Hippo 169

WELCOME BACK GREG ANOTHER YEAR ANOTHER BOSS SHIELS FOR SCOTLAND? A WEE T.B. STORY £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.

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SHOOTING FROM THE HIPPO I have been finding it hard to sleep since the victory at Dingwall as I have been racked by guilt. You see there were only three boozehounds went up in the car and I’m disgusted to say none of us were partaking in alcohol. I feared we may get sued for using the name “boozehounds” and we’d be forced to change our name to the Howard Coffee Club. Thankfully our boozehound buddy saved the day by going up on the train and having a proper bucket….like many other weel kent Killie fans it has to be said. Cheers Burger I owe you a Latte….sorry beer.

We suffered from the dreaded fanzine editor’s curse in the last issue as Lee Clark headed south about 12 hours after issue 168 had gone to print. You will see an article in this issue about Killie managers and it’s fair to say the stats don’t look good for LC. I’m sure his CV will show that he kept us up and when he left we were in 6th place and we can’t argue with those facts. I do think there had been slight improvement compared to the team when Locke left however it was far from convincing and I don’t think many Killie fans were totally gutted when he left. Good luck to LC at Bury but I don’t think his stint at Killie will live long in the memory other than for a fine day in the sun against Falkirk.

It truly has been the most bizarre league with seven teams still in danger although a bit of a gap has opened up. After our win at Dingwall we are eight and seven points ahead of Inverness and Hamilton respectively however if we beat the Jags at home next week we will be in the top six! Someone commented on TV recently that the only way to guarantee safety was to finish sixth and that is the truth of the matter.

You will see all the latest gossip in the “newsdesk” article but it does seem that we will be ditching the plastic pitch at some point in the future. The pitch has apparently been used far more than it should have been and it’s not coping too well. I should point you to our home league record and would suggest our team are equaling not coping with it too well.

There has been lots of talk about season ticket boycotts for next season and KFCSA have been conducting a survey, I believe a significant number of fans would support this. There are various ways of dealing with this, folk can refuse to buy a ST but will still just go on a game to game basis and pay at the gate. I will have more information in the next issue but myself and a few chums are looking at setting up a scheme that will hopefully cover all bases.

Hippo love to you all…..keep sending those articles.

Sandy

MCCOOL’S DEEPEST THOUGHTS As the dust settles on Lee Clark's departure, I find myself still struggling to nail quite how I feel about it. I can only sum it up as a strange concoction of ambivalence.

Depressed for one. I mean, are these the depths that, not just our club, but Scottish football in general, has plummeted to? Bury? A perennial lower league outfit, from a smog filled backwater in Greater Manchester? They are now seen as a better option than Scotland's top division. Enough to sicken a happy clapper and no mistake!!

Then there's the confusion of initial shock and surprise, supressed by the swift realisation that nothing about the nuthouse that is Rugby Park, should EVER surprise anyone. Yes, the guy seemed to have his feet under the table, had flooded the place with more players than a cigarette rack, had introduced his own training regime - not being afraid to piss off a few high profile members of the squad into the bargain - and appeared, by all accounts, to be in it for the long haul, but what does any of that mean at Kilmarnock nowadays? Between board members, playing staff and managers, we've witnessed more comings and goings than an office hoist and the only constant, it would seem, is the one clown who's holding us back. That just about sums us up to be honest.

Contrast this to the recent past, when we had the same management team from 2002 until 2010 and a comparatively solid, albeit far from ideal, working environment for club's staff to operate in.

Now? Chaos. Utter chaos. The only stable thing about the place is it's instability.

So where has Lee Clark left us then? In my humble view, slightly better off than whence he found us and no more than that. In fact, much as I hate to say it, I reckon Euan MacLean of the Daily Record was bang on the money with the article he wrote on our departed boss in yesterday morning's paper.

To paraphrase, Clark's statistics look better on paper than the reality of his tenure. Had you asked me to write a report card on him a week ago, it would have been filed as satisfactory.

Six out of ten, with the jury still out on whether or not he would become a successful long term manager.

I understand precisely why he felt the wholesale changes that he made were necessary. The mentality of the dressing room over theblast few seasons appeared to be absolutely honking of negativity and an acceptance of mediocrity at best. An opinion summed up by some of the thinly veiled remarks that Lee Clark himself made in interviews when asked about his transfer policies.

I also salute the fact that amongst the jamboree of journeymen, he netted us a cool million pounds on Coulibaly and going further back, that he managed to keep us in the league last season, when that looked like mission impossible for long spells.

There was another side to the coin, however, in the shape of what appeared to be growing unrest at Jamie McDonald's situation, amid rumours that he had been ordered to play the Newcastle loanees. The onfield performances are perhaps Clark's biggest conundrum. The first game I saw this season was the midweek league cup tie at Berwick. Coming hard on the heels of a defeat to Championship Morton the previous weekend, it was quite an experience.

Frankly, the first hour was horrifying. In fact I was on a flight home from Ibiza back in my mis-spent youth the last time I had a dose of the fear like that.

Somehow though, we turned a two goal deficit into a three two victory and this appears to be how the season has gone on to unfold since. Whenever we've looked like crashing and burning, we have somehow found a way out.

Could it have continued? Could Lee Clark have brough us through this turbulence and into a place where that revolving door that's been spinning round like the walzers, circled at a more sedate pace? We'll never know now, but the players have to know, sooner rather than later, who their new boss will be.

Lee McCulloch is currently in pole position. Does Johnstone like the name Lee, or is he the cheap option? I'll leave that open for debate. For what it's worth, Lee McCulloch DOES know the strengths and weaknesses of the squad more than anyone else, he appears to be a popular figure in the dressing room and I would definitely like him to stay on the backroom team, but as boss? Let's be clear about this, we may be in sixth position at the time of writing, but we are well and truly in a relegation battle and very much candidates for one of the bottom two places.

Add this to the now customary turmoil around the club and you have to ask yourself, is Rugby Park the place for a rookie manager? I only have to look out my Inverness bedroom window in the direction of Caley stadium to see what can happen to a young gaffer in the bottom six pressure cooker. We need experience and I make no apologies for touting the same man I've touted every time we've had a managerial vacancy in recent seasons.

That man is Jim Duffy. He's familiar with every division in Scottish football, has a wealth of contacts and having worked at Hearts, Chelsea, Dundee and others, he's dealt with his fair share of malcontents, which should stand him in good stead for the dealings he would have with our esteemed major share holder. Put it like that and it's a no brainer.

Could we perhaps use the fee from Bury to prise him away from Morton? It would be difficult because he's on a good thing at Cappielow and we're probably about as appealing as a dog shite sandwich right now, but we MUST at least attempt to get the best candidate possible. Our fortunes over the next few years, and beyond, may just depend on it. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> HIPPO SAYS – Thanks once again to our roving Inverness reporter who still manages to make just about every Killie game from the wrong end of the A9. That’s no mean feat when you consider the bold boy doesn’t even consume any alcohol…..no way that lad will be allowed into the elite Howard boozehounds!!

One thing that you cannot aim at McCool is that he doesn’t sit on the fence and he makes the case for Jim Duffy. He has had a chequered managerial career but is currently doing a fine job with Morton who appear to be progressing as each season passes. They look certainties to be in the play offs so we may even get to see the baldy boss at close quarters come the end of May. The Clark situation all accelerated very quickly and caught most of us a bit by surprise. You will see another article in this issue all about Killie and their managers in recent history but I’m not sure Lee Clark will be in many “my favourite Killie manager” quotes. The guy started well at Bury but I cant help but think the deal suited both parties. Clark was happy to escape from the Theatre of lies and Killie weren’t too sad that he went so I tend to ignore the sob stories coming out both camps.

From a Killie viewpoint Clark is history and all that matters is we stabilise and make sure we finish no lower than 10 th come the end of May…..my old ticker wont survive another play off.

THE LEGEND THAT IS…..T.B. This great wee story about the legendary TB comes from former Kilmarnock player Alan Kerr in response to a post from Tommy’s daughter, Jenna. It features Colin ‘Melly’ Meldrum – now a goalkeeping coach at Celtic Park!

The story was posted on the Celtic Collectibles Facebook page : “Myself, David Bagan Mark Roberts, Colin Meldrum and a few others were Y.T.S. at Kilmarnock and we could tell you a few stories about your dad as we were on the receiving end of a few rollickings growing up.

None more so than when we were called in to his office after hearing of us being on a night out in Kilmarnock which wasn’t the smartest move we ever made and we made a few mistakes then.

This time your dad called us all in, asked if we were all out to which 7 or so replys were “yes”.

We were then asked if we had been drinking, which once again we said we had been, no point trying to outfox the legend because he would of went to the ends of the earth to prove it!

With our legs trembling in his wee offfice, he didnt seem that bothered that we had owned up about the drinking.

The third and final question was with that angry expression where the vein in his neck stuck out “who aw got a burd?”

Nobody answered . . .

I’ll ask again “who all got a burd and I want an answer?”

Six of us replied “Melly gaffer”, to which Tommy turned to Melly who was white as a sheet and said “did you walk her home?”

“Yes gaffer” was Mellys reply.

“Did ye get her number Melly?”

“Yes gaffer”

“Did ye winch her?”

“No gaffer” “Mellly did ye winch her?”

“No honest gaffer I didn’t !!”

“Well you are fined, I canny believe you got her number, walked her home and didn’t winch her!”

Then this big smile came across his face which to our relief, we burst out laughing!

Melly couldn’t believe he was getting fined for no winching the girl and we got off for being out drinking!

Then, with his laugh, Tommy told us to get out and let this be a lesson to us that he had eyes everywhere.

The man new everything about every player at his club, made you feel part of the club, often sent us for cakes after training which he shared with us after taking the best ones obviously!

Just a true gentleman, left a mark on our young careers Jenna because he was the ultimate professional, so much so that after all those years myself, David and Mark went to his funeral just because we felt we couldn’t miss it .

I’m still good friends with David and Mark and also Andy Millen where we often talk about stories and our time at kilmarnock.

It was an absolute honour to have had Tommy as a manager as I was just starting out, but I’ve taking some of his values and ways of working along the way.

God Bless You Tommy. Forever in our hearts.”

Tommy’s family set up a skin cancer charity in his memory following his death. Details about the charity and how to make donations can be found here: www.tommyburnssct.org/ Hippo says - a truly great man and will be forever in my top three of Killie heroes. As much as his footballing and managerial abilities were class he was simply a wonderful person who you desperately wanted to succeed.It goes without saying that TB was taken way way too young so please feel free to contribute to the charity in any small or large way that you can afford.

KENNY SHIELS FOR SCOTLAND (WRITES CRAIG A) We love finding Killie related stuff on the internet and this will bring a smile to your face. Craig is a big Killie fan and has written stuff for the Hippo in the past: Gordon Strachan is living on borrowed time as Scotland manager, and many of my esteemed Terrace Podcast colleagues have suggested possible replacements. With the greatest of respect, they’re all wrong. Only one man can lead Scotland out of the international wilderness and into the promised land of losing 2-0 to Saudi Arabia at the World Cup. It’s got to be King Kenny (no, not that one).

1. He has the international experience Shiels has a proven track record of success at the international level. He spent more than five years at the helm of the Northern Ireland U17s, guiding them to their fir st ever European Championships back in 2004. In that role, Shiels was responsible for the development of many of the squad which took Northern Ireland to the knockout stages of this summer’s Euros. He also gained knowledge of the internal workings of the SFA during his short spell in charge of the Forth Valley Academy.

The next Scotland manager will have two main objectives – qualifying for a major tournament, and developing promising talents like Oliver Burke, Kieran Tierney and Ryan Gauld. Shiels has already shown that he can do both.

2. He loves to make history Ending Scotland’s 20 year wait for a major finals appearance would be a daunting task for any manager, but Shiels relishes that sort of challenge. His spell at Kilmarnock saw him tear up all the record books. Never won the League Cup? Enter Kenny. No wins at Celtic Park in over 50 years? Kenny’s your man. Haven’t beaten Rangers at home in 17 years? Send for Kenny.

Of course, his desire to boldly go where nobody has gone before can also work the other way. Losing six goals at home to Inverness was a first for a Kilmarnock manager, and there aren’t many Morton managers who can lay claim to conceding double figures in a league match. But you have to take the rough with the smooth. Who wouldn’t accept a 7-4 defeat at home to Malta if it means we can beat England home and away and qualify for the World Cup. 3. He knows how to build a rapport with his supporters Gordon Strachan was initially very popular with the Scotland support, but gradually his abrasive nature has begun to rub supporters up the wrong way. He treats the views of the media and the fans with disdain, and that will not buy you many friends when results go poorly.There is little danger of that being the case with Shiels, who always stressed the importance of having his supporters onside. When he was in charge at Kilmarnock, he would often go into local pubs and drink with supporters.

When season ticket sales were going poorly, he arranged for himself and his players to phone fans to ask for their support.

Even though he lived in Edinburgh, he would travel to Kilmarnock to get his hair cut “because the town needs an uplift”.

When Killie played Inverness in a midweek game in February, he went to the away stand before the game and personally thanked each of the 60-odd fans who had made the journey. Shiels gets what it means to be a football fan.

The Scotland support would lap that stuff on an even bigger scale. They already think they are the best fans in the world, and would shoot their load instantly at a manager who reinforced that belief. You can picture him going round the Lithuanian pubs the night before the game leading the singsongs of “Doe a Deer” and taking selfies with fat, hairy guys wearing nothing but a kilt and a glengarry.

4. He sends his sides out to entertain and win Over the last couple of decades, Scotland have been stifled by negative tactics and a lack of self-confidence. Shiels wouldn’t stand for any of that. Together with Mixu Paatelainen, he oversaw a change in culture at Killie. Out went the drab, dour performances of the Jefferies and Calderwood eras, and in came entertaining, flowing and most importantly winning football. And it was mostly done with the same group of players.

One generation of Scotland players has already been constrained by the stuffiness of keep -it-tight-and-hit-the-channels football, and we can’t allow that to happen again. Shiels would let the players express themselves.The beginning of the downfall of our Euro 2016 campaign was settling for a draw in Ireland when we could have gone for the jugular.

Many of us (me included) thought a draw was a good result at the time, but in hindsight perhaps a bolder approach would have helped us towards qualification. Shiels wouldn’t have thought twice about going for the win. With Killie’s League Cup final against Celtic poised at 0-0 with 15 minutes to go, conventional wisdom would have been to shut up shop and play for extra time or penalties. But Shiels chased the win, bringing on striker Dieter van Tornhout for midfielder Gary Harkins, and his gamble paid off with van Tornhout scoring the winner. That could be Leigh Griffiths at Wembley next mo nth.

5. Patter If the SFA want to maximise their patter-to-pound ratio, then Shiels is the obvious choice. He’s cheap and he’s batshit mental.

Put a microphone in front of him and he’ll tell you exactly what he thinks about every single thing that’s going on in the world.

Gordon Strachan gave a diplomatic answer when asked about the departure of Sam Allardyce as England manager. Shiels would have given a 45 minute lecture on morality and called for Allardyce to be jailed and/or knighted. A highlight of Shiels’ reign at Killie was him gradually getting under the skin of Paulo Sergio until the supposedly suave and sophisticated Hearts boss descended into a seething mess and got himself sent to the stand after yet another defeat.

He had similar spats with Kirk Broadfoot, Andrew Dallas and just about everyone else who crossed his path. Add in the pressure of the Scotland job and Shiels might be the first ever manager to argue with himself via the media.

Whatever the question is, the answer is Kenny Shiels. Get it done, Regan.

FOCUSED WAYS TO INCREASE ATTENDANCE You may remember reading an article we did a few issues back looking at how we could offer £50 season tickets, it’s still something we hope to speak to the club about but that will only happen when the much needed changes are made.

Anyway we came across an article from Supporters direct that makes suggestions on how clubs can tempt back some of their lapsed fans. It’s a lengthy article so we have edited it and just picked out some of the points that may be relevant for a club like Killie….enjoy: For most of the clubs I know, maintaining or increasing attendances will be their biggest challenge in the season ahead. Achieving sporting glory will always be the ultimate objective, but most of us know that this is as likely as 6 numbers coming up on Saturday night. What matters is sustainability and I know, without any doubt whatsoever, that a club that builds engagement on shared values, delivers consistently positive experiences and acts with the supporter’s best interests at heart will thrive – regardless of how well it performs on the pitch.

Engagement based on short-term ‘miracle’ moments like Leicester City’s remarkable 2015/16 campaign is not sustainable, as it requires a consistently repeated level of performance to thrive. However, when you look at the way clubs, especially at this time of the year, position themselves with fans, ‘next season’ is always about ‘achievement’: pursuing goals ON the pitch. It’s never about getting closer to fans. I repeat ‘never’. Is it any wonder that many clubs struggle for sustainability when engagement is not even a strategic priority?

15 years of working in football has made it clear to me that discounting is no effective alternative path to sustainability. Price mustn’t be a barrier to fans, but it’s engagement that has a stronger influence on whether or not they return.

Sure, winning will get them coming back too, but you can’t control that, can you?

In my more despairing moments of existentialist angst, I often wonder whether the solution to this is for clubs to simply lower supporter expectations.

As a Sunderland fan, I think I’d warm to a strategy defined by terms like ‘scraping through’, ‘looking for the positives’ and ‘battling’. But I’m consoled by the knowledge that any club that follows my advice below can look forward with much more confidence.

Ultimately, your best way of sustainably growing attendances is to pursue supporter engagement, so here are my top ten tips for 2016/17:

1. Make Supporter Engagement a Priority Most businesses, in my experience, treat customer service as a low priority. They may say it’s important, but customer value isn’t measured, senior officials don’t talk about it, it’s not a priority at meetings and, as is abundantly clear to anyone who works in the organisation, there are far more important priorities. There’s something of this in football clubs, where the defining culture is one of aggression, perhaps understandably when one considers the importance of achieving sporting glory.

However, when this culture of aggression infects supporter-facing parts of the club (ticket office, stewards, refreshments staff, etc.) then you have a problem and we continue to uncover horror stories from a range of sports where the customer appears to represent nothing more than an occupational hazard.

If you’re a CEO or senior official at the club, make it clear not just through what you say (but also what you do) that fans matter. Ask about feedback; include engagement on meeting agendas, base recognition around acts of kindness to fans and share performance stats with your people.

The leaders, of course, are key since they set the tone for the rest of the organisation. If my marketing director never shows any interest in ‘listening’ to the customer, then why should I do anything different? If it’s about the volume of calls over the quality, or the output over the process, then what else should we expect but poor outcomes? If, however, before a game, the CEO is out talking to supporters in the stadium vicinity, collecting feedback and encouraging discussion, then all of a sudden, the stewarding team is on its marks too.

2. TALK TO SUPPORTERS Most supporters believe that their clubs keep them at an arm’s length.

Sometimes this is because of a feeling that ‘we can’t please anyone’ and often simply because it’s not been done before and you’re not sure how to do it.

So my recommendation would be to put in place a process for generating feedback, whether it be a simply ‘engagement’ hashtag, whereby you can collect common issues; a regular face-to-face supporter forum or a quantitative survey. Share the results widely (even if they’re critical); thank fans for input; tell fans what you’re doing with their feedback and make it a big moment when you implement a change fans have been calling for. In addition to generating useful improvement data, the simple presence of these processes will create more positive perceptions of your club.

3. Measure Supporter Engagement What we measure defines us also. If all we measure is attendance, then we can only guess at what‘s driving that. However, if we’re on top of the factors influencing attendance, we’re naturally better placed to take remedial action. What is the reason for non-renewal of season tickets? What is the reason an irregular supporter has started to come more often? How strongly would supporters recommend the club to people who’ve not been to games before?

How easy is it to deal with the club? How valued do you feel as a fan? Give me this data and I can build a sustainable club.

4. Recognise that the Make Up of your Fan Base is Changing Let me ask you one question: does your club have a high profile female voice?

Women and girls make up a growing segment of your fan base and yet remain under-represented in boardrooms, management teams and on a match day.

When I speak to female supporters they see the impact of these antiquated attitudes translate into a variety of disappointments, from poor retail choices to enduring examples of ‘every day sexism’ but, most importantly, they see massive missed opportunities. Why not make 2016/17 the year when you convene your first female supporter panel?

5. Recognise Achievement In the course of our many football trips most of the magic we see is off the pitch.

Refreshments staff who see how much a young family has to carry and offer to take their purchases back to their seats for them; a steward who helps a little lad to obtain an autograph; the stewarding team at Adams Park at the recent England Women game (where the daughter of an acquaintance of mine had a seizure but who received remarkably swift and caring assistance).

At Oklahoma Thunder, when club reps are observed doing the right thing, they are immediately rewarded by supervisors armed with tokens that can be exchanged for discounts at local stores or neat gifts. This particular approach might be too ‘American’ for some, but that’s no excuse for not finding ways to reward people for ‘doing the right thing’.

6. Make the most of your Supporter Liaison Officer Although clubs range in size, resources and potential, they all have a Supporter Liaison Officer (SLO). To what extent is your SLO driving engagement? This is a particularly easy ‘open goal’ because the SLO is a fan – so he or she is more likely to understand how the club is perceived and where the gaps are. So are there opportunities for the SLO to take a more direct role in implementing change? >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>..

HIPPO SAYS – Some well made and well thought out points and ones that apply to almost all clubs……we will exclude the ones with so much money that fans don’t matter. They do make the point that it’s not just about reducing prices but genuinely engaging with the fans and the community….that is totally what its about at Killie.

The intention with the £50 ST plan is to use that as a away of enticing back lapsed fans and encouraging new ones. Sustainability is about more numbers through the gate so once we get them back it’s up to those in charge to treat the fans properly and ensure they will come every week. It’s a lot of hard work and it won’t happen overnight but it is achievable with the right people in charge putting the fans first for a change.

ANOTHER YEAR ANOTHER NEW BOSS For many years Killie were a well run club who had a reputation of being a nice place to work. That saw a stable period and there was no huge turnover of managers however that has all come to a crashing halt in recent years. The shambolic running of the club has created an atmosphere of mistrust, lack of direction and instability and one result of that is managers changing on an almost annual basis.

Since the removal of Kenny Shiels there has been nothing but poor performances and relegation battles and the appointments Alan Johnston, Gary Locke and Lee Clark have all failed. In the case of Clark he came in and kept us up but there was never any feeling that it would be a long term relationship and he was out the door faster than a rat up the main stand drainpipe!

Kilmarnock Managers Manager Lee Clark Gary Locke Allan Johnston Kenny Shiels Mixu Paatelainen Jimmy Calderwood Jim Jefferies Bobby Williamson Alex Totten Tommy Burns Jim Fleeting Eddie Morrison Jim Clunie Dave Sneddon Walter McCrae

From 2016 2015 2013 2011 2010 2010 2002 1996 1994 1990 1989 1985 1981 1977 1969

Until 2017 2016 2015 2013 2011 2010 2010 2002 1996 1994 1990 1989 1985 1981 1973

W 10 11 20 29 15 7 116 89 30 78 21 60 67 65 64

D 14 10 11 31 6 4 65 67 21 57 7 49 65 52 38

L 19 22 36 35 13 12 144 87 45 56 14 72 97 63 81

Total 43 43 67 95 34 23 325 243 96 191 42 181 229 180 183

Win% 23.26 25.58 29.85 30.53 44.12 30.43 35.69 36.63 31.25 40.84 50.00 33.15 29.26 36.11 34.97

By way of highlighting manager achievement in recent history here is a wee stats table that makes for interesting reading. Of course it should be pointed out straight away that we are not comparing like for like e.g. Jim Fleeting has an excellent 50% win rate however that was achieved in the lower divisions whereas all the recent managers spent their entire time in the Premier League.

Another important factor is the length of time spent in the hotseat as it is far more difficult to keep the percentages up over a longer period. Guys like Tommy Burns, Bobby Williamson and Jim Jefferies were all in charge for a lengthy period and all three did a good job overall. Jefferies should have left two years sooner than he did however he did still bring a period of stability at a time when Johnston was beginning to insert his negative influence off the park.

Considering the length of time in charge it has to be said that the stats don’t show up very well for Lee Clark. He has the worst percentage of any manager although I think there was a general consensus that there had been slight improvement since the Locke days. Of course stats can be used to suit almost any argument and much of the time we are better relying on our own eyes rather than rely on endless stats. Lee McCulloch has only had a handful of games in charge but it’s interesting to note than during his two stints in temporary charge he has had three away league games and he has won them all!! Sadly our home record doesn’t compare so it’s just as well we are able to pick up some vital wins on our travels.

Jim Jefferies was in charge for 325 games however we have had six managers since who have been in charge of 305 games between them. In general teams who are constantly changing bosses are not too successful, it’s normally a sign of an unstable club or a clueless board…..both in our case.

All the talk now is about who is next to take on the poisoned chalice and our moles inform us the board want McCulloch to take it until the end of the season however “Jig” is undecided as to whether he wants it. That may be because of the way the club is run however the vacancies at Motherwell and Sevco will have caught his eye…..an assistant job at Ibrox has been rumoured.

Sadly we have to do one of these articles on an annual basis at present so lets have a wee look at the runners and riders for the hotseat. Sadly I couldn’t find any bookies odds for the new boss, I doubt we are no longer a big enough club to get a book made up: LEE MCCULLOCH If I was a betting man I reckon he would still be favourite and he is the man most likely even if it is just initially until the end of the season. I think Killie fans are split on this one as LM was part of the Clark management team which wasn’t too successful although it is hard to say how much influence he had on things. It may well that things are left as they are until May then our bumbling board will need to make a decision.

GARY HOLT The former Killie star is a regular at RP these days and it’s no secret that he fancies being a Killie boss one day. II don’t get carried away with the explayers stuff as it can backfire quite easily however in the case of “curritts” I think the time is right to give him his chance. He has some excellent experience during two spells down at Norwich and in between times he had a good year at Falkirk working with a young squad.

The club has lost it’s soul and identity during the Johnston years and once he is finally gone we need good people with the club at heart who can help pull everyone together. Holt can do that as well although I fully accept that he cannot be appointed on that alone. As I say GH has served a decent coaching/management apprenticeship and the time is right to give him the job…..he may not want it as long as Johnston is still there.

Outwith those two we have the likes of Mixu whose CV took a pounding during his disastrous reign at Tannadice but he does still have contacts at the club. You will see experienced guys like Jim Duffy and Yogi Hughes getting quoted as well as ex Killie faces like Gus McPherson and Jim McIntyre. The most important thing is the here and now so let’s make sure we are still in the Premiership as I head out for my summers hols to Crete. I still think McCulloch will be here until May and then we can see what happens.

KILLIE KIDS MISS OUT The down side of being a disorganized fud like myself is that the fanzine inevitably gets left to the last minute. In the case of this issue that meant staying in all day on Sunday after the Dingwall victory……and missing the Youth Cup semi final v sevco.

I was talking to programme editor Richard Cairns during half time at Dingwall and we both agreed the highlight of the season so far was the kids quarter final victory (3-2) at Scumerset. It was brilliant entertainment and had everyone hoping another cup final appearance was on the horizon.

Thanks to my boozehound chums who were at the semi and kept me up to speed with all the goings on. The big news was that Greg Kiltie featured in the starting eleven, the team was as follows: MCKAY, QUEEN, LIDDINGTON, A. WILSON, CLARK, HAWKSHAW, WHITTAKER, KILTIE CAMERON, FRIZZELL, MCLEAN With former coach Paul Stephenson away to join Lee Clark at Bury it was left to Paul McDonald and Kris Boyd to take charge. There was an early scare with Kiltie on the receiving end of a thumping challenge but there was no damage done. Play was pretty evenly balanced but killie took the lead on 28 minutes. Liddington lobbed the ball to Innes Cameron who headed home with the flute lovers appealing for offside.Sadly the lead only lasted about two minutes with the visitors equalizing after a free kick was poorly defended by Killie…….first team all over again I’d say!!

There was no further scoring in the 90 minutes with sevco looking the likelier but killie hitting the post late on. The game went to extra time with no goals in the first period however we lost three goals and ended up losing 1 – 4. It was a great effort from the lads all the same and you can never take away the memories of that great day at scumerset.

THE KILLIE MERRY GO ROUND ( writes Great Scott) We are now well and truly in the thick of the club’s annual managerial merry-go-round.For the last three seasons, we’ve been in this predicament but should we be surprised? Be it the failures of passionless Allan Johnston, and now Lowland League bound Gary Locke. Or the Geordie who saved us from relegation and left us in a Top Six spot before scurrying back down the road to join footballing giants Bury – who could blame him?

If I were a betting man – which I am and a poor one at that – I’d wager you that we are going to be in the exact same situation this time next year as history will more than likely repeat itself.

I have eventually drawn the conclusion that it doesn’t matter who the manager is, under the current regime, it is going to be virtually impossible for whoever the next gaffer is to bring the club back to where it should be.At the end of the day, if the club is struggling to make ends meet and are virtually blocking investment from local businesses then what chance do we have?

However, there are methods that can reduce the inevitable hunt for a new manager in February 2018…

A great start would be to bring in someone who has some sort of ‘long-term’ vision for the club. By ‘long-term’ I mean having a familiar squad that we can build and improve upon every transfer window with as few loan signings as possible – not much to ask for, right?

Also, I think we must consider going for someone who knows the club. I’ve never been a big advocate of this approach but I do feel it will be the right move given the club’s circumstances, as we need a manager who the supporters can unite behind and ultimately take Kilmarnock back to where we should be.

Identity. That’s the main trait I want to see the new manager bring -whoever it may be. I think the club has lost its identity of late. Of course, we are still trying to integrate youth but if the rumours are to be believed about the Newcastle loanees as well as the Ajer deal from Celtic then it does make you think how far we have fallen. The fact we’ve been bending over backwards to suit the parent clubs opposed to the best interest of our own, once great club.

(For the record I do like the Newcastle boys and Ajer but I’m concerned about the rumoured terms of their deals. With the alleged clauses regarding playing time and positions the main gripe I have, if the rumours are set to be believed).So, where does this leave Jig in regards to my choice for the job?

Well does he tick all the boxes? No. But would I be opposed to him getting the gig full time? No. I think there is no doubt McCulloch has got the best out of the players since he has come in and we’ve started to create a hell of a lot more chances than before. Even the disappointing defeat to Motherwell saw us have an unbelievable 20 shots on goal and dominate possession. But the trait that has struck me the most in regards to McCulloch’s interim administration is how he speaks about the club in the media.

For someone who has never played for us you can see he knows what the club is about and where it has fallen short over the years. He has outlined his own vision for where he wants the club to be too and certainly seems like a guy the support would get behind if given the position – what a difference 18-months makes eh?

However, there are still doubts about whether McCulloch wants the job or not.

And you know what? Who can blame him?

But in reality whether it is or isn’t Jig who lands the job on a full-time basis it’s certainly not a decision the board can afford to get wrong.

THE HIPPO NEWSDESK Many of you will know about the big 20th anniversary dance on May 20th to celebrate our never to be forgotten cup win. The KFCSA have been planning this for a while now and if you don’t have a ticket already I think you may be out of luck. It seems the dance is full and the biggest problem has been preventing it from being over subscribed.

Unfortunately it’s on the same day as the final league game of the season so let just pray we don’t get drawn down into another pitched battle which sees us having a critical last day “squeaky bum” game. I’m assured the majority of the cup final squad will be in attendance and a top night is assured as long as our current squad keep us in mid table safety! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> The rumour mill has been fairly active in recent weeks concerning our off field struggles. One chap who I work with assures me Johnston will be removed at the upcoming AGM. I did ask for a source but was told he would have to kill me if he told me.

I have heard these stories on more than one occasion but as said in previous issues, I’ll believe it only when it actually happens.

Another connected story is that Johnston is hoping to do a deal with a local restaurant chain over selling his share of the hotel. I do know business people who assure me talks have taken place but once again the proof will be in the pudding…….they tell me Buzzworks do nice puddings!! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Some ex Killie players have been making headlines down south recently. At Colchester Craig Slater has made a good impression since joining last summer but the midfielder is out for the rest of the season. Apparently he had to give in to longstanding groin/hernia problems and went under the surgeon’s knife a couple of weeks back.

League cup winning midfielder Liam Kelly is making headlines for different reasons as he recently picked up a 6 match ban. He had an “altercation” during the recent match against Plymouth and he ended up shoving over a ball boy……the wee guy must have been wearing an A*r strip. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> We have been hinting for a while now that Killie may revert back to a grass pitch after the failed experiment with the plastic. My old china Baz assures me this will happen but exactly when is unknown. The plastic pitch is being way overused it seems and cant cope with the amount of pressure it is being put under. It is rumoured we will buy the pitch out at Moorfield and use that as our training facility. One fi nal snippet was that Miles Addison has been released but that has not been confirmed as yet.

I’M TAKING UP ELEPHANT POLO!!!

If there is one thing on the good Lord Willie’s earth that breaks me out in a cold sweat it’s the thought of this oxygen thief taking charge at the Theatre of lies. I’ve just never ever liked the guy and if you talk to people in the game they will tell you he is not the nicest of characters…..keep him well away.

I am publicly announcing that if he arrives at Killie I will dump football and take up elephant polo…….no not as an elephant!!!