Killievision

WE'VE had Man Utd TV, Rangers TV and Celtic TV...well bring on Killie TV! We've been having talks with the club for a few weeks now about setting up a facility to make the official Killie website the best official website on the net...and the situation currently is that we are going to trial some stuff within the next few weeks.

When all the talk was going on about new media rights everyone was under the assumption that the old firm were just trying to cream off more cash for themselves. While that is indeed true, the upshot is that Killie are now in the position to offer the fans more access to the club than ever thought possible. How would you like pre and post match interviews with the manager and the players done by Killie

fans? How would you like to listen to totally biased match commentaries on the net rather than listen to the boring Radio Scotland broadcasts if you can't make the game? How would you like to actually see press conferences etc for yourself instead of reading reports?

Sound too good to be true? Well we're not a kick in the arse off it! The club, in conjunction with the fans, is looking to make this happen, and take Killie to the very forefront of technology. We have already talked about the issues with publishers of other websites and indeed directors of other clubs and everyone agrees that our ideas should be taken on board and given a shot. It could be a total waste of time or it could be the forerunner to SPL TV (without the old firm), the bottom line is that it can be done for peanuts, and lets face it, we only have peanuts to spare.

Basically to set everything up would cost no more than the price of a digital video camera and some time...and we will be 'procuring' a camera from elsewhere to start with so in fact it wont initially cost the club anything. That's as cheap as it gets. It won't make any money for the club to start with but in the long-term Killie could be selling exclusive footage to TV companies that they currently have to buy from...how would that be for a turnaround? The club can also use the project to attract more sponsorship. How about an internet season ticket for exiles to watch live streaming pictures from Rugby Park? It's not that far off, and Killie has to make sure that we are ahead of the game or we'll lose out.

Of course it won't happen overnight and there will be many a hiccup because we are the first to try it, but a 'big up' to Davie Mackinnon and Colin Fraser who have supported the idea and have made it possible for us to give it a go. If all goes to plan then the possibilities are endless and as mentioned above, if fans of other clubs also try it out then we can save ourselves a lot of grief by only ever having to film at home…and then exchange the files. We promise that we'll stay firmly behind the camera!

Big Match Struck Out

THERE are several other new ideas on the go that will bring in much needed revenue to the club and hopefully the fans will be more receptive to these ideas than they were of the 'big match' ones. To be fair they are a lot better thought out and should appeal to Killie fans the world over, but as ever, their success will probably reflect on how the team are doing on the park...such is the nature of the game.

Parents won't be over the moon to find out that there will be another two new strips out next season but to be fair the club have to try and tap into every possible revenue stream…and the days of clubs changing the kit every other year are long gone. Watch out come Christmas for a Killie strip with your name on it…in fact all of your names on it if you're season ticket holders! A few other clubs have tried this idea and it has gone down well with their fans so we might be the next to try it, and you can buy it with your new Killie credit card which the club hope to launch soon.

The Youth Trust have been charged with organising various fund raising events and we'll try and keep you informed of what's happening and when. There are a few corporate do's and some for everyday Joe punters like us which include a Boxing Night, a six-a-sides competition, a supporter's dance and a golf day. We're not quite sure what's aimed at the proletariat yet but I think you'll can take for granted that the dance will be one of them!

Fat Boys Slim - Update

IT'S only been a week since we announced our crash diet but the reaction from everyone has been fantastic. We've had pledges of cash from fans from all over and we can only ask everyone to keep it coming. We even had fans handing us cash at the game on Sunday, Guy and Davie you're the salt of the earth. We're going to be asking local businesses to help us and we've already found a sponsor for our weekly weigh-in. You may remember that when Beckham signed for Real Madrid there was a sponsor for his medical. Well if it's good enough for the fashion conscious midfielder it's good enough for us two fat boys. Huge thanks to Klin Homes who are now the official sponsors and we hope to have a few pictures of our progress in the coming weeks.

As well as publicising our efforts in this paper we're spreading the net elsewhere and have spoken to the BBC to let them know what we're doing. We're hoping the cameras are going to come down to cover a weigh-in but I doubt the BBC will show something that hideous before the 9.00pm watershed. We're also delighted to announce that other fans are dieting along with us and our chums Bluehand, Oboab and Swannie are hoping to raise plenty for the cause. The poor scales took a pounding on Sunday night in the Howard so here's the starting weights (surely the scales need to be re-adjusted!).

Baz (demanding a re-count won't help) - 18st 10lbs

Hippo (still laughing) - 17st 0lbs

Come on all you good people, every single penny raised will go to KFC and will buy tickets for kids to see Killie for free. You can take up a challenge yourself or we can give you a sponsor sheet to raise money on our behalf. If you want to make a contribution or get a sponsor sheet you can contact Baz on 07710 553 693 or Hippo on 07747 718 754. You can also contact us via e-mail - baz@killiefc.com or Killiehippo@aol.com. Thanks again to everyone who has already pledged cash and donated…only 70 days to go before this agony ends!

Hippo 32 Out This Week

THE top fanzine in Scotland, well Bellfield at least, hits the streets again this weekend with the usual mix of humour, serious comment and nonsense. The new issue gives you the chance to win £25 worth of Killie vouchers and will be on sale at Rugby Park and the usual outlets.

A Busy Old Week

CLUBS going into administration stories are getting more paper coverage than anything else at present and this week was no different. Following the news that Livi are in trouble, Dunfermline announced they need players to take a wage cut to help the club avoid administration. We couldn't help but think about ex-Killie man Greg Shields who joined the Pars during the transfer window. The deal was that Dunfermline would honour the rest of his contract then within a few weeks he's being asked to take a reported 33% cut - forgive us if we don't have too much sympathy but just look at the money he is saving on petrol. The Pars have always been comparable in size and status to Killie and we genuinely hope they don't take the administration route like the three others.

Closer to home and the club were making noises that they were disappointed about the low number of Killie fans who bought tickets for the cup game on Sunday. We hope the whole scenario acts as an alarm call to the board that the number of die hard fans may be dwindling. There are several reasons for fans not going and each issue needs to be addressed by those in charge at the Theatre of Pies. Many fans, especially those with families simply cannot afford the tickets with kids briefs costing £12. Secondly many fans don't attend old firm games due to the larger crowd and potentially hostile atmosphere. A lot of fans were sickened by the last game of last season against Celtic and the club must learn to always put the home fans first in these situations.

Finally well done to the fans who did attend and gave the team their full backing for ninety minutes. More of the same would be nice this Saturday as we attempt to complete a hat trick of league wins over the Jags - get the tonsils well oiled for 90 minutes of singing.

Read the B&H column in the Kilmarnock Standard every week