REID NAMED NEW GAFFER

Oct 25 2007 By Stuart Wilson

BRIAN Reid has been named the new boss of Ayr United.

An amazing 24 hours at Somerset Park saw Neil Watt quit before Reid was wheeled in as his replacement.

And now the new man is pledging to spoil fans with an exciting brand of attacking football.

Reid enjoyed a hugely successful spell as co-caretaker boss with fellow player Mark McGeown earlier this year.

Now he’s promised to light up Somerset with the dazzling football that saw Ayr scoring goals for fun at the end of last season.

Reid, 37, admitted: "I can’t wait to get started and I feel privileged to be given the chance at a club like Ayr.

"Football is a game of entertainment as well as results and people pay their hard earned money to come and watch — so we’ll be looking to attack teams.

"We played some good stuff earlier in the year and the fans seemed to like it, so hopefully there’s lots more where that came from."

Reid, who enjoyed a long playing career with Rangers, Morton, Dunfermline, Blackpool, Burnley, Falkirk and Queen of the South, took his first training session on Wednesday.

He got the call from stunned directors after Watt packed his bags before training on Monday.

The two men battled for the job when it was last made available — but Reid didn’t have to think twice about taking his second chance.

He revealed: "I fully understood the board’s reasons at the time and I have waited patiently for my chance ever since.

"I’ve kept my eye in and been to games all over the country on a regular basis, so I know what’s out there.

"I was back at Somerset recently for the Peterhead game and I know the strengths of the lads we’ve got here, so I’m looking forward to working with them.

"I enjoyed my time here as a player and the short time I had as caretaker, and I’m delighted at getting the chance to work with the good pool of players at the club."

Ayr’s managing director Lachlan Cameron said Reid was head and shoulders above the opposition, so they moved within hours of Watt’s departure.

Cameron admitted: "Brian was an excellent candidate the last time and he only narrowly missed out because we wanted to go for experience in Neil Watt.

"He’s played at the top level for Rangers and that is something that should win him instant respect within our dressing room.

"He was obviously well known to

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Somerset name their new boss after Watt quits

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us and very well liked and it wasn’t a difficult decision.

"We could have waited longer and gone through a full interview process, but we knew all about Brian and what he has to offer so we felt confident enough to move straight away."

Meanwhile, outgoing boss Watt says his reasons for quitting were NOT footballing.

He left within 48 hours of the 4-1 home hammering by Ross County, but insisted his problem was not the team’s performances.

Watt claimed: "I’m very disappointed to leave the club because I came here with a challenge which I wanted to see through.

"And while it’s admirable that the club are so ambitious, there needs to be a basis for that ambition and I think the club need to assess the best way to go forward.

"They’ve come down to earth with a bump since the heady days of being on the brink of the SPL and there has to be a period of stability.

"They’re now no different from Alloa and Cowdenbeath but the ambition and expectations remain high."

Watt also denied that dressing room unrest had led to his hasty exit.

Club captain Murray Henderson was dropped from the County game amid reports of a training ground bust-up among players.

But Watt said: "These things happen at every club in the land. Murray over-reacted to a situation in training and I told him not to come to the game on Saturday.

"But there was definitely no revolt and players were telling me that the spirit was helping us win points where in previous seasons we’d have lost games."

And Watt added: "I’d be delighted if Ayr could win promotion because there are a lot of hard working people at the club.

"The directors have done a fantastic job to save the club and give the fans something to go and watch on a Saturday."