KILLIE HIPPO AN UNOFFICIAL KILLIE FANZINE ISSUE NO. 163
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KILLIE’S BEST EVER CELEBRATION?
TIME FOR ACTION....AGAIN? SCOTLAND, ANOTHER LOST DECADE? KILLIE RECORDS & STATS £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 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. E-MAIL : Killiehippo@aol.com WRITE : 20 WITCHKNOWE COURT, KILMARNOCK KA1 4LF NO ARTICLES TO BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT PERMISSION BACK ISSUES 2–162 INCLUSIVE AVAILABLE GET IN TOUCH FOR DETAILS
SHOOTING FROM THE HIPPO We like to think we have raised spelling errors and grammatical horrors to a new level throughout the life of our humble publication. Our mistook are legendary and nobody else has been in our league….until now. The official Kilmarnock FC website is sensationally bad and it seems they don’t put out a single release without a spelling cock up. We would like to remind Filly Vowie that this is unacceptable and we are getting our lawyer Pricky Johnston to investigate this blatant attack on our ability to get the headlunes wrung…..witch this spice. Hello friends and once again we are back to the times where half the fanzine is filled with the calamitous way that our club is being run. There have been a few media articles since our last issue and the more that comes out the more Killie fans see in print just what the parasite is doing to our club. It defies belief that bowie offered him £1,9m for a 40% share in a failing club…..words simply aren’t enough when you hear that he refused the offer and wants more. I’m led to believe that Bowie has taken the offer of the table and apparently will not be writing one more cheque until the poison is removed from the hallowed ground. We try and cover all the options in the article inside but it’s a messy business and one that is more complex than Joey Barton’s Betfair account. On the face of it MJ has tried to cover every base in the bank deal to ensure that it will take a lot of money (or administration) to remove him. It stinks to high heaven and the bank should hang their head in shame. It seems they simply wanted as far away from the football club as possible but how they can claim that the deal was for the good of the community is laughable. If you want to turn all this mess into a positive, it has brought everyone together as we all now have a common goal. The huge majority of fans, shareholders, investors and the other three directors all want rid of him ASAP and I firmly believe it will happen this time. My only concern is that it could drag on a while and there is damage being done for every single second he is still here. That is a comment we have been making for many years and hopefully everyone can now see where we were coming from. On the field I think there has been gradual improvement although it would have been good to get a win in amongst our run of three draws. Our gubbing at Celtic was disappointing but we can console ourselves with Coulibaly’s goal of the season contender…….to match his previous two contenders!! Clark still seems to be searching for his best formation so I hope we will see our points tally soar once we get a more settled team. Finally please keep sending those articles, the club is going through a critical period and we are very keen to hear the views of all you lovely folk. Sandy
SCOTLAND - ANOTHER LOST DECADE? (TAKEN FROM “NAREYSTOEPOKER”BLOG) As much as I spend my time preaching about Scotland’s oldest and finest club side I do still like to follow the fortunes of our national team. It was pretty depressing watching the Euros and realising we were the only UK team watching the whole thing on the telly. I’m not a big fan of the Tartan Army’s tendency to celebrate failure but I know a lot of good Killie fans who follow Scotland around the world and it would be fantastic for them to see us competing at a finals once again. I won’t bore you about the good old days of watching the incomparable Dalglish whilst qualifying for finals was taken as a given as a whole generation simply wont know what I’m talking about. I came actross this article on the excellent Nareystoepoker blog and thought it was worth sharing: Isn't time supposed to be a great healer? Well, for most Scots, watching Euro 2016 was more painful, not less. Wales had a tourney that their fans will never forget, . Northern Ireland got through their group as well...both with a squad that contains more SPFL players than Gordon Strachan would pick for one of his Scotland squads. And Iceland drew with Portugal before gubbing that lot from down south. Iceland, which has a population slightly smaller than that of Fife. I wonder how a combined Dunfermline/Glenrothes/Kirkcaldy XI would have got on against the Portuguese. One wag on Twitter suggested that the Fife team "would win at shoplifting". So no wonder there is an awful lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth coming from the Tartan Army just now. It's eighteen years - more than half my life, depressingly, since we last reached a major tournament. Out of all the other UEFA countries that have previously qualified for a World Cup or European Championship (and still exist) only Israel have waited longer...and they weren't part of UEFA when they qualified for a World Cup.
The itch isn't ending any time soon, I'm afraid. As much as we hold on to the romantic prospect of stuffing England, our qualifying group for Russia 2018 is a killer. Euro 2020? That'd be great, given that Hampden is getting to host some games. But the truth is that, as hopeless as the national team is now, it's likely to be even weaker by then. Things are bad enough now - so bad that geriatric Gordon Greer, released by Brighton at the end of the season, is still considered a viable option at centre back going into these qualifiers. The only Scots likely to be regulars most weeks for English Premier League clubs (a pretty reasonable barometer for quality, in my opinion) are Allan McGregor, Andrew Robertson, James McArthur, Darren Fletcher, James Morrison and Matt Ritchie. The former two are with a newly promoted side. And depressingly, the latter two are Scottish only by distant ancestor. Oh, and Fletcher is 32. But we have lots of youngsters coming through right? Um, er, well, er, no we absolutely do not. Eight players currently aged under 23 have Scotland caps: Robertson, Kieran Tierney, Stephen Kingsley, Callum Paterson, Oliver Burke, John McGinn, Barrie McKay and Tony Watt. How many of those do you think could establish themselves at a club in the English Premier League in the future? Not many, I reckon. The most likely candidates are the former three...all of whom play in exactly the same position. So unless we find a formation which involves playing several left-backs (over to you, Craig Levein) it doesn't look good. The 2010s are going to be a lost decade for the Scotland national team. Part of that is down to massive failures by the managers, Craig Levein and Strachan. In turn, one could also blame their employers for such rotten appointments, though the failures of Strachan were harder to predict than those of Mister 4-60. Northern Ireland are reaping the rewards of appointing a talented manager who can make the team far more than the sum of their parts due to organization and attitude. But the lack of quality players can't be laid at their door. Take Iceland, and it's population of 300,000. There have been a wealth of articles explaining their success in developing players; it comes from an enormous investment in facilities and coaching. Every school seems to have a full-size artificial pitch, and a large indoor pitch. Kids from the age of 3 upwards play several days a week, taught by coaches with UEFA licences which are funded by Iceland's FA. There is one qualified coach for every 850 people in Iceland.
In Scotland, where coaches have to pay four figure sums out of their own pockets for courses, that ratio is about one for every 12000 people. And, of course, our facilities are rather less impressive. In Inverness for example there are just two full-size artificial pitches and nothing indoor that is better than a gym hall. There is one indoor astro pitch in Dingwall, I suppose. I mentioned this to my father the other day, and his response hit the nail on the head. "That's because football isn't a business in Iceland". That may not be completely accurate, but it explains sufficiently why making clubs responsible for youth development isn't a wise move here. Academies cost a lot of money; how many gems worth seven figure sums are they going to produce each year? There's also the short-term need for first team success; signing a veteran player often seems a safer option than risking an untried youngster. Even Celtic, with their desperate need for Champions League football, haven't felt comfortable blooding youths (Kieran Tierney is the exception) during their four years of barely-contested dominance. Maybe I'm being overly optimistic, but the signs are that Brian McClair, the new performance director, has identified this. His moves to heavily streamline youth coaching so that a smaller number of more elite kids are looked after by a smaller number of more elite coaches looks like the right way to go. Whether the clubs - each of whom still believe they will unearth and unleash the tartan Gareth Bale, and therefore make a mint, without putting in enough money and effort to do so - will agree is another matter. It's also not clear if the SFA will throw their weight behind McClair here. Stewart Regan says the right things, but that has been the characteristic of his tenure as Chief Executive - lots of clever-sounding words (I bet he even uses buzzwords in conversations with his family) but barely any action. There's no doubt that there is no quick solution to the Scotland national team's travails; the current doldrums will continue for a few years yet. But decisions taken now will determine whether the 2020s end up being a lost decade as well. Hippo says – Sorry for going off at a bit of a tangent but reading all this Scotland stuff just reminded me again about that pathetic Sunday Mail journo who was claiming Killie’s signing policy was helping to ruin the national team. Cast your minds back a few weeks when we faced the Govan Toilet Wreckers and guys like kiltie, Taylor, Frizzell and Hawkshaw ripped the proverbial out of has beens like Barton, Clint Hill,Kranjcar and every other overpaid muppet that “magic twat” has introduced….will the journo slag them off???
KILLIE RECORDS OVER THE YEARS Home League Scoring Records Description
Record Detail, dates link to results
Highest scoring win
9
Kilmarnock 9 Falkirk 2, 08.02.1964
Highest scoring loss
8
Kilmarnock 1 Rangers 8, 20.09.1980
Highest winning margin
8
Kilmarnock 8 Linthouse 0, 05.11.1898 Kilmarnock 8 Dundee United 0, 12.12.1931 Kilmarnock 8 Arbroath 0, 03.01.1949 Kilmarnock 8 Airdrieonians (old) 0, 29.09.1962
Highest losing margin
7
Kilmarnock 1 Rangers 8, 20.09.1980
Highest aggregate
11
Kilmarnock 7 Queen's Park 4, 10.11.1928 Kilmarnock 9 Falkirk 2, 08.02.1964
Highest scoring draw
4
Kilmarnock 4 Ayr United 4, 01.01.1948 Kilmarnock 4 Falkirk 4, 03.12.1955 Kilmarnock 4 Dundee 4, 21.01.1967 Kilmarnock 4 Raith Rovers 4, 26.10.1968 Kilmarnock 4 Dundee United 4, 30.01.2010 Away League Scoring Records
Description
Record Detail, dates link to results
Highest scoring win
8
Livingston 1 Kilmarnock 8, 10.04.1991
Highest scoring
9
Morton 9 Kilmarnock 2, 21.08.1920
Away League Scoring Records Description
Record
loss
Detail, dates link to results Celtic 9 Kilmarnock 1, 13.08.1938
Highest winning margin
7
Livingston 1 Kilmarnock 8, 10.04.1991
Highest losing margin
8
Rangers 8 Kilmarnock 0, 21.12.1918 Hibernian 8 Kilmarnock 0, 22.08.1925 Rangers 8 Kilmarnock 0, 27.02.1937 Celtic 8 Kilmarnock 0, 25.12.1937 Celtic 9 Kilmarnock 1, 13.08.1938
Highest aggregate
11
Morton 9 Kilmarnock 2, 21.08.1920 St Mirren 4 Kilmarnock 7, 01.01.1966 Dundee 6 Kilmarnock 5, 20.01.1968
Highest scoring draw
5
Queen's Park 5 Kilmarnock 5, 15.12.1900
Cup Scoring Records Description
Record
Detail, dates link to results
Highest scoring win
11
Kilmarnock 11 Paisley Academicals 1, 18.01.1930
Highest scoring loss
8
Kilmarnock 0 Queen's Park 8, 28.01.1893 Motherwell 8 Kilmarnock 3, 08.03.1933
Highest winning margin
10
Kilmarnock 11 Paisley Academicals 1, 18.01.1930
Highest losing margin
8
Kilmarnock 0 Queen's Park 8, 28.01.1893
Highest aggregate
12
Kilmarnock 10 Lanemark 2, 02.10.1886 Kilmarnock 11 Paisley Academicals 1, 18.01.1930
Highest scoring
4
Kilmarnock 4 Annbank 4, 06.09.1890
Cup Scoring Records Description
Record
draw
Detail, dates link to results Kilmarnock 4 Queen's Park 4, 18.02.1928 Full League Sequences
Description
Record Detail, dates link to results
Wins
15
12.12.1959 to 26.03.1960
Draws
5
04.03.1969 to 22.03.1969
Losses
9
06.09.1980 to 01.11.1980
Clean sheets
7
02.09.1989 to 14.10.1989
Failing to score
6
11.12.1982 to 08.01.1983
without a Win
18
06.09.1980 to 03.01.1981
without a Draw
32
20.12.1952 to 12.12.1953
without a Loss
20
27.08.1898 to 26.08.1899
without a Clean sheet
29
17.09.1938 to 08.04.1939
without Failing to score
44
11.05.1897 to 16.09.1899
Home League Sequences Description
Record Detail, dates link to results
Wins
19
15.05.1897 to 22.04.1899
Draws
4
29.03.1958 09.02.1980 08.11.1980 10.10.1981
to to to to
20.08.1958 15.03.1980 20.12.1980 21.11.1981
Home League Sequences Description
Record Detail, dates link to results 18.02.1989 to 01.04.1989
Losses
6
16.08.1980 to 01.11.1980
Clean sheets
6
02.09.1989 to 04.11.1989 31.10.1998 to 30.01.1999
Failing to score
4
30.01.1999 to 21.03.1999 30.01.2016 to 19.03.2016
without a Win
11
16.08.1980 to 01.01.1981 21.08.1999 to 04.03.2000
without a Draw
36
24.08.1895 to 22.04.1899 15.09.1951 to 12.12.1953
without a Loss
26
05.10.1963 to 09.01.1965
without a Clean sheet
19
19.10.1912 to 15.11.1913 28.04.1937 to 13.04.1938
without Failing to score
30
01.01.1927 to 01.09.1928
Away League Sequences Description
Record Detail, dates link to results
Wins
8
19.12.1959 to 26.03.1960
Draws
5
02.04.1910 to 10.09.1910 11.01.1969 to 15.03.1969
Losses
13
25.11.1905 to 29.09.1906 23.10.1976 to 09.04.1977
Clean sheets
3
13 times, last instance: 10.05.2008 to 30.08.2008
Away League Sequences Description
Record Detail, dates link to results
Failing to score
6
28.09.1912 to 23.11.1912 21.11.1936 to 06.02.1937
without a Win
31
21.01.1905 to 16.03.1907
without a Draw
21
21.03.1959 to 10.09.1960 26.08.1989 to 18.09.1990
without a Loss
10
03.09.1898 to 19.08.1899 06.10.1973 to 16.02.1974
without a Clean sheet
55
22.08.1903 to 16.03.1907
without Failing to score
22
27.04.1897 to 02.09.1899
We are forever getting drawn into debates about Killie’s record with this, that and the other so hopefully the stuff above will help clear a few issues. I’m pretty sure we did something similar to this a number of years back but it’s useful to know. We wont be doing it again all the same so maybe best to keep a hold of this issue if only for reference purposes. It should be no surprise that many of the records stand from way back in the 20th at a time when my grandparents were swimming about the rivers of Africa munching on buffalo and the occasional lost tourist! It is a bit strange therefore that our highest win is relatively recent when we gubbed Meadowbank on a famous Tommy Burns inspired night in 1991. It was a night to remember in a ground where cat shows were more popular than football matches. The most recent inclusion in all of these records happened as recently as this year when we went four games at home without scoring a goal. Having just seen Coulibaly score another “worldy” at Parkhead I don’t see many blank days as long as the wee man hangs around…….if we keep a hold of him. I suspect the list above wont change much in the years ahead and many of them will remain as records forever, what a sobering thought!
TIME FOR ACTION……AGAIN Back in the 80’s and 90’s when fanzines were in their heyday, it was generally regarded they were anti establishment publications that were out there just to stir things up and cause trouble. I’ve no doubt a few were like that but in the main they soon became vital reading for fans who saw a way to express their feelings and interact with fellow fans. Most clubs simply took the fans for granted but the arrival of Trusts, fanzines and organised fan groups meant directors were all of a sudden being made accountable for their actions rather than just treating the fans like sh*t. We didn’t start the Hippo until 2000 and by that time the messy business of removing the Lauchlans etc was way in the past although with Fleeting no longer around there was a lack of stability about the place. However Sky were pumping money into the game soon after and fans were pushed aside as clubs realized they had a great revenue stream without having to bother about those pesky fans. Of course history has told us that clubs messed up big time, ours especially, as once the big TV money vanished they needed the fans more than ever…..many of whom had found much more rewarding ways to spend their hard earned cash. A recent survey gave a breakdown of attendances over the last ten years and the club with the biggest percentage drop in the top league was none other than Killie. In short since the parasite was gifted his shares by the equally liable Moffat, the fans have been vanishing like snow off a dyke. As a fanzine we were suspicious of Johnston’s intentions from an early stage as his apparent willingness to go it alone made absolutely no business sense. He was a two bit lawyer with no personal wealth and the more he chased away business folk willing to invest the more it became clear he was in this for selfish reasons only. The situation basically got worse year on year culminating in the protests, boycotts etc a few years ago which saw fans arguing, crowds suffering and a poisonous atmosphere hanging over the club which still remains to this day…….and will remain until he is gone.
On a personal level I was heavily involved with both KFCSA and the Trust which required many meeting over the years with Johnston. It was pretty much always my belief that he was only in it for what he could get out it and the more I spoke to him the more that view was confirmed. It’s no exaggeration to say there is not one drop of Killie blood in his body therefore as a mere lifelong Killie fan who simply wanted to help the club it should have be no surprise that he despises the likes of me, Baz any others who share our views. The simple fact is we had him sussed long ago and he knew that. Many fans fell for his bullsh*t about doing his best for the club, the great debt free bank deal etc however the reality always was and still is that he is there for one reason and reason alone….to screw as much money as possible for himself with absolutely no regard to how that affects the club. It’s my genuine belief that if he was offered £2m but the club would close down the cash would be in his account quicker than you could say “you know where we are”. Gradually more and more fans saw him for what he is hence the red card protests etc from a few years back. It was amazing to listen to some of the abuse I took from killie fans, some who reckoned it was me and my chums that were killing the club. They would tell me the bank deal was the best thing ever and I should simply hand over my cash and support the team. In reality I prefer long term thinking and I was asking myself where will the club be in 5 or 10 years time if we let this excuse for humanity continue to run our club into the ground? I decided that the only way to remove him was starve him of cash in the knowledge that there was several business folk waiting in the wings to invest good money that would ensure long term stability. Many fans were staring to realise Johnston was toxic however there were many different views as to how we should act to remove him. Don’t get me wrong, in the worse case scenario we could have gone into administration and almost certain relegation but we would have then got the personnel and fresh investment needed which would have seen us a million times more secure than we are today. The period of boycotts/protests was thoroughly unenjoyable and lifelong friendships were in jeopardy as fans fell out with each other. I remember when we did the red card protest stuff that many fans would immediately start singing to try and take away the focus. How ironic that I see many of these same fans are saying now what we were saying back then……hypocrisy at it’s worst but hey ho, we are where we are.
Some of the happy clappers decided there was a NAPM group who were doing damage to the club. In truth no such group ever existed, season upon season fans simply stopped going many of who will tell you that Johnston and his continued presence are the reason for their non attendance. That had been happening for several years previous, the name was just introduced to try and lay blame at the feet of the very folk who saw what was really happening at the club. A few years on and the action did do one thing, it brought change in the boardroom even if it wasn’t the change that was required. Billy Bowie appeared and, as we will explain later on, he made a monumental f**k up in propping up Johnston…….he now probably realizes that himself but the damage caused is massive. We now have aboard that is totally split with the other three directors finally seeing at close quarters how Johnston operates and theyare now trying to get rid of him. Here is a rundown of all the players in this modern day tragedy and a wee look at how things may pan out in the months ahead: JAMIE MOFFAT If we want to be totally honest this character should be getting the same amount of abuse as Johnston. His father who was a true gent invested in killie as a thank you to the community that had helped build his AT Mays business over the years. Jamie got involved once his father passed away and the downfall of our club had started. Jamie attempted to run the club but in all fairness he was hopeless and rather than look at what individuals were best suited to run the club he simply handed his majority shareholding to Johnston for a nominal fee….widely reported as a quid! That is the very moment that has done more damage to the club than probably any other in its entire history. Even if Johnston had been part of a full sized board I’m sure things would have been way different but Moffat was weak and decided not to do what was best for the club but what was the best way to protect his shares……the same shares that his father bought to thank the fans/community, irony overload. Johnston has publicly stated he was brought in to protect the Moffat investment and there is a common belief that Moffat will get a share of any monies although this could never be proven as it would prove Moffat was acting illegally as a shadow director. Jim Moffat must be turning in his grave as we sees the unholy mess that his son has created.
THE PARASITE We have been calling him the parasite for years now, simply because of the money he is draining out the club. Incredibly I got a few messages from prominent Killie fans saying it was disrespectful……the same fans are now calling him similar names and making the same comments that we were spouting years ago. My argument whenever I discuss Johnston’s role in all this is to compare what I or any reasonable killie fan would have done had we been gifted the shares. Just like MJ I am an individual with no personal wealth and no experience of running a football club so alarm bells would have been ringing from the moment I walked in the door. I would have sat down and drawn up a list of every fan, business person etc who I felt could come on board and contribute in some way to helping the club. Nobody would have been excluded, even if I didn’t particularly like a person they would have been included as long as they could bring a benefit to the club. It is that all-inclusive attitude that is required at a provincial club like ours and it was that same ethos that saw Bobby Fleeting/Jim Moffat transform the club from the 2nd division nobodies to cup winners, European contenders and SPL stalwarts. That is what we know to return to once the poison is removed however when it became clear that he was hanging onto his 85%+ shareholding and only inviting his chums to join him I started to fear the worst. Some folk will say he has done some good but I don’t really wear that. The drop in income when Sky vanished meant we had to hugely rely on the fans once again, fans who had been treated like dirt. The club, like many others was totally mismanaged and taking your eye off the ball when it comes to the fans is criminal. Johnston made cuts all over the place and folk have praised him for it!! There is no doubt cuts were needed however the clever part is increasing revenue streams and increasing crowds at home games……MJ has done the polar opposite. He has chased away fans, chased away businesses and from what I can see the only folk who still seem to support him are a few trolls on social media and the SLO. In short he has run out of friends however by changing the articles of association and ensuring the bank deal suits him rather than the club, it is proving very difficult for anyone to remove him.
BILLY BOWIE I’m sure more detail of BB’s involvement in all this will come out in the months ahead but I will never understand how he chose to get into bed with the parasite…what a repulsive thought. Of course if he simply wanted to get the hotel it all makes perfect sense but according to BB that was the last thing he wanted. Anyone who had been following Killie’s fortunes over the previous decade realized Johnston was toxic and no genuine Killie fan would have gone near him. The reasons for BB investing in the first place are open to debate however he had alternatives, there was a consortium looking to invest at the same time. That would have seen us with a solid base of directors who had all built successful businesses in the Killie are and who had substantial personal wealth . Bowie chose to ignore them and instead put money in that allowed the parasite to remain in place and keep bleeding the club dry. After the bank deal was agreed Bowie swapped about 40%+ of the hotel shares for about 40% of Johnston’s club shares and in doing so dispensing the myth spouted by Johnston that he can do nothing with his shares until 2019. Baz asked him outright about this at the KFCSA meeting in June but he was met with a stony silence and the look of a man who had just been found out. It does now seem Bowie has had enough of Johnston probably realizing he has been done up like a kipper. I’m not sure what lawyer BB uses but I hope I never have to rely on him to do a deal for me any time in the future. It was reported in the press Bowie has recently offered £1.9m for his 1,9m shares and the offer was refused. It is beyond the comprehension of most Killie fans why he would refuse that amount of money but always remember we are not dealing with a normal and rational person here. I remember previous attempts to get rid of Johnston where the interested party thought they had shook on a deal only for him to get back the next day looking for more money/ that seems to be how he operates and I suspect that is what Bowie and his fellow directors are now finding out to their cost. I would love to speak to BB again and will make attempts to do so very soon as he does appear to want to be in this for the long term. He has worked his way into a corner all the same and just where he goes from here I don’t know. There are a number of ways this whole situation can pan out and we will cover that later in this article.
JOHN KILTIE/RUSSELL SMITH These are the other two guys that form our board of directors and you can take it as 100% guaranteed that they want rid of Johnston just like the rest of us. I don’t know Russell but having listened to him at the AGM he is a lifelong Killie fan who wanted to help the club. He is based down south so will have limited time to get involved with all the current shenanigans. John Kiltie is another local guy who built up a very successful business which he sold when he retired a few years back. John is a big Talbot man as well as being a killie fan so can claim to support the two biggest teams in Ayrshire. John is in it for the right reasons and I’m sure has a part to play in the years ahead….maybe even as our next chairman. It seems that pretty much everyone now wants rid of Johnston so I think it’s vital that JK/BB sit down with the fans, tell us as much as they possibly can then we look at the best way forward for everyone. I hope to contact them shortly with a view to arranging this and will update if/when that happens. BANK DEAL The infamous bank deal, touted by some of the HC’s as the saviour of the club, is the very thing that might kill us. Sadly I don’t know the finer detail although I’m still at a loss as to why shareholders shouldn’t be given this information. It appears from a distance that MJ has basically drawn up a deal that protects him in almost every way possible and the bank, who wanted out, have signed it with minimum fuss. The bank knew they would never fully claw back the outstanding debt and will have written off as “bad debt” years previous. They simply wanted to wash their hands of the football club and the deal was their easy get out. There is no doubt they have questions to answer as the deal was meant to be for the benefit of club and community when that is clearly not the case. We have lost a huge asset, lost all credit status and now the club is in its most precarious state ever. You have to laugh when the beaks talk about “fit and proper” people running our clubs yet they sit back powerless as guys like Johnston get control and are able to block big investment into the club. Folk will tell you Johnston isn’t carrying out his fiduciary duty and doing his best for the club. I’ve no doubt that is the case but proving it is not a simple process.
THE FUTURE So the £1.9m question is where does our famous old club go from here? If I knew the answer I would fire down the bookies and make a fortune but the simple answer is that nobody knows what will happen next. The first scenario is that the parasite reassesses the situation and takes the offer. Now I don’t know for sure if the offer is still on the table however I reckon there is more chance of me hooking up with Angelina jolie than of the parasite back tracking and doing a deal. The second option is that Bowie bites the bullet and rather than get drawn into a messy and public battle, he coughs up some extra cash that will finally get rid of the poison. Nobody has said exactly what Johnston does want, it will probably change day by day, but if pub rumours are to be believed an extra few hundred thousand would seal the deal. Personally I think that Johnston has already taken more than he deserves from the club but in reality something is going to have to be paid to remove him. In essence it all boils down to Bowie as he appears to be the guy providing the funds for MJ’s shares. This is a question we will be asking if we get to meet the directors…….along with 1000 others!! A third option is that Bowie/Johnston/Smith say we have done all we can and walk away leaving Johnston to get on with it. That is a possible scenario and what would happen after that is anyone’s guess. If Bowie did that then demanded his loans back he would put us into administration which sadly might be our best option in this whole ugly mess. Johnston would be in a situation where the money man had walked and he would have to find the funds to get us through the season. Having spoken to people in the know I reckon that he may get to January before the funds ran out. Of course it may well be that Johnston goes out and finds another mug who will put in money that allows his reign of terror to continue. I very much doubt he would find a Killie fan or indeed anyone who has paid close attention to what he has done over the years. He may however find a foreign investor who simply wants a Scottish club though it should be stressed they would be getting 40% and not a controlling interest. It should be pointed out that a 75% vote is required in constitutional matters hence MJ can block any changes.
I’m sure there are other scenarios that we haven’t covered but it’s now 6am on a Sunday morning and my brain is beginning to hurt. I remember being told many years ago from a successful businessman that the way MJ has created the situation at RP means that our best long term solution is probably administration….unless you get someone to give him way in excess of what he is actually due. It may well be that Bowie will decide that is the best option but if I was a gambling man I‘d say he would walk away before lining the parasite’s pockets. Please don’t think for one minute that I am advocating administration however we are in such a pickle that it may well be what is best for the long term future of the club…..short term pain for long term gain as they say. It’s not always as easy as simply going into administration and straight back out as others have found out in the past. It’s a horrible situation that sees people lose their jobs and would inevitably see Killie relegated however at the current time I suspect we need to prepare for every eventuality. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that and there is a solution in all this, possibly one that I haven’t covered in this 8 page rant. Fans are talking once again of protests and boycotts and I’ve no doubt that is what we will see in the coming home matches. Fans are asking what they can do to help and many are simply saying it’s a case of going “old school” and just making his life as uncomfortable as possible. I can see some fans taking to the main stand to vent their frustration but if he gets wind of this he simply won’t turn up. After years of the fans being split it does appear that most have now realized what Johnston is all about and we are all coming together with the common goal of retrying to remove him once and for all. That includes fans, shareholders, directors and potential investors. It was good to see Chris McMail (Microtech) state publicly that he had £750k to invest but that would only happen if Johnston leaves. The next step is to get all the above round a table, speak with honesty and transparency then see how we can all work together to bring about the much required change. I’m sure there is no easy answer but I do know that the fans have a huge part to play and once we do that the next board of directors will have no choice but to give us our rightful place. Lots will be happening in the weeks ahead so keep your eyes peeled to the forums and social media.
HOWARD ARMS 1ST OCTOBER Killie fan George Kelly is going out of his way to raise money for charity, Challenge Cancer UK to be specific. The local lad is climbing Kilimanjaro this month to simply try and raise as much money as possible for such a worthwhile cause. Here is what George has to say Cancer is something that effects everyone in some way at some stage of their life. And in recent times this seems to have came to the fore more in mine.. I wanted to help as I'm sure we would all like to in some way but I didn't know how or what. So I made a decision to do something different and challenging to show my support and to raise funds to help support those effected by this. For those of you that don't know I have suffered from depression for a number of years and a year or two ago I didn't have the confidence or the belief to even think about something like this. Any contribution is greatly received and it all makes a difference to someone's life. By way of support we are holding a race night on Saturday 1st October, after Killie’s home game against Aberdeen. The fun will start at 6.30pm and we will have some special Killie guests. Star youngster Greg Kiltie is coming along to join in the fun and we are currently trying to entice a member of the management team and a current director‌..not a Troon lawyer I may add!! There will be a karaoke after the races so get yourself along for a great night with Killie folk and all money raised going to a great cause. If you want to help in any way drop me a message or e-mail killiehippo@aol.com......Cheers
HIPPO BREAKING NEWS Sevco FC have just contacted us to say they are issuing a reward of £10,000 for anyone who can return Mark Warburton’s “magic hat” which appears to have gone missing. It was last seen flying over the M8 a month ago and hasn’t been since. Sevco would like to reassure shareholders that the reward money is not being paid by the club but was a donation from Joey Barton who had a thumping great whack of cash on Celtic beating them 5 – 1 in the Tosser derby two weeks ago. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> UEFA have been charged with bringing the beautiful game into disrepute by smashing seven goals past the team who took 12 million fans to a UEFA Cup Final not so long ago. Star man Messi has been warned he could face a lengthy ban for extracting more piss than the nurse population of Europe, Neymar will be fined for asking if Doris in goals was male or female and Suarez has been ordered to attend his dentist on a daily basis as he is the only man in world football who can eat an apple through a tennis racquet. In all seriousness Celtic fans should be cracking champagne to celebrate the result as it would have been 17 if Ambrose had started in defence. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> News reaches us that Ayrshire’s two senior teams are to merge to create a super club. They will be called Killie, play at Rugby Park in blue and white stripes and use the song Paper Roses as their anthem For their part Ayr will donate a pair of Gary Harkin’s undercrackers to protect the pitch should the weather be frosty.
SPFL 10/9/16 DUNDEE 1 V 1 KILLIE DUNDEE – BAIN, KERR, GOMIS, O’DEA (ETXABEGUREN 36), HOLT, ROSS, MCGOWAN, HATELEY (LOY 73), O’HARA, WIGHTON (TEIJSSE 73), EL BAKTAOUI SUBS NOT USED – LOW WILLIAMS, MITCHELL + SMITH BOOKED – MCGOWAN, HATELEY + EL BAKHTAOUI SENT OFF - GOMIS GOALS – EL BAKHTAOUI 7 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> KILLIE – MCDONALD, HENDRIE, S. SMITH, S. BOYD, BURN, DICKER, HAWKSHAW (ADAMS 73) ((GREEN 83)), FRIZZELL (JONES 65), COULIBALY, BOYD, MCKENZIE SUBS NOT USED – MACKAY, MORRISON, KAYODE + BOYLE BOOKED – S. BOYD + GREEN GOALS –COULIBALY 32 REF – D. ROBERTSON
CROWD - 5111
DICK OF THE DAY – MICHAEL STEWART I was unable to make this game as I was invited to attend a mates wedding, I was going to give him the DOTD award for holding a wedding outwith the close season but his good lady would probably batter me.Lots of talk before the game was about ex Killie star Mark O’Hara who has done well since moving to dens but I will spare him the award but that would just be petty…..something we could never be accused of!! I could even have given it to Coulibaly just to keep his feet on the ground after he scored yet another breathtaking goal, not that BBc will include him in their goal of the month..the fuds. The award goes to gubby pundit Michael Stewart who questioned the red card for Gomis….Lee Clark reckons he could see Adams’ shin bone when we was carried off……..BBC really does need to employ folk with an IQ over 4.All in all it was a decent point at a traditionally tricky venue especially after our good point against Sevco…..there are small signs of improvement week on week.
A DATE FOR THE DIARY OF ALL KILLIE FANS
SPFL 17/9/16 KILLIE 2 V 2 JAGS KILLIE – MCDONALD, HENDRIE, S. SMITH (M.SMITH 25) ((JONES 90)), S. BOYD, BURN, DICKER, HAWKSHAW (JONES 61), FRIZZELL (TYSON 53), MCKENZIE, K.BOYD, COULIBALY SUBS NOT USED – MACKAY, MORRISON, WILSON + BOYLE BOOKED – HENDRIE + HAWKSHAW GOALS – BOYD 17 + COULIBALY 65 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> PARTICK TH. – SCULLY, GORDON, DEVINE, LINDSAY, BOOTH, OMAN, EDWARDS, AMOO (AZEEZ 76), ERSKINE (ELLIOTT 90), LAWLESS, DOOLAN (WELSH 90) SUBS NOT USED – STUCKMANN, MCDAID, WILSON + BARTON BOOKED – GORDON SENT OFF - OSMAN GOALS – LAWLESS 32 + LINDSAY 82 REF – A. DALLAS
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DICK OF THE DAY – LEE CLARK It’s not hard to find dicks among this lot although it is very difficult to find any that don’t stink of Buckfast and have a chip on their shoulder about the mighty Killie. I will leave them alone this time and concentrate on being petty and pathetic. Just for the records that is two games on the bounce where Lee Clark has subbed a sub…. Has that ever happened before? Anyway it makes it a nightmare to write the teams above so no more Lee, consider your local fanzine writer. Probably two points dropped as we were twice in front and created good chances however overall Thistle deserved a point in terms of possession throughout the game. I was hoping we could hold on but we gave away a cheap free kick and paid the penalty……that’s three unbeaten even if it is three draws.
SPFL 24/9/16 CELTIC 6 V 1 KILLIE CELTIC – DE VRIES (GORDON 45), LUSTIG, SVIATCHENKO, TIERNEY, SIMUNOVIC, BROWN, BITTON, SINCLAIR (ROBERTS 73), ROGIC, DEMBELE (GRIFFITHS 65), FORREST SUBS NOT USED – TOURE, GAMBOA, ARMSTRONG + MCGREGOR BOOKED – NONE GOALS – DEMBELE 35 + 38, FORREST 52, GRIFFITHS 66, SINCLAIR (PEN) 72 + ROGIC 85 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> KILLIE – MCDONALD, HENDRIE, S. SMITH, BURN, S. BOYD, HAWKSHAW (ADAMS 48), DICKER, TYSON (JONES 53), MCKENZIE (MORRISON 79), BOYD, COULIBALY SUBS NOT USED – MACKAY, MORRISON, FRIZZELL + BOYLE BOOKED – TAYLOR + ADAMS GOALS – COULIBALY 32 REF – N. WALSH
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DICK OF THE DAY – PAT BONNER I don’t generally dislike the big former keeper as he was a good friend of Tommy Burns and he is pleasant when he strolls into the ground as I sell the fanzine. However he made a comment on the radio apparently that pretty much sums up the lack of class that Celtic possess. He apparently questioned if Coulibaly’s goal was deliberate!!! Yes Pat it was a deliberate attempt at goal of the season ya walloper. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> We weren’t exactly hoping for three points but I was expecting a bit more fight and a bit more belief than what we showed. There’s no doubt this lot will walk the league but we should have shown more especially after taking the lead. The game will always be remembered for Coulibaly’s amazing goal all the same.
THE HARKINS FAMILY
We are always trying our best to bring you Hippo exclusives and here is another from yesteryear. Before joining Killie Gary Harkins decided to bring his family down and give them a walk round the town. The family loved the place especially after stopping at Brownings for a few trays of buns and doughnuts‌. I hope they used the elephant litter bags!!