Killie Hippo - July 21

KILLIE HIPPO AN UNOFFICIAL KILLIE FANZINE JULY 2021

THAT’S WHAT I CALL TEAMWORK

• MEET THE NEW SQUAD • DEFIBRILLATOR APPEAL • CATHY’S UPDATE

HUGE THANKS TO OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS RAINBOW INK CO. MODWAY SCOTLAND URQUHART OPTICIANS COLIN MCDONALD HOME MAINTENANCE BILLY BOWIE SPECIAL PROJECTS LTD I LOVE GIFTS GMC CRIMINAL LAWYERS KILMARNOCK EATS AUTOMAX MOBILE VALETING ANNANDALE HOME IMPROVEMENTS

CONTACT E-MAIL : Killiehippo@aol.com NO ARTICLES TO BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT PERMISSION BACK ISSUES 2–204 INCLUSIVE AVAILABLE All views expressed are those of the contributors

SHOOTING FROM THE HIPPO Well hello again chums, it’s been a while and I hope you have had a hot and enjoyable summer so far. I’ve had a wee break from the fanzine but with the disappointment of relegation now well behind me I’m raring to go to Arbroath in the middle of the North Sea and get the wobblies frozen off me whilst Dick Campbell proclaims he is changing religion from smokies to Killie Pies.

Before we get into the club issues let’s all take a moment to pay respect to our Italian chums who have spared us decades of verbal bullsh*t by gubbing our neighbours on penalty kicks. I have loads of great English mates who I love dearly but I simply couldn’t listen to Lineker et al waxing lyrical about football coming home……Forza italia.

Back in the real world of the “oldest, finest and best” club in Caledonia and our season is under way. It would be fair to say that Tommy Wright and James Fowler have been working hard during the summer and although we often say the club “needs a total clear out”, this summer it actually happened. We went down last season due to some schoolboy defending throughout the season and with a few of SSC’s troops still hanging around it was no surprise that TW wanted to put his own stamp on the squad.

We have done an article on the new squad in this issue but early signs are promising and when you consider that it is still early days for the team then you may expect us to improve as the season progresses. I’ll confidently state that it we had Zack Hemming last season we wouldn’t have been relegated. The young keeper appears to have taken the no.1 spot from Sam Walker and he is already a fan’s favourite after his spot kick heroics against Morton.

There is no doubt that things are far from perfect off the park and the ridiculous error that caused us to lose 3 points in the League Cup could have cost the club a lot of money. Luckily we still managed to top the group but that oversight along with the Covid issues last season and the current ticketing mess tells us there are problems off the field. The club has lacked a Fleeting type leader for years now and we need a strong character in a Chief Executive type role that will get a grip on the running of the club.

At the time of writing it is looking optimistic that we will be returning to normal crowd sizes and hopefully the mad scramble to grab limited number of away game tickets will stop. The trip to Dumfries really was a throwback to the 80’s when a large number of Killie fans took over town centre pubs and a last minute winner is always welcome.

We are still deciding whether to try hard copy fanzines again and will make a decision soon. In the meantime keep sending those articles and make a donation if you are in a position to do so….KTID Sandy

DEFIBRILLATOR APPEAL Even if Scotland were ultimately a disappointment at the Euros it was a decent tournament and I was delighted that it was won by the Italians who I want to win if Scotland don’t! Can you imagine the incessant verbal diarrhoea from Lineker and his overpaid chums if that lot had won. In all honesty they have had everything in their favour both this summer and in the last World Cup so I look forward to their next spectacular failure in Qatar…..which reminds me I need to start my Xmas shopping!!

I digress, the image on the front page of this issue is without doubt my lasting memory of Euro 2020. I was just sitting watching it myself on TV and I can honestly say it’s one of the most distressing things I’ve ever seen not helped by the poor choice of the director to try and focus in on every single moment of grief with the player, his teammates and Erikson’s family.

It was heartbreaking and I’m amazed that less than two hours later the team were back on the pitch to finish the game.

I don’t need to remind you that we’ve had more than our fair shares of tragedy at Killie games and on a couple of occasions I’ve known the Killie fans that passed away. It all highlights the importance of having defibrillators close at hand whether you are watching a sporting event, playing sport, going shopping, walking down the street or just about anything you care to mention.

Having watch the whole Christian Eriksen incident I thought it would be good if we tried to raise funds for a defibrillator. The plan was to do it during the season through the fanzine but incredibly fans were wanting to donate straight away and at the time of writing we have the amazing sum of £650. The target is £1500 (incl. secure cabinet) so if you want to donate in any way please email me at killiehippo@aol.com.

I’ve spoken to Nina McGinley who works in the NHS and is also willing to give CPR classes…..details in next issue. We are also speaking to the club with a view to finding a suitable location…..thanks to you all.

MEET THE NEW SQUAD How good would it have been if Lee Clark had been our manager this summer at a time when we needed a full new squad. We would gave unveiled 23 signings on one day, including 9 right backs and the majority with a future in North Yorkshire Sunday Pub league fitba when they leave Killie!!

Regardless if we stayed up or went down at the end of last season there was always going to be a mass exodus and a whole raft of new faces coming to the home of football. It was only fair that TW wanted his own men and lets be honest….the remnants of the SSC days were mainly past their sell by date. That may sound a bit harsh but I honestly feel that a total clear out was necessary an TW won’t stand for any of the crap that some players got away with during the post SSC period.

Let us firstly have a wee look at the departures: Out: Kyle Lafferty, forward (Anorthosis Famagusta); Eamonn Brophy, forward (St Mirren, loan to permanent); Greg Kiltie, forward (St Mirren); Kirk Broadfoot, defender (Inverness Caledonian Thistle); Mitch Pinnock, midfielder (Northampton Town); Nicke Kabamba, forward (Northampton Town); Ross Millen, defender (Scunthorpe United); Aaron McGowan, defender (Northampton Town); Craig Ross, defender (Stranraer); Josh Rennie, forward (Stranraer); Youssouf Mulumbu, midfielder; Gary Dicker, midfielder; Aaron Tshibola, midfielder; Danny Rogers, goalkeeper; Clevid Dikamona, defender; George Oakley, forward; Diaguely Dabo, midfielder; Danny Whitehall, forward; Ally Taylor, midfielder.

Loan ended: Zech Medley, defender (Arsenal); Zeno Ibsen Rossi, defender (Bournemouth); Colin Doyle, goalkeeper (Heart of Midlothian); Brandon Pierrick, midfielder (Crystal Palace).

Loan: Kirk McKnight, forward (Dumbarton); Curtis Lyle, goalkeeper (Stranraer).

Say what you want but Lafferty is a man of his word. He stated he was moving back to the west of Scotland and wanted to be handy for schooling etc……so he’s off to Cyprus. I’m not sure but I think the stagecoach X74 service runs every half hour from Nicosia to East Kilbride.

I suppose the biggest surprise among the departures was Alan power joining St Mirren, a rest home for old Killie players. It looks like the St Mirren scout along with the Northampton scout couldn’t be arsed doing their job so they just got a hold of Fowler’ mobile and found out who was available. Power was excellent for Killie for a few years but I reckon we got the best of him and he won’t improve any at his age.

I was sorry but not surprised to see Kiltie leave, he would have been a stick out in the Championship. The wee man gave us a lot of years of good service and would have been a star had it not been for two horrible injuries, good luck to him.

Elsewhere it was a case of does anyone joining Northampton with Pinnock, Kabamba and McGowan all heading there whilst Millen went to Scunthorpe.

Mulumbu will probably sit on a beach for a few months then join someone in the middle of November. Tshibola is away to the Turkish second tier and as for Brandon Pierrick I’m not sure that he ever existed. We’ll follow all their progress at a distance and bring you any interesting updates along the way.

In: Scott Robinson, forward (Livingston); Liam Polworth, midfielder (Motherwell); Stephen McGinn, midfielder (Hibernian); Jason Naismith, defender (Ross County); Fraser Murray, midfielder (Hibernian); Dylan McGowan, defender (Western Sydney Wanderers); Sam Walker, goalkeeper (Reading); Brad Lyons, midfielder (Blackburn Rovers); Euan Murray, defender (Dunfermline Athletic); Jack Sanders, defender (Wigan Athletic); Daniel Armstrong, midfielder (Raith Rovers); Blair Alston, midfielder (Falkirk); Chris Stokes, defender (Forest Green Rovers).

Loan: Zach Hemming, goalkeeper (Middlesbrough).

I’ve been lucky enough to have all the early games so I’m slowly but surely getting to recognise the new faces, where they play etc. It will take a few weeks but we’ll get there and it’s even worse when a few of them have been injured and not played……Robinson appears to have shaken off his injury and got a run out at Dumfries.

Let’s be brutally honest, if we had a mildly competent keeper last season we would have stayed up so it’s good to see Walker and Hemmings arrive.

Hemmings is already a hero as he helped us win our first penalty shoot out since 1984….what an incredible stat. Both have looked ok without being seriously tested, the league will be a whole new challenge and it’s not clear at this point who will be the manager’s number one…..just as long as the goalkeeping coach doesn’t make another appearance!!

Defensively we look pretty solid at the moment but I’m sure far tougher challenges will lie ahead when we face the more fancied teams. Naismith looks a good signing at right back and already has a couple of goals to his name…..his last minute winner at QOS will be one of the top memories of the season. On the other Haunstrup has played however Watters is injured so we’ll see who TW fancies when they are both fit.

The two centre backs Murray and Stokes have settled in quickly and both show some much needed leadership qualities. Sanders and McGowan will be the cover if anything happens to the first choice centre backs so we seem to have recruited well in that area. Strangely we were talking on the train back from Dumfries and the unanimous opinion of the boozehounds was that this year’s defence is far better than last years disaster….in all fairness having me in goals would have been an improvement!!

The middle of the park sees Stephen McGinn in the sitting role and I’ve been impressed by what I’ve seen so far. He looks like he is one of those guys that will be a consistent performer each week and he looks like a decent passer of the ball. So far he has had Alston and Polworth in the central position sin front of him and hopefully we’ll see them improve as the team slowly gels. Lyons looks similar to them both and with McKenzie still to come back from injury we have options here as well. TW might chop and change the personnel in the central areas so it is no bad thing to have plenty of competition.

Burke and Fraser Murray are the wide options though it will be interesting to see how the manager utilises Scott Robinson as he is not naturally a wide player but more of a “number 10”. Murray looked good in the cup games but has been quiet in the opening two league games.

Cameron is our no.9 at present but I fancy we will bring in another shortly, here’s hoping for a 20 goals a season superstar!!

FRITZ WALTER You’re probably aware that our Germans chums in Kaiserslautern have had a rough few years with off field issues leading them to sliding down the leagues. They are currently in Bundesliga 3and were in danger of slipping down again which would have saw them in the regional leagues. Thankfully they managed to stay up and thanks to some dodgy internet streams I managed to watch a good few of their games.

I know a lot of the Killie lads (especially Tetley) are gagging for restrictions to be lifted and I would thoroughly recommend that every Killie fan plans a trip to K-town. It’s a lovely place and all the German lads will ensure you are treated like old friends…..I’ll be making a return trip myself as soon as is possible.

If you do visit then you need to get a stadium trip arranged, it’s a cracking ground, even better at a home game when the atmosphere is amazing. The Fritz-Walter stadium is named after a Kaiserslautern legend so we came across this fascinating article giving the full history of the great man, enjoy: It has been nineteen years since news of Fritz Walter's death spread. The world champion and honorary captain of the German national team died on June 17, 2002 in his house in Enkenbach-Alsenborn. Half a year after the death of his wife Italia Walter, with whom he had a happy marriage for 53 years. Matthias Gehring and Hans Walter from the FCK museum team remember the greatest German footballer of all time.

Fritz Walter would have turned 100 on October 31 of last year. The preparations for and work on the special exhibition “The Miracle of Kaiserslautern. Fritz Walter on his 100th birthday ”. An exhibition in the FCK Museum and in the Kaiserslautern City Museum (Theodor-ZinkMuseum | Wadgasserhof) depicts the life of the popular Lauterer son and which has not yet been made accessible to the public due to the corona pandemic. But in a few weeks the FCK fans can look forward to being able to catch up on what was no longer possible in the last quarter of 2020.

Fritz Walter's childhood and youth were marked by the economic hardship in the years after the First World War. His outstanding talent and love for soccer unfolded in street soccer, where his younger brothers Ludwig and Ottmar and some boys from the Uhlandstraße area chased the simplest homemade balls at the "Kanälchers". Fritz Walter began the club sport at FV Kaiserslautern, who won in 1931 in “1. FC Kaiserslautern ”was renamed. Those responsible for the club soon recognized his extraordinary talents.

The press took notice of Fritz for the first time as early as 1934 and, barely 18 years old, he was used in the first team of 1. FCK. His scoring qualities and his game intelligence soon led to a recommendation to Reich coach Sepp Herberger. The invitation to a course with the national team followed. On July 14, 1940, Fritz Walter was able to play his first international match in Frankfurt and register himself with three hits on the list of goalscorers. Right away he was a regular for the German national team.

Meanwhile the Second World War had broken out in Europe and Fritz Walter was drafted into the Wehrmacht. He was able to continue playing for his FCK, but was then assigned to Lorraine, where he was used for some time for Diedenhofen (Thionville). He also had a few encounters with the "Paris Soldiers". Against Slovakia, Fritz Walter completed his 24th and due to the war his last international match for Germany for the time being. Fritz Walter hated the war. When he was transferred to Italy, on the island of Sardinia, in 1943, he became infected with the insidious disease malaria. From then on, the hot climate always bothered him.

Reich trainer Sepp Herberger and the fighter pilot and squadron commodore Hermann Graf pushed through the transfer of Fritz Walter to the Air Force and to the Graf unit in East Friesland in the background. A stroke of luck for the talented kicker, who returned to Germany and was soon able to play football again in the soldiers' team set up by Hermann Graf.

Shortly before the end of the war, Colonel Graf's unit surrendered to the Americans, but was then handed over to the Soviet Army. So Fritz Walter ended up in a prison camp on Romanian soil, Marmaros Sziget. There he suffered another outbreak of malaria. Again it was fortunate coincidences that brought him together with his brother Ludwig in the camp and gave him a special status through football.

He was allowed to play football with the camp's guards and ultimately he and brother Ludwig were spared the need to be transported to the interior of Russia or Siberia. With the consent of the football-loving camp commandant, they were assigned to a transport to the west. To the west, that meant home, to Kaiserslautern!

Shortly after his return in October 1945, Fritz Walter began building a new team at 1. FC Kaiserslautern. He personally led the training and also acted as managing director of his club. The most important and most difficult challenge in the desperately poor post-war years was the procurement of food and equipment in order to be able to play football at all.

The games of the FCK against teams from the rural surroundings of the city of Kaiserslautern, which were called "calorie" or "grumberry games", became legendary. During this time, a team grew up that was soon to be among the best in Germany and which, under the synonym "Walter team", still has legendary status to this day. Not only with FCK fans!

Under Fritz Walter's leadership, in the following "golden years" for 1. FC Kaiserslautern the successes that made it one of the best clubs in Germany: championships in the French occupation zone, southwest championships, 1951 and 1953 German championships, 1948, 1954 and 1955 runners-up - and above all the appointment of five FCK players to the national team (Fritz and Ottmar Walter, Werner Liebrich, Werner Kohlmeyer and Horst Eckel) for the world championship tournament in Switzerland in 1954. For Fritz Walter, the sensational win of the final was against the “miracle team” from Hungary, the “miracle of Bern”, the shining climax of his career as a football player.

It was followed by another assignment at the World Cup in Sweden in 1958, but a serious injury in the semi finals meant the end of his international career. A year later, Fritz Walter also withdrew from playing at FCK. He became a representative of several companies and initially ran a laundromat in Kaiserslautern and finally a large cinema with “Universum”.

As a consultant to the SV Alsenborn village association, Fritz hit the headlines again in the 1960s for the “Miracle of Alsenborn”. Fritz Walter demonstrated social commitment with his many years of work for the Sepp Herberger Foundation and with his tireless commitment to the next generation of footballers, which was very close to his heart. A year later, Fritz Walter also withdrew from playing at FCK.

He became a representative of several companies and initially ran a laundromat in Kaiserslautern and finally a large cinema with “Universum”. As a consultant to the SV Alsenborn village association, Fritz hit the headlines again in the 1960s for the “Miracle of Alsenborn”. Fritz Walter demonstrated social commitment with his many years of work for the Sepp Herberger Foundation and with his tireless commitment to the next generation of footballers, which was very close to his heart. A year later, Fritz Walter also withdrew from playing at FCK. Fritz Walter died on June 17, 2002 in his house in Alsenborn.

After Fritz Walter's death, values that he himself stood up for throughout his life have survived. This includes solidarity with home and loyalty to the association. After all, he never wanted to play for a club other than 1. FC Kaiserslautern. Not even for an incredible amount of money. "Dehääm is dehääm," he used to say. The name Fritz Walter also steadfastly stands for camaraderie, fairness, decency, respect, tolerance and humility. Character traits that were a matter of course for him.

Above all, however, he was characterized by basic human virtues such as sympathetic modesty and naturalness. Few sports personalities have stuck in the collective memory so long after their death as Fritz Walter. His extraordinary popularity and respect, which he will receive after his death in 2002 is not only due to his great sporting successes. It is particularly owed to people who have not lost any of their charisma to this day and whose values, which have guided them throughout their lives, are also valid in our present day. We would do well to keep this in mind every day and not only to remember it, but at least to try to live it to a certain extent.

The 1. FC Kaiserslautern museum dedicated to him sees it as its most important task to keep the memory of this extraordinary football player and people alive and to remember what the person Fritz Walter was, is and remains. A shining example - today more than ever! At a time when social culture often seems completely uninhibited, we have a duty to convey Fritz Walter's precious ideals and values to future generations. May they become socially acceptable again. Fritz, we will never forget you!

GET AFF MY TELLY YA A*R ROCKET

After the most one sided local derby in recent history scum boss David Hopkins relaxes in his bed (it was actually a skip with a mattress) and comes away with the most deluded post match comment ever ““I know everyone connected with Ayr United is disappointed tonight but if Kilmarnock are the favourites for this league we’re not far behind them.”

Now I’m not going to getting carried away after one win against the footballing version of Eddie the Eagle but we were light years ahead of that lot….HOPKINS MUST STAY

MCCOOL ON......NEW SEASON LEAGUE PREDICTIONS PREMIERSHIP Champions: Rangers Relegated : Ross County CHAMPIONSHIP Champions: Kilmarnock Relegated: Ayr Utd LEAGUE 1 Champions: Cove Rangers Relegated: Clyde LEAGUE 2 Champions: Elgin City Bottom Place: Annan Athletic Now for an explanation on the Championship predictions, which probably look more than a little biased, with four fifths of Ayrshire at the top and the other fifth at the bottom. Well, I can honestly say if I was a Nairn County fan and didn't have a dog in the race, that's how I'd see that division panning out. Facts are facts. Kilmarnock have the biggest budget, the best overall squad and a manager who's only peer is the guy in charge of the one part time club in the league.

Dunfermline will rightly feel they have a chance, but despite having a couple of standouts, most notably the captures of Breen and Dorrans, they have a squad who've largely been nowhere in recent years and a new manager, which is always a gamble.

Hamilton are hit and miss. If they start well, they could be a threat. They do have players with recent Premiership experience and a parachute payment which could perhaps enable them to add more experience before the window closes, but the jungle drums coming out of the FOY stadium seem to suggest they're going to gamble on the youngsters keeping them in with a shout of the play-offs as they rebuild.

As for Ayr, I just feel that out of all the sides who're likely to be at the wrong end, they're the most vulnerable. I happen to think Morton under achieved last season and if they can avoid injuries and get their first eleven on the park most weeks, they should have a better campaign this time.

Queen of the South looked like a worry a few weeks back, but they've rebuilt their squad well and it could be argued that saving the huge outlay on Dobbie has actually allowed them to improve the quality overall.

Things certainly won't get any easier for Arbroath the longer they're in the Championship as a part time club, but they have a good spine, marshalled by the excellent Tam O'Brien, who I had hoped Tommy Wright would actually take a punt on, and have enough goals in the team with Linn, Donnelly and Hilson in the final third. As for Dick Campbell in the dugout? Nothing more to be said. They'll survive again.

Right then, watch Ayr pump us on Monday now, before all of the above goes up in smoke. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"Quote Killiehippo and on completion of your mortgage you will receive a £50 Kilmarnock FC club shop voucher".

FIFA CHANGES TO REVOLUTIONISE FOOTBALL This is according to Mundo Deportivo, who understand that the ‘Future of Football Cup’ youth tournament is being used for the experiment.

Florentino Perez, the Real Madrid president and the chairman of the failed European Super League project, warned people earlier this year that changes need to be made in order to save football.

Perez said evidence shows “young people find football matches too long” and “not interesting”.

He said at the time that “we might have to make the football matches shorter”.

And that, it seems, is one of the fundamental changes that is currently being tested to see how it affects the sport.

The reported changes focus on four fundamental aspects:

1) Dividing the game into two 30-minute periods Rather than 45 minutes per half (and a minimum total of 90 minutes per match), a shorter time limit is being trialled.

However, the clock will stop after each interruption - as is the case in certain other sports, such as basketball - and the hope is that this guarantees an effective 30 minutes of play each half.

2) Unlimited substitutions We’ve seen five substitutions per match (six in extra-time), rather than the usual three, since the pandemic. But how would unlimited changes work? We could soon find out.

3) ‘Kick-ins’ rather than throw-ins We could also be about to say goodbye to throws-in forever if this turns out to be one of the changes implemented.

Arsene Wenger, who currently works as FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development, previously explained why he believes kick-ins could improve football.

“When you have a throw-in, it is supposed to be an advantage for the team in possession. But, in reality, you are at a disadvantage with nine players on the field to the opponents’ ten,” the former Arsenal manager said.

“That’s why I believe we always have to think about how we can make the game quicker and more spectacular. So why not be able to kick the ball in when in your own half?”

4) Five-minute suspension for yellow cards Some people have long believed that football should have a rugby-style ‘Sin Bin’ for when players are booked.

The ‘Future of Football Cup’ youth tournament will reportedly trial fiveminute suspensions for any player who receives a yellow card.

PSV, AZ Alkmaar, RB Leipzig and Club Brugge are the teams involved at the Under-19 tournament, according to Mundo Deportivo.

FIFA will evaluate the impact of these four changes on the tournament and will then consider raising any at a formal request to the International Football Association Board (IFAB) - the body that sets the rules of the game worldwide.

How have football fans reacted to the potential changes?

It won’t come as a shock to hear that many football fans on social media have reacted badly to these potential rule changes…

CATHY’S TRUST UPDATE Since my last report, there have been a significant number of developments within the Club, with many changes to both the playing and backroom staff. These have been highlighted via the regular communications issued by the Club on social media channels, so I won’t repeat them here. However, information on current squads and staff in various departments is available on the Club website.

The Board’s focus has been on working with Manager Tommy Wright and Head of Football Operations James Fowler to ensure that budget and resources have been made available, as well as pushing ahead with the work in the stadium and the shop relocation.

We were obviously disappointed to lose the points from the East Kilbride match due to fielding a player who was suspended. This has been a hard lesson for the Club and, following an immediate review of what had happened, measures have been put in place to have an additional check, over and above the tracking system already in place to monitor bookings and red cards. The Club immediately accepted that an error had been made, and accepted the sanctions imposed.

The pre-season training camp in Belfast provided a good opportunity for all the new players and staff to get to know one another. In addition to an intensive training programme, a closed doors match was held against Linfield FC, as well as the friendly against Larne FC, which some Killie fans managed to attend thanks to a very early morning road and ferry trip!

The trip also allowed the Board to meet and have discussions with the Manager and the Head of Football Operations, as well as getting to know the new backroom team and players having the chance to see what the Board members are trying to do to take the Club forward.

To pre-empt any questions and reassure Trust members who may be concerned about the costs of this, I took annual leave from my day job to make the trip and paid personally for my travel and accommodation. I also continue to pay for my Season Ticket, sponsor the Nil by Mouth advertising board, and a player shirt.

Football Department Credit must go the Manager and players for securing top spot in our Premier Sports Cup qualifying group, despite the loss of the three points from the East Kilbride match.

Getting the all-important last-minute goal against Morton and then winning the penalty shootout showed something of the character and determination that the manager is trying to instill, and we saw this again in the match against Stranraer, gaining the vital winning goal. We have also seen in these matches how teams are likely to try to play against us in the league.

As the Manager has said in a number of interviews, he is pleased with the way the squad is working together, and he has given opportunity for some of the younger development squad players to be involved. I know fans are keen to hear about a striker signing, and again the Manager has confirmed in various interviews that he and James Fowler are working to make this happen.

So, while there is still some way to go, we should take the positives from the matches so far and move on to face Hibs in the last 16 of the Cup, as well as beginning the League campaign.

League Reconstruction Proposal The Board looked at all aspects of the proposed reconstruction plan, which has mostly been in the news in relation to Colt Teams. We heard views from the Head of Football Operations and gave very careful consideration to the proposals, but while we felt that there may be some aspects which could be helpful in taking the game forward, the overall package did not deliver the type of reconstruction that would benefit the game as a whole.

I was particularly concerned that the views of supporters’ organisations did not seem to have been sought or included, which was surprising given the work being done by the Scottish Football Alliance (which I have fed in views to) as well as the Scottish Football Supporters Association and Supporters Direct.

The view of KFC Directors was not to support the proposal, and it was conveyed that we would vote against if a vote was called. Ultimately the indicative views of clubs led to the plan not being put formally to a vote.

Tickets and fans returning to the Stadium First of all, a thank you from the Board to the fans who have renewed or bought season tickets for first time. Getting these funds in early is a huge help for both the Club’s cash flow as well as projecting budget income for the season.

With in excess of 3,500 season tickets sold, first priority in the ballot for Cup matches was given to Privilege Seat Holders (there are currently just over 60 in that category) and ‘loyalty’ season ticket holders, as restrictions limited numbers to 2,000 in total.

Numbers applying in the ballot meant that all loyalty season ticket holders had opportunity to buy tickets for the matches of their choice, and there was then a wider opportunity for all season ticket holders to buy.

I have seen a few comments on social media from fans saying that despite being a season ticket holder they didn’t get cup tickets. If anyone is in that position, can I ask that you email with the details, as in both matches there were tickets available for season ticket holders and if there was a problem with the system we need to know the full information in order to rectify any problems.

Given the exceptionally warm weather, and the fact that restrictions meant the tea bars could not be opened, the Club made representations to Police Scotland regarding the legislation which does not allow drinks in bottles or cans to be brought into football stadiums. Confirmation was received from the Police that the legislation could not be relaxed and therefore the Club arranged to provide plastic tumblers to fans for the Stranraer match. We appreciate that this was not an ideal solution either from a practical or environmental perspective, but felt it was the best solution in the circumstances.

There have been many questions about the process for deciding on numbers in the stadium. The position is that the Local Authority makes the final decision for any number above 2,000. In practice, there is a Safety Advisory Group, which includes representatives from the Council, and Health Board officials, who consider all the information available. The stadium is also inspected and there is a look at the detail of all the safety plans and procedures that the Club has in place. So while on the surface we might think that a simple percentage calculation would be done based on the overall seating capacity, in actual fact there are more complex processes around, for example, the social distancing requirements, and the flow of people entering and exiting the stadium, etc. In the East Stand, the seats and rows being so close together has impacted on this, while in the Frank Beattie Stand there are issues about the access routes to toilets as well as turnstiles.

I understand the frustration of fans who are seeing other events where there is seemingly little regard for social distancing or attending other stadiums where it appears rules have been interpreted differently. Our Safety Officers have been in constant dialogue with the authorities to help maximise the numbers allowed in safely, which is what we all want to see.

Following an application made to East Ayrshire Council for an increase to the capacity of 2,000 allowed by the Scottish Government under Level 0, approval was given for a capacity of 3,692 Season Ticket holders. This was arrived at following a number of discussions with the Safety Advisory Group and was the maximum the Local Authority would grant.

The match will be open to home supporters only, with all four stands in use, including a small portion of the Frank Beattie Stand in order to maximise the capacity for this match.

The Club appreciates that those who normally walk up and pay at the gate will not be able to attend but the permission granted only allows for Kilmarnock supporters who have purchased a season ticket to access to this match. All supporters who purchased a Season Ticket by 6pm on Tuesday 27th July 2021 will be guaranteed a ticket to the

match.

In order to prioritise space for season ticket holders, the Club took the decision that there will be no match hospitality outwith Chairman’s Club seasonal members, which totals 50 people.

Due to safety reporting requirements for the Test and Protect system, a one-off digital ticket will be provided to season ticket holders, and the normal season pass will not be valid on this occasion. Anyone not able to use a digital pass or print out at home should contact the ticket office to have arrangements made for collection.

Season Ticket holders will be allocated a socially distanced seat in the stadium, with a family section created to ensure parents and young children can sit together.

Further safety information and details around entry times for all stands will be provided ahead of the match.

I appreciate that these arrangements will not satisfy all supporters, but this has been a lengthy process during which time staff have focussed on getting as many fans into the stadium as possible, while abiding by the various regulations and requirements of the Local Authority and Safety Advisory Group.

I do appreciate that it is frustrating for fans who want different arrangements, and it is frustrating for me when I can’t give positive responses or have to convey information that I don’t particularly like myself!

Hopefully, all being well, we will be able to look forward to everyone back in the stadium if restrictions ease again on 9th August.

Commercial and Stadium

The shop move was completed on schedule and feedback from supporters has been very positive. The first day of opening saw excellent sales and this has continued with the new season home and away tops being very popular. The ‘tartan’ training top was deliberately styled to be different, and seems to be very much in the ‘love it or hate it’ bracket.

However, going by the sales and numbers in evidence at matches, it seems to be attracting a good following!

Shop opening hours are currently restricted on match days but will return to previous hours when the covid restrictions allow. The shop will be open right up until kick off on Monday night as a one-off test event, but fans must abide with social distancing guidelines and maximum capacity numbers at any given time, so queueing is to be expected.

Work is continuing on the area adjacent to the shop which will house the small museum area. This will see a number of items relocated from where they are currently displayed in the main entrance foyer and will offer the opportunity to put on special exhibitions and rotate the displays.

Last month, I updated you on the works in the Moffat Stand and explained that this was to create new office space for the staff. I understand that there has been some continued confusion around that, so thought it might be helpful to explain in slightly more detail. As I explained in the last monthly report, these offices are for staff use and not for letting out to external companies or organisations.

Within the stadium itself there was previously very limited office space, with one office used by the Club Secretary and another used by the Manager. Additional office space for the Manager, the Head of Football Operations and the Assistant Manager and backroom team has been created in what was the Premier Club, which adjoins the Manager’s Office. This means that all football department staff are located within easy access of each other.

Since the pandemic began, the Commercial and Media teams have been working from temporary bases in the Legends Lounge, Boardroom and Media Centre, while Academy staff have continued to operate, when not on furlough, from the old gym building.

The new offices in the Moffat Stand will provide office space for staff including Academy and Community staff, providing a better working environment and bringing them closer together rather than being dispersed. The old gym building is being leased out, as it no longer meets the needs of the Club. The old shop building will be removed.

It is planned to install a further large cabin at rear of the Moffat Stand to house facilities for players, who have been using the 1869 Suite during the pandemic. The Moffat stand walls and turnstiles will remain in place, which is slightly different to the pre-pandemic plans.

The Memorial Garden work is progressing, and it is hoped that the next phase of work on the wheelchair user access ramp can commence shortly.

Sponsorship and advertising continue to progress well, and there has been a fantastic response on individual player sponsorships. If anyone is still looking to do this, there are a few options left so please contact Ray Montgomerie directly if interested: raymondmontgomerie@kilmarnockfc.co.uk Media and Killie TV The media team spent a few days with the squad during the pre-season trip to Northern Ireland, using the time to cover our training and friendly matches as well as introduce new strands of content including the First Mates feature, with episodes one and two available to view on YouTube.

Over the close season, the guys have worked to make our YouTube channel more appealing with more personality-driven content in development throughout the campaign.

If you don’t already subscribe the channel, then you can do so here.

While there have been plenty of new signings this close season, Killie TV have made one of their own with John Barnes becoming our new commentator for home matches.

A distinguished broadcaster with BBC Scotland, John will be well known to Killie fans, and we look forward to him making his debut at our opening league match against Ayr United.

Head of Media, Scott McClymont, wanted to give some details about the planned coverage for the new season and, rather than me summarise, here are his own words: “When Killie TV started back in January 2019, it was primarily as a way to give Killie fans based outside the UK and Ireland to feel close to the club and watch our matches wherever they found themselves in the world.

“The pandemic propelled Killie TV as the main way to take in games last season and as we approach a greater sense of normality, we hope fans have enjoyed taking in the first few games of the season with us.

“We’re committed to covering all Killie’s home matches in both the league and cup competitions on Killie TV. Not only will this mean that international fans can continue to watch the team, but we also know that we have some supporters here who may still be unable or who may feel anxious about returning to the stadium during these times.

“All matches in the Scottish Premiership are filmed with a minimum number of cameras to fulfill the contract for Sportscene and other programmes but this is not the case for the Scottish Championship. We have hired QTV, to handle our matchday production for home league matches.

“In the top flight, 11 of the 12 teams shared the same streaming partner and so both clubs benefitted from the availability of match pictures from the league’s production partner.

“Things are slightly trickier in the Championship, which moves me on to our plans for away matches, which we are still finalising. If our away matches are selected for live broadcast by BBC Scotland then we will be able to broadcast both pictures and commentary for subscribers.

“If an away match is not selected by the BBC and the home club uses the Pixellot AI camera system, then Killie TV will simply provide live commentary for subscribers. Fans who wish to watch the match would have the option of buying pay per view from the home club.

“As well as thanking all our subscribers, I want to say a heartfelt thanks to our original commentary team of Andy Bargh and Alan Cochrane as well as John Boyd, who acted as both a co-commentator and summariser throughout last season, for their work on Killie TV.” The media team will be overseeing social media for the Youth Academy in future. Trust members may also have noticed increased social media output on the activities of the Women’s first team, which is another welcome development.

Youth Academy Last week saw Academy Director Paul McDonald depart the Club. Paul has served the club with distinction, firstly as Head of Community for ten years and then Academy Director, a position he held from 2013. The Club news release covered Paul’s varied career and achievements and we all wish him well for the future.

It was a pleasure to see Killie’s U17s lift the Club Academy Scotland Cup after beating St Johnstone 4- 0 in the final, and we will hopefully see more of these young players in the future.

Club Academy Scotland will have a one year cycle from January 2022 and then a new three year cycle from 2023. Discussion is taking place on the best approach for us to ensure that our young players get every opportunity for success through nurturing talent, and ensuring good links with first team. James Fowler will be engaging with players and parents of young players on the detail of this.

As there will not be a UEFA solidarity payment for the coming season, there will be a funding gap to be filled. The Club is grateful for the Trust’s support as Academy partner and we can play a huge role supporting fundraising and sponsorship activities going forward. In the season ahead, the Killie Trust Logo will be on the players’ shirts, so very visible as a key partner.

Killie Trust activity I joined Trust Chair Jim Thomson in a Zoom call with new members of the Trust. This was the first time we have tried this way of engaging with new members and it was good to see that members from further afield were able to actively join in. We plan to have further online events like this in addition to face to face meetings.

We are also planning to have another ‘On Board In Person’ event as soon as restrictions are relaxed enough to allow us to have some members attend a face to face event.

I enjoy participating in the podcasts run by Trust members, most recently joining 2Clubs1Love podcast talking about the Trust and the Club, how football can support mental health and wellbeing, the impact of online abuse and the challenges of tackling racism in football. You can find the episode on Twitter: @2Clubs1Love.

I have regular meetings with the Trust Chair as well as attending Trust Board meetings and there are numerous plans in place for future developments, including some new members joining the Trust Board.

Thanks to the members who have volunteered their services for the Child Protection and

Welfare group. It was great to have enough people to allow them to be split between those with professional child protection experience for the advisory work, and those with current experience of working with young people who can help develop a safe approach to setting up Junior Trust membership. I will shortly be in touch with those who volunteered about next steps.

The Club Board would also like to thank the Trust volunteers who responded at short notice, literally rolled up their sleeves, and gave their time to help staff clean seating in the stadium and ensure stickers on seats ready for fans returning. The hand sanitising stations also provided by the Trust proved their worth at the matches.

Last, but definitely not least, I dropped in to the Killie Masters Golf Day organised by the Trust at Ballochmyle Golf Club.

It was a great opportunity for fans and former players to get together and enjoy the day.

There was no doubt that the former players would welcome being involved in other events, which is something the Trust is keen to take forward when restrictions are lifted.

There are still plenty of volunteer roles available within the Trust, all of which will contribute to the overall benefit of the Club as a whole, so please don’t be shy!

Fans who had flags placed in the stadium last season will be able to collect these – information will be shortly issued by the Trust and SLO on this.

Contacts I can be contacted in a number of ways: Email : cathyjamieson@kilmarnockfc.co.uk Twitter: @cathyjamieson Instagram: cathyjamiesonkillie Facebook: cathy jamieson While I am happy to engage on social media when I can, I’m sure members will understand that I am not monitoring that round the clock, so may not be able to instantly reply, and an email to me is often a better way of dealing with more complex issues.

Supporters Liaison Officer Allen Kyle is also happy to deal with queries from fans and he will let me know of any issues that need to be raised at Board level.

Club staff, the Child Wellbeing and Protection Officer and Kilmarnock Football Club Disabled Supporters Association can be contacted directly with details available on the club website.

KILLIE BITS + PIECES Our “growing the Killie family” initiative was very successful again this year with over 50 fans reaping the benefit of the generosity from fellow Killie fans. Massive thanks is due to everyone who donated especially one anonymous Killie fan who went above and beyond the call of duty to help.

There has a lot of talk in social media about how Motherwell did something similar but was way bigger than ours I’m humbled that they are taking their lead from our fanzine but perhaps we need to talk to the club next year about a bigger and higher profile joint up effort that I’m sure would see a rise in season ticket numbers. The Trust also do their own thing so perhaps we should all get together in the new year and come up with something special. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> It’s all change at RP these days with the “Killie Club” no more and the shop now moved in there meaning much more space and far more professional looking retail facility. It never sat well with me that a top provincial club like Killie operated shop sales out a portacabin…..that’s what I’d expect from that lot down the road.

Obviously someone at Hummel was having a laugh as the scum even chose our training kit as their change strip, nice to see they wore it as a tribute when we humped them last week. I will be hunting down anyone who goes into the club shops and asks to buy the A** away strip…..unless it is for bonfire purposes!

BRIGHT BOY BROPHY

Footballers have traditionally been tarred with the “nothing between the lugs” tag. However in recent years many players have dispelled that myth but sadly a chosen few are still thicker than mince……enter stage right Eamon Brophy. The injury prone striker apparently played for 6 months with a broken bone in his foot then blamed it all on the Killie medical team…..fud. The picture above shows Eamon having broken every bone in his body and commenting “ I think I might have split a toe nail”.

IF YOU CAN AFFORD IT PLEASE MAKE A DONATION AND ALL MONIES WILL GO TO TRUST IN KILLIE. THE NORMAL COST IS £2 BUT FEEL FREE TO DONATE WHATEVER YOU CAN. BANK DETAILS ARE: SORT CODE – 074456 ACCOUNT - 46480868 NAME – A ARMOUR