Hippo158

KILLIE HIPPO

AN UNOFFICIAL KILLIE FANZINE

ISSUE NO. 158

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ALL THE FUN AT THE AGM FROM PASCA WITH LOVE CRAIG BRYSON INTERVIEW £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 (AVOID THE PARK HOTEL FOR HOME GAMES) MATCH DAYS AT RP + AT ALL AWAY GAMES

HUGE THANKS TO ALL ADVERTISERS, SUBSCRIBERS, DISTRIBUTORS AND KILLIE FANS FOR THEIR SUPPORT. All views expressed are those of the contributors.

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SHOOTING FROM THE HIPPO Welcome to what may or may not be the final issue of this nerve jangling season.

That may sound like the utterance of a man who is slowly losing his marbles and you are probably correct. However it all depends on where we finish in the league and especially if we end up in the dreaded play off place. There are three scenarios here, first we get in the play offs and I manage to scramble together another issue.

Secondly we pull off the miracle escape and there is no play off game to sell at. The third alternative is we stay up, I go on a three week lager binge to celebrate and I forget that I ever did a fanzine in the first place. Seriously if I do haveone ready and we manage to stay up I will do an “online special” that will be for everyone to read and we will trust everyone simply to pay via paypal........that could end in tears!!

I'm in a chipper mood as its the day after our tremendous performance at Hamilton and suddenly the glass is half full again. It was a throw back to the old 1st division days when Killie fans took over the place and gave a sound battering to a team doing their utmost to annoy their more illustrious opponents. The team were superb from start to finish and the same level of performance in our remaining three games may well just be good enough to deliver the great escape.

Another highlight of the day was being tapped on the shoulder by Killie legend james Fowler, a diamond of a bloke who I would love to see back involved at RP in one way or another. You will see a wee article in this issue paying tribute to Alan Robertson who is retiring after giving the club over 40 years of service, I reckon Fow would be the ideal replacement.

It's been a lively month with pie-gate, the Battle of the AGM and our ever pressurised for survival on and off the park. You will see the AGM article that goes into detail about what is going on behind the scenes and it finally seems that just about everyone recognises that the parasite has to go. In all honesty nothing much has changed in the big picture, for years now he has only been in it for self interest and has chased away fans and investors alike. We have been preaching about the need for him to go for years now and you can guarantee there will be a big celebration in the Howard when he finally pisses off to Troon for the final time........I hope we never see him back at RP once that happens.

On the field I continue to be impressed by the attitude of Lee Clark and how he is building an “all in this together” relationship between the players and fans. It's almost as if everyone at the club is simply ignoring the shambles of a board and simply getting on with trying to keep the team in the Premiership. It goes without saying that the fans played a huge part in the win at Hamilton and we need that replicated in the two home games that remain.Drag along your friends, neighbours, family, cats, dogs and a sniper for the parasite. I get a good feeling that if we can survive this time, things will greatly improve next season......MON THE KILLIE Sandy

ONE MANN DOWN Well surprise of all surprises, our chairman Jim Mann has done his time in the hot seat and has decided to stand down from the singularly most impossible job in world football. JM has stated he has health issues allied to the travelling up and down from Milton Keynes as the reasons for his departure. Lets get one thing straight, his health is a million times more important than that poisoned chalice and we hope he is fit and healthy for many years to come........I understand it is some heart surgery that he is due.

I was told about 9 months ago that JM would not be hanging around long term for reasons that we will never be told........though it was to do with the running of the club and the “dynamics” of the boardroom. I then got a message about two weeks before his resignation stating there was boardroom unrest and that JM was unhappy with a couple of things.....AGM timing and catering contract I suspect. Anyway he will officially have stepped down by the time you read this and I really fear what will happen next.

The mole who told me that as well as boardroom unrest the parasites were scrambling around desperately trying to secure investment. If you read the latest accounts even the auditors are stating that if we don't find investment we may not be able to sustain the business in its present form. All in all the place is a shambles and the negative PR received by the club over the handling of the catering contract is just the latest addition to the “naughty list”.

I'm forever hopeful there may be some changes in the summer months but if not we will bring you an updated “naughty list” at the start of the new season.

The AGM is an annual pantomine and you will see a wee separate report in this issue, it is still a source of total depression that there are still a few fans and shareholders out there who appear happy with how the club is run and still make excuses for the weekly PR disasters that emanate from the Theatre of Lies (did you see what I did there!!).

LIVE MUSIC AT THE SOUTH BEACH A cosy, intimate, up-front-and-personal live music project aimed at bringing some of the very best musicians and bands to Ayrshire.South Beach Sessions is based on the principle that if we offer good music then the audience will pay to hear it. It’s a small venue and the tickets may not always be cheap but we believe that The South Beach Sessions will always provide value for money with the very best artistes in an exclusive setting.

The host venue at the South Beach Hotel seats an audience of around 100 and we offer an eclectic mix of music and artistes throughout the year. 2015 will see us venturing into other venues in and around the town with the aim of building a habit of watching and listening to live music in Troon.

This is an exciting project for us and we hope that by offering quality live music we will tap into a niche in Ayrshire for those who are looking for something just a little different.

So where does JM's resignation leave the club and leave the board? My views on the board are well known however I will state that there is one guy in there who is genuine, decent and is there for all the right reasons. John Kiltie made his money through a successful landscaping business which he sold prior to retiring. He ploughed a lot of money into Auchinleck Talbot and still loves the juniors but he now has his teeth into his local senior team and spends endless hours trying to rescue a sinking ship. Whatever happens in the coming months I hope that JK plays a part as he is the type of guy we need in the boardroom.

Much like the bank/hotel deal, the change in the boardoom a couple of years back was heralded as a new era when in fact absolutely nothing had changed.

Johnston and Bowie still make all the important decisions and the “one man one vote� only comes into play when they are deciding whether it should be Lentil Soup or Pea + Ham in the Executive Club. At the time of writing there is a feeling that we need to get fans in the main stand and give Johnston hell.......all a few years too late however I'm all for anything that tries to remove the poison from our club.

The recent Scottish junior Cup semi final at Hurlford was full of weel kent Killie faces and one was telling me that John Kiltie was maybe up for a shot in the hot seat. I hope that is true as he will not allow MJ to trample over him..........that is what makes me worry that it won't be allowed to happen but hopefully I'm wrong. I have no doubt that the parasites will be out there looking for another puppet or perhaps Bowie will see sense, dump his hotel partner and pick the right option for once in his life.

One investment that may well happen is a ÂŁ100k investment from the Killie Trust that will see them get a fully fledged body on the board. The attempt to get on board started when I was still there so it shows you how much time and effort has been put in by my Trust buddies........you dont need to be Miss Marple to suss where the obstacles lay. The final agreement is just about in place but there is still a long way to go. Once the agreement is signed the trust will put in a financial expert to look at the books. I'm no financial guru but with directors having to put money in to cover wages I'd hazard a guess that the outlook isn't too rosy. The trust will then have the big decision to make..do we want to invest at this time?

Without giving too much away I fancy we are in for a lively few months....hopefully we will finally get a happy ending.

FROM PASCA WITH LOVE (writes Graeme S) Modern day footballers,including those at Killie,are often accused of being prima donas.However this story manages to dispel this myth at least in the case of one former Killie player Manuel Pascali.

As followers of Italian football myself and my son decided to attend a game involving Pascas current club Cittadella whilst in Milan for the AC Milan v Juventus match in April.

I contacted the man himself via Twitter and he promised he would arrange tickets for us. True to his word as arranged we turned up at the 20,000 capacity stadium in Reggianna to find our tickets duly waiting.

Once inside the stadium we found ourselves close to Manuels family-mum,dad,wife and kids. In speaking with them they were rather surprised, but pleased, we had come to the game.They all spoke very highly of Killie and his mum commented on the previous day's 3-0 win over St.Johnstone.

The game itself was not of a significantly different standard to Killie.Within an hour Cittadella were 2-0 up after and apparently cruising.The home Reggiana fans were somewhat unhappy and made no mistake in letting the team and the manager know.

East stand moaners don't have a patch on this lit with the booing,whistling and abuse towards the manager.

On 75 mins the home side were awarded a penalty which was slotted home coolly and this seemed to awaken the home team.From then on in it was like watching Killie!

Cittadella without Pascali, who had been subbed, looked panic stricken and the inevitable equaliser came with 2mins left on the clock.There was one final chance for Cittadella to win with a fine overhead kick from Josh Magennis look a like Literati being well saved by the home goalkeeper.

Overall a great day out in the sunshine watching football of a very similar standard to Killie.

We packed up our Killie flag and made off for the station saying our final ciaos to the extremely friendly Pascali family as we made a hurried exit.

Later whilst on the train I received a message from "Pasca" that he had a jersey for my son which he was going to give us at the end of the match!He very kindly offered to post it to us and I am sure it will be worn with pride!

I am sure that this story will come as no surprise to those who had dealings with Manuel during his time at Killie.

It really did help restore my faith in modern footballers and indeed in our human race.

I would strongly recommend a trip to Italy to watch the Calcio and if you plan ahead there is no reason why you cannot manage 2 or even 3 games over the weekend. Getting tickets is not too difficult provided you have your passport with you. The tickets are not expensive and the whole cultural experience is amazing.

Many thanks once again to the Pascali family for their kind hospitality.

One final note to the story is that Cittadella were promoted to Serie B this week after two 90th minute goals secured a 3-1 victory over Pordenone Calcio!

Ciao Skip!

Hippo says – Huge thanks to Graeme for posting this heartwarming tale of Graeme's visit to go and see one of Killie's most popular player of recent times.

Many fans feel Manuel should have been kept on purely for his leadership qualities and having witnessed some of the chaotic performances this season I have some sympathy for that point of view. It may well be that he was slowing up a little but his passion and leadership has undoubtedly been missed and it was also good to hear Pasca's views on the ex chairman and the damage he has done to the club.

Pasca does seem to have a heartfelt love for Killie and I wouldn't be surprised if he came back in some capacity at some time in the future. He does strike me as a guy that loves his football and will probably want involved in the coaching or management side of things. Of course much will depend on what happens to our proud old club in the coming months and years but if every player and member of the management team shared Pasca's enthusiasm we wouldn't be in the mess we are in.

CRAIG BRYSON INTERVIEW (writes Callum Scott) As far as escaping relegation from Scotland’s top flight goes, Craig Bryson has been there, done it and got the t-shirt.

Bryson was part of the Killie squad back in 2009/10 who narrowly escaped the drop on the final day of the season at home to Falkirk.

Led by Jimmy Calderwood, a goalless draw was enough for the Rugby Park side, as they condemned the Bairns to relegation from the premier league.

That result sparked wild scenes at the end of the match, as fans flocked onto the pitch to celebrate with their favourites.

It could be a similar run-in for the current crop of Killie players as they bid to beat a potential relegation play-off in the Premiership which could serve up the same fixture seen six years previously.

That fantastic day in May 2010 is not one Bryson will forget in a hurry. He said: “It was a massive relief and it was strange as nobody wanted to celebrate where we finished in the league but there was a lot more on the game than just football.”

Bryson revealed that had Killie gone down; it wasn’t the players who had to worry about finding a new club but the staff behind the scenes who may have been tossed out of their roles at Rugby Park. He added: “It was just an excellent feeling to stay up because at Kilmarnock if you get relegated it’s not just the players who are going to be affected.

“It’s all the staff behind the scenes that could lose their jobs, so we knew there was a lot of pressure on us to stay up.”

The two-time Scotland cap admits it would have been a “nightmare” had the Ayrshire club failed to regain their Premier League status on that fateful day in 2010: “It would have been a nightmare and probably not worth thinking about but in the end we stayed up and we done well to stay up.”

Mixu Paataleinen arrived in the summer and Bryson became a vital part of the Finn’s side.

In fact, one of Mixu’s frst duties as manager of Killie was to make the 23year-old captain –despite figures such as Garry Hay, James Fowler and Manuel Pascali being at the club.

Bryson believes this decision from the big Finn was a move which stands Bryson in great stead even to this day. He said: “Obviously it was great and gave me a lot of confidence that a manager like that had the belief in me not only as a player but as a leader.

“It was a great experience and it’s actually helped me a lot in my career. I’ve been fortunate enough to captain Derby a couple of times as well, so I think looking back the experience I had from captaining Kilmarnock put me in good stead coming down here.”

Under the stewardship of Paataleinen and Bryson Kilie made the top six – the last time they achieved the feat – before the captain moved on to pastures new with Derby County.

A good spell under Kenny Shiels followed for Kilmarnock, with the Northern Irishman leading the club to their first major trophy in 15 years by beating champions elect, Celtic, in the League Cup final in March 2012.

Bryson joked: “When I was watching it (the cup final), I couldn’t help but think if I just left a year later that could have been me!”

Since the heady heights of winning the League Cup at Hampden, the club have had three different managers and have struggled with relegation three years on the bounce.

Bryson made the effort of travelling up to see his former side at Rugby Park in the recent Scottish Cup replay against Rangers in February.

The Derby midfielder admits the place was unrecognisable compared with when he left five years ago: “It felt like it wasn’t the same place.

“It was just weird to be back and looking through the team and I only knew a couple of players. I played with Jamie Hamill and guys like Rory McKenzie and Lee Ashcroft were in the youth team.”

Bryson admitted he was sad to see the club he captained in the situation they were and felt that his former side “lacked belief” and “desire” against the Championship winners that night in February: “It was just strange to see a club I played with for so long being the way it was, and not knowing anyone and seeing the team struggle was hard.

“They looked to me like they lacked belief and a bit of desire against Rangers. I think had they attacked Rangers a bit more they could have gotten something out the game.”

It wasn’t just the players and those behind the scenes the Derby midfielder felt disengaged with but the actual park itself.

Bryson went on to comment about the astroturf surface at Rugby Park and how that added to his emotions of how much the club had changed since his time there: “Even seeing Rugby Park with astroturf just didn’t feel right.”

When the 29-year-old left Kilmarnock Rugby Park housed one of the best grass playing surfaces in the country.

So it did come as a surprise for Bryson that the club decided to go down the 3G route – but he understands why the Killie board felt it was necessary: “My opinion is that football should be played on grass but I understand why clubs in Scotland are leaning towards astrograss to get more money during

the week when the football’s not on and it allows them to rent it out to schools and boys clubs.”

He concluded the debate by saying: “I can understand the whole logic behind it but for me football should be played on grass.”

Despite the changes at Rugby Park since Bryson’s departure he revealed that he’d love to one day return to his former club.

He added: “I will always be thankful to Kilmarnock for the chance they gave me to step up from the First Division.

“I had a great four years there and one day I would like to come back.”

Bryson’s current side Derby sit in fifth place in the English Championship (in the play-offs position). After getting injured on the first day of the season – ruling the midfielder out for almost three months - Bryson has made 19 appearances in all competitions, scoring three goals.

KILLIE BITS + PIECES It's getting to the time of year when all sorts of mad stories appear. If some one tells you that Leicester won the English Premiership and Hibs are in the Scottish Cup Final, tell them to take a cool drink, some wacky tablets and have a lie down in a dark corner.

Rumours are emerging from the Theatre of Lies and if we do a “play off� special we will try and put some meat on the bones.

Firstly there is a whisper that our shirt manufacturers for next season will be Nike. Many feel that a big name like that will sell more strips and they may well have a point. The last time we had a well known name was when puma did our strip in the late 90's and I have to say that was one of my faves.

There have been no further players released since the last issue however I think Westlake may have gone about the same time as Hamill, Robinson and Barbour. I've no doubt that Lee Clark has seen right through some of Locke's poor signings and I'll be amazed if McHattie and Carrick pull on the famous stripes again.

Word on the street is that Obadeyi may be another out the door whilst we were Balatoni reportedly isn't impressed with the training and travelling he has to do. It will probably be a case of GTF from KFC is the message from LC if he has an attitude problem. Elsewhere I hear the club will no longer run the Killie shop....watch this space.

ALAN ROBERTSON – LEGEND If we all live until we are 150 years old we will probably never see another Killie player who will play over 600 games for our famous old club. Alan Robertson was a tremendous servant at left back and is that rare beast....a one club man. After stopping on the playing side Alan was keen to stay in the game an went into the coaching side where he has been involved since hanging up his boots. Alan has even filled in as caretaker manager but was mainly in charge of the youth teams and lately the development team. He took his last game in charge at the end of April and is retiring from football. On behalf of all killie fans, huge thanks for everything Alan and hope to see you in the stands for many years to come.

COULD WE DO A LEICESTER? At the start of each season we always do an article on all the leagues in Scotland and England and predict who we think will win each of them.

Many of the leagues especially the English Championship are highly competitive and subsequently are very hard to predict.

As far as both the Scottish and English premierships are concerned it is far more straightforward. One of the bigots will win up here and money counts down south so it will be Chelsea, Arsenal or one of the mancs. We have even commented that they would be as well doing away with the football and the team with the most funds gets the title trophy............then out of absolutely nowhere Leicester crashed the billionaires party.

I'm sure we will look at this season for many many years to come and still fail to understand what has truly happened. The Foxes were as good as relegated a year ago until they went on an amazing run that saw them retain their top league status. Pearson was bumped as manager, Ranieri was brought in and the rest as they say is history. The manager has done a truly incredible job by turning a squad of virtual nobodies into household names....I bet Mahrez still truly regrets not signing for St Mirren.

It's a heartwarming story for all true football fans and it really does send the message that dreams do occasionally come true......which leads us to the question, could it happen in Scotland? The obvious difference between us and England is of course money and the likes of Leicester will still be paying wages that Scottish teams will never be able to afford. Look at it this way, Rooney is on £200k a week at Man Utd whilst Vardy may be on about a quarter of that, who would you rather have? The point is that “lesser” teams down there can still afford good quality players and if you bring in a manager who knows the time of day some fairly special things can really happen.....as we are now witnessing.

So could Killie be a mirror image by going on a mad run to stay up then strolling the Premiership in a years time? Of course we can and I must say this lager I'm swigging is powerful stuff. The reality in Scotland is the financial league is something of a one horse race this season and the best played Celtic player will be getting something like 20 times the wages of your average Killie player. Aberdeen have done well to hang to Celtic's tail for most of the season but ultimately the team with the biggest pot wins the league whilst the second richest team finish runners up. It will always be hard to change this however I've no doubt that teams like Killie, if properly run with a stable financial structure and a good manager, can regularly challenge in the top six.

That should be the realistic aim of the board once they eventually ditch the parasite and allow folk on board who have the club at heart as opposed to their own personal wealth. I can assure you that once again we are in the position whereby wealthy local business people are wanting to plough a seven figure sum into the club........if one obvious barrier is removed. I'm hopeful that once that happens we will see Killie dramatically improve both on and off the park........more of that can be read in the AGM article in this issue.

Lets go back to our chums in the midlands and how good will it be for a foxes fan to see Leicester lift the trophy then compete in next years Champions League? The only thing that is better is if you make a whack of money into the bargain by betting yur team to win the league at huge odds.

There are many tales around of fans winning big bucks, here is one mighty fine tale, I think I will find out what boozer he drinks in and go down for the party!! “As Leicester City gradually inch their way to the Premier League trophy, the stories of those wise/mad enough to have stuck a bet on them to win it back in August have become more and more frequent.

But there's a familiar theme to the tales of gambling heroics - the punters decide to take the money and cash out.

Back in February, this man took just over a grandand ran with it. There was a similar story in March- and another punter did the same in April.

Although we have no idea what Tom Hanks has decided to do with his bet - and don't get us started on the manwho cashed out for 45p...

Then we saw this particular tweet from this particular brave man...

Balls of steel when you consider he could cash out £11,594 of a potential full windfall of £15,003.

So we got in touch with him: Leigh "Herb" Herbert is his name and the story of Leicester's season seen through his eyes is quite something.

We'll let him tell it in his own words. Be prepared - it's an inspirational, emotional rollercoaster...

It all started in August 2015. I was on holiday with my fiancee, Kerry, in Cornwall, sat in a tent in the middle of a field when I got the news that Claudio Ranieri had been appointed as our manager.

"My first thought was the experience he will bring with him will be fantastic for us - unlike so many other fans, I knew he would be good for us.

Now, I never bet on Leicester. In fact, I only ever have a bet on the Grand National once a year, but something was telling me in my head that Leicester would do well this season. My best friend David is a bit of a gambler and had text me about a bet he’d won that morning - and that sparked the thought, ‘What are the odds on Leicester winning the league?’

"So after a few Jack Daniel’s and ciders, I checked out the odds: 5,000-1! In an intoxicated state, I said to myself ‘That is worth a quid!’ so I downloaded the William Hill app and proceeded to type in £1 on the stake while I grinned away thinking about the money I could win.

Then the thought struck me: if this really happens, I’ll kick myself that I didn’t put a fiver down! So I deleted the £1 and put a fiver on.

"I remember that night telling Kerry how I would spend the money if it came to pass. Needless to say the next morning I instantly regretted ‘losing’ £5, but still I posted a screenshot on Facebook and tagged David - he was ridiculing me right away!"

ON HIS FEELING LEICESTER WOULD DO SOMETHING SPECIAL… "Two seasons ago, Leicester romped the Championship to get promoted to the Premier League and they played amazingly. We struggled to find our feet at the beginning of the Premier League, but pulled off the most amazing relegation escape last season to show what they’re capable of.

"With that experience and an experienced manager, I was sure they would do much better. To be honest, I didn’t think they would win it - but my heart wanted them to just like every fan with their own team!"

ON JUST HOW CLOSE HE CAME TO CASHING OUT "I never wanted to - after all, I put a bet on them to win it as I thought they would!

That being said, watching my cash out option grow week to week became very overwhelming.

"It started after we beat Man City 3-1 and I was offered £3,200 to cash out. I must admit it was tempting, but having watched Leicester play I knew they would be up there or close by end of the season.

"Then, as the weeks went by, the cash out increased: £5,000, £6,500, £7,500, £9,000, £10,500… and then we lost to Arsenal and it dipped back to £7,500.

"The tension became constant - every waking hour I would be checking reports on our next opponents, scouring their forums, flicking through the fixture list, predicting results…

"I couldn’t stop looking at my cash out and then… £14,500! Wow! FOURTEEN THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED ENGLISH POUNDS! I was thinking, ‘I could have that in my bank right now; no more stress, no more sleepless nights, money in the bank and I can enjoy the rest of the season.’

"This is the point I like to call ‘my wobble’. I still thought we would win the league, but with nine games to play and the history of Leicester City, I was concerned: what if I lost it all? I spoke to the bookmakers and we did a deal: they reduced my bet to £3 and gave me £5,680 for £2 of the stake. And the stress was gone. Just like that… gone!

"So now I have money in the bank, I still have a record-breaking bet going strong, and I can enjoy the football again - or so I thought! By the end of the 2-2 draw with West Ham I was wobbling again, but I held my nerve and stayed true to the boys and in blue, my Leicester City!"

ON WHAT HE’D DO IF LEICESTER LOSE AT MAN UTD "I won't be cashing out. Between Leicester and Tottenham, we have six games to win the league: if we win one, we have it and if Spurs lose one, we have it. I have every faith Leicester City will be crowned champions."

"When we win the league, we will be having a huge party down the pub. All my mates are Leicester fans and to see us win the Premier League will be a dream come true - and to win a small fortune along with it is just the icing on the cake. It will be a day none of us will ever forget."

ON WHAT HE’LL DO WITH THE WINNINGS "I will be putting a deposit down on a house for me and Kerry - and maybe a new wardrobe! Of course I’ll enjoy some of it on a party, but the money will be spent wisely."

ON HIS BETTING TIPS FOR NEXT SEASON "Leicester City to win everything and Jamie Vardy to be top scorer! And I already have a £10 bet at 100-1 that Leicester will win the Champions League..."

Leigh Herbert Leicestershire Carpenter, Leicester fan of 31 years and the happiest man in the world”

So there you have it, stick your lot on Leicester to win the Champions League, double it with Killie for the Premiership up here and you should have enough money to live in the lap of luxury for ever more. It will be fascinating to see if the likes of Chelsea and man City spend mad bucks simply to try and compete with the mighty Leicester. More likely then will adopt the old firm approach and buy Vardy and Mahrez......mon the Foxes.

SPFL 9/4/16 KILLIE 3 V 0 SAINTEES KILLIE – MCDONALD, O'HARA, HODSON, BALATONI, ADDISON, DICKER, FAUBERT, KILTIE, HIGGINBOTHAM (MCKENZIE 75), MAGENNIS, BOYD SUBS NOT USED – BRENNAN, HENSHALL, ASHCROFT, FINDLAY, SLATER + FRIZZELL BOOKED – O'HARA, ADDISON, KILTIE + MAGENNIS GOALS – BOYD 25 + 88 (PEN), HIGGINBOTHAM 65 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ST JOHNSTONE – MANNUS, FISHER, SCOBBIE, KRACHUNOV, SHAUGHNESSY, WOTHERSPOON, MILLAR, LAPPIN, CRAIG, SWANSON (CUMMINS 79), KANE (SUTTON 79) SUBS NOT USED – BROWN, HURST, GORDON, DOYLE + CLARK BOOKED – FISHER GOALS – SFA REF – C. ALLAN

CROWD - 3693

DICK OF THE DAY – PERTH BUS DRIVER Firstly I was a bit taken aback by the Perth travelling crowd of over 400, I reckon around 250 of them must have been kidnapped. It did seem a bit strange before kick off to see more police and some stewards following a group of 15 year old Perth contract killers. It turns out a bus load of young Saints fans turned up smashed out their coupon......one was unable to open his eyes and spent the day in Crosshouse Hospital.....kids ward I presume. Anyway the young alkie crew were fired back on the bus and sent back home soon after 3pm.......I fancy the driver is facing a fine, facing a Job centre interview and facing an angry wife.

This was the last game before the split and was an absolutely huge game. A Killie defeat and Arabs win would have seen the gap down to two points and some serious squeaky bums.

Thankfully things went our way as we put in a fine performance whilst United lost and find themselves 8 points behind. It was a pity Accies won as well but we can'thave everything. That was the best I have felt walking out RP in many a long day.

SPFL 24/4/16 I.C.T. 3 V 1 KILLIE INVERNESS – FON WILLIAMS, MEEKINGS, TREMARCO, WARREN, DEVINE, DRAPER, TANSEY, VIGURS (MBUYI-MUTOMBO 74), WILLIAMS, POLWORTH, STOREY SUBS NOT USED – ESSON, RAVEN, WILLIAMS, FORAN, HORNER + HUGHES BOOKED – TANSEY GOALS – TANSEY (PEN) 55, DRAPER 73 + WILLIAMS 76 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> KILLIE – MCDONALD, O'HARA, HODSON, BALATONI (ASHCROFT 77), ADDISON, DICKER, FAUBERT, KILTIE (OBADEYI 77), HIGGINBOTHAM (BRENNAN 54), MCKENZIE, BOYD SUBS NOT USED – FINDLAY, HENSHALL, TAYLOR + FRIZZELL SENT OFF – MCDONALD GOALS – HIGGINBOTHAM 44 REF – J. BEATON

CROWD - 2228

DICK OF THE DAY – BALATONI Sadly I was recovering after my wee knee op so failed a late fitness test to make the long journey to the highlands. I watched it on TV for 50 mins or so it looked good even if the first half was somewhat lacking in quality. In terms of the DOTD award it probably would have gone to Andy Walker for......well for being Andy Walker A vile wee reptile who doesnt seem popular with anyone, god knows why he has a gig as a punter. However the award sadly goes to Conrad Balatoni, what in God's name was he thinking? That was the worst example ever of one moment of madness totally changing a game and ultimately it could have dire consequences. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Things could have been so different but Balatoni's rush of blood cost us three points and it makes things very difficult. We hadn't played great until then but we had grabbed the lead and ICT weren't causing major problems apart from set pieces. Next week at Hamilton is simply a MUST WIN or else we will be in the play offs.

SPFL 30/4/16 ACCIES 0 V 4 KILLIE HAMILTON – MCGOVERN, GORDON, DEVLIN, TAGLIAPIETRA, KURAKINS, GILLESPIE, DOCHERTY (KURTAJ 45), MACKINNON (REDMOND 62), CRAWFORD, IMRIE, MORRIS SUBS NOT USED – CANNING, D'ACOL, BROPHY, MARTIN + BOYD BOOKED – GORDON, TAGLIAPIETRA, KURAKINS, MACKINNON, IMRIE + MORRIS GOALS – NADA >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> KILLIE – BRENNAN, O'HARA, HODSON, BALATONI, ADDISON, DICKER, SLATER, KILTIE, MAGENNNIS (OBADEYI 81), MCKENZIE, BOYD SUBS NOT USED – MACKAY, HIGGINBOTHAM, FINDLAY, HENSHALL, FAUBERT + FRIZZELL BOOKED – O'HARA GOALS – KILTIE 11 + 32, BOYD (PEN) 58, MAGENNIS 77 REF – C. THOMSON

CROWD - 3595

DICK OF THE DAY – HAMILTON ACCIES It's hard to get upset on a great day like this but when you have dicks like Dougie Imrie on the park there is always room for launching a bit of verbal abuse. Ever since the days of Billy Reid in charge and Cerny in goals they have came across as a scummy wee club who lack class and generally spoil games. The current crop appear keen to carry on that tradition by cheating, diving, trying to get players booked and refusing to shake hands. You can tell I have a dislike for them and as Keegan would say “I'd love to see this shower of sh*t get relegated” >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> A fine win in front of a fine Killie crowd on a fine day.......all of a sudden Killie give us that wee glimmer of hope that we can avoid the play offs. It was a tremendous team performance inspired by our chest thumping manager who has injected some spirit and is already a welcome addition to the “killie family”........bring on the Jags.

ALL THE FUN OF THE A.G.M .

If you are a long time reader of the Hippo you will know we always have a pop at the stage managed AGM which generally consists of MJ trying to push some tint piece of positivity whilst the whole infrastructure of the club crumbles round about us. Last year we even had one loony standing up and asking to give the parasite a round of applause, I can only assume the guy is a scum fan or else he is a Killie pie short of a buffet if you get my drift.

For the first time in yonks the AGM was an entertaining affair and it finally seems that everyone sees Johnston for what he is and they have had enough.

Every time he stood up and started on his usual routine of dragging up some misleading facts that attempt to show in a good light.....the guy honestly thinks he is right and everyone else is wrong and he needs to depart quickly before he totally kills us.

As you see on the front cover the secret to the whole affair is Billy Bowie.

For reasons that any decent Killie fan will never understand he chose to jump into bed with Johnston a few years back and the club has been in rapid decline ever since. Bowie refused to go and work with other investors who were willing to put seven figures into the club. That would have seen us in a far more stable position, almost healthy you might say.

Bowie now has the chance to correct the error of his ways albeit a few years too late. Our hard working moles have been working 24/7 to get the inside trail, in fact I may even have to start paying them as much as minimum wage!!

As has been the case previously it doesn't look like the potential investors are going to go public but you can take it as being 100% fact that there is wealthy business folk sitting there waiting to put money in but only once the parasite is removed. John Gall has publicly stated he would put in ÂŁ500k over a few years, that is just the tip of the iceberg.

So what can the fans do to try and ensure our club is run by proper people who put the club first? If you are a shareholder you will see details below regarding the proposed EGM. There was one shareholder stood up at the AGM and proposed a vote of no confidence in Johnston but it was decided this had to be done at a separate EGM. My big pal Higgy is arranging the names and although he probably has enough names already the more the merrier so please send an e-mail to the address shown and help Higgy and former director David Moran get the EGM request moving.

In light of the recent AGM and subsequent fall out, I have spoken to several shareholders and I am wanting to gather names to call for an EGM. Please can you email me at Mjhiggins1869@aol.com stating your shareholding and full name if you are willing to support this.

We need 100 names or 5% of the shares. We currently have about the names required.

Cheers It goes without saying Johnston won't go quietly and this EGM will just be the starting point of removing the poison that is killing our club. As far as the fans are concerned all that be asked is that we do the exact same in every game as we did at Hamilton. That means turning up in good numbers, giving the team great support and letting the board know what needs to happen. It's also important to keep this story newsworthy so if you are on social media keep sending all the MJGTF messages via Facebook, Twitter etc.

You really do get the impression that is the last chance saloon to get meaningful change at the club without having to endure some sort of insolvency event and the potential consequences of that are too horrendous to contemplate. As is often said a club is nothing without its fans and that seems to apply to a one club town like Killie where its not just a football club but a huge focal point for the whole community. As the flag says SUPPORT THE TEAM CHANGE THE REGIME.

MJ'S LATEST RANT

If ever proof was needed that the longstanding relationship between the club and the Killie Pie was over, the fuhrer issued the above press release. The parasite fancies doing his own pies so here is a wee serving suggestion for all Killie fans. Put a mince pie in the oven and leave there on a high heat for a few hours.

Keep checking the pie, once it is brick hard remove from oven and