An Attempt to Change Scottish Football

[BJT]

Crisis! But hopefully averted?…

I went absolutely ape….but it wasn’t the board I could whine at this time. It was myself and the contract our striker Gary Paton had. As you can see he has real pedigree, scoring countless times and important goals on the big European stage.

Man City and Arsenal were pursuing him, and with a clause that would let him leave for a top European club set at only 5 million, both clubs were more than happy to offer the cash up front.

I tried to offer him a new contract, but of course that was now too late….and he was destined to leave us. After having such a good first half of the season, our year could be completely ruined.

Desperation Measures

First thing I aimed to do with only a little over 1 million left in the kitty, was to request the board increase the amount of funds retained from any transfer sales. This was increased hugely from around 55% to 90%.

This was to be absolutely critical, as I identified a striker Eamonn Lynch from Hearts. We eventually agreed in total an 11 million fee with the majority payable over instalments.

And despite his and his agent’s large fee demands, I was able to get this lowered by a third inline with our budget. Thankfully after negotiation, the fella put pen to paper.

I can only hope that our scout has done his job and predicted that he will become a striker just as good as Paton or even better which potential wise in the star ratings he was a half a star higher, but half a star lower at the time of current ability.

Comparing the Two

The Past – Gary Paton

Well you can see Gary Paton is not only a great finisher, but has excellent technique and physical prowess. Pace, acceleration, strength, with agility, with a good first touch and naturally fit he really was an asset for us and is going to be hugely missed.

And whilst having good technique too, he definitely is a player that can play at a high level. Only his passing and vision really lets him down, and he’s never going to be a threat in the air.

The Future – Eamonn Lynch

Fortunately I’m playing in Scottish football…so all the technique in the world isn’t going to be so advantageous over here.

But what Eamonn Lynch is, is not only a finisher but he possesses excellent composure and much more so than Gary Paton.

However, his lacks physical presence and doesn’t have the pace, acceleration, or strength and stamina that Gary does. He also doesn’t have the best technique or first touch. Paton also edges in the free kick department too.

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So, crisis solved?

Eamonn will be our penalty taker when he joins. Gary lacks skill in this area. So I think for our purposes, Eamonn will be a very good signing. He can put the ball in the back of the net like Gary and will also be able to convert spot kicks for us.

However the lack of presence up front, the pace, and ability to hold up the ball and alleviate pressure when need be won’t be there. With lower work-rate too, our team will need to carry Eamonn in games. But if we can do that, then we may be able to get the most out of him.

Stephen Hunt – Winter Signing to Complement

I have also suffered a bit of an injury crisis of late with six first teamers out. I have no good right wingers or defensive central midfielders at the moment. However the right flank is going to be weak for a couple of months due to the severity of the injuries sustained.

My choice was to bring in Stephen Hunt. 23 years old and an England u21 international bought from Blackburn Rovers, he looks like the sort of player that can bring the most out of Eamonn. He will also slot straight into the first team.

Pace 15, Acceleration 17, Determination 20, Work Rate 13, Dribbling 16, Crossing 14, Agility 17, Natural Fitness 16, Technique 13.

The downside he has poor composure, bravery, vision, and passing abilities. His first touch could do with improvement too.

Bu they aren’t bad stats for someone costing 3.4 million. I’m hoping he’ll work the right flank well with Eamonn the nearest striker to him. The lack of pace Eamonn has, Hunt should be there in quick support, and with the ability to beat his man and the sheer pace and determination he has, get into positions to feed him.

So that’s my theory and idea….I hope we don’t throw away our good work so far. If we can somehow keep hold of second place this year then I’ll be ecstatic.

 

[Jedd95]

Great to see you broke into the top 2 last season, and you did decent in the Champions League considering the size of the club. It's a shame your striker has left and the injury crisis you are suffering... I hope you can come out of it unscathed and still putting the pressure on Celtic!

All the best with the season

 

[BJT]

Thanks mate. Yeah it was pretty tough, but fortunately with it being a break too it isn't as bad as it could have been right bang in the middle of a lot of fixtures.

 

[BJT]

The Chase Still on

Following the difficulties faced in the Winter both with injuries and the loss of Paton, Moss’ Ayr have dug in, matching Celtic stride for stride with each passing week. Eamonn Lynch has fit in well with Stephen Hunt who has definitely brought pace and determination down the right flank.

Both have been inspired Winter signings and are a very big reason why Ayr are in the race, along with Billy Arce on the left flank and the additions of MacPherson at centre-back with Craig Dawson between the sticks.

Hand in hand, it’s resulted in a more potent offense and a greater solidity at the back. And I don’t recall Dawson making any howlers. I’d normally get 3 or 4 big ones a year from our now back up keeper Liam Kelly.

With the league split taking place, Celtic have a two point buffer, and what may also be seen as favourable fixtures in the title race.

Ayr have to visit both Rangers and Celtic away, where Celtic additionally have to play Rangers on their own turf.

Unfortunately for Ayr, their form against The Bhoys is quite dire to say the least. Most games played at Celtic’s home sees them triumph with relative ease. Only away from home or on a neutral venue Ayr have given them a game.

Rangers away is also a very tricky tie. With Rangers confident of bridging the seven point gap from 3rd​ to 2nd​ and a Champions League spot, with home support and the determination for playing in Europe’s Prestige competition they will undoubtedly be up for this one.

Hibernian have had a decent year laying in fourth spot, and they are capable of producing a result to really sway the top three spots one way or another. But Celtic have to be clear favourites to retain their title.

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Ayr Five Game Schedule

Rangers A
Hearts H
Celtic A
Dundee H
Hibernian H


Top Two due to Clash in Cup Final

It really has been a season for Celtic and Ayr fighting for this year’s honours. Both clubs are due to meet in the end of season Scottish Cup Final.

Ayr are looking to retain the trophy they won for the first time in their history last season. You would think the team coming out on top in the title race would have the advantage in this one.

However with Ayr showing they can compete with the very best in Europe with their scalp beating Athletico Madrid 1-0 this year, they are capable of producing a one off master-class and defy the odds once more.

With such intensity going to be on offer within the next few weeks of the season, there could easily be injuries and fatigue that may also play its part.

Whatever happens, it will be an end of season spectacle with the two finalists this year both very worthy of their places.

 

[BJT]

The Title Run-in

It’s been many a year since there was a real close finish to the end of the Scottish Premier Division. For over a decade Celtic have been the dominant force, and in the last couple of years have hit the 99 and 93 points mark respectively.

To quote Moss, he said the only chance Ayr would have to ever topple The Bhoys would be if Celtic had a bad year, and The Honest Men would have a superb one.

Things kicked off perfectly for Moss’ Ayr in the first game at the Ibrox Stadium. It was a performance that said to his players, “we can do this”.

The Gers Mauled with Integrity

An absolute mauling in front of the Rangers faithful pretty much put to bed any of their hopes and dreams of remaking the top 2 this year. It went all wrong from minute 1 when Eamonn Lynch gave Ayr the lead….and Rangers were never in it since. The score at the Full-time whistle ended Rangers 1 – 5 Ayr, with their consolation coming from the penalty spot.

Meanwhile Celtic slipped up away at Dundee. Unable to break them down, the score ended up 0-0 with everything all square at the top of the table – only goal difference gave Celtic the edge.

Both Celtic and Ayr won their second game, which left the third match at Celtic Park a potential decider….

They Think It’s All over…

And despite Ayr grabbing an early lead, it was Celtic who replied three times in consecutive succession. Ayr grabbed a second giving Moss’ side some hope in the last 10 minutes, but Celtic saw out the game like the professional outfit they are and took home a crucial 3-2 win.

This meant Ayr were now 3 points down and with an inferior goal difference with only two remaining games left. The dream now all but seems over for Ayr, and it could be a while before a title race gets within their grasp again.

A Shock Defeat

It really should have been a cakewalk for Celtic, although as pointed out early Hibernian have proved to be a tough outfit this year, and it proved to be so for The Bhoys.

Falling to a 4-2 away defeat, the 3 points advantage gained after putting Ayr away in the last match had been wasted, as at Somerset Park Moss’ men won a tight game at home to the weakest side already confirmed sixth this year Dundee.

Less than convincing, but Ayr got the job done which prolonged the title race to be decided all on the final day….

Failure on the Final Day

Home advantage for Ayr against Hibs was the task in front of Moss’ side. Brendan Rogers yet again facing one of his old players in Steven Gerrard at Rangers.

A filled Celtic Park were full of expectancy in this one. But as with any Old Firm Derby, anything can happen.

Celtic took the lead in the 10th​ minute, where a shot was parried by the Rangers Keeper but fell straight to Brad McGregor who put the ball past Donaldson to give Celtic the perfect start.

However there was a spanner in the works thrown. In the 23rd​ minute, Rangers had a thrown-in on the left handside. No danger seemed evident, but a moment of absolute genius from Nathan Ritchie struck a shot into the bottom corner of the net catching the Celtic keeper completely unaware. The game was now tied at 1-1.

Meanwhile Ayr were in a tightly contested battle against Hibs, Russell Thomson then stupidly got himself a red card in the 25th​ minutes giving Ayr an extra man advantage. And it was former Rangers man Glenn Middleton that gave The Honest Men the lead just before the break after a ball played from the right across the six yard box was met for a simple tap in passed the Hibs keeper.

A perfect time to score a goal, and it was a case of remaining solid and not playing dumb football, keeping cool calm and collected for the next half.

45 Minutes Left

In the second half it really was a backs to the wall job for Rangers. Determined to ruin their rival’s title hopes they defended resolutely. But Celtic kept pushing forward, wave after wave of attack kept coming the way of The Gers.

But time was starting to run out. Celtic’s shot count kept rising and rising, and after 90 minutes had gone they had a total of 33 shots to Rangers 7, but the Blue Wall was still shut…then came the 92 minute and a glorious opportunity fell the way of Mdluli whose shot went wide of the far right post….within 60 seconds the full-time whistle blew. Rangers had held Celtic to a 1-1 draw meaning all Ayr needed to do was hold onto their 1-0 advantage.

In a much tighter contested game, both Ayr and Hibernian ended with 11 shots each, with Ayr having 4 on target and Hibs the 2. Ayr had 3 clear cut chances to Hibs 0. The one of those chances Glenn Middleton took looked to prove the decisive moment…

But in the final few seconds Hibs had a free kick out wide on the edge of the box. The ball was launched in deep to the back post….and it was converted by Andrew Skelly!

…but wait, the referee disallowed the goal right at the very death?... No, it didn’t count, and Ayr held on to clinch a Scottish Premiership title success!!

The year had it all…with lady luck really shining on Ayr this year. Celtic’s inconsistent form, The Blue Wall of The Gers, the sending off for Hibs, and the disallowed 93rd​ minute goal from Skelly.

No one would see this coming, and it’s probably not going to be repeated for quite a while yet either. A really low points total of 85 was enough for Ayr, with Celtic hitting a low 83 for them. That’s 16 points less than a couple of years ago.

Next week sees the last game of the season, with newly crowned Champions Ayr going against the team they pipped into second place for the Scottish Cup – Celtic.

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[Jedd95]

Wow, absolute drama. Crazy how it all worked out for you in the end. Great to see you beat Celtic to the title and I hope you can maintain that and build a dominance. Fantastic

 

[BJT]

Cheers, yeah I couldn't quite believe it myself! I'm pretty sure I'll get a big bump down to earth next year though they had such a poor year for their standards. I'm hoping to try pip Rangers regularly to second spot though. It'll be painful to only make the Euro Cup when you get a taste of the ECL.

 

[BJT]

Scottish Cup Final – Seeing Double


After failing to win the league from a commanding position on the final day, Celtic have had a week to get their heads together and prepare for what they will consider as their day for revenge.

Meanwhile Moss ensured his Ayr side kept their celebrations down to a minimum, knowing they had the chance to make further history by completing the double for their first ever time.

The game sees Ayr without first team central midfielder Ferguson. So the signing from the start of the season Docherty takes his spot. Everywhere else is at full strength. Could Ayr cause another upset, or will the favourites The Bhoys get some kind of consolation for their season’s efforts?

After a tightly contested first half, the score into the break was all square. Celtic were dominating possession of the ball which you would expect, whilst also having the extra man in midfield playing with a 4231 formation. Ayr stuck to their tried and trusted 442.

All the goal action came in the second half in this one. The deadlock was eventually broken just a little over the hour mark.

Addo the Celtic wing back received the ball and found some space to try run into and exploit. After advancing into the Ayr Utd half, Docherty was able to dispossess the ball from under his control. With the Celtic defensive shape looking a little sluggish, a few simple passes led to the ball eventually ending up at Oli Shaw’s feet 20 yards outside the box. With no-one immediately closing him down, he got himself set and struck the ball sweetly with it flying into the top left hand corner of the net. Celtic had been punished clinically.

The game continued to be tight but no further goals had come with the game now in injury time.

With the Ayr fans signalling to the referee to blow the final whistle relentlessly, there was time for one further goal in the game….drama yet again?

Not this time, but more heartache for the Celtic fans. Forcing a corner on the left hand side, the ball was played short. But with Celtic failing to clear the original move into the box, it gave a second chance for Ayr to attack.

The ball eventually found it’s way to Glenn Middleton on the left. With time to place his cross to the far post, an unmarked MOTM Stephen Hunt was there on hand to hammer the ball home to secure the win and secure the Scottish Cup for a second year running with the Ayr faithful celebrating crazily in the stands.

The Whistle then blew, and Ayr were deserved winners in this one. Despite having only 43% possession, they created 2 clear cut chances to Celtic’s nil, and more important won the game with a 2-0 scoreline.

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And here are the goals that shot Ayr to this year’s double!

[video=youtube;fbGqejj-90I]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbGqejj-90I[/video]

 

[BJT]

The Stars of 2025/26

After the club’s most successful season in history, here are the men worthy of mention:

Eamonn Lynch 7.42 – Highest average rating in the squad and scoring 18 goals in 20 appearances for us, he did an excellent job replacing Gary Paton this second half of the season.

Stephen Hunt 7.30 – Our other Mid-season signing, always looking dangerous with his pace and his determination to succeed is unrivalled. Scoring 6 goals and 4 assists in his 20 appearances he played a very important supporting role in our success.

Billy Arce 7.25 – Brought in to start at left wing, he brought a great return scoring an impressive 14 goals and 7 assists for the team.

Danny Finlayson & Reece MacPherson 7.18 – Mentioned together as they both achieved the same average rating whilst forming an excellent partnership together at the back. Out defence had never been so strong previously, and they along with our dependable and reliable keeper Cameron Dawson helped bring this about.

Jack Bryne 7.11 – Our assist king for the season, creating 14 goals and scoring 6 this season.

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Happy with the Board

Our bank balance has now soared up to 27 million and our board have given us a transfer budget of 17.8 million. I’m hoping after our domestic success and making the CL group stages that some quality talent will be interested in joining us next year. But this doesn’t solve our problem of having the wages to make any player interest become a reality.

The board have also announced stadium expansion plans! That’s a real step in the right direction with our capacity expected to increase by 2,546 seats with an expected completion date of 16th​ September this year. I’m absolutely delighted with this, as it is showing real ambition. We are also averaging higher attendances than our rivals Kilmarnock.

And finally on a personal level, for the fourth year running I’ve been awarded Manager of the Year. The trophy had been running since 1986, with former Rangers manager Walter Smith having won the award a record three times a row. So it’s a great achievement to break this.

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Board and Personal Objectives

Media Prediction – 5th​
Scottish Premiership – Euro Cup Qualification (Winners)
Scottish Cup – Semi Finals (Winners)
Betfred Cup – Semi Finals (Qtr Finals – lost Aberdeen)
Euro Cup – Reach Playoffs (Group Stages)

Only the one trophy still eludes me domestically, and is the one trophy Ayr have yet to win. Losing in extra time to Aberdeen in the quarters was a disappointment. But we more than made up for it in the end.

Great to get into the CL group stages after having two hard qualifying matches, and I’m delighted we’re going to be there next season.

As far as I’m concerned it has been a perfect year given we had to find a replacement striker and this whilst in a time of injury problems. The dealings we made Mid-Season were critical to our success, and it is important in the offseason to further strengthen our squad.

Report wise, it looks like our central midfield area is where we need the most investment. And by playing 442 they’ll need to be of excellent quality if we’re to have a decent run in the Champions League.

My long term goals? Let’s not be unrealistic and think we can start to dominate Scotland, and it’s likely something we ever will. But we can look to consistently challenge for 2nd​ spot and a CL place, and making the knockouts in this competition for me is where I want Ayr to be.

With a brand of football, I would like to be able to play a very offensive game at some point. However I’m not sure we’ll ever be able to bring the talent in to play in such a way. But if I spot any players that are suitable, they’ll most certainly be high priority targets in the hope this style of football can be promoted.

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International Update

It was the World Cup this Summer. Our Football Association are expecting us to reach the 3rd round. It's a much weaker Belgium side than that of their considered Golden Age. In addition we have a couple of our top players out injured, so a good third of our team was filled with mediocre quality players.

It was a realistic target, and by defeating Congo 5-0 and drawing 1-1 with Ecuador we made it into the knockout stages. Fortunate, in the 2nd round we needed penalties to defeat the USA after the game ended 1-1 after extra time.

Then came the French. Now that is one nation filled with world class all over the park. Their lowest valued player is at 45 million with their highest no other than Mbappe at 95 million. In comparison, our starting line up ranged from 56 million to 24k. Yes, 24k!!

No contest here, so one might expect....however we gave a really good account of ourselves, forcing the game into extra time. Unfortunately in minute 122, we conceded a penalty which Paul Pogba converted to cause one team of mine some heartbreak this year...

A shame we couldn't go further, but the draw wasn't in our favour. That's cup football. But I've reached the FA's objective, so I can't ask for anything more, especially with the talent pool so limited. There are no decent right backs, defensive midfielders, and our centre-backs aren't of good enough quality either.

I think I'll be leaving the Belgium post to concentrate on Ayr, unless either the Scotland job becomes available again or a real powerhouse of a nation is free to manage.

 

[BJT]

Expectancy Rises

Board and Personal Objectives

Media Prediction – 3rd
Scottish Premiership – Euro Cup Qualification
Scottish Cup – Semi Finals
Betfred Cup – Semi Finals
Champions League – Be Competitive

Coming into my ninth season in Scotland and seventh with the Ayrshire club, no longer are we expected to fight relegation, but a third place is where the media now predicts us to finish.

The board recognise that Celtic and Rangers are still the big boys in this league, with the Euro Cup remaining their expectancy when it comes to league placing.

The cup targets follow on from our expected 3rd​ place position, so making the semi;s remains our aim here.

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Summer Investment

With a budget of a little over 17 million, we’ve been able to bring in a few good players to the club. Our wages are still a bit problematic though, and I had to switch to other targets as my first choices wanted too much per week that we can afford.

That said, we’ve brought in some great additions. A new keeper in Pawasa. An experienced Congo International keeper, he has potential to be a long-term success at this club. Importantly, he’s a natural keeper sweeper unlike Dawson, and so I’m hoping that in itself will improve us at the back slightly.

We have invested in a new central midfield pairing. Probably our weakest area last year, but with Scottish International Allan Campbell looking a solid defensive centre mid and a really young promising Danish International Daniel Bonde, I’m really happy with this pairing for this coming year.

A Real Bargain

Bonde was also a real steal from Copenhagen at 1.7 million and is only 20 years of age. Good first touch, technique, passing, decisions, work-rate and great balance he’ll do well as our playmaker this year. He’s also a free kick specialist and this ability is something we have lacked. This could be crucial in those tight games.

However I couldn’t remove a clause from the contract as it was non-negotiable where an offer of 16.5million would be enough to see him leave. I’ll have to keep a close eye on this.

The other two buys were purely for numbers, including a young prospect also from Copenhagen Anderson, and a listed winger from Hibs in Oliver Wall. I’m hoping with his age, Anderson might be a player that will improve and could play an important part for us coming off the bench. Wall is purely there for the numbers as there wasn’t anyone available at a reasonable price within my available budget left of 1.42 million.

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Light Up Top

I was really hoping for one large major purchase up front as Oli Shaw is on the decline. Unfortunately wage demands scuppered any attempts to find a suitable first teamer here.

As you can see from my squad, some of the ratings have reduced from some of my players. I’m guessing that’s taking into account our aims this year. But the striker position is what we will be lacking within our first XI. I hope we won’t be struggling to break down those sides that will be parking the bus against us.

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[BJT]

Are You Having a Laugh??

Yes indeed, those are the fives words Moss has been found muttering to himself…

Champions League Draw

After winning the Scottish Premier Division last season, Ayr did not need to play the qualifiers to get to the Champions League Group stages.

With that, Moss was hoping for a better draw this time around. After being handed Athletico, Shakhtar and Porto last season he thought with their league position Ayr might get that easier group.

So when the Ayr boss found out he drew last season’s winners Barcelona, Olympic Lyon and Italian side Roma, he wasn’t best amused.

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The Bhoys are Back in Town

Despite The Honest Men’s league form being excellent, Moss has also found it comical Celtic have won thirteen straight games on the bounce. With 39 points from 39 points, Ayr are behind the league leaders by 7 points already at this early stage.

However on the positive, the gap between Ayr and third placed Dundee is 9 points. So Ayr look to be on course for making the Champions League spots even at this early stage of the year.

The signing so far has been Daniel Bonde. With 3 goals and 7 assists in 16 starts he is proving to be the bargain many thought he would be, and is proving to be a very important player thus far.

And Less Comical

Less comical but more joyous. With the cup final contestants decided for the Betfred Cup, Ayr have a second chance to lift this trophy – the missing piece to both Ayr’s and Moss’ collection.

Ayr are due to face Hibernian who surprisingly knocked out the 13 and 0 Celtic. A blessing in disguise indeed, as with Celtic’s form so far this year they appear almost invincible.

It’s been no secret Moss really wants this trophy on his CV as it is the last trophy he’ll realistically be able to win with Ayr. He’ll be making sure his players are more than ready for the final ahead.

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[BJT]

History is Made - Moss Completes the Set


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On a fine day at Hampden Park, I was ready to lead my team out in front of the near 40,000 crowd. With both us and Hibs fielding a 442 formation, I was confident that our players as long as they performed to the best of their abilities would take this trophy for us home.

Hibernian were clearly more possession orientated in this game and they really can’t be faulted for trying to play the beautiful game the way many could like to see football played. But ultimately when the cup is on the line, it’s all about the winning.

We had our best XI out for this one, and our quality in the end showed. The game breaker was none other than Eamonn Lynch. Already with 22 caps for Ireland at the age of 24, he gave us the lead in the 35th​ minute.

Pressure Told

Pressure had been mounting on the Hibernian back line. Starting from our goalkeeper, we worked the ball up to Stephen Hunt on the right. Running through the Hibernian midfield, when eventually stopped the ball broke kindly. With the ball eventually finding the feet of Billy Arce, a low cross played across the box found our poacher supreme to calmly convert the ball passed the Hibs keeper. A real goalscorer’s finish.

And only five minutes later with Hibs rocking, again from our keeper the ball found its way to Bonde in midfield. With the attack then picking up pace, he switched the ball right to Stephen Hunt who continued to torment the Hibs defence. Getting to the byeline he crossed the ball again low into the six yard area to find Eamonn Lynch again in the right spot at the right time, coolly converting the cross into the back of the net. Both goals finished with clinical precision.

With the scoreline 2-0 at half time it was all about game management then. The team kept things tight, and when Hibs were piling on some pressure trying to find a way back into the match our defence held truly firm with our keeper Pawasa in fine form today.

The Cup was Ours

Time then ran out for Hibs, and Ayr finally within their 116 years history were able to lift the Scottish Betfred cup in front of their supports who made the trip to Hampden.

I was always confident after avoiding Celtic we’d bring the cup home. It’s never an easy thing getting across that final hurdle as it’s all about how well you play on the day, but I’m delighted our lads got the job done.

Now we just have to continue to plug away and secure second spot.

Here are the goals that gave us our history win and complete our trophy cabinet to have now won all 3 major domestic Scottish trophies:

[video=youtube;cl33cCAlvfY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cl33cCAlvfY[/video]

In Champions League News

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We’ve done it again! Failed to get out the group stages, but we’ve down ourselves and the club proud.

We weren’t under the end of any embarrassing scorelines this time around. A respectable 3-1 away loss and 1-0 home loss to Barca. A respectable away loss 1-0 to Roma and a home draw 4-4 against them. A well earned point away to Lyon drawing 0-0, and a 1-0 home victory against them in front of our own fans.

That left us with 5 points in the group. We were the team pushing for a late winner at Lyon, but their keeper made 3 good saves late on to keep their clean sheet intact.

If we had won that game, we would have qualified in second place above them. But they ended up sneaking through instead sadly. However we finished above Roma who ended the group bottom on 4 points.

This means unlike last year where we came last, we’ve now finished 3rd​ and will compete in the Euro Cup. With the league out of reach but 2nd​ place looking a real possibility, we have the chance to go as far as we can in this competition. So I’ll be taking it seriously to boost both our club and national reputation by doing as well as we can.

 

[BJT]

In With a Shout

The European adventures were cut a little shorter this year. After dispatching of Galatasary 4-3 on aggregate, we were then handed a draw against Athletico Madrid.

With a first leg defeat away 0-3, the second leg was all about keeping things respectable. We drew 0-0 in the home tie, so out of Europe we were…

These games along with our Scottish Cup and league games led to a real poor spell of results for us. Without a win in 6 matches, it appeared things were going to slide. We got knocked out the cup away to Livingston, but we had to field a second string side with fatigue really creeping up on us.

Earlier on in the season Celtic were clear by seven points, this had been reversed with us climbing to the top of the mountain – to then be pegged back. But given the circumstances then, we’ve still done a great job to be in their sights.

With 33 games now gone, Celtic are 1 point clear with the league split now taking place, we will need to find their form quickly if we’re to retain our Premiership Crown.

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Emergence of Anderson

The young striker bought for 2 million initially expected to be our bench warmer this year has been training extremely well. Mid-way through the season I’ve decided to replace Oli Shaw with him up front. We do seem to be scoring a little more freely and our goal difference has been catching up with Celtic over the course of the second half of the season.

It looks like both of my signings from Danish club Copenhagen will have played their part this year. We’ve certainly improved on last year and whatever happens this season, that’s been a real positive for us. And I can’t praise Bonde enough…he really has been our 007 this year.

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The Remaining Five

Fortunately we’re going into these games with a clean bill of health. How I’d define our fixtures as good or not I’m not sure, but here are the games we have left:

Motherwell H
Rangers A
Celtic H
Aberdeeen A
Kilmarnock H

As you can see Celtic have already got a points tally that beat last year’s title win form us. So they sure did have a bad year.

With that form, we really do have to do a number on Celtic at our home Somerset Park. If we can win that game then we have a chance. But even with a victory there, I still think we can’t afford to drop any points in the other games. Rangers away will be a tough game as will Aberdeen. And I’m sure Killie in the last game of the season will undoubtedly want to scupper any dreams we have of retaining our crown.

 

[BJT]

Deja Vu...

When you hear the term “choke”, in sporting terms that to me is a team or an individual unable to handle pressure in those decisive moments.

Well it seems this year they, Celtic, have put that behind them. Much better consistency in the league, and despite the defeat to Ayr in this five match Championship race they bounced back instantaneously.

However last year, Celtic choked in both the Scottish Cup Final and also in the league – albeit they were unlucky in that match against Rangers at Celtic Park.

…well forward on a year, the way the fixtures have panned out it was a bizarre situation. Final day drama yet again has come to Celtic Park….with Celtic a point ahead of Ayr whom could only draw in their previous game against Aberdeen.

Meanwhile Ayr had their local rivals Killie to battle in their final game. But with the title out of Moss’ sides hands, all eyes as last year, rained down at Celtic Park…

14 Minutes In…

McGregor already on a yellow card stupidly shoved his opposite man following a hoof down the pitch from the Celtic keeper. How one can lose their head with only 14 minutes gone is incomprehensible.

So Celtic now down to 10 men with another 75 minutes or so left to play with the scores 0-0, that’s one way to make life difficult for yourselves….

At Somerset Park five minutes on, the Danish 20 year old kid Anderson put The Honest Men up in the clash with Killie.

Killie were on the attack down the right flank. When the ball came central captain courageous Finlayson prevented a strike on ball. A swift counter attack followed, with Eamonn Lynch normally our goalscorer supreme working down the flank turning from goalscorer to provider, crossing the ball into the area with Anderson meeting the ball with his head to put it past the Killer keeper.

Meanwhile in minute 28, Celtic down to 10 men then went ahead through Rios. Advantage now back with the Bhoys.

But rather than hit Rangers confidence for six, it appeared to have the opposite effect. 3 minutes later Morelos hit in the equaliser for The Gers firing passed the wrong footed Konig.

Blow #2

Forward on another six minutes, and Rangers hit their second major blow. Playing some nice controlled football, against 10 men it certainly made things easier and the extra man advantage really told. From the edge of the area Bob Linton swivelled and hit a belter into the top right corner with the keeper having no chance.

So with Rangers losing and Ayr winning things were looking fantastic for the Ayrshire club.

Five minutes into the second half and The Honest Men took full control of their game. This time it was the other 20 year old Danish star Daniel Bonde. Working the ball from a throw in on the left, the ball came to Bonde who steered himself into a position to get a strike on goal from the just outside the 18 yard box…a well hit and placed shot to the bottom left corner doubled the lead. Only a total capitulation would stop Ayr grabbing all 3 points.

Losing the Plot

If Celtic hadn’t already done so, well they really lost the plot now. A reckless challenge from Addo in the 75th​ minute saw him pick up his second yellow card of the game – and Celtic’s second red card!!!

Two goals with nine men against a motivated Glasgow Rangers…surely not? The last fifteen minutes were a painful watch for any Celtic fan. Not looking threatening in any way the game petered out and for the second season running Rangers have handed Ayr and Moss his second League Title on a platter!

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Pushing Limits to the Max

Celtic ended up with 95 points this year and a goal difference of +71, scoring 102 goals conceding 31. We on the other hand ended with 98 points, same +71 goal difference and scoring 98 to conceding 27.

We were considerably down on our goal difference before bringing Anderson in for the second half of the season, so that seems to have been a really good choice. Additionally, it’s only one off the 99 points Celtic achieved a few seasons ago.

So an increase of 13 points this term was an outstanding achievement and we can now again fully look forward to competing in the Champions League group stages. And I must now add...I absolutely love Glasgow Rangers!

Here are the key moments from the Old Firm Derby that handed us the League Title…

[video=youtube;XYAZy1zBXT4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYAZy1zBXT4[/video]

 

[BJT]

The Stars of 2026/27

Our second double trophy success came this year. Three key players from last season’s success were integral to the repeat of this feat. However one player made a huge difference in being able to pip The Bhoys this time around.

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In order from fourth to first, my players of the year

Stephen Hunt 7.34 – Another great impact season from the right winger. Causing teams problems with his dribbling all year, he ended up contributing with 17 goals and 13 assists.

Billy Arce 7.41 – Pipped Stephen Hunt to being our best flanker this season. Although he played less games than Hunty, he scored more goals and created more too with 18 and 17 respectively. Now at age 28 he’s at the peak of his game, and I hope I can get another couple of good years from him.

Eamonn Lynch 7.05 – In his first full season at the club, he broke Ross Herron’s 35 goals in a season record by going one better scoring 36. Goals win you games, and his consistency up front for us was vital and a reason we were able to match Celtic on goal difference.

*Daniel Bonde 7.57 – Averaging 7.77 in the league itself, he scooped up four end of year awards in both the young and professional categories. He only has one weak point – and that’s his discipline. Hopefully with age he’ll control that side to his game a little better. Now at twenty one, it must be a matter of time before a big club will pay his release clause. Scoring 16 goals and creating 21, he was our gem and our player of the season.

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Board and Personal Objectives

Media Prediction – 3rd​
Scottish Premiership – Euro Cup Qualification (Winners)
Scottish Cup – Semi Finals (Qtr Finals – lost to Livingston)
Betfred Cup – Semi Finals (Winners)
Champions League – 4th​ Be Competitive (Achieved)

Only the Scottish Cup this season was a disappointment. But with a fatigued side I had to play a weaker team in the loss at Livingston.

Otherwise it was yet another hugely successful year on the domestic front. In Europe, we haven’t had the best of draws, and Athletico Madrid when demoted to the Euro Cup were always going to be too good for us. Still, we weren’t embarrassed and we’ll try again next year.

Really good news this offseason and I’m so delighted at this. Our board have laid out their intentions to build a brand new stadium! Our current one after the increase in capacity holds a little under 13,000 people. But with our average attendance now over 12,000, we’re gathering more support each year and our current home just won’t be big enough anymore.

Unsurprisingly our transfer budget was only 8.6 million. With these plans in place I can imagine our transfer budget won’t be as large as it would typically be once confirmation of this goes through. It’s going to be a difficult time to keep our standards up on the pitch as the teams around us will likely be investing substantially more.

So this off-season is about trying to find a bargain or two and see if I can improve the first team in a place or two. Two players who are apart of our squad have decided they don’t want to stay at the club. Replacements at centre-back and right back a must this off-season. I just hope I’ll have enough in the kitty to try and pick up a third quality player that will warrant a first team spot.

Celtic will definitely have the funds to simply buy their way to the title this coming year, so that’s a given. I hope though that we can keep a good gap between ourselves and Rangers to ensure we finish no lower than 2nd​. With the successes we’ve had lately and the investments made, I refuse to settle to finish outside the top two.

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[BJT]

Ayr United – Season 10

Board and Personal Objectives

Media Prediction – 2nd​
Scottish Premiership – CL Qualification
Scottish Cup – Final
Betfred Cup – Final
Champions League – Group Stages

With a fairly tight budget since the last couple of years, I was only able to buy replacements for the two players that decided to leave the club on a free with their contracts having expired.

Some of our players have declined considerably, and as a result our squad as a whole is weaker.

Fortunately the two replacements are good quality and will improve the first team slightly. I’m a little torn who to play at centre-back this year, but the new signing Michael Taylor will certainly be a starter coming from Derby in a fee totalling 14.25 million.

Also our right back spot has been bolstered from another signing from Rangers Matthew Gibbins. Not needed by the club, I snapped him up for a small fee of 2.7 million. Not bad going given he’s only 24 years of age too.

We’ll definitely have a much lower points tally this year for the fact our squad is now weaker. It will be a case of if we avoid any real serious injuries to our key players, we should hopefully reach our league objective. However if any are incurred, we won’t have the funds to try and fix this and we could falter below our target set.

It’ll definitely be the hardest season within the last few I think….because money does indeed talk.

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[BJT]

Riding High @ Mid-point

A really strong first half of the season for Moss’ Ayr side. After nineteen games Ayr are in a commanding position in the league with their next game at home against their closest challengers.

The gap is currently what appears to be a large eight points gap. However Stephen Hunt who has been in superb form for The Honest Men has just picked up an injury ruling him out for six weeks.

It is a little strange though how Celtic’s form has been much more inconsistent compared to last year. They’ve already lost 3 games compared to Ayr’s 1 so far. They have also drawn more games. It’s already a crucial game against Ayr if they want to keep a distance they may be able to make ground on during the second part of the season.

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Betfred Cup Final

With their league form extremely consistent only losing once in the league, this form laid the platform for a successive Betfred Cup final appearance.

Coming up against Rangers at the Hampden park stadium how times have changed, with Ayr considered favourites going into this one.

And Moss’ side didn’t disappoint the bookies. It was a fantastic performance on all accounts – except discipline!

The rout started in minute 3, where none other than Stephen Hunt hit a bullet of a strike passed the helpless Rangers keeper from a fairly tight angle to put The Honest Men a goal up.

A dozen minutes later Eamonn Lynch got on the act to double the lead. Anderson dispossessed the Rangers centre-back, who then exploited the free space before laying off a pass to the clinical poacher to finish.

In the 68th​ minute Ferguson who was in for the suspended Bonde got himself a second yellow card to get the red, giving Rangers a lifeline to get back into the match.

But the numerical advantage seemed to work against Rangers with new Ayr signing Michael Taylor scoring a cup-final goal for his new club in the 79th​ minute via a simple set piece cross and a header powering it past Roberts in goal.

The goalscoring did not stop there! Yes still down to 10 men, Ayr left back Ecrepoint who moved to the wing position for the later part of the game got his name onto the scoresheet after the keeper parried Hunt's cross shot into his path to finish with great composure.

Full time whistle, Ayr United 4 -0 Glasgow Rangers. That’s a scoreline for the history books.

Moss has now retained both domestic cups and the league title. It must now be considered that Ayr at this time of their history, are now a very competitive Scottish football team gunning for all trophies each and every year.

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[video=youtube;C1YFq9WyCoM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1YFq9WyCoM[/video]

On the Downside

There will always be one – European football. After having two horrendous draws the last two seasons, Moss thought that surely a kinder draw would be put in place this year.

Well unfortunately that again did not materialise, with AS Monaco, Borussia Dortmund and Inter Milan the sides Ayr had to face.

For the first time Moss has broken a European record – ending on nil points after all six games.

So no Euro Cup for the second half of the season. This could work out positively though, with less games Ayr should keep a high level of performance in the league, and will have a good chance of progressing far in the Scottish cup. Fatigue shouldn’t be an issue as it was last season.

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[Yeti01]

Taking Ayr to the top in Scottish football is an amazing achievement mate - are you going to stay there or do you see yourself moving to one of the old firm to make European success easier to come by?

 

[BJT]

Thanks mate. The thought had crossed my mind, though the club's reputation is now equal to that of Rangers and Celtic....and the fact the board are putting plans in place to build a new stadium makes me want to see how that pans out first. That'll probably be the deciding factor, but we're now under financial strain so I'm not sure whether those plans will happen any time soon tbh....if I was to ever move it would have to be to Rangers. They've been ever so helpful to me in this save!

 

[BJT]

The Domestic Treble is on

At the thirty three game mark, The eight points gap Ayr had at half way through the season has been now cut down to five.

The form has still been very good for the Ayrshire club, but Celtic has just been at it, really determined to get within touching distance which they now are.

With the last five games drawn it would likely need a Celtic victory at Somerset Park to pip Ayr to the title on the final day. Moss will be doing everything he can to get his side fully prepared for this late season showdown, or even better to have the title in the bag before this point.

What is in Ayr’s favour is only having suffered the one league defeat so far. That in itself will give great confidence going into the game – providing Ayr still have an advantage.

However there are four games before then, and Ayr will need to make sure they have an advantage before the crunch game:

Hibernian A
Rangers H
Motherwell A
Aberdeen A
Celtic H

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Scottish Cup Final

Ayr have done extremely well to get back to this cup final this time around. Having an early fifth round draw against Celtic away although outplayed, a 1-1 draw brought the tie back home to Somerset Park. In this big game replay, it was Ayr who triumphed in a close 2-1 encounter.

An easy match at home vs Ross County followed, dispatching them 5-0 at home. This then led to a semi-final clash against Rangers now managed by Paulo Bento. In a game Rangers seemed to boss, it was the hard working Honest Men who came through this game 2-1.

The final now sees Ayr take on the orange of Motherwell. If Ayr can hold on to clinch the league title, this could be the game that gives Moss his first ever domestic clean sweep in the Scottish game.

Financial Difficulties

In negative news, with all the heavy investments made across the past few seasons, finances appear to be catching up with the club. With a bank balance of currently over 5 million in debt, it’s going to be hard for the board to carry out planned work for a new stadium.

Additionally the transfer budget confirmed for next year is 500k. It looks that the success Ayr have had lately could come to an abrupt halt if the financial situation doesn’t improve soon.

However prize monies will still be due at the end of the season. So completing the treble could be paramount in continuing the clubs progress.

Attendances

The average attendance at this point is now 12,729 which is a good 5k plus more than the numbers coming in at the start of Moss’ reign. This is now the sixth highest in the Scottish Premier Division, with the fifth placed club Hearts still bringing in just under 19,000 fans each week.