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A decent read in the Daily Record (miracles do happen). How can any of the knuckle draggers argue with this? Hopefully this will also dispel the fears of the doubters among our own support as well. They've done the sums and they are willing to take the chance...

In the midst of the blue blue seethe of Ibrox following today's decision to reduce Sevco's allocation to 'only' 4,000 one of our former players has commented that Rangers could refuse to play at Rugby Park next season in protest. Yes really, he thinks a professional club could refuse to fulfil a fixture because it is unfair they are only receiving 25% of the total capacity of away venue. https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/gordon-smith-claims-rangers-could-14382751 To think this guy used to run football in this country for our national association. No wonder our game is f'kd. Never mind the fact he is an ex player, lives in the town (or used to) and his grandfather holds two cup winner medals for the club. You'd think he would grasp the fact that the fixture is being included as an integral part of his old clubs 150th anniversary that we might want to attract as many Kilmarnock fans as possible to attend and not hold a sash bash for the local Sevconians. To think this guy actually spoke at the 150th dinner in January and is down to attend the Trust Golf day (someone please aim a drive at his smug coupon), he might actually have engaged his brain before commenting and spouting this nonsense. He probably also has the cheeky to be a member of the ex players association. If not he should be refused entry by Monty and co. I for one do not think Smith should be made welcome at Rugby Park following these comments or invited to any future supporters events. The guy is a complete and utter arrogant self-indulgent self-pleasurer who never has a good word to say about his former club. Why should we roll out the carpet for him? Get him to f'k. Gordon Smith, you sir are sine died you Sevco loving bawbag. Never darken our door again.

I literally just spayed out my coffee when read this. Sacked at Hartlepool, raith and effectively at hibs. Take Inverness off his cv and he is a joke. An inarticulate fool. Going from ssc to yogi is like having a kebab after a prime fillet steak. I’d have to reassess my faith in our board if he was let within a 5 mile radius of an interview. So, on balance, it’s a no from me.

You should refuse to play with him as payback for what he's done.

sanitised and insincere and nothing more than an insurance post. Can almost hear you rubbing your hands together hoping it blows up in his face and you can dig out the old soap box and get the "I told you so" banner out

Someone should tell these bawbags we all survived perfectly well without the support of newco/sevco when the newest team in Scotland had to start at the bottom. I’d rather they didn’t come to Killie and we wouldn’t have to put up with their pish glorifying murderers and battles in a foreign country 330 years ago. f**k them and I can’t wait til they die again.

I spoke with BB couple of months back and he said by appointing SSC he had learned 1 lesson in that you do not go for the cheap option when it comes to manager and that he wouldn't do it when SSC eventually left .

f**k off ya hun c**t.

I know. The attitude of attaching blame to the guys who are/were stayaways rather than trying to attract them back is always going to be more off putting than attractive. He knows that but he'd probably rather see himself as having been in some way right than for things to improve.

Totally agree. There's a rancid atmosphere around the Premiership with every other match seeming to throw up some controversy or other with managers mudslinging. We have played Rangers much too often this season - seven times, which just leads to vendettas and rancour. Same with, say, Aberdeen and Celtic. But you read through the posts on here and you see people saying they hate Aberdeen, Hearts, Hibs, Rangers, Celtic, Ayr, Hamilton, Partick Thistle and so on. That’s a lot of hate! Most of these clubs are similar to Killie with supporters who are the same us. They probably hate Killie too - no question in the cases of Ayr and Thistle! Club directors and managers need to act more responsibly. It saddened me to see Rangers’ rection to the announcement yesterday - always playing to their own supporters’ sense of entitlement and grievance. Saying that they understood the Killie board’s decision and congratulating the club on its 150th anniversary would have been more sensible. Time was when there was a lot of people in football with common sense and dignity. In the boardrooms and the dug-outs. People who put the good of the game on the same footing as their own club’s fortunes. By comparison, these days it’s squalid.

Smith continuing the worrying trend of language use in football and in wider society at the moment. “Payback for what they’ve done”? Aye, ok. In life at the moment there are a lot of angry white middle aged men who don’t really know what they are angry about. Not for the first time in his career, an embarrassing failure to hit the target.

Who said we'd fill both stands? It's about not giving away home advantage, making it better for families who attend, being able to give disabled supporters seats/an area that isn't surrounded by mutants with smoke bombs, it's about making it better for home fans who attend when they are going to/from the game, it's about giving the away team as little advantage as we can. You might want 4500 huns behind BOTH goals in our most important home game in years but thankfully you're in the minority. I'd rather have 1,000-1,500 KILLIE fans in the Moffat roaring us on, than have 4500 Huns calling our manager a fenian bastard. If you'd prefer the opposite than more fool you. No other club in the league gives the OF 9,000 tickets per game, even by giving them 4500 we are giving them a hell of lot more than most teams do. There will be minimal, if any huns in our end. Their season is over. Stop looking for negatives that don't exist and back the club on this.

Slaughtered in the press for having the temerity to put our own fans first, thanks for that. The media in Scotland say they want a challenge to Celtic and Sevco, but they actually want the status quo. Every televised game has to have an ex- Celtic or Sevco pundit, radio coverage is massively slanted towards them, and the fans of every other team in the league are made to feel like second class citizens because they don't follow the herd. Well played BB, to hell with the lot of them.

It's about time some of the provincial clubs put an end to the ongoing Old Firm bullying during their visits to our grounds. Killie in particular have had to tolerate flares, sectarian bile, infiltration and regular vandalism during these games and it is no wonder people are hesitant in attending games surrounded by these brainless masses. The majority of their fans are probably straight forward folk who are embarrassed by fellow fans behaviour but seem powerless to influence things for the better. Unlike the Kille board, the Directors of both Glasgow teams do nothing tangible to break the mould and it's very likely we will be viewing the same barbaric behaviour in 50 years time unless we take action to condemn this historic and ongoing malaise. The press are also guilty of spineless behaviour in refusing to tell it as it is. More concerned about their sales figures than the truth, they are incapable of offering a balanced view on most of the Old Firm issues. If they got on board with reality, they could greatly impact on some of the obvious areas of concern. The inbuilt arrogance of these two giants is no more clearly displayed than the expected Rangers reaction to the new ticket allocation for the forthcoming game. If memory serves me well it's not that long ago that they launched a similar project against their old enemy Celtic for no reason other than one of provocation. Celtic fans claiming over time to be the best supporters in the country have now trashed significant seats in our stands on a number of occasions --- it's apparently just what they do! Well done Billy Bowie. The first step in the battle to put Scottish Football's house in order has been taken, so what are the SFA authorities going to do now to ensure overall progress in taming the wild west reputation our football league is developing. I suspect we all know but maybe just maybe we are wrong and the powers that be in our game get their act together.

Let's stop talking about John Hughes. We've made so many steps forward in terms of organisation on the pitch, let's not undo that. We've probably never been a more attractive prospect. England probably has a wealth of good coaches out of work given how much money is pumped into foreign coaches at the top of English football. If the club know now that SC is leaving then please use him as an advisor and get someone that he trusts that their training methods will deliver results. Hibs went outside the Scottish merry go round and they've done great, Dundee went the other way and look at them. We have a resource in Steve Clarke and it would be silly not to lean heavily on him for advice on the next appointment until he's gone.

If I were him, my mind would have been made up at that vile Sevco cup match. If true, we can hardly blame him and he’s turned a bunch of no hopers into an asset-filled team of winners, raised our profile, motivated people and generally improved our outlook.

The man is turning into a bigger legend than Steve Clarke. Standing ovation applause...everything is not always about the money.

Maybe Gav could play this... https://youtu.be/ux1ucNLgKgY

Why do you organise home end tickets for them all? That way you can prove yourself right

That is a very good statement. He deserves to be rewarded in return.

In fairness to the Record, they are quoting another source and describe the comment as bizarre. It’s disappointing that two of my favourite players from the 1970s, Smith and Provan, seem to have little or no affinity with the club which gave them their first chance.

Sorry. Nothing personal. And you probably right in reaction. You just touched a nerve. I think Hughes is a total balloon of a football manager and to think of him following Clarke in the door is unthinkable for me. Playing buttons at the Ayr gaitey this Christmas, yes. But taking over the helm at the third best team in Scotland, no. If the great man says it’s time, we need to pitch high.

Can I just say I want Steve and Alex to stay.

John Hughes?! Deary me. I wonder what @the doomedwould say...

What is it about John Hughes’ record that suggests he wouldn’t be a good appointment? And Gary Holt? What is it about his that will have hundreds of fans ‘no being back ‘?

John Hughes are you on drugs?!

I like the fact everyone hates each other.

And I'm sure if he isn't you'll be first on here to moan about it

He is and always has been, the poster boy for hun loving bellends up and down the country, he doesnt make any attempt to hide it either. Tell the clown hes not welcome at RP and remove him from any associations with the club.

Even without resorting to a calculator I can see that's guff. The 16,000 - presumably OF x 4 - are all premium tickets, currently at £27/19/10, while 1,000 more home fans in the Moffat Stand would pay £20/15/5 per regular match and many will be on family season tickets where the average admission per capita per match will be very low, with a season for two adults and two kids being £400 maximum. However, it’s not guaranteed that we would get four home OF matches in a season as we won’t make Top Six every season. It's a long-term project aimed at growing the fan-base by capturing kids at an early age and improving the atmosphere at OF matches so it’s to be applauded.

You invite someone into your house and they don’t behave you don’t invite them back again, so why should Killie put up with these pricks time after time.

Can’t believe somebody with so many Killie connections, very much aware of our 150th anniversary can be so disrespectful to his previous employers,don’t think he should be involved or invited to any future club events.

That's a great article and proves that there are sane people out there who can see beyond the typical knee jerk reaction we get from the mainstream media when it comes to the Old Firm. All the good guys can do is keep standing together when highlighting the non Old Firm view.

Schedule for 2019–20 UEFA Europa League Phase Round Draw date First leg Second leg Qualifying Preliminary round 11 June 2019 27 June 2019 4 July 2019 First qualifying round 18 June 2019 (Champions Path) 19 June 2019 (Main Path) 11 July 2019 18 July 2019 Second qualifying round 25 July 2019 1 August 2019 Third qualifying round 22 July 2019 8 August 2019 15 August 2019 Play-off Play-off round 5 August 2019 22 August 2019 29 August 2019 Group stage Matchday 1 30 August 2019 (Monaco) 19 September 2019 Matchday 2 3 October 2019 Matchday 3 24 October 2019 Matchday 4 7 November 2019 Matchday 5 28 November 2019 Matchday 6 12 December 2019

The writer then proceeds to produce 4 paragraphs focused solely on the financial perspective. Not a single point of morality discussed in the article. No mention of flares, projectile coins, broken seats or sectarian chanting. So, by the simple expedient of not being financially dependant on the Infirm, the entire 4 paragraph rant becomes irrelevant.

Jesus man imagine going from SC to yogi. We need to be looking to get as high a calibre in as possible and get off the Scottish manager merry go round. Too early for Holt as well he needs another season in the top league

Will be interesting to see whether having 4K rangers fans there versus 8k will effect the marginal killie supporters view on whether to attend the game or not. It will still be drunken louts, in large part, chanting sectarian nonsense and intimidating the locals. I hope it does but I’m not sure I’d be any more inclined to bring my kids to a rangers game just because the number of them halved. The issues largely remain the same issues. As suggested, this is a broader play by Bowie and the board. He has listened to the ( majority of) fans. I think it’s very brave. It’s up to the killie fans to demonstrate that it can pay back commercially. To be honest ( and with the clubs intestrest completely at heart), I have my doubts. As we gave discussed to death, there are mixed views on whether we should be encouraged or discouraged by this years aberage crowds. If folks haven’t got on board under ssc, will this gesture really inspire them to return (under a new manager in time)? Attracting more kids can pay back over the long term but not sure how central getting to a couple of old firm games is versus going week in week out to the other games, is in building loyalty. As I’ve said, brave and in line with the fans mood. Only time will tell if smart business decision.

Clarke turning things around at the club is miraculous. Bowie facilitating it is just as big an achievement. He isn't in this for the kudos or media attention. He's in it for us and the more time goes by the clearer his long term strategy becomes. Deserves all the plaudits he gets.

Glad to see that the club are trying to win 500 or so fans back a week and finally retiring MJ's old firm begging bowl.

Not sure if this is on any of the other threads but its another excellent interview from Billy Bowie --- he does not do too many but so far they have been very welcome ----and its a far cry from what a previous chairman used to come out with ............. ************************************** Billy Bowie has been taken way beyond the end of his tether. He’s had enough of the sectarian chanting that so stung the sensibilities of his own miracle working manager earlier this season during an away day at Ibrox. Enough of the coin throwing yobs who put the health and safety of his club captain in harm’s way during the last visit from Celtic. And enough of the epidemic of appallingly bad behaviour inside football grounds up and down the land which appears to be dragging our national game back towards the dark ages. So yesterday the Kilmarnock chairman chose to do something about it. When Bowie announced that Rangers customary ticket allocation will be sliced in half to just 4,000 for the final game of the current SPFL season at Rugby Park, he applied some sugar coating by adding that this particular day is to be a celebration of the club’s 150th year. But the truth is, this was also a glimpse into the vision Bowie has for Kilmarnock’s future. A modern, welcoming, all inclusive club which bends over backwards to create the kind of environment which parents would wish to usher their children into. Not one which has to ask its own players to coax an eight year-old child into coming back to Rugby Park because of the trauma caused by the last visitation from Glasgow, when Celtic fans crossed all manner of lines as their side effectively tied up this season’s title. Kris Boyd had to make that phone-call the other day which is what Bowie was getting at yesterday in his statement when he said: “Kilmarnock FC is a family club and we want to make sure Rugby Park is an enjoyable and safe environment for people to enjoy watching football.” Later, in an exclusive interview with Record Sport, Bowie explained: “We have spoken to our own supporters about it and there is a feeling that they are intimidated when the Old Firm sides come to Rugby Park. “So we have decided what we want to do is create an environment for them on match days where they feel absolutely safe. We want them to feel comfortable bringing their families to any Kilmarnock game and that has not always been the case. After the last game against one of the Old Firm, we realised this was something that we had to discuss. We have had a lot of talks about it and this is the way we have decided to handle things going forward. “We are creating a fan zone behind the Moffat Stand with a nine aside football pitch and we want Kilmarnock supporters and their families to come along and enjoy the whole matchday experience. “We won’t be able to do that If we are giving that stand away to visiting supporters. So this is the decision we have made. We want to celebrate what our own club has achieved on the last day of the season but this is the model we plan to use going forward.” There’s much to be admired in what Bowie and Kilmarnock are doing here, at a time when Scottish football feels very much like it’s already gone to the dogs. And the accusatory finger should not be jabbed only in the direction of Glasgow and its old divide either. This has been a season of jaw slackening idiocy which has seen a linesman’s head cut open by a coin, Celtic winger Scott Sinclair narrowly missed by a flying bottle of Buckfast, Rangers captain James Tavernier confronted by one fan at Easter Road while dodging a lighter and a Scotch pie at Fir Park, pyrotechnics being thrown like confetti and even a coconut launched onto the field of play during the Edinburgh derby. This juggernaut of loutish behaviour is hurtling out of control then yesterday Kilmarnock chose to slam on the brakes Bowie went on: “We want people to come back to football for all the right reasons. “Obviously, as directors, we sit in the middle of the main stand on match days so we do not have the same experience as those supporters who sit closer to the away fans. We don’t really come into contact with them before or after the game either. “But what we want to do is make Kilmarnock’s supporters feel as if this is their stadium. “There are even issues about crowd segregation before and after games which are made much more easy to control by doing things this way.” Rangers responded yesterday with a thinly veiled threat of refusing tickets for future trips down the M77, perhaps in more testing financial times for Kilmarnock who, in the not so distant past, have been more than happy to roll out the carpet for these bumper visiting crowds. But Bowie insists not only are these changed days for his club - which is closing in on the possibility of European football and a third placed finish in the top flight - but that they are here to stay. When told of the statement from Ibrox yesterday and of the warning that such a stand off could cost Kilmarnock somewhere of the region of a quarter of a million pounds per season, Bowie said: “That doesn’t really bother us to be honest as this is is something we want to do for our own fans. If we can attract more Kilmarnock fans to Rugby Park then we will offset any loss that we stand to make from matches against the Old Firm teams. “Think about it. We have 18 home games over the course of the season. If we can add another 1,000 Kilmarnock fans to our average home crowds then that will more than cover the cost of losing 16,000 Old Firm fans over the season. “You have to remember that Kilmarnock is a well run, self sustainable club with no debt. We are not in the position where we need to rely on big crowds from other clubs. We are doing things properly here and we want to place the emphasis on looking after our own fans and making Kilmarnock a place where families want to come and feel safe.” https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/rangers-celtic-face-further-rugby-14378740

"..for what they're doing to rangers this weekend". The half-wit doesn't even know when the game is, just leaps on the WATP wagon. Ex chief exec of the national association, only in Scotland!

The great thing is he misses it every time you watch it.

Ironically it'll only be the Ayrshire huns who will care as it's their only "away" day of the season.

PS You better get used to it as no club are getting the Moffat next season except Killie fans.

Its all Shaun Battys fault he forecasts two or three days of hot sunny weather and it goes straight to some peoples heads and makes them spout nonsense lets all calm down support our team for the next five games and see where it all ends up when SC addresses us after the final game!!

He'll pick up a Scottish accent in no time.

Almost 10 years as coach and manager. How long an apprenticeship does someone need to become Killie manager these days?

Another example of the leadership we now have at the club. Great article from BB and continues to demonstrate his long term vision for the club.

Club should hand out £7 off vouchers for the final game of the season at both the Aberdeen game and hubs games. That way A. you know they are killie fans when buying and B.makes it more affordable so should tempt a good few more to the game.