KILLIE HIPPO
AN UNOFFICIAL KILLIE FANZINE
JANUARY 2023
DEANO, DEANO, DEANO…..
• A HUGE 3 MONTHS AHEAD
• BOWIE PARK…..
• THE FUTURE OF FOOTBALL
HUGE THANKS TO OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS
RAINBOW INK CO.
MODWAY SCOTLAND
URQUHART OPTICIANS
BILLY BOWIE SPECIAL PROJECTS LTD
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NOARTICLES TO BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT PERMISSION
BACK ISSUES 2–204 INCLUSIVE AVAILABLE
All views expressed are those of the contributors
SHOOTING FROM THE HIPPO
“Alston won the league at Rugby Park, Alston won the league at Rugby park, Alston won the league, Alston won the league, Alston won the league at Rugby Park” It has now been over 9 months since Blair Alston bagged that famous goal, let’s hope we don’t need someone to repeat the fate next season. When the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest hits Liverpool there is no doubt that this should be our entry, we could maybe get Lewis Capaldi to give it a blast and even the Eastern Europeans would ditch their political bias to give us top marks…..nurse can I have some more Tramadol please!!
Hello again chums, apologies for the delay but the ol’ hippo health hasn’t been all it should be however things are on the up and we’ll make up for lost time. We’ll be churning out an issue every 3 – 4 weeks or for this politically minded there will be a new fanzine out with every new prime minister so keep sending me those articles to killiehippo@aol.com. It has been a very mixed the season, just like the weekly starting 11 selections, but we are in there scrapping and we had a semi final jaunt at Hampden to enjoy
The Howard troops ran a full bus from West Netherton Bowling Club and we nearly booked a mad party bus with karaoke, flowing booze etc. They quoted us £650 which was pricey but we were going to book it anyway until they advised us that was each way!!! As things stand we have just reached another quarter final, incredible to think we have won all four away trips in the cup but none so far in the league……that needs to change.
It would be fair to say my predictions on how we will fare has changed on a weekly basis but my expectations have dipped from the start of the season as the lack of goals becomes increasingly obvious to everyone. Our away record is nothing short of embarrassing but on the flip side our home form has been generally excellent. I have a theory about the “long term project” rather than a fire fighting strategy from the board but that is an article in itself for the next issue.
We will an issue in every issue looking at Killie’s progress but the glaring problem for me is the lack of creativity and goals. As things stand we either score via a set piece or some Danny Armstrong magic, there was nothing from the strikers for long and weary however both Doidge and Vassell have now bagged, one of them needs to go on a spate of goals.. We really have been poor in the final third and our January window was a bit of a head scratcher with Lafferty and Shaw leaving late on simply reducing our option Neither was setting the world on fire but injury to Doidge and Vassell will see a striking crisis.
I’m finishing this as Motherwell have just won two games in 5 days, cranking up the pressure in the process Guess who visit RP next Saturday???
Sandy
THE FUTURE OF FOOTBALL
It’s been approximately 99 years since I started writing the fanzine and at that time there was a team existed called Rangers. Along with their rivals Celtic they were making a big play about revolutionising Scottish football by leaving to play in England. Surprisingly the plans came to nothing however they weren’t defeated and have re-hashed the idea every two years ever since…….surprisingly nobody has ever wanted them!!
All joking aside the world of football is constantly changing these days and the introduction of VAR is probably just the start of technology into the beautiful game. We also witnessed the generally hated European super league proposals which in summary was a competition to see what club has the biggest bank balance. Make no mistake, that will raise its ugly head again and talks of cross border football will follow soon after.
The common denominator in all this is money, fans are an after thought and as the oil rich sheiks continue taking over clubs the paying punter will be pushed towards the relegation places in the priority league. In Scotland we have already seen the likes of Aberdeen and Dundee Utd get American owners but my impression from afar is their knowledge of “soccer” is limited and as things stand they have done nothing to take their clubs to the next level.
I came across the following article on varsity.co.uk looking at the future of football:
On the 1st January 1921, Newcastle United thumped Manchester United 6-3 in what would be the highest-scoring first-division match of the 20-21 season. In the hundred years since, football has evolved into a very different game to the one played at St. James’ Park that day. Driven by developments in technology and injections of riches, the game continues to change at lightning speed.
So, what might football look like in another hundred years?
The introduction of VAR has been rocky at best and, even when it is effective, it takes away from the excitement and spontaneity of football; celebrating a goal isn’t quite the same when you know it is still to be rigorously analysed for the smallest infractions.
However, smooth integration of goal-line technology into the modern game offers an insight into the potential of technology in the sport. Referees wear microphones in rugby and players do the same in American football, although this is only possible due to their uniforms.
Given their success in these sports, it is difficult to rule out the introduction of similar crowd-pleasing technologies to football for the sake of entertainment. In fact, off the pitch, there has been a growing focus on providing better remote experiences for fans.
Many clubs, especially in the Premier League have their own YouTube channels, showing fans exclusive footage and highlights usually not accessible during live games. The exciting developments in virtual reality technology will no doubt play a growing role in fans’ viewing of the sport over the century, sooner rather than later.
“The truth is, apart from the basic rules, football will be almost unrecognisable by the end of the century.”
Outside, financial influencers are starting to take more of an interest in football as a commercial or reputation-laundering opportunity. This includes the mega rich owners of the likes of Man City and Newcastle United. In the latter, the owners had a questionable involvement in appalling human rights abuses in the Middle East and likely saw the sport as a platform to remould their image – exactly the sort of political chess that should be kept firmly outside of the footballing world.
The introduction of political and financial interest, along with the commercial opportunities that appear with ever-increasing regularity in the modern era, mean that vast sums of money are now involved in transfer fees and wages. This leads to a gulf forming between high-earning players and their fans who, more often than not, earn a very ordinary wage. A growing disconnect between fans and players is a trend that we are sure to see over the century.
The money involved has also led to criticisms that players are no longer interested in ‘playing for the badge’ and instead are focussed on personal goals of wealth and individual acclaim; Joleon Lescott tweeting a picture of his £100,000 car immediately after a humiliating 0-6 home defeat a prime example of this. Nowadays, many fans feel that the focus of the sport is not on the events on the pitch, but on the events off it. A club is not doing well if it wins trophies; it is doing well if it can guarantee a large turnover during the next financial year.
Again, this contributes to a widening disconnect between players and fans and, ultimately, a change in the way fans interact with their club. This is mainly true of big clubs, which, in the 20th century, were hubs of local communities, but are now increasingly becoming sprawling global brands, tourist attractions and marketing opportunities. This is a situation that will disappoint many fans, but it is only another example of a modern society that is slowly losing its personal touch.
“Football is all too often a reflection of society, highlighting all the great things while reluctantly baring the ugly truths of its imperfections.”
Despite the clear drawbacks, football clubs being run as businesses can lead to positive changes in the game. Clubs are becoming more and more aware of their wider impact; many clubs now do charity work in their local communities. Continued kneeling before kick-off in support of the Black Lives Matter movement is a display of clubs’ understanding of their responsibility to facilitate constructive social change, previously viewed to be outside their remit. Players also continue to take on a greater role in social action, understanding the power of the combination of a familiar face and a relatable message. Marcus Rashford’s campaign in support of greater provisions of free school meals is an obvious example.
Money is also a facilitator of measures that protect and improve experiences for fans and players. The implementation of a rigorous Coronavirus testing scheme in the Premier League to ensure the safety of players and club staff is a prime example of a measure that would not be possible without reasonable financial backing. Clubs will continue to take a wider interest in social issues in coming years, investing funds to effect positive change within the game and in wider society.
On the pitch, the game itself is rapidly evolving. Tactically, there is more focus on structure in both formations and player movement. There is an increasing need to control and manage, reflective of the emotionless yet rational decision-making that you would expect to find within the pages of a company’s long-term strategy plans.
Football is also being played with an increasing awareness of the strengths of the opposition (facilitated by improving access to technology, providing footage and statistics key to analysis); managers are starting to nullify opponent’s strengths and exploit their weaknesses rather than focus on those of their own team. This will likely lead to a limitation on the ability of individual players to impact games. Messi and Ronaldo figures, who can completely transform a team’s fortunes, will become rarer and rarer as the century progresses and the game evolves.
Is European Football Fair?
The truth is, apart from the basic rules, football will be almost unrecognisable by the end of the century. While very few people can argue that clubs supporting BLM or implementing COVID-19 testing are negative consequences, there is a concerning trend.
From nullifying tactics to cash-rich owners who have little interest in what happens on the pitch, the exciting and unpredictable nature of the sport is beginning (and will continue) to dissipate.
Football is all too often a reflection of society, highlighting all the great things while reluctantly baring the ugly truths of its imperfections. There will be winners, but all too often the loser is the fan, the individual. We can only hope that this isn’t reflected in the wider world.
An excellent article that highlights the changing face of football that will see an ever widening gap in the “haves” v the “have nots”. Scottish football is being left behind financially and we are well overdue another media outburst about the arse cheeks needing to leave this country. Most fans would happily wave goodbye to them and their glory hunters would vanish like snow off a dyke as they wouldn’t be winning trophies or qualifying for Europe. For evidence of that have a look at the crowds they got in the 80’s when the “new firm” had the cheek to challenge them.
The down side is that if there was less money coming into the game there would be a drop in quality leading to the national team struggling to compete, even more so than is currently the case. Or maybe more Scottish players would play all over the world as the game continues to go global and it was heart warming to see Jason Cummings pass on his expertise at the end of the Argentina V Australia game last week.
Personally I’m not sure how I’d feel about a billionaire throwing money at Killie to allow us to compete for leagues and cups on a regular basis. It would be amazing to see some quality names wearing the squirrels on their moobs but Killie is all about community for me and that would need to continue regardless of club ownership.
I suspect I’ll be six feet under by the time a lot of the major changes happen in Scotland but I hope the clubs and authorities consider the downtrodden fans when making big decisions. They need to ensure the next generations of fans have a healthy domestic product to watch.
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A HUGE FEW MONTHS AHEAD
In the last issue we had a run through all the 12 Premiership clubs to look at their mid season report card but what’s far more important is a forensic look at Scotland’s finest. It has not been brilliant so far but we are in there fighting and there is plenty of time left for the manager to turn things around and make this a season to remember especially with a semi in 6 weeks time.
After the excitement of “Alston won the league at RP” had died down (personally I still get a buzz thinking about it) reality hit home. There was a realisation that we had fought and scratched our way to win a bang average Championship and huge improvement would be needed as we returned to face the big hitters.
There was lots of discussion about what players would be good enough in the top league, would we get Zach back, would Lafferty still have the legs, would Shaw still score goals or would Scott Robinson leave his Mrs to move in with the treatment table. Billy Bowie made a statement that we would have a healthy budget so we all held our breaths to see if Mbappe would be spotted in Aldi buying half price haggis fritters.
It was clear the club were throwing their full weight behind the manager and I was happy that we managed to get McInnes, most fans were I reckon though there has been some dissent. I’m firmly in the pro Del Boy camp but my faith has had some wobbles in the last few months. Subsequently DM was given a long term contract and with the club letting him bring in his own recruitment guru it’s clear there is a long term project in place.
I like McInnes so I’m sticking with my mad theory, let me share it with you. I believe McInnes has planned on getting his own squad by the end of next summer as due to the players he was stuck with he couldn’t bring in everyone he wanted to. We have quite a few who either don’t play or the manager has little option to play even though he probably knows they aren’t Premiership quality. The summer will see many players in these categories out of contract and then we will see some better quality being brought in.
Please get in touch and send me your own articles on our current situation but in the meantime I’ll continue with my “Del Masterplan” theory. To back up the theory just have a look at our current normal defensive line up. We have a loan goalkeeper, two loan wing backs and Mayo on loan from a club who are about as financially astute as Liz Truss.
I predict that come the start of next season we will have no more than one or two loan signings and the backbone of the team will be guys signed up on 2 or 3 year deals. That may be wishful thinking but DM has said in interviews the situation is far from perfect but for this season he has to work with what he has got and he was forced to fill out the squad with loan signings.
Of course this is all fine in theory but we need to confront the elephant in the room…….everything changes if we don’t stay up this season. The next six months are absolutely massive and our recruitment in January was poor and may be the deciding factor on where we finish come May. Russ Richardson, the recruitment dude, has been in place for a few months now and I’m hoping he has been working his arse off to get us some key new faces lined up in the summer….could have done with a few last month.
It was poor recruitment, both in player and managers, that got us relegated in 2021 so we need to get it right this time around to try and avoid a repeat of that depressing experience. With so much seemingly wrong in the team it’s hard to know where to start so lets break it down and see where the priorities lie:
KEEPERS
We signed Sam Walker 18 months ago and I’m sure he expected to play however Hemming came in on loan from Middlesboro and quickly established himself as number one. Hemming was excellent last season though I fancy Warwick Davis would have been an upgrade on the previous incumbents.
Hemming has had more of an unsteady season so far and as things stand they are alternating for the place between the sticks. In recent weeks Walker has cemented the jersey so will be interesting to see how long he holds on to it
DEFENCE
This was an area that DM seemed to target in the summer with the likes of Alebiosu, Chrisene, Wright, Dorsett and Mayo all being introduced.
The worrying thing was all bar one of these (Wright) is on loan so it does nothing to stabilise the squad for the next few seasons. In all fairness DM has alluded to this in a few interviews and you can be assured we will have far less loanees after the summer. Nonetheless it’s not ideal and there is always the accusation that when push comes to shove loan players aren’t as committed as they know they are going back to their own teams whatever happens.
Chrisene has had a mixed season so far but that has to be expected from a young player. Sadly he got a sore one in the semi final at Hampden and an urgent replacement was sought. It appears our recruitment guru used his old contacts at Liverpool to tempt young Luke Chambers to the Theatre of Pies. You can see the young guy has a bit of quality but it’s very hard plunging a novice into a tough relegation battle.
We really are a strange lot this season, our best chance of a goal is probably Ash Taylor who in all honesty isn’t too great at defending!! For many months he was the only player in our team who has scored away from home in the league…..a horrendous stat. Additionally we shipped Sanders out on loan who I reckon is at least as good if not better than the central defenders named above, lets hope he gets his chance now that he’s back.
With the return of Sanders there was no need to bring in another defender but will the manager thinks he is an improvement on what we have. As I’ve written elsewhere, it’s time to decide on a set formation and put players in positions where they are comfortable. By doing that we may well see a big improvement without the need to bring in new faces.
MIDFIELD
I was shocked and a little bit disappointed when Power was our first new midfielder in the summer…….I’m even more shocked and disappointed that he was seen as our first choice midfielder for a while. Don’t get me wrong I like Power but with talk of “record budgets” I was maybe expecting something a better than re-signing a guy who was excellent for us but whose best days are behind him.
In the Championship the likes of Polworth was loaned out to Dunfermline where he apparently wasn’t great but strangely he suddenly became a starter in the Premiership. I understand DM has been stuck with players signed by Wright but it’s a major leap of faith to think that someone who wasn’t starting in the Championship was now good enough to compete in the top league. Credit to Polworth as he has had some decent games and since the World Cup break he has been outstanding in several games. It’s much needed as he has that bit of quality that we are missing
We brough in McInroy who had impressed with the scum but for whatever reason DM has only played him in his best position once or twice. The guy was effective as an attacking midfielder in the championship and carried a goalscoring threat, something we don’t generally have.
The manager sees these guys in training every day so perhaps there is an attitude issue however I hate players not getting a run of games to prove themselves. Elsewhere we need someone who can bring a bit of control to our game and find a pass…..competition for Polworth if you like. The new recruitment guy has been here a wee while now so I think we are all praying he can unearth a diamond come the summer…….still think we should have got someone in January.
Donnelly was another brought in late in the last window and in all honesty is no improvement on what we have although recent performances have been better. He is here on a deal until the summer but he needs to step up and show a consistent level of performance or he shouldn’t be getting another contract.
In the wide areas Armstrong is the one big positive with a good attitude and the ability to chip in with a few goals. It was good to see him getting two years added to his current deal and hopefully that is the blueprint for things to come. On the left Jones is here on loan (eventually) and although he has been ok he is not the player we had before. He doesn’t look like he has the heart for the game these days, that’s not a good attribute in our current situation.
Fraser Murray has only been a bit part player this season but has showed fairly well prior to the break. Maybe we’ll see more of him for the second half of the season but he has still to prove himself to be a proper Premiership player.
In summary I would have expected at least one player in the heart of the team though sadly it didn’t happen in January so we need to be patient for a few months.
FORWARDS
In all honesty our forward options have been nothing short of a disaster, our best striker Lafferty was sitting in the stands due to his stupidity and subsequently has upped and left for Linfield…..a match made in heaven Cameron, Doidge and a few others may all move on in the summer and we really don’t have a consistent goal threat…….some of that can be down to formation and tactics but our front men really need to do better.
Robinson is fit again and can bring some much needed energy to our attack but I’m not sure how many goals he’ll get us. He looks like more of a number 10 to me and has been a bench warmer in recent weeks but he’ll get his chance.
Again this is where Russ Richardson needed to pull a rabbit from the hat but our only new striker was Kyle Vassell. He scored the winner at Tannadice so I’m praying he now goes on a run but getting sent off at Easter Road wasn’t the ideal follow up. There is so little between half the league that having a guy that can grab a few goals will be the difference between survival and relegation.
It was generally accepted by Killie fans that the transfer window had been a bit of a disaster. We have found ourselves in the relegation scrap once again and the glaring issues have been creativity and scoring goals….especially from the forward players.
Incredibly we appear to be worse off now than we were at the start of the window and if we end up going down that is unforgivable. The Lafferty situation is one of those big “mystery” tales that the club won’t discuss but the timing of it was a nightmare and reading between the lines I suspect the manager isn’t too chuffed .
Just how much of an impact Lafferty would have had is open to interpretation. He started the season slowly but was showing some promising signs until his enforced bigotry break. Needless to say it looks like squeaky bum time once again for Killie fans.
BOWIE PARK… FULFILLING A DREAM
Many decades ago when my schoolmates scurried up chimneys to earn a bob or two and Killie was kebab-free I used to finish school, run home to chuck on the Killie strip and head to the Bellfield estate for a game of “10 half 21 full”. It was all I ever wanted to do and with my best pal Dougie we spent most of our life knee deep in muck but as happy as a pig in a blanket (that makes it a Xmas article).
Like every Killie kid I dreamed of playing for Killie so you can imagine my excitement when Dougie, whose dad coached Killie under 17’s asked if I fancied heading along to watch them training one night. That may seem pretty boring until I tell you that in those days the training pitch was at the back of the Frank Beattie stand and the lads changed in the home dressing room.
It was absolutely amazing as Dougie’s dad told us to bring along our kit and we could do our own wee training on the pitch, we were probably about 13 years old at the time. We were one of only a few clubs who had the training facilities within the grounds of our stadium and we were the envy of most others. There was further excitement when the Mauchline Killie Supporters Club donated funds to ensure we could have floodlights on the training pitch……state of the art or what?
It was a fantastic time for a youngster and if it hadn’t been for my complete lack of ability and sprinting ability of a sloth who knows where my career could have gone. Sadly the training pitch had a limited time span and as ambitious plans for hotel, car park etc was introduced it soon became clear that our players would be jumping on a minibus rather than crossing a car park to go training.
In the years since there have been many false dawns when it comes to Killie having an all singing and dancing training ground away from the Theatre of Pies….here is what I can remember:
In the Fleeting days there was talk of moving to the Scott Ellis where we would have the stadium but also a top quality training facility. It would have been a “team Killie” type place with rugby, cricket, basketball etc all being hosed there too. It didn’t happen and I remember one of the stumbling blocks was the road links…..I hope we don’t have the same issues this time around.
The club has trained downed at the Kilwinning Sports Club over the years and there was talk at one time of that becoming a permanent arrangement. Again it never happened and I’m happy about that as it seems right for any Killie training complex to be within the town. Other proposed sites that never came to fruition were:
Olympic site out at Dundonald, one of the sites out there was owned by an ex director and the story was we were heading down there. That was a rumour on more than one occasion but didn’t get over the line.
There was a horse riding facility out near Symington that was touted when Bill Costley was at the club. I think that was seriously looked at but deemed unsuitable at the time. There was also a mention of land off the M77 next to Fenwick and of course a super Ayrshire Nou Camp near Prestwick where we joined up with the scum (that’s a joke) however we now have a proposal that looks realistic.
When I was on the Killie Trust committee we held talks with the rugby club about this very same piece of land. There was a proposed deal from a supermarket (Sainsburys I think) to buy he rugby club land and the KRFC would them be relocated to this “mushroom farm” site. The Trust were looking at getting a piece of the action and renting facilities that could be used for training for the football club. The supermarket deal subsequently fell through but it appears BB owns the land now and our dream may become reality.
I feel like I spent decades fighting a chairman who was there for one reason only so to now have the main shareholder go out his way to plan and finance our future should be applauded by all Killie fans….our only criticism is he needs a bigger board!!
Here is what the club announcement said (without the drawings):
KilmarnockFootballClubandThomsonHunterAssociatesarehereto consultwithyouontheproposedBowieParkTrainingFacility.Thisis thefirststageoftheplanningprocess.Thepurposeistolistentothe communityto,positively, progresstheplanningapplication.Wehave developedavisionforthesiteandKilmarnockFootballClub’sfuture. Yourcommentswillinformtheproposalandplanningapplication.
Thefacilityisthefuturefortheclub’smen’s,women’sandjuniorteams, providinganewspaceforalllevelstotraintogether.Thisfacilityhas designatedspaceforthesquadsandcreatesahomeforthewomen’s team.
ThenewfacilitywillallowKilmarnockFootballClubtogrowfrom grassrootstothefirst-team,toimproveandprogressthroughScottish andEuropeanfootballcompetitions.
SITE AND CONTEXT
ThesiteiseastoftheA77betweenKilmarnockandCrookedholm. Itisaccessed offLondonRoad(B7073).Approximately4hectaresin sizethisiscurrentlyvacant land.TreesshieldthesitefromviewofLondonRoadtothenorth,andthetrain lineontheeastofthesite.Ahedgeseparatesthesitefromthelocal accessroad whichrunsalongthewesternboundaryofthesite.Struthers Farmislocatedto thesouthofthesite.
ThesiteisclosetothecentreofKilmarnock,justashortwalkfrombusstopson LondonRoadandaccessiblebycarandbikewithLondonRoadfeaturingaspart oftheSirChrisHoyCyclewayfromKilmarnockTrainstationViaCulzeanCrescent toLondonRoadanddirectlypast theproposedfacility.On-siteparkingisalso provided.
ThismakesthesiteanideallocationtoimproveKilmarnockFootballClub’s integrationintothecommunitymakingthemtrulytheheartof ourhomeland. Thiswillensurethattheproposalhasthegreatestbenefit toboththecommunity andtheclub.
PROPOSAL
Theproposalisan877m2trainingfacilitybuilding,two11-a-sideandtwo5-asidegrasspitches, astandofapproximately500seats,anda45-spacecarpark. Thetrainingfacilitycontainsakitchenandcanteen,agym,physioroom,laundry, toilets,and3teamdressingroomseach with theirowntoiletandshower facilities.TheCanteen areaalsocouplesasa multi-functionalspacewhichcould beusedforcommunityevents, seminarsand socialfunctionsrelatingtotheclub andcommunity.
AsidefromaFirstTeamtrainingfacility,the pitchesalsoprovidea newhomefor thewomen’steamtotrainandplay.Thereis a500-seatstandprovidedfor spectators.Thestandisflexibleandcanbeextendedinthefutureifrequired.
The5-a-sidepitchesareidealforthetrainingoftheyoungplayers.Bytraining closetotheprofessionalteam,theywilldevelopacloserconnectionwiththe teamandbeabletoobservethemplayingatahighlevel,helpingtoinspire furtherdevelopmentandgrowth.
Thegymfacilitiescreateaspaceforallteams totraintogether.Asa club,all teamswillbeableto improveandgrowtogether.
GROUND FLOOR PLAN
Thegroundfloorintwozonessplitbythecentraldividingwallvisiblefrom outside.
Thebuildingisdesignedwithvisitorandpublicfacing spacesbutalsoa comfortable,andsecureenvironmenttoallowtheplayerstotrainwithout interruption.Thisisevidentinthedesignbythecontrastingstyleof thedomestic andindustrialsectionsvisuallyseparatedbythelargewall.
Outofthekitchentowardsthepitchesisa serverywindowdesignedtobe utilisedondayswhenspectatorscanaccessacademygamesto supplyhot drinks/food.
Staffandvisitorsenter abrightreceptionareaconnectingintoalargeopenplan canteen/multifunctionspace.Theplayerswilleathereduringtraining,served fromtheadjacentkitchen.Thisspacecanalsobecomea spaceforevents.A meetingroomislocatedbehindthereceptionforstaffandplayerusage,aswell astoexpandthemultifunctionspacewherenecessary.
Behindthecentraldividingwallisthestaffandplayeronlyzone.Thiscontains thegym,dressingroomsandmedicalfacilities.Toiletfacilitiesarealsolocatedin thiszone,openingoffthecanteenareatoallowpublicaccesswhenthe multifunctionspaceisinuse.
FIRST FLOOR PLAN
Thefirstfloorisentirelyforstaffandplayer usage.
Thishasallthekeyofficespaces,a largeplayerslounge,andservicespacessuch asthelaundry/shirtprintingroomandstoragefacilities.
Abalconyattachedtothetacticalofficeand generalofficeoverlooksthetraining pitches,providingabirds-eyeviewtoallowcleareranalysisofthetraining.
Aseparatestaircaseprovidesdirectaccessto theupperfloortoallowstaffand playerstoaccessthesefacilitiesfromthetrainingpitches withoutenteringthe mainbuildingwing,toprovidebettercontrolandsecurity. Thereare large rooflightsoverthemainentrancetocreatea brightspacethroughouttheday.
GYM
Akeypartofthetrainingfacilitywillbethespeciallydesigned gymnasiumwhich overlooksthemaintrainingpitches.
Thisallowsplayerstofeelconnectedwiththerestofthesquadshouldtheybe confinedtogymtrainingduetoinjuryandsuchlike.
Italsoprovidesopportunityfortheteamcoachtoutilisethegymas partof trainingprogrammeswithfulloversightboth fromthetrainingpitchesbutalso potentiallythecoaches’roomwhichoverlooksthedoubleheightGymnasium.
CANTEEN
Thismainmultifunctionspacelinksallother areasoftheTrainingAcademy.An areawheretheteamscaneatandsocialisetogetherduring training.Itsalso wherelargergroupacademydiscussionsandseminarscantakeplace
Onnon-matchdaysthecanteenspaceisidealforclubfunctions,community,and charityevents.
Thecanteenisa spaceforrefreshmentstobe enjoyedbothindoorsand outside, perfectformatchdaysthecanteenhasaservicewindowmakingrefreshments easilyaccessiblewithoutventuringtoofarfromthepitch.
Asacommunityspace theCanteencanbeutilised foreventsandfunctionslinked totheKilmarnockFCand theAcademy.
Credit to Billy Bowie and everyone at the football club for getting it as far down the line as it is. As much as everyone loves visiting the home of football it really should feel like something extra special for players and fans alike. That magical feeling must dissipate a bit for the players if they are training at RP every day rather than just the 90 minutes on a Saturday.
Throughout our time doing the Hippo we always go to great lengths to point out that the club is the biggest community asset in the county. By extending the club and introducing a dedicated training academy and community hub it can only strengthen the relationship between Killie and its community.
THE MYSTERIOUS TALE OF JORDAN JONES
We all know players who do well at diddy teams, move to a bigger team for more cash but their career goes to pot. Step forward Jordan Jones who was excellent for us under SSC, got into the Northern Ireland squad but sadly he had a brain fart and signed for The Rangers.
He may have been getting more cash in his bank account but it’s still sad to see a player gradually lose his ability and in the case of JJ I reckon he has lost the heart to play the game at any level. There is no doubt that would never have happened under SSC but his form dipped and he got fired out on a few loan deal eventually leaving and heading south to join Wigan.
He couldn’t recapture his Killie form and after a loan at St Mirren last year he ended back at Killie. Strangely, hours before the window shut Wigan decided they wanted him back but the papers reported a problem with the process. The Hippo moles can tell you what happened, Killie sent away their forms as required however Wigan messed up at their end and didn’t reregister JJ in time leaving him in limbo. It appears common sense has now prevailed and he’s back at Killie….time for him to spark again???
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FromKyivtoKilmarnock; footballandrefugees
(Writes Vinny Ferguson)
Earlier this year the threat of Russian invasion became a reality for the people of Ukraine.
Life as they knew it became a terrifying experience that the vast majority of us will fortunately never have to suffer. Families were split as people stayed behind to fight while others sought security and safety in the form of becoming refugees.
As I watched the daily news coverage telling the stories of those who had fled and those who had stayed in their homeland, I was struck by how ‘ordinary’ their lives had been shortly before the formal invasion. Recreational and leisure activities that we take for granted had simply disappeared from their lives. Survival was the only focus.
I found this concept particularly difficult to fathom. My daughter adores sport and dancing, my youngest son thrives at his piano lessons and my eldest has one sole focus – football.
Since the invasion, over 9,000 Ukrainian refugees have found themselves in Scotland and I wanted to find out about some of the work that had been done in order to welcome them here – not just in terms of finding homes and hospitality –but also in terms of offering them some form of routine.
I wondered, is football considered a luxury, or is it an important cog in the wheel of normality for these families and kids?
Living in Scotland, I had heard that Kilmarnock, the local football club, had been active in welcoming refugees so I reached out to Jordan Allison, the current Head of Charity at Kilmarnock Football Club in Ayrshire, Scotland.
“Before I joined the club, Kilmarnock had a charity, but there wasn’t much there in terms of a vision for it. The charity relied solely on volunteers so I was delighted to be asked to manage it. We’ve worked hard over the last few months to ensure that everything has more structure and focus.
We previously worked closely with the resettlement team in North Ayrshire who work with families who are refugees and asylum seekers. We were able to help out kids from Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen, Iran who found themselves living in Ayrshire having fled their own countries.
During the summer we invited some of the newly relocated families from Ukraine to Rugby Park. We were blown away by how many of them turned up. Some of those families had only been in Scotland for a week – they’d gone from being in their own homes in Ukraine to being placed in Ayrshire and visiting a football stadium.
They realised there was a whole community supporting them. One of the mums kept commenting on how happy she was and that took me aback. Just a simple gesture like inviting them to Rugby Park really meant something to them.
It really brings you back down to earth speaking to these people and you realise how much we take for granted.
The kids played football at home, and then they came here and everything stopped due to the complicated legal procedures that families are forced to go through. A ‘luxury’ like football just isn’t a priority, but we’ve been able to invite these kids along to free football sessions – their families can come and relax, even just get a cup of tea.
We wanted to speak to the kids but you think, ‘What do I say to these people?’ Their lives have been totally turned around. Then you realise that they are so happy to have your support and you can see how much it all means to them. One of the things I didn’t expect was the development in their language – ‘ma baw’ and ‘heids’ being some of the most popular phrases that have been picked up. It’s very humbling and was an incredible experience.
There’s a stereotype, an ignorance… It’s xenophobia – let’s call it what it is –regarding the publicity of housing the refugee community. Local authorities are wary of tweeting about the figures or the success stories because they know there will be a backlash from a minority. I think there’s confusion about what a refugee is and what an economic migrant is.
These people aren’t coming to take your jobs, they’re coming because they're fleeing for their lives. They need our support. If we can provide that through the medium of football then that’s great. If one input from us affects one person then it’s all been worth it. Hopefully we’ll have a few new Kilmarnock fans once they’ve been to a game.”
The project overseen by Jordan and his team is just one example of how the footballing community has tried to have a positive impact on the lives of Ukrainian refugees during this very difficult period in their lives.
Robert Burns, the Scottish poet, was born just a few miles away from Rugby Park. He once wrote about “man’s inhumanity to man” – words that are as relevant in today’s world as they were in the late 1800’s. Fortunately, fellow Ayrshiremen like Jordan are doing their bit to reverse that narrative.
Image courtesy of Jordan Allison, Head of Charity, Kilmarnock Football Club
Hippo says – Well done to Jordan and all at KFC as we tend to get carried away with football at times and forget about some of the horror stories around the planet. As a community club this is the type of work that hugely enhances our reputation, hopefully it won’t be long until Putin is defeated and the Ukranian refugees can start to return to normal
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For the avoidanceof doubt everyone at Hippo Towers is behind the NHS staff currently fighting for fairness. Things are in a better shape up here in Scotland but as you can see from the photo above things down south are at an all time low.
Guidancehas been issued to each club that in the current climate everyone must play their part to investigate illness. The piles clinic in Manchester is overrun so onfield examinations like the one above willbecome the norm…….what a bummer!
