Killie Hippo - Covid 3

KILLIE HIPPO AN UNOFFICIAL KILLIE FANZINE COVID SPECIAL 3

1920 CUP FINAL TRIP • GROWING THE KILLIE FAMILY • MEMORIES OF RHYL…..AND • THE DANUBE BLUES

HUGE THANKS TO OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS RAINBOW INK CO. MODWAY SCOTLAND URQUHART OPTICIANS TONY BONE LEGAL COLIN MCDONALD HOME MAINTENANCE BILLY BOWIE SPECIAL PROJECTS LTD I LOVE GIFTS BACK ONSIDE – MENTAL HEALTH CHARITY PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS WHENEVER POSSIBLE CONTACT E-MAIL : Killiehippo@aol.com NO ARTICLES TO BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT PERMISSION BACK ISSUES 2–204 INCLUSIVE AVAILABLE GET IN TOUCH FOR DETAILS All views expressed are those of the contributors

SHOOTING FROM THE HIPPO What a fantastic old pic on the front cover showing Killie fans outside Riccarton Church getting ready to head to Hampden for our 1920 cup winning final. It’s fair to say it’s not an express much so they are probably leaving about a month before the game!! Due to COVID it seems like that is the last competitive match we played but my mind is playing tricks at the moment. As always we hope you and your families are all well and looking forward to getting back to some kind of normality.

The good news is that since our last issue the players are back in training and working towards an opening league game on 1st August. Sadly that will be behind closed doors and the latest estimate for some fans getting into watch games is October. Even then I suspect it will not be able to accommodate all who want to attend so the club will then have the headache of working out a system…..presumably for season ticket holders first and foremost.

The team back training is one thing however the pre season routine is still going to be much different from normal. For many years now we have went abroad to the likes of Spain or Italy for a training camp in the sunshine to get us ready for the challenge ahead. In all honesty we are normally slow starters so I’m not sure what benefit that gave us, perhaps we’ll be able to compare that to this season’s opening gambits.

In recent years the League Cup has effectively replaced pre season friendlies but that tournament has been shoved back to around October I think. I suspect the format will need to be a bit more streamlined but we’ll see what transpires there.

Good old fashioned friendlies may make a return but that will be governed by the teams doing sufficient testing and putting all safety requirements in place. It’s a mighty strange old world just now and not even the beautiful game is immune to its impact.

In terms of the squad it has been quiet so far with Aaron McGowan being the only incomer…..he looks a decent signing to replace SOD. We don’t have a senior goalkeeper at present but recent rumours about another loan spell for Daniel Bachmann would be very well received by the Killie faithful. I’d expect to see another few additions in the weeks ahead as we race towards the opening fixtures.

We are delighted to welcome new sponsors including the excellent Back Onside mental health charity, the wonderful Ilovegifts shop in Bank Street and Billy Bowie Special Projects….welcome on board guys/gals. Their generosity allows us to do more things and wherever possible we’ll put money into the club. The need has never been greater for everyone to pull together and ensure we remain competitive in the top tier of Scottish football….YNTTK Sandy

(HAPPY) MEMORIES OF RHYL The whole COVID situation has turned all our worlds upside down and on a personal level my whole concept of time has flown straight out the window.

It seems like ten years ago since I last saw Killie play and it seems like another lifetime that we made our famous journey down to Wales for the start (and end) of our amazing European adventure.

Incredibly our tie in Rhyl against Connah’s Quay Nomads will celebrate it’s 1st birthday on 11th July and it would be fair to say that some Killie fans have still not sobered up from that memorable journey. Of course the tie ended up being a nightmare so we won’t refer to the home tie but it goes without saying that the first leg will go down as one of the best Killie away days ever.

Much like the anticipation in the lead up to a big semi final or final, the excitement was nerve tingling and myself and wee mate Marc took a half day off work so we could watch the draw. The tie came out and there was a feeling that it was easy for travel purposes, there will be a huge travelling support and we should comfortably progress to the next round!!

Of course there are difficulties in arranging all this as there was a whole load of boozehounds wanting to go, all with different work situations and all with a different preference of how and where we should go. As we starting reading the views of fellow Killie fans on social media it was clear they would be spread all over the north of Wales and NW England.

Many were in Chester, some were in Liverpool and others were in caravan parks outside Rhyl but we decided the best option was to just get a hotel (if possible) in Rhyl itself. That turned out to be a great idea as we ended up with a good hotel right on the seafront. One abiding memory of Rhyl will be the well fed seagulls especially when trying to walk home eating a king size kebab….more about the seagulls later.

Once we had the final number of boozehounds sorted it was agreed the train should take the strain and we quickly got booked up with a couple of changes before we got to Rhyl. Everyone had managed to get a ticket and it was clear that a huge number of fans were heading for the valleys. I know of a few non Killie guys who went down with their Killie supporting mates and I’m sure they won’t have been disappointed with the trip. I suspect this will have been the biggest away Killie crowd at a European tie but maybe some of my Killie stats loving chums will correct me.

The game was on the Thursday night so many fans were making a mini holiday of it by leaving early in the week. Due to work circumstances we decided to leave on the Thursday morning and stay until the Saturday morning……I will still bladdered come the Monday night! Social media was full of great tales about Rhyl on the Wednesday night and the pub of choice for many was the Bodfor.

It would be fair to say the pub has never seen anything like it and probably never will do again. Perhaps the biggest compliment of all was how highly the landlady spoke of all Killie fans. There had been hundreds of gallons softened and the place was absolutely bouncing but there was not a hint of trouble and every single Killie fan who travelled was a great ambassador for our famous old club.

We headed up bright and breezy from Kilmarnock to get the Virgin train south just after 9.00am with a small amount of clothing and an industrial amount of bevvy. We were full of beans as we took our reserved seats and cracked open a beer only to get a tap on the shoulder to say “no drink before 10.00am”……to be fair to the attendant he turned a blind eye as the full train was doing something similar. It seemed like the whole train was full of Killie fans and given the amount of beer on show there was going to be a bit of a queue for the dodgy loos!!

I had made a schoolboy error by agreeing to be interviewed by a local radio station who wanted to call me about 2.00pm to get a flavour of the atmosphere among the Killie fans. By the time they phoned we had changed at Warrington to get the wee train across to Wales and it would be fair to say I wasn’t at my finest. Thankfully there was loads of noise and singing when they called me so my slurring of words was probably drowned out by the loud chants of “we’re on our way”.

We arrived at Rhyl in mid afternoon and quickly dumped the gear at our hotel before heading to the town centre to sample the pre match atmosphere.

It was amazing as the whole place was wall to wall Killie fans and the biggest problem was finding a pub we could get into. We finally found a wee place called Cheers as the likes of the Bodfor was spilling out onto the street and we thought it might be a half hour wait to get served.

It wasn’t long before Cheers was spilling out as well and it was good to get chatting to a couple of Nomads fans who were looking forward to the game but expecting a hefty defeat. We assured them it took Killie many weeks to get up and running and since it was still mid July we might be even slower starting than normal……how prophetic!!

Kick off was almost upon us so we took the 15 minute walk out to the ground and still being amazed by the number of Killie fans heading out and singing their hearts out. We got to the ground and it was a small but tidy wee ground that was just about to get it’s safety capacity stretched to the limit.

I’m not sure exactly where the home fans were located as the whole ground was full of Killie flags and blue and white scarves……the fact that it was Angelo’s first game in charge added to the excitement.

The game itself was pretty tame but we came from behind to win 2-1 and Findlays late winner sent the Killie fans back into the town centre for a night to remember. We bounced about a few pubs before heading home about 2.00am with a selection of artery clogging kebabs. We made our way along the seafront drunkenly dodging the swooping seagulls who saw a walking buffet in front of them. Wee Marc was particularly upset by their aggressive attitude but his attempts to knockout the flying rats should have been captured on video and sent to Harry Hill.

Our Friday was spent recollecting the day and night before and letting our thoughts drift to who we might get in the next round….if ever there was a lesson to never tempt fate this was it. We were all struggling by mid afternoon but some food brought us back to life and we spent most of the day in the Bodfor joined by some fellow stragglers although most fans were heading home on the Friday.

It turned out to be a fantastic day and the staff at the Bodfor might still be counting the takings from the friendly Scottish invasion. I can honestly say on behalf of me and my fellow boozehounds that it was a never-to-beforgotten few days even if the aftermath was a little less memorable.

GROWING THE KILLIE FAMILY If you have bought the fanzine over the last couple of years you may know that we did a wee initiative in each summer whereby kind hearted Killie fans bought a family season ticket and we found some worthy recipients who for whatever reason would not have been able to attend RP this season. It started with one exiled Hippo subscriber and snowballed so that we were able to give away 10 tickets meaning an extra 40 fans at home games this season.

I should point out that the Killie Trust joined us with the initiative and I’ll be chatting to chairman Jim Thompson soon to discuss what we are doing this time around. I need to stress this is not a competition, we ask for people/families to be nominated who due to financial, personal or whatever reason cannot attend. Whenever we do a wee campaign we like to give it a name so from hereon it is called “Growing the Killie Family”.

It will be slightly different this year as we are asking fans to buy a ticket for someone you know who isn’t able to get one this time around. We are very much aware that many folk simply cannot afford a season ticket during these horrendous times. Please don’t indulge in any judgment of fellow fans or start making any “uber fan” type comments. This is a simple idea for us to all work together and help each other wherever possible.

If you are wanting to donate a ticket but do not have someone to buy for then we will facilitate this and find a fan who will be very grateful. We already have someone pledging around £500 to go towards tickets and we will help you wherever we can. Contact us at killiehippo@aol.com or message me on Facebook or Twitter if that is an option.

It goes without saying that the fanzine will be buying a ticket for a worthy recipient and we hope that fans who are in a position to do so will do the same. I’m sure you’ll agree we can all play a wee part in helping during these very difficult times to support the club and to get as many a ticket as possible.

The manager will tell you that increasing the home crowd has a really positive effect on the players so this is where we can help…..though not while we are just watching on telly!!. Please ensure you pass the details on to all your friends and family as we are trying to get as many folk sorted as possible.

I’m not setting any definite targets but I’ve no doubt that we will be able to beat last season’s number. When sending the e-mail please put on all your contact details although some folk want to remain anonymous. Also let us know if you want to purchase a family ticket, concession etc. I should also stress that the recipients will be kept anonymous at all times although I will tell each donor who is benefitting from their generosity. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

WELCOME One big benefit of doing an online fanzine is that I’m not restricted to 32 or 36 pages, I can basically do as many as I want. That may sound like the singularly least important thing on the planet but to a stressed out fanzine editor it’s like the greatest thing since the invention of the Nan Bread kebab.

In simple terms if we get a big load of articles one month then we will stick them all in rather than stick them away and hope they are still relevant in a month’s time. We will probably aim for around 34-36 pages each issue so please keep emailing (killiehippo@aol.com) with all your thoughts on anything Killie related or Scottish football in general.

We do have a couple of extra sponsors on board, something we wouldn’t have done with the hard copy fanzine. The support from all our sponsors allows us to get more money to the club and we make no apologies for harping on about this. This is a hugely important time for all clubs and if you are in a position to have some disposable income then head to RP and help where you can. It’s looking like we won’t be getting into games any time soon so with no income via cash punters the club will welcome every penny the fans can spare.

DANUBE BLUES My youngest son and I sat in silence. The final whistle had blown and could barely look at each other. Killie had been knocked out of the Europa league by Connah's Quay Nomads. That was bad enough, but both my sons and I had booked plane tickets at £500 each to travel to Belgrade in a fortnight's time.

After the game we met my eldest son outside the ground (he had been a guest in the posh seats) and he was close to tears. We had been ecstatic about the prospect of our first ever European trip together and now our dream was in tatters.

It took us a few days to begin to recover. We had booked our tickets before the tie, sure in the knowledge that Killie couldn't lose over two legs to a non league side! Anyway, we couldn't get a refund so decided to travel and make the best of it. To say we got a ribbing from friends and foe would be an understatement.

A few days before we travelled I noticed that a VIP package for the Partizan/Nomads match was only £20. I decided we might as well treat ourselves and e-mailed Partizan to enquire about it, explaining our circumstances. I got a lovely e-mail back expressing astonishment that we were still coming without our team!

They said that was what football was all about and told us they wanted to give us free VIP tickets and come for a tour of their trophy room. This made the trip seem a lot more special and we flew to Belgrade via Heathrow in good spirits.

On arrival at our hotel, which was in a side street, we felt we had stepped back in time to the Fifties. We went to a local bar for a meal and a drink and back to bed.

Next morning down to breakfast and we heard Scottish voices at the table next to us. 'Yes, we're Killie fans,' they said sheepishly. All a bit bizarre.

After breakfast we set off for the ground and came across Red Star Stadium first.

We went into the shop and politely asked directions to Partizan's ground. 'F**k off,' the assistant said. 'I don't discuss Partizan.' We laughed and thought he was joking. He wasn't.

Eventually we found the ground in a nice residential area and presented our e-mail at the office. To my surprise the staff knew all about us and the Marketing Director, Milorad Nikolic, came and took us upstairs for a coffee. Milorad asked us what had gone wrong against the Nomads as Partizan had been so confident we would win, they had booked their accommodation and were taking us very seriously as they knew we had beaten both Celtic and Rangers recently.

Anyway, we were then given a tour of the trophy room and discovered Partizan met Real Madrid in the European Cup Final the same year we had played them.

They were still hurting at losing two late goals to finish runners up. We were then given VIP tickets and a Partizan scarf each and we gave them a Killie scarf in return. He joked with us it was the first time in the club's history that they had to accommodate three lots of supporters in the ground. After we thanked them and left, we met the Nomads assistant manager, Jay Catton, outside the ground. He told us they had watched ten full games on video of us and sent a spy to our Spanish training camp. Not bad for a small team.

Back in the city centre we spent a great day wandering around the local attractions and taking a walk along the Danube. We also met various Killie fans as we strolled around.

Come evening we set out for the game. The walk to the ground became quite intimidating as we got nearer the stadium, mainly due to the brooding presence of the local police with their guns, batons and shields. Apparently the Partizan fans are split and often fight each other. It would certainly have been interesting if 1000+ Killie fans were being escorted to the ground!

Inside the ground we were guided to the VIP section. It was actually just a series of open air boxes, holding six people each. No food or drink, but great views. Not VIP as we know it. The ground was nowhere near full, but it was raucous enough.

However, we had the bizarre scene of around one hundred Killie fans singing, Hello, Hello in the area opposite us.

The Nomads did well, holding Partizan to 0-0 at half time, but ended up losing 30. What was really galling was that I believe a Steve Clarke team could have beaten Partizan over two legs. We left before full time and got back to the hotel for drinks and to reflect on the night.

In the morning we checked out and the receptionist was a Partizan fan who we had bantered with about football in general. As we left he acyually said, 'Can I ask you something? Who do you prefer, Celtic or Rangers?' I couldn't believe it.

'Kilmarnock!' I shouted..

The last act was at the airport. We saw the Nomads and had a word with their manager, Andy Morrison. He said to us that the reason Killie didn't go through was that we couldn't stand the shame of losing 1-0, so we charged forward and ended up losing 2-0 and that a foreign team would just bided their time. Ah well, I told him we were as guilty as anyone, urging the team forward.

Almost a year on, it still hurts writing this, as it would have been magnificent seeing the team play in that old run down, but wonderfully European stadium. It was not to be, but we still came back with great memories of a unique football adventure.

Ian Mason (mclean07)

CLOSED DOORS OR BUST!!

Before we get into this wee article I’d like to point out that we will not be making any reference to our county neighbours and any petty point scoring about them gaining an advantage from forever playing in a soulless derelict piggery. This is a time for the football family to pull together and I genuinely hope that when football returns they emulate their trophy haul of the last 110 years.

Every country on the planet has had a crisis to deal with since around March but it does seem that, similar to the Westminster tories, our football authorities are bottom of the world table when it comes to effectively dealing with and addressing the pandemic. Boris has made a monumental cock up when it comes to decision making on the key issues…..Neil Doncaster and his pals have mimicked that behaviour and as a result have left us as the laughing stock in the football world.

It’s hard to believe that with no games getting played we have descended into a daily dose of new reconstruction proposals and squabbling between clubs that will potentially cause bad feeling and mistrust for many years to come. We have done another article on reconstruction in this issue so we’ll leave that aside here and have a look at our game (hopefully) starting on August 1st behind closed doors.

Since our last issue Killie have announced their season ticket deal and wherever possible I’d ask you all to sign up. I totally understand that many are simply not in a financial position to do so however the Covid pandemic has highlighted that fans are more important than ever and it is them as a collective who will save their clubs.

The cost of a ticket is basically the same as last season however clearly games are initially going to be behind closed doors. The club has said that your ticket will guarantee that you get entry into 19 games whenever that is possible. All home games will be streamed so you will get to see the closed door games either on a live stream or in person….once the turnstiles reopen.

Hopefully things are starting to move and we may get into games sooner than we thought. In the meantime lets have a wee look at how closed door football looks and how it will affect us in the short term. It has been well reported that clubs will have to fork out for the Covid testing and that will cost us around £2k per week minimum….or £100k a year so it’s a healthy chunk of cash that we need to find.

Of course the whole football experience is drastically changed by closed door football. The old saying is that football is nothing without fans and from what I’ve seen in the Bundesliga and English Premiership that certainly is the case, more so than ever. One Irish writer is unimpressed with the whole closed door set up, here’s what he had to say: Saturday, May 16th. Borussia Dortmund against Schalke. Football is back.

The news the German Bundesliga would be returning to action has come as a sweet relief for many. It might not be much, but it’s something. Something to watch, something to talk about. Something to offer a brief release from the reality of a global pandemic – however fleeting.

But there is a great irony in the fact it is the German top flight which will be first the of the ‘big’ leagues to resume. German football prides itself on fan culture. There might be more money in England or Spain, but in Germany, there’s soul. Think of Dortmund’s yellow wall. Packed terraces at Union Berlin. You can go to the match, have a beer and a hot dog and still have change from €20.

Without supporters, German football doesn’t have the same pull. Yet around the world people will be fixed on the Bundesliga on Saturday, watching 22 men kick a ball around an empty stadium.

There is a dark edge to the desperation for the Premier League to return as soon as possible. A lot of people stand to lose a lot of money, something which has taken a precedence over people’s health.

As sinister as it may be, the push for football to resume also reflects how integral it is to people’s lives, its importance to communities and culture.

But if football resumes behind closed doors, is it really football at all?

Last month marked the 17th anniversary of Manchester United beating Real Madrid 4-3 at Old Trafford, as Brazilian Ronaldo dumped them out of the European Cup.

My dad and I were reminiscing about it – but none of our memories were about the football. It was what happened off the pitch which is ingrained.

The floodlights, the romance, the guttural noise and humour and defiance of the crowd. The standing ovation when Ronaldo was substituted.

Because football is so much more than the 90 minutes played out on the pitch. Football is sensory – it’s the smells and the sounds and the tastes, it’s what you see and hear.

Football is who you go with and who you meet. It’s seeing the green pitch for the first time as a child and being hooked for life.

Football is burgers and onions. It’s walking to the ground and seeing the floodlights. It’s fanzine sellers and swagmen and police horses and the click of the turnstile.

Football is Dublin airport on a Saturday morning, thousands of people supporting different teams but all on the same sacred pilgrimage.

Football is meeting your mates for pints in town, risking one more before someone says ‘right lads, kick-off’s in 15 minutes.’

Football is a last-minute winner. It’s hugging a bloke who’s 20 years older than you and 20 stone heavier, both caught in the moment and sharing the greatest ecstasy life can provide.

Football is freezing in the depths of January, having a sip of dad’s Bovril and turning your nose up in disgust as you take another chomp of Mars Bar. Football is forging friendships. It’s old mates and new mates and it’s nodding at the same person you see every week – you don’t know their name, but it doesn’t matter .

Football is being an away fan. It’s the nervous excitement swirling in your stomach knowing you’re behind enemy lines.

Football is ringing grandad after the match to moan about how rubbish we were and always getting an honest but sympathetic response.

Football is ringing grandad after the match to eulogise about how great we were, and how we’re going to win the league, and being allowed to revel in the moment.

Football is how you track time. It’s how you remember things. It’s how you know where you were and what you were doing and it’s all because a sack of leather was rustling around a goal net.

As the great Bobby Robson wrote: “What is a club in any case? Not the buildings or the directors or the people who are paid to represent it. It’s not the television contracts, get-out clauses, marketing departments or executive boxes.

“It’s the noise, the passion, the feeling of belonging, the pride in your city. It’s a small boy clambering up stadium steps for the very first time, gripping his father’s hand, gawping at that hallowed stretch of turf beneath him and, without being able to do a thing about it, falling in love.”

And here we are, stuck in lockdown, desperate to see that glowing green turf once again. The return of the Bundesliga will be a welcome distraction. So will the return of the Premier League, if it happens.

It’s something. But it won’t be the same. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I think I’d have to agree with the points made and in my own personal view it is more about the whole social occasion than rather merely turning up to one game and shuffling straight home. Having watched a bit of the closed door stuff in recent weeks it just highlights how much of an impact the fans make. I should stress that when it happens up here that we don’t attempt the background crowd noise with the chants/cheers/groans invariably being chucked in at the wrong time.

One big talking point around closed door games is that stats show that it pretty much does away with the “home advantage” scenario. It will be interesting to see if that is replicated in Scotland once we get kicked off.

Celtic have a phenomenal home record so I wonder if that will be damaged by playing in front of only substitutes and seagulls (that’s the second article in this issue when the flying rodents get a mention!).

A final point to make is that the “men in black” can’t be influenced by the bigoted roars in their lugs so will that see less dodgy decisions, especially spot kicks, in the empty grounds. It all feels a bit false to me as I’ll be sitting on my laptop watching a dodgy stream and drinking a cheeky wee latte….bring back the fans please!

RECONSTRUCTION In almost all of Scottish football, and most definitely at Killie, the days of relying on a wealthy benefactor dipping into his/her fortune are over. If we want to have top flight club with a stable and sustainable long term future then the fans need to step up to the plate. I’d urge all Killie fans to join the Trust and donate to Trust in Killie if they are in a position to do so.

In an ideal world we would be looking to do what is best for Scottish football in general whilst still looking after the best interests of our own club. In essence this has been the problem throughout all the recent reconstruction talk as it seems we have evolved into a position where the TV money is crucial and nobody can afford to reduce their slice of the “Sky Pie” so in effect nothing changes.

Here’s the thoughts of Andrew Smith, chairman of the Scottish Football Supporters Association on various aspects of the recent sh*t show: Neil Doncaster Found Wanting (More Talk of Reorganisation and other stuff too) Neil’s Failed Indicative Vote – Still More Questions than Answers I’ve had more emails about this than anything else in the last two weeks.

Most fans still have no idea how their clubs voted and with the civil war about to become expensive and kick off in court next week why the silence?

This is what we know.

16 Votes For Here are 14 of the 16 clubs (as long as they are telling us the truth): Livingston, Kilmarnock, Hamilton, Hearts, ICT, Dundee, Dunfermline, Morton, Partick, Falkirk, Peterhead, Stranraer, Edin City, Stenhousemuir and two lurkers.

26 Votes Against We only know 10 for sure so far: Hibs, Ross County, Dundee Utd, Ayr, Raith, East Fife, Dumbarton, Clyde, Forfar, Cowdenbeath.

That leaves 18 “Not Tellings” In this group 2 secretly voted yes and 16 secretly voted no.

So pick any 2 from the list.

Celtic, Rangers, Aberdeen, Motherwell, St J., St M, QoS, Arbroath, Alloa, Airdrie, Montrose, Cove, Elgin, Queens P, Stirling, Albion R, Annan and Brechin.

Is it reasonable that fans should know how their clubs voted even fan owned clubs in the list?

From what we know one particular insight is we don’t understand why both Ross County and Hibs voted against Neil’s indicative proposals in effect voting against their historic local derbies with ICT and Hearts.

Makes no sense to us. Not great for local harmony either and the press didn’t seem to think it was story.

With the court case looming this story will run and run.

The Inevitable Courtroom Outcome of the Indicative Vote Rejection Civil War kicks off on Tuesday 30th June at 10.00 in the Court of Session.

A teleconference under Lord Clark who as fortune has it might also be a wellknown Jambo.

This is not Rumpole yet with all the theatre.

Tuesday is the start and is a procedural hearing (no evidence) to agree how to proceed with this contorted, complex but crucial issue with time pressures.

A wee insight already is that the SPFL seem to have attempted to get their retaliation in first by asking that the issue be referred to the SFA as the recognised appeal body.

(Like there is no conflict of interest, but that is Scottish football and there is history of stuff like that).

It will all get bloody and bloody expensive too.

I’ll keep you all posted next week but first I have to say thanks to three friends on the Scottish Football Monitor for the knowledge and information I have so far.

Those guys miss nothing and report it as it is SPFL Board Decide It’s Time for Change Ok this is a misleading heading even if it is sort of true.

It is not about the larger leagues we want or the transparency that our game is crying out for.

The BBC’s Brian McLaughlin broke the story reporting what read like standard press release stuff like “The Scottish Professional Football League has issued a resolution to clubs asking them to cede Covid-19-related decisions to its board for next season”.

“Neil’s proposed resolution is said only to relate to disruption caused by coronavirus and is limited to season 2020-21, with the ability to change the start date for the following campaign”.

The SPFL board have also said there would be an “express requirement to consult with clubs over decisions”.

It’s effectively the SPFL making a power grab.

Some would say it is long overdue given everything we’ve seen since “Neil’s Good Friday Disagreement” and his lost “indicative vote”.

The SPFL now want to avoid a repeat of the recent infighting and make the board the decision makers not the clubs.

(Many fans would prefer that Neil) But it’s never going to be real change with a sign off from the same SPFL press release.

“Major decisions taken by the SPFL must be ratified by the 42 member clubs”.

We all know how that works or rather doesn’t.

Inherent Dysfunctionality – A Topic For Another Day The way both the SFA and the SPFL are set up and their inability to effectively lead and make the right decisions to manage our game is something we all care about and we will talk more about that in the next few weeks.

We do have one question we are sending to the SFA this week.

Dear SFA This question will be sent by email on Monday to Iain Maxwell and his board and we’ll share any response.

“Dear Iain, In the decisions made about the Covid 19 Pandemic the SPFL board have decided not to honour the pyramid in season 2019 – 2020.

This has meant two of your members, Brora Rangers and Kelty Hearts have been denied the opportunity to complete the pyramid play off sequence this year.

One of your members, probably Brechin City, has had a fortunate and financially positive reprieve but in the vacuum also suffered very negative feedback, maybe because they have a director on the SPFL board.

Many SFSA members have asked us to find out what the SFA have done on behalf of Brora, Kelty and the fact that the pyramid has been dropped for season 2019 – 2020?

I ask that knowing from our research that most fans think the decision is wrong on all levels and should be changed. We look forward to sharing your reply with our members.

Thanks for your attention” >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

If you have read our ramblings over the years you will know we are in favour of reconstruction but only if it’s done properly and for the right reasons. I don’t recall anyone in the game pushing for reconstruction preCOVID but as soon as it was confirmed that Hearts were going down there was a blind panic and a mad rush for any sort of reconstruction as long as it meant the “salt and sauce” whingers stayed up. Yes I do have some sympathy for them but there is no way that there would have been the same desperate reaction had Killie, St Mirren or Hamilton finished bottom of the pile.

Another part of this that got on my man boobs was making it a 14 team league with a split after 26 games then playing out the top six and bottom eight. That is not too different from what we have and I don’t see it would improve the product and the competitive nature of the league. If the big gubs at Parkhead and Ibrox truly wanted Scottish football to be more competitive and a far better watch for the downtrodden fans they should push for a top league of 18 where we would all play each other twice and the pot of money could be distributed in a much more even handed manner.

We all know that will never happen so in future when you hear talk of “proper reconstruction” and “for the good of Scottish football” you can pass it off as nonsense unless there is a genuine willingness to share the cash in a fairer manner……I won’t hold my breath with that one!!

Time for a change?

There’s something that has been bothering me for a while. I’ve spoken to a number of Rugby Park regulars about it and this seems like the ideal time and place to bring it up to a wider audience.

For a long time, the line in the ‘We are Killie’ chant hasn’t sat well with me.

You know what line. It probably hasn’t sat well with a number of you. I noticed that Dylan Kerr sang a rendition of it for The Killie Trust’s recent Twitter celebration of the cup-winning anniversary and missed it out altogether, something that I have opted to do for a number of years. But is difficult to argue with a few hundred or a few thousand singing it at one time and old habits die hard.

Growing up in Ayrshire, I am aware that the word ‘black’ has been used by without any racist sentiment attached and this is the argument that some will make against my own. I also understand that the argument that Ayr United play in black and white.

But let’s be honest, the white has been far more prominent on their strips than the black for a long time and, despite these arguments, it is impossible to ignore that the word carries these connotations for the vast majority of people who will hear it.

This will certainly be the case for Alex Dyer and black players that we have had on our books over the last few years. Surely I’m not the only one who has felt the shame of Dyer, Mulumbu and Tshibola being celebrated at the end of last season with a song that refers to our local rivals as ‘black bastards’. They will likely have asked about this and have it explained to them early in their Killie careers, but I wouldn’t blame them for having their doubts about the intentions of the phrase.

Ona similar note, on a recent ‘The Terrace’ podcast, Craig Fowler spoke to Christian Nade about some of his experiences as a black player in Scotland.

He describes an enduring eagerness that many of his teammates have had to see him in the shower, falling into the trap that all black men are extraordinarily well-endowed. This has made him incredibly uncomfortable and like an exhibit in his place of work.

Liverpool fans were criticized by the club because of a recent banner which depicted Divock Origi in a similar way. This kind of racial stereotyping is often seen as banter, or even as a compliment, but it undoubtedly falls into the realms of fetishizing and ‘othering’ black men, suggesting that they are some sort of freak and different to their white counterparts. There have been recent songs at Rugby Park which ‘celebrate’ Nicke Kabamba in a similar way.

Like most fans outside the Old Firm, we often take the moral high ground over our anti-sectarian stance. It is important, then, that we do not adopt an attitude of ‘better than them, at least’ and become complacent in our own actions. Sometimes this involves difficult conversations and admissions but making Rugby Park as inclusive and welcoming to all players and fans is a desire that I am sure the vast majority of Killie fans share.

In a nutshell, the line needs to go. As does the Kabamba chant and all others like them. The word ‘black’ could be easily replaced with any number of others to keep the ‘We are Killie’ chant alive. We manage to venerate white players without referring to damaging stereotypes. Given that there currently seems to be a willingness amongst many to re-evaluate and change their behavior regarding race, and while the club has been praised for giving a black manager a rare opportunity in the Scottish game, it would be particularly pleasing if we didn’t have to rely on the likes of Dyer or Kabamba themselves to point out the problems for us. Now is the time to get it done.

The Killie Mouse Hippo says – This is an issue that has been widely discussed and I think it’s fair to say the support is very much split on this. Please let me have your thoughts either by doing an article or just sending some thoughts to killiehippo@aol.com

YOUR CLUB NEEDS YOU As we have said elsewhere in this issue COVID has changed many things and many will probably never change back. Many more people will now be working from home but as a fanzine writer I will always write in the boozer as long as they have decent wifi.

Of course we have been affected like everyone else and it’s just been a case of putting out some free online issues during this horrible virus. I honestly don’t know if we will go back to hard copy issues as well or whether we just keep putting it out online for free. I know many folk are traditionalists and like their hard copy fanzine and matchday programme and if there is enough interest we will revert back to type.

However if it seems that our new way of working is the best way forward then we may stick to it. There are pros and cons to both options that I’ll need to weigh up. I love the banter with all the fans when I’m selling outside the ground and that is where many of the ideas for articles comes from. Of course it’s not so much fun when the rain is bouncing three feet high off the ground and I’m soaked to the skin before a ball is kicked.

There has always been an online option and we have loyal subscribers to that however if we decide that is the best option then we will just continue down that route. You will notice there are a few new advertisers with us and I’d like to once again express my thanks for your support of our humble publication.

In simple terms the support of the extra advertisers enables us to support the club wherever we can so here is what we will be doing as a direct result of their generosity: 1. From next month we will do a wee competition to win a Killie (home or away) top. In reality we will just give you a £50 Killie Shop voucher to buy the top but the main thing is the club benefits.

2. As stated elsewhere we will buy a season ticket for another Killie fan….I’ve still to renew my own ticket yet!!

3. We are doubling our monthly Trust in Killie contribution and would ask all Killie fans who can afford it to sign up to this fantastic initiative….EVERY PENNY GOES TO THE CLUB. 4. We will be looking at doing a big Xmas competition…..if any business would like to sponsor this please get in touch killiehippo@aol.com 5. I’ll be buying three Killie tops (only one for me) and again where possible we’d ask you to do the same. I like both tops this year but in particular the away one is a belter.

You don’t have to look too far to see where the virus is affecting the football world and the longer we go without crowds the more problems we’ll see. No club is immune from its impact and Killie are no different so we make no apology for asking fans to dig deep whenever that is possible.

Down south and Wigan have just gone into administration with a chance that others may follow. Up here the latest prediction is that fans won’t get into grounds until at least October. The whole COVID situation has been a balancing act between looking after the health of the nation whilst not destroying the economy. There will be much pressure from the football authorities to the government with a view to finding a way to get the fans back. The First Minister in Scotland has been taking things more patiently than sh*t for brains in number 10 so she may keep us waiting for a few months yet.

Killie are a business like any other football club so at times like this they need to find income in any way possible. I’m sure we are better run nowadays than many others but the bottom line is they need cash to enable the manager to bring in the fresh faces we need. It appears the reserve league no more so I suspect you will see most teams operating with a much reduced first team squad plus they can tap into the youths.

Huge thanks to all our sponsors for your tremendous support and can all fans remember that your club needs you more that never just now.

CAN ALL FANS BUY THE NEW STRIP!

There were varying opinions about last season’s 150th tribute strip but this year we are back to stripes and it looks cracking.

As you’ll see in this issue we are nipping your nappers to spend money (if you can) on the club. WE need to do that for the club to survive and continue to be competitive in the Premiership. I haven’t bought a top for years but I’m going to this year……PLEASE DO THE SAME IF YOU CAN AFFORD IT.

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