ask to see in the bag before I get through the gates. I have no problem with that but I know there have been minor moans about kids getting their juice bottles taken off them etc.

That all seems trivial now given recent attacks and I wonder what measures will be taken at games especially high profile matches from now on.Will it be that every person will be searched at every game …….it’s incredible to think that football grounds could have the same equipment as airports to try and find any explosives or guns being carried. As I said previously many clubs simply couldn’t afford some of the expensive measures that may be required.

Many will feel that Scottish football won’t be touched and I hope they are right but there is no place for complacency…….the Glasgow Airport attack a few years back is more than enough evidence that there are brainwashed lunatics in our own country.

Of course the whole idea is to get us worried and the bottom line is this will have absolutely no effect on whether I go to a football match or not. Indeed it may have a galvanising effect and more fans will turn up as a show of defiance and to send a message that these clowns will never win. If you let them get inside your head you would need to forever stay indoors and not go to football, shopping centres, concerts or any form of leisure.

Life goes on, super Killie go on and I genuinely hope that not one person changes their normal routine in the current climate. Here’s hoping our next political article in the fanzine is about a boardroom revolution at the Theatre of Pies. Desperate acts like this brings people together and as far as Scottish football is concerned that may not be a bad thing.

NO TROPHIES, NO SOAP AND NO BADGE The scum truly are the gift that just keep giving…..especially to fanzine writers. We have kinown for many years that they are allergic to both soap and silverware, well now they are losing their pathetic badge.

“A** United have been told they could face court action by the Lord Lyon, who is in charge of Coats of Arms, if they refuse to redesign their badge.

United have this week been dragged into a shock legal row over a law which dates back to King Charles II. It follows a complaint from a member of the public — understood to be a supporter of a rival team — that their badge is an unregistered Coat of Arms.”

You just have to chuckle as this excuse for a football club although it’s incredible that Charles gets a mention as he was the last person to clean the away end toilets!! Rumour has it that the complaint was from an Airdrie fan, I suddenly have a new found admiration for the Lanarkshire diamonds.

My sides just about burst when I read this “United’s historian Duncan Carmichael has described the move as an “attack on the club’s heritage”. He said: “Ayr supporters have a siege mentality and they will react furiously to this. That badge has been a proud part of our history since it first appeared on a club blazer back in 1957.

The Whitletts constabulary must be terrified of this huge backlash, can I suggest the new badge consists of a cutlery set so they have some silverware in the piggery hahahahahaha

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> KILLIE FANS CHARITY NIGHT HOWARD ARMS 30TH JAN.

Just over three year we held a charity night in the Howard and it is long overdue that we had another one. Killie are at home to Hamilton on 30th January so to follow we will be having a top night in the boozer.

I am in the process of sorting out special guests, prizes and a running order for the evening. The big thing is to raise as much money as possible with all monies being split between two charities, Reverse Retts and The Samaritans. If you know any businesses willing to donate a super prize please get in touch.

OH AND I NEARLY FORGOT TO MENTION……IT’S FANCY DRESS SO GET YOUR THINKING CAPS ON.

OUR FRIENDS IN GERMANY You know we love a trip down memory lane especially to bring a wee smile to our faces when things are a bit low. After our incredible cup win in 1997 we had a number of years of great memories including trips all over Europe……how good would it be to get back there?

Everyone will have their own tales to tell but the most lasting relationship born from those trips is the one between killie and Kaiserslautern fans. Ever since we were outclassed by the Bundesliga stars back in September 1999 there has been a special bond between both sets of fans with numerous trips between the two places. The Kadikoi lads even ran a bus to Germany last year to celebrate the 15th anniversary.

I was browsing through t’internet looking for some stories and came across this piece written by a Kaiserslautern fan a few years ago:

“So what the hell is a Lautern fan doing in this forum? Well, for those of you not in the know, Kaiserslautern and Kilmarnock fans have been friendly since we met in the UEFA Cup in 1999. I remember some very cool fans among the Killie faithful during that time. You ask any Lautern fan and they'll tell you: 'We certainly love our Killie in K-town.'

Since I was a kid European strangers (with a Scottish accents) who I've never met have come up to me, broadly smiled or patted me on my head and told me, "Love your kit."

When I remember Killie fans it's like remembering a favorite uncle or aunt. I think of friendly Scots giving me a quick wink or a warm hug.

Every year I still get PMs, letters and e-mails from Killie fans from across the pond and globe. When I returned to Europe a few years back I met up with old Killie friends who lodged, fed and cared for me and my fellow college travelers.

"These people were so nice" I remember a college pal telling me as we packed for the outbound train from northern Britain. How could I possibly express the history to someone so out of the loop in regards to European football and tradition? I couldn't. "Yep, nice folks." Is all I had.

A good people, a legendary club that Lautern fans will always cheer for. We bit our fingernails hoping they'd stay up last season. Happily they came through.I don't pretend for a moment to know a thing about the SPL or the current Killie squad. What I do offer here is the continued friendship for what is the oldest Scottish club in the SPL and a hope some of you 'in the know' will make me aware of some significant moves or victories on the new season. I'd certainly appreciated it. You can bet I'll bet back to beat the drum if they defeat Celtic again.

Good luck on the season Kilmarnock. Go Killie! “ Fantastic stuff and when I was introduced to director John Kiltie after his appointment to the board I suggested he sets up a pre season friendly between the two clubs‌..preferably in Germany!!

HAVE YOUR SAY The Scottish Government are promoting the opportunity for supporters in Scotland to have their views heard around the creation of legislation to help with advancing supporters involvement within the game.

Minister for Sport Jamie Hepburn said: “The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring football supporters have the opportunity to be involved in the decision making and running of their football club wherever possible.

“I know some clubs already engage well with their fans, but I believe we can do more.

“Our consultation is seeking views on each of the main options to strengthen supporter involvement in clubs: a right to influence, a right to govern, a right to bid, and a right to buy.

“Football clubs occupy a special place in the hearts of supporters and communities in Scotland.

“This is a unique opportunity to help shape the future of Scottish football. I encourage you to make your voice heard and have your say.”

The Scottish Government believes supporters should have a role in decision-making – or even ownership, when the opportunity arises – of their clubs.

Andrew Jenkin, head of Supporters Direct Scotland said, “we look forward to seeing the outcome of this consultation process.”

“We truly believe supporters are vital to football in Scotland and their views should be listened to throughout all aspects of the game’s governance. For the last 15 years, Supporters Direct Scotland have been working towards further involving supporters within the ownership of clubs through democratic structures.”

“We’re pleased that the Government are going to be taking onboard supporters views within this process and are happy to promote this opportunity to supporters to ensure their views are represented.”

Parliamentary debate on legislation earlier this year demonstrated unanimous support for this position and a consultation is now underway on the full range of options available on football supporter involvement – including ownership: right to influence; right to govern; right to bid; and right to buy.

The consultation is available online for people to complete, and the Scottish Government is working with fans’ representatives, football bodies and MSPs to ensure all views are heard.

The consultation timeline is longer than usual and will run until 15 January 2016 to specifically allow for the widest and most representative range of responses.

Following the closing date, all responses will be analysed and considered along with any other available evidence. It is expected that a report on the consultation will be published in Spring 2016.

The consultation follows on from the Scottish Government’s establishment of a working group led by an independent chair,

Senior Lecturer Stephen Morrow of Stirling University, which was asked to identify, consider and provide recommendations on potential ways to increase and improve supporter involvement clubs. The working group – which included representatives from the Scottish FA, Scottish Professional Football League, Supporters Direct Scotland and SportScotland – published its report on 30 January 2015 and made a number of recommendations which are now being taken forward.

About Supporters Direct Supporters Direct help fans to set up democratic cooperatives (known as supporters’ trusts) to gain influence in the running and ownership of their clubs.

SD and SD Scotland represent over 200 supporters’ trusts and similar organisations in England, Scotland and across Europe, with over 750,000 members.

39 clubs in the UK are owned by their supporters, with three in the Scottish Professional Football League; four in the English Football League; and three in the top three divisions of English Rugby League

Hippo says – We have been pushing the fan ownership case for many years now so it’s fantastic to see that slowly but surely fans are having a bigger and bigger say. It goes without saying that no two clubs are alike in structure, fanbase, finances etc but the one constant is that there is a place for fans at EVERY club.As far as Killie are concerned we pushed the anti MJ stuff because we knew it was all about self interest for him. Rventually just about all fans have now realized this is the case so here is one other piece of advice. Bowie is cut from the same cloth and don’t be conned by his “agreeing with everyone” attitude. He chose to jump into bed with the parasite for one reason only….he wanted the hotel….get along to the Killie Trust AGM on Dec.7th.

SPL 24/10/15 DUNDEE 1 V 2 KILLIE DUNDEE – BAIN, MCGINN, MCPAKE, MEGGATT (GADZHALOV HT), HOLT, STEWART, HARKINS (MCGOWAN 52), ROSS, HEMMINGS (LOW 52), LOY, HEALEY SUBS NOT USED – IRVINE, CONRAD, CALDER + GOURLEY BOOKED – MEGGATT, HOLT, STEWART + ROSS GOALS – HEALEY 76 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> KILLIE – MCDONALD, O’HARA, MCHATTIE, BALATONI, FINDLAY, SLATER, SMITH, MCKENZIE (ROBINSON 78), MAGENNIS (BOYD 67), KILTIE (OBADEYI 63), HIGGINBOTHAM SUBS NOT USED – RIDGERS, HAMILL, WESTLAKE + ASHCROFT BOOKED – HIGGINBOTHAM, SMITH + MAGENNIS GOALS – MAGENNIS 9 + SMITH 48 REF – A DALLAS

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DICK OF THE DAY – HARKINS Following our opening day humping revenge was very much on the cards here. Of course Tayside is always an easy play to find a dick as their stewards are only recruited for having one brain cell and one tooth. They managed to chuck out of the lads from our bus for enjoying himself….a very serious crime in Dundee.I almost gave the award to Howard legend wee Kaz as she threatened to chat up some scum players at a service station. I could even have given it to Locke for crap substitutions which saw us going from cruise control to reverse in a matter of seconds.However the award goes to fat Gaz (god bless him)….for using up excess ink on the back page of this issue. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Some thought Dundee were the new Brazil after the opening game of the season but the reality is we were absolutely stinking and would have made anyone look like world beaters. The tables were turned today as Killie showed huge improvement to put on arguably our best show of the season.

We only looked in trouble after making subs that saw us sitting ten yards deeper and the home side had a bit of hope….but we fully deserved a fine win.

SPFL 31/10/15 KILLIE 0 V 1 M’WELL KILLIE – MCDONALD, O’HARA, MCHATTIE, BALATONI, FINDLAY, SMITH, KILTIE (OBADEYI 72), SLATER, HIGGINBOTHAM (BOYD 85), MCKENZIE, MAGENNIS SUBS NOT USED – RIDGERS, HAMILL, ROBINSON, CARRICK + ASHCROFT BOOKED – FINDLAY, MCHATTIE, MCKENZIE + MAGENNIS GOALS – NOPE >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> MOTHERWELL – RIPLEY, LAW, KENNEDY, MCMANUS, CHALMERS, GRIMSHAW, AINSWORTH (TAYLOR 90), PEARSON, JOHNSON, ROBINSON (MOULT 63), MCDONALD (FLETCHER 85) SUBS NOT USED – SAMSON, LAING, CLARKSON + LEITCH BOOKED – CHALMERS + AINSWORTH GOALS – MOULT 87 REF – B MADDEN

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DICK OF THE DAY – AINSWORTH/MADDEN When I think of games against this lot I always think of turgid hard fought and niggly affairs and this was no different. They now have a lifelong dick like McGhee in charge so you can guarantee the niggles and spoiling tactics will get worse before they get better.

I am generally quite calm at games these days but two divots on the park were starting to boil my blood. Firstly the man in the middle seems to like being the centre of attention and that is never a good thing for the game. Secondly he missed the behavior of Ainsworrth who appeared to egt away with head butts possibly on two occasions. I can’t decide which one was getting on my moobs most so it’s a joint award….a pair of dicks. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

We were on the back of two fine wins an this was a real chance to put daylight between us and the angry steelmen but sadly it wasn’t to be. We were the better outfit in a game of very few chances but it was a severe kick in the nads when they grabbed the late winner. It was totally undeserved but we have done the same to them in the past so we take it on the chins and move on.

SPL 7/11/15 SAINTEES 2 V 1 KILLIE ST JOHNSTONE – MANNUS, MACKAY, SCOBBIE, ANDERSON, EASTON, DAVIDSON, FISHER (WOTHERSPOON HT), O’HALLORAN (SHAUGHNESSEY 88),CRAIG, MACLEAN, CUMMINS (KANE 14) SUBS NOT USED – MILLAR, SUTTON, CLARK + THOMSON BOOKED – O’HALLORAN GOALS – O’HALLORAN 23 + KANE 49 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> KILLIE – MCDONALD, O’HARA, MCHATTIE, BALATONI, FINDLAY, SLATER (CARRICK 84), SMITH, MCKENZIE, MAGENNIS, KILTIE (OBADEYI 64), HIGGINBOTHAM (BOYD 71) SUBS NOT USED – RIDGERS, HAMILL, ROBINSON + ASHCROFT BOOKED – KILTIE, SMITH + MAGENNIS GOALS – SMITH 2 REF – C ALLAN

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DICK OF THE DAY – PERTH PIEMAN Trips to Perth are never the most exciting ever, it’s a lovely part of the country and the natives are a decent lot but the ground is soulless. It was one of those days that didn’t go well from the outset, we were late in leaving, got held up with an accident on the M77 and when we got to their wee club there was a queue longer than a Whitletts foodbank.

The award all the same goes to the purveyor of pies at the ground the Perth Pieman so to speak. The Hounds headed straight for the pie hut and got a mix of different pies but they all had one fault ………the arse kept falling out them. They were hotter than Jennifer Aniston but you have no idea how heartbreaking it is for a fat lad to see half a pie hit the deck as soon as he lifts it. I better get John Gall to give him a few words of advice. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

It all started so well but ultimately, for the second week on the bounce, we came away with nothing in a game where we should have taken something. Don’t get me wrong, I think they are a genuine top six team with a few decent players but it was a long trek home for the weary killie fans.

SPL 21/11/15 CELTIC 0 V 0 KILLIE CELTIC – GORDON, LUSTIG, BOYATA, IZAGUIRRE (ALLAN 84), SIMUNOVIC, BITTON, BROWN, FORREST, ROGIC (CIFTCI 71), GRIFFITHS, ARMSTRONG (MACKAY-STEVEN 59) SUBS NOT USED – AMBROSE, BAILLY, MCGREGOR+ TIERNEY BOOKED – BOYATA GOALS – NADA >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> KILLIE – MCDONALD, O’HARA, MCHATTIE, BALATONI, CONNOLLY, ROBINSON, SMITH, MCKENZIE (KILTIE 41), MAGENNIS,OBADEYI, HIGGINBOTHAM (HAMILL 88) SUBS NOT USED – RIDGERS, BOYD, SLATER, CARRICK + ASHCROFT BOOKED – HIGGINBOTHAM, MCHATTIE + MAGENNIS GOALS – ZIP REF – B MADDEN

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DICK OF THE DAY – BRECHIN GOALIE They say every club has a bogey team and these Glesga toerags are fast becoming our jinx team.

We just cant beat them and if we fail to win the league this time around it will be due to our inability to put them away. Personally I blame the lack of quality opposition in this country and it’s holding us back big time.

However for the DOTD award is nothing to do with the Killie game today. You have to hand it to former sevco keeper Graeme Smith who is now with Brechin.

He travelled down to Stenhousemuir for their league fixture only to be told the game was at Brechin. The big custodian may have left Greyskull yonks ago but it’s good to see he has lost none of the intelligence he gained whilst with the Govan White Scoks. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

With two defeats on the trot to endure this was not a fixture I expected anything from so it was hugely pleasing to grab a hard fought point at Parkhead. Locke shuffled the pack and went with a game plan that the players carried out perfectly. The next two home games are huge and could define our season.

The Killie Trust are holding their Annual General Meeting on 7th December 2015 at the Railway Village on Platform 1 at Kilmarnock Station.

In accordance with the rules of the Trust, a number of the current members of the board must retire or stand down from the Board at the AGM. Retiring members, having served for two years are Barry Richmond, Gerry Stanley, Andy Millar, Peter Telfer, Jackie Stanley and Murray Wilson. All of these members are eligible to stand for re-election.

If you wish to stand for the board of the Kilmarnock Supporters’ Society please complete the Nomination form.

There are 9 places available to be filled at the AGM. If the number of nominations received is less than 9, those nominated will be automatically elected and no ballot will be required.

As always the Trust Board welcomes and encourages the views of the members on all issues related to the Trust.

7:00 pm for a 7:30pm start

ONES TO WATCH I’m the world’s at watching games and only really watching my own team and my own players. When you watch a game not involving your own team you are aware of all 22 players but when the blue and white specs are on it’s a different matter.

Having said that I think I’m getting a bit better as I get older and there are a few opposition players that have got the eye this season. Here is a quick run through some players who have caught the eye for one reason or another: MARVIN JOHNSON (MOTHERWELL) I was sitting down the front at the recent Motherwell home game and have to say I was well impressed with the left sided midfielder. He was up against young O’Hara who is no slouch but Johnson was quick, athletic and was a big danger all day. I thought he had come through the Well ranks but they signed him for a non league English team….just shows there are players to be picked up if you look hard enough.

MICHAEL O’HALLORAN (ST JOHNSTONE) Pace is a great thing in any team and can make you stick out even if you couldn’t trap a bag of cement. When you have pace and some ability then you have a player and this guy has caught the eye on several occasions. I see his name being put forward as a possible for future Scotland squads and I’m sure Saints fans will be happy with that. He was actually with Bolton as a youngster even though he is a Glasgow lad but he could move on to better things .

JACKSON IRVINE (ROSS COUNTY) I don’t think the Aussie is a superstar but he has been excellent for County and I reckon we should have taken a chance on him. He was with Killie during a difficult period and the fact he played in several ositions didn’t help him. Latterly with Killie he started to show signs of being a decent player and I think he is possibly the type of player we could be doing with in the middle of the park beside Slater.

GREG STEWART (DUNDEE) Another fine example of the type of player you can pick up with a good scouting network. He was with an amateur team before Cowdenbeath gave him his senior debut as a 20 year old. After 4 years in fife he moved to Dundee and has been a stand out for them this season. He was a sweet left foot and has scored some fine goals including against us in the opening game. He looks fast but that is only because he plays beside Harkins who I could nail in a sprint (to the chippy).

ALI CRAWFORD (HAMILTON) When I was looking at this guys stats I was a bit surprised to see he was 24 years old as I thought he was younger. Hamilton put a lot of focus on their youth set up and Crawford has only ever been with the one club. Again I don’t think he is a superstar but he has looked a danger any time I have watched him. Maybe if we get the right folk running our club and there is a wee bit of money he is the type of player I could see doing well at the Theatre of Pies.

MARK O’HARA (KILLIE) We have a few youngsters who I could write about but I just hope the parasites get their arse in gear and get all our good young players signed up.

We have guys in the development squad who are attracting a bit of interest like Frizzell, McLean and Hodge but I’m going to look at a guy who I have always rated highly but who has only recently had an extended run in the team.

Young Mark made his debut in our famous 2-0 win at Parkhead, not bad for 16 year old kid. He is still a teenager and has suffered from either not being played at all or by getting messed about between full back, centre back and midfield. At present he has made the right back position his own and although he still has plenty to learn I reckon he could go on to much better things if he continues to improve.

It may be that he will settle into the full back position throughout his career but I remember a guy telling me that as a youth player his best position was the holding midfield role in front of the back four. I hope he stays at Killie for a while as bringing through good youths is the way ahead for us.

K.F.C.S.A. MEETS THE CHAIRMAN We haven’t had much news on the fan groups in recent issues but I know the lads and lassies have been working their butts off to improve relations between the club and fans. Of course the problem all lies on one side and nothing will get back to normal until the chuckle brothers cut all ties with the club but the KFCSA are ploughing on and doing their best.

There was a very successful quiz night in the Kadikoi a few weeks back and we have covered this in another article. The association recently arranged a meeting with Jim Mann and Russel Smith to try and clear a few hot topics that have been getting discussed among the fans.

Here is a summary of what the directors had to say: At the end of October, some members of the KFCSA Committee met Club Chairman Jim Mann and fellow director Russel Smith. In attendance for us were James Morrison, Chris Kyle , Jim Thomson, Allen Kyle and Iain Sherry. The meeting was constructive and the minutes are as follows: The chairman stated that the new ticketing system may have been brought in too quickly and that the reduced price will hopefully encourage lapsed fans to return to games. He also recognised that results are also a large factor in supporters returning.

The new pricing structure was not helped by poor journalism by a national paper who did not research the story properly. On the BBC "Cost of Football" website Kilmarnock were found to be one of the best value for money clubs in Scotland. It was pointed out that Kilmarnock need to be more pro active in "blowing their own trumpet" in the press and media.

Priti Trivedi is now the General Manager of the football club.

Negotiations are ongoing with the Trust with regard to them being more involved and getting a fan on the board and they were the only potential investor at the moment.

KFCSA have offered to help as much as possible to facilitate interviews for both KillieFC.com and the club's website; both Jim and Russel were keen to work towards a more collaborative approach.

It is hoped that surrounding villages will be allocated specific games where the club will be go into that community and generate interest for that game from schools clubs etc .

Talks are ongoing with players who are out of contract but modern football players are always keen to keep their options open. In future, the club hope to tie up players before they enter the last year of their contract.

The club does have a limited budget but players should look at the likes of the two Hamilton players and Steven Naismith who benefited from developing playing first team football.

The promoters of the Rod Stewart concert have insurance if the pitch was to be damaged by hosting the concert.

The chairman stated that the football club made money from the Park Suite and that following his statement bookings have started to rise again.

This revenue is really important for the club going forward. The club is looking to revamp hospitality with various options.

KFCSA were asked if we would try and gauge what fans will be prepared to pay for levels of hospitality. This was agreed and KFCSA Chairman, James Morrison, said that at the quiz night on Monday he would try and see what amounts fans would be willing to pay for an altered product.

It’s good to see us getting a bit of information even if it is less than inspiring.

The hospitality issue was discussed at the quiz night and basically nobody in the room was prepared to fork out for hospitality regardless of the price. As one well known killie fan explained, fans have lost total trust in how the club is being run and no amount of shuffling chairs in the boardroom will change that until the problems are removed.

A friend of mine spoke recently to two directors and asked them both about how the club benefits from the Park suite hospitality. He received completely different answers from both!! It’s a mess and I don’t see it being resolved until there is major change.

KILLIE BITS + PIECES Congratulations to the Killie Youths who had a fine 3 – 2 win at Aberdeen in the Scottish Youth Cup. We have been drawn away to Motherwell in the next round and the tie has to be played by December 6th. If possible we will take a minibus from the Howard so look out on killiefc.com and on social media for details as we won’t have another Hippo out before then. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> You will see elsewhere in this issue that we are advertising the Killie Trust AGM which will be held up at the “community” railway station. I would urge you to head along, you can sign up on the night if you are not a member already.

The Trust have been bursting a gut to try and get on board with a £100k investment however anyone who has had any sort of dealings with the club over the last ten years will know how difficult it is. Please head along to show your support and I hear we will get a full update on the latest news with the proposed investment. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Thanks to the KFCSA who organized a successful quiz night at the Kadikoi recently. The club agreed to send some players along and it was great to see Brennan, O’Hara, Connolly, Westlake and McHattie. Also in attendance was legend John Bourke, the nicest guy in Scottish football and someone who has nothing but great things to say about Killie and especially the fans.

I won’t dwell on the quiz too much BUT IT WAS WON BY THE HOWARD BOOZEHOUNDS!!. Well done to the troops and to our guest team member Kevin McHattie.

SPARE A THOUGHT FOR GARY

We were surprised to see Gary Harkins taking the field at the recent Killie v Dundee Development game. We did a bit of digging and the Hippo mole sneaked in his camera to the Dundee training ground‌‌the evidence above is conclusive that GH has let himself go a bit. GH enjoyed his return to Rugby Park especially his half time munchy box from the Bellfield Curry House.