Killie Hippo Oct 21

KILLIE HIPPO AN UNOFFICIAL KILLIE FANZINE OCTOBER 2021

REST IN PEACE AULD CHUM

• JOHN BARNES INTERVIEW • BEAT THE BOOKIES • CATHY’S OCTOBER UPDATE

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

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

SHOOTING FROM THE HIPPO Greetings you gorgeous people and just like the last issue I’ll apologise for being late but the old age and a lifelong diet of lager and cholesterol has been taking it’s toll lately. I’m back at work at least and getting back to the games but I feel like the grandfather of the world’s oldest man…..having ran the London marathon carrying Gary Harkins on my shoulders.

At the time of writing we have just had a comfortable away win at Morton and we sit top of the tree with a three points lead…..but the natives are still a bit restless, at least some of them are. It was my intention to write an article in this issue about the manager but I’ll leave that for next time. There seems to be a distinct difference in our home and away performances and the forums are full of fans who are split down the middle regarding TW….we’ll have a more in depth look in the next issue.

The best news in this issue is that we have hit our first target and will be buying our first defibrillator shortly. When we talk about the Killie family we genuinely mean it, you are the best on the planet and it makes me so proud to be a Killie fan when I see how generous my fellow fans are. I’ll be speaking to Cathy shortly to get it all sorted and we will crack on to buy a second one. Everyone has to take a note that they will but the “Killie Recipe Book” that we are putting together to rise funds. Also if anyone is running a marathon etc for charity then why not do it for our wee appeal?

On the park it’s generally been a good wee spell with the only black spot being a poor performance against the Jags. Some folk have said TW is a bit slow to change personnel and I can see that. Naismith has been poor for months and it was only yesterday at Morton he introduced Hodson. The difference was there for all to see and with Burke back to his best it looks like he has finally seen the light. The left hand side of the pitch still isn’t right (see what I did there), I’d rather have Haunstrup than Waters but have no idea where Haunstrup has vanished to.

The midfield is still lacking creativity so maybe that is something he can look to solve in January. Shaw is looking like the striker that he always promised to be and Hendry looks to have a good attitude beside him so I fancy we will see plenty more goals from them. I feel a bit sorry for Robinson as he is the one missing out in the system we play but I’m sure he will get his chance.

I wont get ahead of myself but the league finishes on 29th April and our last three games are Inverness (a), Arbroath (h) and Raith (a), what an end to the season that could be as it already looks like the top 5 are pulling clear of the rest….my kilt is on standby for the POTY dance on the 30th!! We have room for one more advert so if there is any business out there wants to join the Hippo family email us killiehippo@aol.com....cheers Sandy

DEFIBRILLATOR APPEAL Back in June I watched the harrowing scenes below and decided it would be good to do a wee defibrillator appeal. There was no urgency as such, just a wee idea for the fanzine to do some good over the course of the season.

Well here we are still in November and thanks to the magnificent and humbling generosity of the Killie family we are now in a position to buy our first defibrillator. I simply cannot thank you enough and it’s fair to say that some individuals went beyond the call of duty with their generosity.

We have folk helping us get the defib at a good price so we’re already looking ahead with a view to getting a second device. We always welcome individual donations (killiehippo@aol.com for details) but we are fundraising too. We recently auctioned a Liam Millar strip that helped us get £160 and we are in the process of putting together a Killie recipe book that we want every Killie fan to buy.It will be made up of recipes from current and ex Killie players as well as a few Killie fans. I might even stick in my legendary deep fried ryvita recipe!!

We’ll be speaking to the club shortly……watch this space and heartfelt thanks again

BELOW PAR AT DUNFERMLINE (writes McCool) So that's the end of the first quarter of the league season and we end it third with seventeen points, five behind a functional at best Inverness team, and below a Raith Rovers side with even less resources than them, who've been ravaged by covid issues. We sit two points ahead of both the league's newly promoted team and it's one part time outfit.

Forget the referee allowing enough added time for Dunfermline to score round about five to five, that performance was dire and anyone who thinks otherwise, well, I don't know why they bother, frankly.

Had we not conceded that equaliser, I still wasn't going out the ground happy with what I'd seen. All the late goal did was compound things and turn an underwhelming day into a very bad one. No cohesion, no drive and nobody wanting to take any responsibility for making something happen.

That game sums up our season. Started well enough initially, then stopped doing the things that got us success. A ball fizzed across the box in the first few minutes, which Calum Hendry almost got on the end of, was as good as it was to get, sadly, before we reverted to recent type.

Like I say, that's a microcosm of the first nine games right there. During the first three matches of the season, we looked positive and aggressive and like we were going to run amok in this league. One defeat to Inverness later, we haven't been anywhere near these levels ever since.

How many times did we have an opportunity to put the ball in the box today, yet pass it back the way? Ho many occasions was a ball into space on, yet we go sideways? How many players were struggling to control the ball and find their touch? Everything is slow and regimented.

It's like we're trying to score the perfect goal, but without any idea of how to do it. Dunfermline - low in confidence, without a win and with a fan walkout planned, would have been delighted with our lack of urgency. Bloody hell, the one thing we were doing well, namely not conceding cheap goals, has even gone to hell in the last fortnight. In a nutshell, we have far and away the best squad in this league, on paper. On grass, it has no blend and apparently no understandings anywhere on the pitch.

How do we fix it then?

Tommy Wright clearly isn't happy with what he's seeing, because he's been preaching for weeks now that the players have to be braver in possession. It's difficult to blame him for the overall position, on the fact that he's saying what the rest of us are saying, alone. He HAS to find the answer, though, before fingers do start pointing at him.

He could start by having our best players on the pitch at the beginning of a game. That way we may be able to score early one of these days, and actually dictate a game on our terms. Why keep Burke and Robinson on the bench. Look at Burke when he came on. The first two things he did were, arguably, the most positive we'd seen all afternoon, in the shape of him winning a corner and then having a shot cleared off the line. He's the best player in the division and he starts on the bench??? Seriously??

No wonder we have somehow managed to go nine games without a first half goal. I mean, can there be a stat like that anywhere else in world football?

As for the players, I get that we have a new team and I get that it takes time for them to gel, but there is no excuse for passive performances. None whatsoever.

Then there's us, the fans. I've read with interest over these last few weeks, as some have slated the team and others have blasted back at them for the negativity. I even witnessed a shouting match at Arbroath between members of the two factions. I fall somewhere in the middle.

It CAN'T be easy to play in front of our support, because we ARE a demanding lot, and yes, we can be quick to turn, but can that really be a reason for the team's struggles? So we're demanding, deal with it. You're at a big club and if you can't handle pressure in the Championship, how could we trust you to take us any further than that?

As for the stroppy nature of many of us, we've just been relegated and we responded to that by spending big on season tickets. We love the club and we want to be right behind it, but we're only human. We'd have to be crazy to be singing and dancing at what we're seeing, wouldn't we? The players have to ignite the fans by actually giving us something to cheer.

Listen, today is the first time I've even considered the possibility of us not being back in the Premiership next season, so convinced have I been that we would eventually click and go on a run, but it has to start soon, or we're for much more of the fare we've witnessed this season.

And with the greatest of respect to all the hard working and decent clubs in the Championship, the lack of quality is there for all to see. There are no Edinburgh or Dundee clubs and not even a St Mirren or a resurgent Falkirk.

If we fail to win this league, then as far as I'm concerned, it will be a bigger disgrace and failure than dropping into it ever was.

It's not too late to turn this around. Get it sorted before it is!

MCCOOL >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Hippo says – Thanks again mate for another well-articulated piece that sums up the view of many Killie fans at the moment. We have covered a number of your points in the article about the “manager report card” but you use the word “blend” which is spot on.

The team simply aren’t blending at the moment and I do get the impression the players are going on the pitch without it being clear in their heads what jobs they are meant to be doing. We were twice ahead against a team at the bottom of the league and with zero confidence or belief yet we were incapable of holding on for what would have been an important three points.

The position may have changed by the time this fanzine hits the street as we have three winnable games against Hamilton, Scum and Queen of the South whilst league leaders Inverness play Raith (a), Arbroath (h) and Partick (a).

It is still very early in the season and there will be numerous twists and turns before next May but in summing up the manager has to realise it ain’t working at present so personnel and tactics need to change.

BEAT THE BOOKIES (DOUBTFUL) For all you longstanding Hippo punters you’ll know this is an annual article where we run through all the Scottish and English leagues and make our not so bold predictions. We are a bit later this year which in theory gives us more time to assess the teams and be more successful with our tips…..that won’t happen.

I don’t back my own tips thankfully and I’m sure none of you do either but it goes without saying that if you’re having a punt keep it sensible and something you can afford. It really is amazing what they offer bets on these days, you can do the multi bets on one game where you predict bookings, corners, goals etc…….I struggle to predict the number of teams on the pitch!!

Anyway here goes: SCOTTISH PREMIERSHIP I find it really strange that this is the first time in the history of the Hippo that Killie aren’t here. We are usually predicting that this will be part of a famous Killie treble and that fans should make sure their passports are well up to date……only passport we need these days is a Covid one.

In truth it’s a mind numbingly boring league in terms of who is going to win it. The Jambos are getting their salt and sauce in a twist as they have just drawn at Ibrox and some pundits are putting up there as potential league winners. The same thing happened when we were top in December under SSC and I’m afraid will slip the same as we did. If you think otherwise you can still have 66/1 that the league trophy will be paraded down Gorgie Road in May. The betting is restrictive as usual and we normally just avoid having to predict one of the bigots over the other. In terms of value Sevco are 4/9 which is a no no so Celtic may be value at 5/2 even if their defence is mince.

CHAMPIONSHIP Incredibly, at the start of the season, Killie were around evens favourite which was an absolutely ridiculous price. It’s fair to say the odds were compiled by someone who didn’t watch us last season and simply saw us as the “big team” coming down from the top league. I thought odds would be far more sensible by now but find that we are still 5/4……unbelievable.

They say bookies are seldom wrong but in this case they are well off the mark.

They have Inverness at 9/2, Partick at 8/1 and Raith at 16/1, if I was a professional gambler I’d be betting all three of those to equal stakes as I don’t see us winning it and cannot see anyone else outwith those three. At the start of the season I thought Inverness would be the team who would to worry about and my opinion hasn’t changed. I’m maybe just depressed with Killie’s form just now but I think we will be in the play offs at best.

Down at the bottom Dunfermline are faves for the drop after their horrific start but I think they will probably change manager and we will see a wee improvement. Morton and QOTS are the other teams in the nether regions of the betting and it’s the Greenock mob who I think will go down. They have struggled financially over the last few years and this may be the year where it finally catches up with them.

HIPPO TIP – INVERNESS AT 9/2 (HEAD RULING HEART) LEAGUE ONE Having a bit longer to observe has certainly helped in this league as I would confidently have tipped Falkirk at the start of the season. They have just been humped at home by Airdrie and their fans are not a happy bunch.

Betting wise you can bet big the two big spenders, Queens Park and Cove at around 2/1 with Falkirk at 5/1, Montrose 14/1 and Airdrie 20/1.

Both the faves have invested with a view to climbing the leagues and I think one of them will ultimately end up winning it although I do hate tipping favourites although at least it’s not odds on. We’ll opt for the Glasgow lot, they will have invested more in Leeann Dempster than most of their rivals will have invested in players HIPPO TIP – QUEENS PARK AT 2/1

SCOTTISH LEAGUE 2

It was no big secret that Kelty Hearts (4/7) had spent big to get up unto the big leagues and they may well continue that climb for a year or two. They have started the season very well and find themselves six points clear of Stirling (8/1) already. I think this is something we will see more and more with the pyramid system as ambitious owners see the opportunity to climb and play with the “big boys”……..what’s the chances of Auchinleck or Darvel becoming the third senior Ayrshire club?

Down at the bottom Cowdenbeath are struggling as they have been doing for a few years now. It may well be that Donald Findlay will be taking his pipe on a tour of non league grounds in the not too distant future. Anyway it’s hard to see Kelty not winning so no tip from us as the price is too short but if you fancy some value stick a few quid on Stirling to spring a wee surprise.

ENGLISH PREMIERSHIP All the talk is about Newcastle just now and how they will be challenging in the years to come with their Saudi bankers in place…….well they are certainly used to taking a few scalps!! It’s a good league this year although like Scotland it can be narrowed down, to three probably. I won’t include Man Utd (33/1) as they will be deciding when to bag Ole and bring in a higher profile manager.

At the start of the season I felt it maybe Chelsea were the team to upset Man City but I’ve changed my mind to Liverpool. City are fave at evens whilst Chelsea are 3/1 with the Scousers at 4/1 and that represents a it of value in my mind. Their front three have been sensational in recent weeks and if they can keep them injury free that’s the secret. Their squad is a bit flimsy as was shown last season and that may yet again cost them but time will tell.

Down at the bottom you could slap your mortgage on Norwich going back down and they still haven’t won a game. To be fair they are a club who stick to the budget they can afford which makes sure the are still very stable even when they make the drop. As far who joins them, well it would be funny if it was Newcastle but that won’t happen. Watford may well join them and at a bigger price perhaps Villa or Burnley may plummet this season.

HIPPO TIP – LIVERPOOL AT 4/1 ENGLISH CHAMPIONSHIP

This is always a tough prediction but it has changed in recent years in that teams that come down seem far better prepared and adaptable than previously. Of course some who are not well financially managed still struggle but West Brom and Bournemouth have started well and a bit like Norwich they seem to have the balance right.

At present West Brom (9/4) lead the way with both Bournemouth and Fulham at 3/1 and you can have 18/1 and greater anyone else that you fancy.

I’ll ignore the Baggies only because they are faves and look at the other two.

I’ll go for unfashionable Bournemouth who have a ground smaller than Killie but do have a rich owner. They are currently top at this early stage but they are showing no hangover from relegation . At the other end Wayne Rooney is breathing out his backside as they are financially gubbed so you’ll see them in League One next year.

HIPPO TIP – BOURNEMOUTH AT 3/1 ENGLISH LEAGUE ONE With good old Rochdale dropping out last year I take very little interest on this league but it’s still a competitive division. Sunderland (13/5) are obvious faves but have been costly to punters in recent seasons and that may be the same again. Wigan (9/2) are next best and they are my strongest fancy over all the leagues.

They had loads of boardroom issues over the last few years but they now have wealthy owners who are putting their money where their mouth is.

Rotherham and Wycombe have both adapted well after relegation and can be punted at 8/1.

HIPPO TIP – WIGAN AT 9/2 – OVERALL NAP ENGLISH LEAGUE TWO You’d think I’d be tipping the mighty Rochdale but they have changed manager and have had a mixed start. Forest Green (12/5) are faves but I fancy Orient (12/1) who you should bet each way…..good luck.

HIPPO TIP – ORIENT 12/1 EACH WAY

JOHN BARNES INTERVIEW

NAME - John Barnes PLACE OF BIRTH - Irvine SCHOOLS ATTENDED - Bank Street Primary, Greenwood Academy.

TEAMS PLAYED FOR - 4th Irvine BB, Kilmarnock Boys’ Club, Bellfield, Auchinleck Talbot, Irvine Victoria, Hurlford United, Kilwinning Rangers.

FAMILY - Wife Liz and daughter Caitlin.

PETS - Dog. A Morkie called Millie.

FAVE FOOD - A well done Fillet Steak with peppercorn sauce.

FAVE DRINK - A glass of red wine preferably Montepulciano to go with the steak.

FAVE HOLIDAY RESORT - Has to be the Maldives. Went a couple of years ago and it was just breathtaking. Florida is a close second.

WERE YOU A KILLIE FAN AS A KID, IF SO WHAT ARE YOUR EARLY MEMORIES? My earliest memories were being taken by my Dad to matches at Rugby Park standing in the old Johnnie Walker end as it was called because of the name on the roof of the terracing. Tommy McLean was my Dad’s favourite player and he always told me to keep an eye on “twinkle toes”. It’s amazing when later in life you get to meet and become friends with your heroes, Tommy was one of them. When I was old enough and allowed to attend games myself I remember arranging to meet pals at the Johnnie Walker end, but we never met up as they went to the wrong end.

Older Killie fans will remember the opposite terracing, the Rugby Road end had the Johnnie Walker sponsored scoreboard. That’s where my pals went. I remember seeing George Best playing at Rugby Park when he was at Hibernian.

YOU WERE A BIT OF A PLAYER, TELL US ABOUT YOUR CAREER? I played with Kilmarnock Boys Club up to Under-16. The special thing about that team was we got to train at Rugby Park one night a week, usually a Wednesday, and changing in the Home dressing room was a thrill.

The smell from the carbolic soap that was provided in the showers wasn’t though. Our home matches on a Saturday would kick-off at 1.00pm and once we had finished we would head to Rugby Park to watch the first team if they were at home. Usually we’d get in just before half time.

As a youth I played with the Ayrshire select teams. Former Killie midfielder Ally Mauchlen was a team-mate in the BB Battalion team. I played for the Ayrshire Under-18 team that won the Black Trophy in 1978. That was a competition for all the Scottish counties. Steve Nicol, who was with Ayr United Under-18 at the time, was also in that team.

I now tell the former Liverpool and Scotland star that I was the best John Barnes he ever played alongside. While Ayr had youth teams up to age 18, Killie's stopped at Under-16. Bellfield was seen as the youth feeder team for Killie at the time. I then went to Auchinleck Talbot where I played with a number of others who’d also come through the Killie youth ranks. It was a successful period for the Talbot under manager Willie Knox. We won almost every trophy going except the Scottish Junior Cup while I was there.

WHY DID YOU STOP PLAYING? I suffered a serious knee injury and after a few operations I was told unless I stopped playing I could be crippled by the age of 40.

WHEN DID YOU DECIDE TO PURSUE JOURNALISM AS A CAREER? After I stopped playing football I was invited to contribute to West Sound Radio’s coverage of football on the programme Sportswatch.

I did this part-time and it was during this period that I realised this is what I wanted to do on a full-time basis. I was covering Junior football initially due to my knowledge of that scene, but then moved on to following Kilmarnock and Ayr United reporting and commentating on their matches.

That was during Eddie Morrison’s reign as Killie manager and Ally MacLeod’s at Ayr. I used to go and interview them every Thursday night to preview their matches and that was a great learning curve for me. They were both very kind and supportive. Two great characters sadly no longer with us.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB + HOW DID YOUR EARLY CAREER PROGRESS FROM THERE? My first full-time job in broadcasting came with BT Supercall Sport, the forerunner to BTSport as it is today.

I was the Scottish Sports Editor for two years. I then became freelance and worked for Radio Clyde, STV and the Scottish Daily Express over a four year period.

HOW DID YOU GET THE JOB WITH THE BBC? I had done the odd piece of work for BBC Radio Scotland and was asked to work for them on a freelance basis at weekends covering games for Sportsound at the start of the 1993/94 season. Just over six months later a vacancy occurred for a Sports Reporter at BBC Scotland. My application for the post was successful and in March 1994 I joined the staff of the BBC. WHO WERE YOUR COMMENTATING HEROES AS A ROOKIE? My favourite commentator growing up was Brian Moore. He was ITV’s main commentator and also presented their Sunday afternoon programme The Big Match. David Coleman was another I admired because he didn’t try to overcomplicate a commentary. From a Scottish perspective Alastair Alexander was excellent at painting a picture with his commentary.

Derek Rae is another who is easy on the ear. Although he’s a few years younger than me, he began his career as a teenager. I heard his first game for BBC Radio Scotland, Kilmarnock v Dumbarton in 1986, and was blown away by his voice and delivery.

WHAT WAS THE BEST GAME THAT YOU COVERED AS A COMMENTATOR? There have been many but there are a few which stand out. One in particular remains a favourite for quite a few reasons. It was Borussia Dortmund 2-2 Rangers in the Champions League on 6 December 1995 in the Westfalenstadion. It was a game that we thought wouldn’t be played due the severe wintery weather.

Early on the day of the game it looked likely to be postponed because of a frozen pitch, but the referee gave it the go ahead and all credit to the players on a difficult surface amid snow showers for producing a thrilling encounter.

It was a match with talented players on both sides. Rangers had Brian Laudrup and Paul Gascoigne in their line-up and the latter got sent-off.

Stefan Klos was in goal for Dortmund while Andy Goram was between the

sticks for Rangers. Andreas Moller and Karl-Heinz Riedle scored for the Germans while Laudrup and Gordon Durie scored for Walter Smith’s side.

The funniest thing about that night was my post-match interview with the Rangers manager. I was using a Sony Walkman to record the interview down in the bowls of the stadium before going back up to the gantry to play it into the programme. When I did press the play button what came out sounded like the chipmunks. Basically what had happened was I had put new batteries in the unit before the game for the pre-match interview, that was fine when it was broadcast.

However, due to the temperature having dropped to around -15°C during the game, the batteries had died. Fortunately I had other new batteries which hadn’t been exposed to the cold and when they were put in the Walkman it worked fine and Walter and I sounded more like humans. It’s the coldest I’ve ever been at a match.

The biggest game I’ve covered as a commentator would be the 2008 Uefa Cup final. Zenit St Petersburg v Rangers in Manchester. As one of my colleagues pointed out to me, I was the last Scot to commentate on a Scottish club in a European final. Let’s hope that changes sometime soon.

HOW GOOD WAS IT TO COMMENTATE AT FRANCE 1998?

It was brilliant! I was assigned to commentate on the other matches in Scotland’s group for BBC Radio Scotland and provide reports for TV around those matches. David Begg was the BBC Radio Scotland commentator for the Scotland matches.

Scotland opened the tournament against Brazil on 10 June 1998 in the afternoon in Paris and a few hours later my first commentary match was Morocco 2-2 Norway in Stade de la Mosson in Montpellier. The best aspect of covering a major tournament is the facilities for the media. Commentary positions with the perfect view and ideal worktop space for notes and devices - a commentators dream!

We were based in Saint-Remy-de-Provence near the Scotland team’s base and travelled around France to the venues for the matches. My producer was Peter Small, who has made some very good documentaries for BBC Sport, and he was filming as we toured the country. I remember the centre of Nantes was made to look like Copacabana beach ahead of the Brazil v Morocco match as they welcomed the South Americans to the city.

There was a Brazilian style night time parade with bands and dancers. I remember doing a piece to camera in the middle of the parade. Bizarre times - but fun! My third game was Brazil v Norway and while all the talk was about Ronaldo and star names like Cafu, Roberto Carlos, Dunga, Rivaldo and Bebeto, it was Tore Andre Flo who caught the headlines by scoring as the Norwegian side, which included Vidar Riseth, Henning Berg and Vidar Riseth, won 2-1. Another memory from that summer in France was beating Willie Miller at tennis the day before we were due to fly home.

WHAT IS THE BEST INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE YOU HAVE EVER SEEN FOR KILLIE? It has to be Kris Boyd v Dundee United on 25th September 2004. He scored all of Killie’s goals in a 5-2 home victory. He actually scored six but one was wrongly disallowed in my opinion. It typified his movement as a striker and showed just exactly why he was a top finisher. Alan Archibald and my good friend Billy Dodds were the United scorers that day.

BEST STADIUM YOU HAVE COMMENTATED IN? That’s a difficult question as sometimes the best stadium doesn’t necessarily have the best commentary position. Nowadays my assessment of a stadium is swayed by the commentary position and facilities. The San Siro in Milan just gets the nod as my favourite. A full stadium with the fans signing the "Milan song" raises the hairs on the back of the neck.

I covered Italy v France there in September 2007 in a European Championship qualifying tie. It finished 0-0 but still a great atmosphere. The Parken Stadium in Copenhagen is another with excellent media facilities and commentary position.

BEST STADIUM IN SCOTLAND TO COMMENTATE FROM? The best commentary position in a Scottish stadium is at Ibrox. The gantry at the front of the Main Stand is the ideal height and distance away from the pitch and has plenty worktop space for notes, broadcast units and laptop.

WORST STADIUM YOU HAVE COMMENTATED IN? Bijeli Brijeg Stadium in Mostar in 1988. Velez Mostar 2-1 Hearts in old Yugoslavia as the Tynecastle club made it through to the quarter finals of the Uefa Cup 4-2 on aggregate. The local telecom company had placed the broadcast lines in a room above the dressing rooms. But the dressing rooms were 50 yards behind one of the goals.

We managed to bung the telecom engineers money(Yugoslav dinar) to extend the lines on to a concrete canopy above the dressing rooms. I managed to acquire a chair and sat balancing my notes on my lap. However, there were large trees blocking the view of a quarter of the pitch from the left touchline inwards. While I couldn’t see much of the action on that wing, fortunately the goals were scored from central positions in the penalty box.

ARE YOU ENJOYING YOUR DREAM JOB WITH KILLIE TV? My dream job! I like that description. I suppose my broadcasting career has come full circle having started out covering Killie matches back in the 1980’s. Using former Killie players as my co-commentator also gives me the chance to meet some of my heroes. I feel it’s good the club are investing in this coverage.

I’ve already spoken to a number of fans who say it’s welcome when they are unable to attend matches. I think it’s a product that can be enhanced not just with match coverage but with additional material and programming during the week. That though takes time and money to make a quality product, it also depends on the interest from supporters/viewers.

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR JOHN BARNES? I hope commentating on Kilmarnock matches next season in the Premiership. Another European adventure with the club would also be welcome. I also hope to continue covering games for BBC Scotland. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> HIPPO SAYS – Massive thanks to John and I hope you are all enjoying the excellent coverage he is providing on Killie TV these days.

CATHYS OCTOBER UPDATE It’s great to be writing this report on the back of three wins, including the local derby match, and sitting at the top of the league. The life of a Killie fan is always a bit of a rollercoaster, and we all knew that the championship is a tough league where we are going to be one of the teams that everyone wants to beat. We do have a tough schedule ahead, particularly at the end of November / beginning of December when we have Scottish Cup and SPFL Trust Trophy ties, and a league match away at Inverness, in the space of a week.

Once again I’d like to thank the fans, who have shown their support home and away.

Hopefully we can keep that going and continue to show how much this club means to all of us.

Football Department With three league wins in three, the manager is pleased to be on track with his points target. He has continued to acknowledge that fans are looking to see good performances but getting points is priority if we are to stay at top of the table.

It was good to see Rory McKenzie play his 300th match for Killie and, as always, give 100% effort in whatever role he is asked to play on the day.

Chris Stokes remains on the injury list but is very much a part of the squad despite being unable to play at present. Hopefully we will see him back in action in the not-too-distant future.

After making an impressive first team debut, Charlie McArthur, along with Bobby Wales, has been a key player in the Scotland Under-17s squad. Charlie has continued as captain and is already a great role model for young players.

Kian Leslie has signed a full-time contract with the Under-18s.

Youth Academy It has been a busy time with Under-18s, Under-16s, Under-15s, Under-14s and Under13s all involved in full matches, and Under-12s and Under-11s in 7-a-sides. The aim has been to give the boys game time and also have better links with local boys’ clubs, allowing them to be more involved with the club.

Paul Di Giacomo has continued working with Academy staff on future operations and how best to develop the players. The Academy pages on the Club website are being updated and the Killie Trust Logo is now on the strips.

Efforts are being made to raise additional funds for the Youth Academy and a fund raising night will take place on Friday 12th November in the 1869 Suite.

The Kilmarnock Under-15s in Trust-sponsored Killie shirts!

Kilmarnock FC Women’s First Team It is good to see that the Women’s first team has picked up points and has climbed to third spot in the SWPL 2 league. The Killie Trust has continued to provide volunteers to help with admin, match days operations, and seeking sponsorship for individual players.

If anyone would like to sponsor or help with a fundraising idea for the women’s Team, please do get in touch. The Trust was delighted to announce the sponsorship of striker Rebecca Galt!

Kilmarnock Women’s Junior teams As I reported last month, we have been looking at how we can bring the 'Killie Girls' teams, who have operated as a separate organisation, into a much closer relationship with Kilmarnock FC. Two meetings have now taken place, involving the organisers of Killie Girls teams, Paul di Giacomo and myself, with good progress being made. We hope to have some exciting new developments lined up for the start of 2022.

Kilmarnock Community Sports Trust (KCST)

KCST is continuing with its schools programmes and activities are publicised on social media.

The October Camp at Ayrshire College, in partnership with Vibrant Communities, went well with over 100 children involved. Around 350 children are participating in weekly programmes and 75 came to the Moffat Stand for past three home matches as guests of club, with the Killie Trust and KFCSA donations helping young people in care to attend.

The Walking Football group entered the Glasgow Cup competition, and I'm told that it was all about taking part rather than the outcome!

With covid restrictions having lifted, the Football Memories group has restarted and meets on first Wednesday of the month, with a Christmas lunch planned for December.

A new “Weigh to Go” class for men is also beginning and the Killie Trust is working with KCST to enable a "Weigh to Go" programme for women to be set up.

Commercial Head of Marketing and Commercial Operations Gregg McEwan joined the October Killie Trust Board online meeting and gave information on key commercial activities: - The sign ups to Fantastic Fanatics have continued to come in, which brings money into the Club when fans do shopping online or in stores.

If you haven’t yet signed up for this you can easily do so via this link.

- Unfortunately we are still waiting for the loyalty strips with no definite date but we are hopeful that they will be delivered before Christmas. The supply chain issues are impacting not only on this but also on other stock and to avert any future issues work is being done just now with Hummel (months ahead of the usual timescale) for next season’s range. The problems have reached the stage where the issue has been taken up with Alan Brown MP, asking him to raise questions in Parliament on how Government can assist in getting goods into the country more quickly.

- Retail operations have been very successful, with turnover in excess of £750,000, and new lines in leisure wear were unveiled this week. Some changes are being made in staffing with Alyson moving across to the Ticketing Department with Katrina, and a couple of new faces are joining the shop staff as we continue to develop the retail side.

- Season ticket sales are just under 4000, with a welcome increase in the number within the younger age categories. Plans are under way for a half season ticket, to be on sale before Christmas. Details will be announced shortly.

- Within the stadium, the two-storey buildings at rear of the Moffat Stand, which will be used for a players’ lounge, are almost completed. Further work on the cabins at rear of the Moffat Stand will not start until into next year, as the work is being phased over a period of time. The plan is for these to accommodate offices for commercial team staff and academy staff, with facilities which can be used by players families on match days.

- The work on the disabled ramp has also been impacted by supply chain issues and we are awaiting delivery of the special glass required for the shelter.

- The layout plan for the museum/exhibition area/ coffee shop has been drawn up and work will commence shortly on creating the cabinets needed to house memorabilia which was on loan at Hampden for the 150th exhibition.

Euan Murray, Dan Armstrong and Fraser Murray in the latest Killie LTD merchandise

Memorial Garden The Memorial Garden official opening ceremony took place on Friday 1st October, with proceedings led by Club Chaplain Rev. James McNay. Raymond Montgomerie explained the history of the project and thanked East Ayrshire Council for their support in securing funding, and Royal British Legion members who were in attendance.

Deputy Lord Lieutenant Matt Smith, grandson of Killie legend Mattha Smith who was part of Killie’s 1920 and 1929 Scottish Cup winning teams, also spoke at the event.

Further information on fan memorial plaques is being put together and information will be made available by the Club when finalised.

The Club’s Annual Remembrance Service will take place at the Memorial Garden on Sunday 14th November at 1pm and all are welcome to attend.

Media and Communications Head of Media and Communications, Scott McClymont, has provided the following update: A hectic and dramatic final week in October rounded off a busy month for the media team.

We couldn’t have written a better script ourselves as a last-minute Oli Shaw penalty secured our first league win at Somerset Park since 1993 and sparked brilliant scenes of celebrations amongst the 3,000 Super Killie Away fans.

Across the month, we hit a season high 4.2 Million impressions on Twitter with the full time tweet at Somerset gathering 250,000 impressions alone.

Our unique angle of Oli Shaw’s goal helped continue our evolution of our YouTube channel with 8,500 views while our match highlights packages continue to prove popular with fans.

Rory McKenzie’s 300th appearance in blue and white was a day to remember and you can find out where he sits in the list of all-time competitive Killie appearances here.

Outside of the first team, we were pleased to help promote last weekend’s Crosshouse Children’s Fund Halloween 5K. There were some fang-tastic costumes on show and participants showed some spook-tacular skills as they tried to beat Zach Hemming and some other stars from our Rugby Park penalty spot.

Look out for the new edition of the Killie Magazine at this weekend’s home game with Partick Thistle and make sure you are across all our social accounts for all the latest Killie news and features Twitter @KilmarnockFC Facebook @KilmarnockFC YouTube - Kilmarnock FC Instagram - Kilmarnock FC

I was able to respond to an unusual request which came to the club by joining Heart Radio’s Breakfast Show to talk about 'Killieween' and explain to the listeners why Kilmarnock has Halloween on the last Friday in October! As it was on the morning of the local derby match I was also able to give a good luck shout out to the team ahead of the match!

Killie Trust updates The On Board In Person event with Manager Tommy Wright took place on 13th October and we were delighted to 'sell out' the 1869 Suite, with 80 fans in attendance, and hundreds more watching live online or in the days after the event.

Tommy gave an open and frank account of life at Killie covering topics on the football side and match preparation and management, working with James Fowler on recruiting and signing players, the current squad and his thoughts on January transfer window, his player budget and how he is working with the Board, and his approach to including and developing young players.

Trust Chair Jim Thomson updated on Trust projects and I gave additional information following on from my September Director’s Report on the upcoming derby match and commercial matters.

For those who could not follow live, the recording can be accessed on Facebook.

The Killie Trust Board held its October meeting on 21st October, where we discussed ongoing projects including: - The new Killie Trust membership through “Very Connect” being ready to launch. With the Trust having increased membership numbers and wishing to engage members more directly, the new system will be a huge step forward as for the first time we will have everything on one system to enable direct mailings, blogs, event management, member polls and a database of members’ interests and volunteering opportunities. Full details will be coming out shortly from the Killie Trust on how the system will work and how to set up member profiles.

- The branded training wear with both Club and Trust logos for the Goalkeeping Academy has now arrived, and initial sessions have begun.

- A subcommittee has been meeting to lay out plans for Junior Trust membership and full details will be announced – watch this space!

- The Trust Board also held a strategy session on 28th October to begin to develop vision and priorities the next few years. This is still at an early stage but the plan is to engage with Trust members on this as we proceed.

Other activities: - I met with KFC SLO Allen Kyle to discuss issues fans have brought to him and myself.

In the lead up to the match against Ayr Utd, we had regular contact regarding some of the problems which were emerging, in relation to the arrangements for fans arriving at the match and timings of bus arrivals, with representation being made to Ayr via our safety team. Our Health and Safety Officer acted as assistant on the night, and a number of ‘our’ stewards were also in attendance to try to ensure our fans had some familiar faces. A number of issues were picked up post-match, mostly in relation to ticketing, turnstiles, queuing and bus parking, which will hopefully lead to a smoother experience for fans on the next visit.

It was disappointing that one of the Killie team buses was damaged when leaving after the match. Thankfully no one was hurt but with a window smashed there could easily have been casualties.

- The issue relating to the wording of the “Super Killie” song was yet again raised in the match delegate's report as being offensive. I have relayed this to the SLO, KFCSA and the Killie Trust in the hope that we can avoid any further issues in relation to this by persuading fans to drop the word causing offence.

- The use of pyrotechnics (by both sets of fans) was also highlighted. I would expect this means we will be under close scrutiny at the home fixture in January.

- The second meeting of the Club’s Child Welfare and Protection Group was held on 20th October and I am grateful to the members who are giving up their time to help us develop our approach to wellbeing.

The group heard from Club Child Welfare and Protection Officer Charlie Adams on his role and responsibilities, and we had an in depth discussion which included Paul di Giacomo and Jim McLeod from the Youth Academy on how we can improve our ‘exit’ strategy and support for young players when they are released. This is an issue which the SFA is currently working on, but as a Club we are keen to move forward our own approach while awaiting the new SFA guidance.

- Jim Thomson and I met with Helen McCabe, East Ayrshire CVO Partnership Manager for Volunteering, to discuss how we can create an accredited volunteering programme for the Killie Trust.

- I joined Club Secretary Karen Costello for her discussion with KFCDSA , which is primarily to keep in touch and deal with any issues as they arise. I am delighted that with Covid restrictions relaxing, the KFCDSA annual Christmas party can take place again on Friday 10th December in the 1869 Suite.

Future Reports With the new Very Connect system in place it will be possible for me to share my updates directly to Trust members without the need for emails to be sent, although we will still share the links via social media.

I would be grateful for any feedback on both format and content of these reports. I appreciate that as we have improved Club communications there will be information contained in my update which some members may already have seen on social media or been in touch with me directly about and received answers to questions.

But it would be useful to know if there are areas not currently covered which members would like to see included.

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

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

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

Best wishes, Cathy

KILLIE BITS + PIECES As Sevco face another financial crisis their fans have gone surprisingly quiet regarding SSC and the progress he has made with the national team. It’s been fantastic to watch with five wins on the row ensuring we will at least be in the World Cup play offs, any kind of result against Denmark and we will be at home in the semi final. The manager has done a fantastic job though I’m sure that hasn’t come as a surprise to any Killie fan who saw at close hand how he can drag every ounce of effort and ability out of every player he handles.

I’ll need to speak to Higgy, Tetley, Burnett and the other Killie fans who travel everywhere to see if they will be heading to Qatar. I think it may be alcohol free over there and that would be a serious issue for the three mentioned above. The good news is the final is on December 18th so they have a full week to get home for Xmas. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> It’s always a challenging time for folk in the run up to Xmas with all the expense involved. For Killie fans it’s double dodgy this year as between 27th November and 11th December we have 4 away games on the trot. The cup game v QP at Firhill may well be played in a quagmire as Thistle are using it on the Friday…..if only they had plastic!!

Inverness away on a Friday was entirely predictable but we are trying to fill up the boozehound bus, we’ll be running to all 4 if we can get enough names. I fancy we may put out a weakened team against Hamilton in the Trust Cup as we travel north just three days later. It’s a taxing run of games coming up and if we are still a few points clear after the Raith game on the 11th we may well just be in for a season to remember. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> You’ll see elsewhere that we are making up a “Killie Recipe Book” for our defibrillator appeal. We have contacted ex players and managers to send us their fave recipes but the more the merrier. If you know any ex players that would be happy to participate email us details killiehippo@aol.com

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

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