[NorthWestStand]

Very happy to win both games, of course and what a fantastic set of results meaning that maybe, just maybe ....

Not sure / not expecting us to actually do it, but just to be in the mix is fantastic, especially after some of our "fans" saying the season was over when we lost undeservedly at Dens in January. The only problem about it right now is that we don't have a points gap over Queens or County and they both have 3 games in hand so I can't really get too excited about it until the others have played the outstanding matches and we all see where we are properly. What I will say tho, is that it's fantastic to be right back behind Dundee and lets hope a change of manager doesn't alter their fortunes too much!!

Something I noticed yesterday was the difference between them playing 10 men on Tuesday when they pummelled us for most of the second half and us yesterday when apart from the 5 - 10 mins around the opening goal and that blinding save, it was much more even. Disappointed with that tbh but we ended up with the 3 points so no big deal. Maybe something to work on, but that's just nit-picking really.

Thought both our goals were tremendous and that save was just sublime. Best I have seen live I think, certainly this season/for a while anyway as I cannot think of one to better it right now.

As for the incidents - I called them both wrong. My first instinct was that it was a penalty and I thought Fleming was lucky to stay on. Having said that, I was level with the Fleming / Tade incident, albeit at the other end of the ground and it did look to me that he went in to clear the ball and mistimed it. Tade needs to cut out the rolling about, platoon style if he doesn't want to be labelled a cheat. He did himself no credit at all with that.

Overall tho, I think some refs would have given the penalty, some wouldn't have booked Simmons and some would have. Same with Fleming in that some would flash a red and some wouldn't - I think the intent is the key thing with that one - as I say, it really didn't look like he went out to purposely bairn the guy. It makes a (nice) change that both decisions went in our favour.

I think the ref was very inconsistant yesterday - he let go a push on Graham first half but gave Rovers a free kick for the same thing just a few minutes later, for example and also the laughable is it a corner or not thing!

It's interesting that the Rovers fans are mentioning their injuries, and with sympathy for it possibly costing them some results, we have them too!! In particular we have lost BOTH our first choice strikers, one for a huge chunk of the season and indeed all of our wide players at one time or another so it's definately not just you that has had to contend with that this season. I dont actually think we have a player who has not been out at one time or another.

I didn't realise until I spoke to a Rovers fan in the pub after that they are so close to the bottom, but I guess with Airdrie, and especially, Ayr picking up points recently that's understandable. I really hope they pull themselves out of it tho - it's been good fun to play each other again after such a long absence and I would love us to pick up the battle again next year (if we dont go up!). I also want rid of Airdrie once and for all given they have been relegated twice but have never gone down due to gretna then Livvy's misfortunes.

For us tho - onwards and upwards and if we can stay unbeaten in the next 4 games, (PT, QOS, Dundee then County) you just never know what might happen.

Mon the Pars!!

[BalhamPar]

GREG FLEMING - AN APOLOGY
Copyright all Raith Rovers fans

You may have heard us ranting about Greg Fleming's challenge on Gregory Tade on Saturday. Comments such as "horrendous", "a shocking assault", and "absolute animal" may have implied that the Dunfermline keeper charged out of his goal, studs showing, eyes popping out of his head, breathing fire while screaming obscenities about Tade's maw, before laughing demonically as he smashed Tade's kneecap over the Railway Stand and on to the tracks with the kind of challenge that would make Roy Keane wince.

We now realise upon viewing the video replay that Fleming is just a bit of a doughnut who couldn't decide whether to come for the ball, but in eventually doing so went to kick it as you normally would. This hesitation meant Tade was able to get to there a split second earlier and unfortunately collected Fleming's attempted clearance as a result.

We apologise for any confusion.

[Rovers_Lad]

ron_, on 22 March 2010 - 00:34, said:

you re a bitter "c**t" quinny
the big team beat the wee team,simples

Another delusional twat

Who are you supporting next week?Cowdenbeath or your real team,the ****?

[Andy C]

The tremendous save that McGurn made probably wouldn't even make the top 3 of the best saves I've seen him make!

He's simply unbelievable at times.

[rw89]

There have been many a time this season where I sit there with my mouth open and just say: "I love Big Dave". The guy makes frankly outrageous saves which he has no right to get too. Very often these are shots he doesn't see until late and throws up a hand to palm it away despite it being a powerful shot. Turely has been a pleasure having a player like him at Starks.

[Yankee_Dollar]

ron_, on 21 March 2010 - 14:15, said:

that tade is a w@nker
was he not the cvnt who played the race card against a fellow profesional,how can you support a team with that cvnt in it

How can you support a club that supported bigotry for over a hundred years and fans that continue singing songs about shafting the pope?

FUD

[rw89]

NorthWestStand, on 22 March 2010 - 02:03, said:

It's interesting that the Rovers fans are mentioning their injuries, and with sympathy for it possibly costing them some results, we have them too!! In particular we have lost BOTH our first choice strikers, one for a huge chunk of the season and indeed all of our wide players at one time or another so it's definately not just you that has had to contend with that this season. I dont actually think we have a player who has not been out at one time or another.

We lost our captain Iain Davidson in october with ligament damage I think it was. The same game we lost Laurie Ellis for two months. Davo was on the verge of getting back to full fitness then broke his foot in training and now looks doubtful to play against this season. We then lost our stand in captain in a car-crash, our right back with a broken arm (He'd missed 2 games prior to this in the last three years), Johnny Russell with a strained ligament, Dougie Hill with a lot of niggling injuries, Iain Williamson has only recently got back from 2 months on the sideline and now Thierry Gatheussi and David Armstong both have injuries too. There is getting several injuries and then there is taking the piss.

Just got to get our heads down and get on with things. We've still looked decent without the injuries and if we can continue to pull off the results like we did against County and Dundee we can hopefully find some form. Sadly our record against the bottom 3 is shocking, though form is temporary of course.

[Paco]

rw89, on 22 March 2010 - 10:44, said:

The same game we lost Laurie Ellis for two months.

Well, if by "two months", you mean "played the next week at Firhill", then yes.

I think McGurn, Murray, Walker and Ferry are the only members of the squad not to suffer long-term injuries this season. Even when it looks like clearing up, things just go wild again - this time last week we had three players out, but we go into the Morton game a mere seven days later with a potential ten out. I've never known a side to get so many injuries.

We're just going to have to get over it though and plough on.

[rw89]

Paco, on 22 March 2010 - 11:39, said:

Well, if by "two months", you mean "played the next week at Firhill", then yes.

Must be getting old.

[Jimmy85]

Andy C, on 22 March 2010 - 10:08, said:

The tremendous save that McGurn made probably wouldn't even make the top 3 of the best saves I've seen him make!

He's simply unbelievable at times.

If that's the case I'd love to see his top three! That was quite comfortably the best save I've seen live.

[Fifes Elite Force]

Jimmy85, on 22 March 2010 - 13:05, said:

If that's the case I'd love to see his top three! That was quite comfortably the best save I've seen live.

Same here, When does his contract expire?

[Paco]

Jimmy85, on 22 March 2010 - 13:05, said:

If that's the case I'd love to see his top three! That was quite comfortably the best save I've seen live.

He had an absolutely ridiculous save against East Fife in the New Year derby last year from McManus who was about four yards out. As it turned out, he was offside, but it was incredible all the same. Combined with Saturday's save and his one from Bayne that set up our second at East End earlier in the season, I'd say that was his top three.

Fifes Elite Force, on 22 March 2010 - 13:14, said:

Same here, When does his contract expire?

End of the season, but he's part-time and happy that way so the Rovers is as good as it gets for him. Thankfully.

[GordieBoy80]

BalhamPar, on 22 March 2010 - 09:39, said:

GREG FLEMING - AN APOLOGY
Copyright all Raith Rovers fans

You may have heard us ranting about Greg Fleming's challenge on Gregory Tade on Saturday. Comments such as "horrendous", "a shocking assault", and "absolute animal" may have implied that the Dunfermline keeper charged out of his goal, studs showing, eyes popping out of his head, breathing fire while screaming obscenities about Tade's maw, before laughing demonically as he smashed Tade's kneecap over the Railway Stand and on to the tracks with the kind of challenge that would make Roy Keane wince.

We now realise upon viewing the video replay that Fleming is just a bit of a doughnut who couldn't decide whether to come for the ball, but in eventually doing so went to kick it as you normally would. This hesitation meant Tade was able to get to there a split second earlier and unfortunately collected Fleming's attempted clearance as a result.

We apologise for any confusion.

That is priceless, had me rolling about laughing

[Jimmy85]

Paco, on 22 March 2010 - 13:39, said:

He had an absolutely ridiculous save against East Fife in the New Year derby last year from McManus who was about four yards out. As it turned out, he was offside, but it was incredible all the same. Combined with Saturday's save and his one from Bayne that set up our second at East End earlier in the season, I'd say that was his top three.



End of the season, but he's part-time and happy that way so the Rovers is as good as it gets for him. Thankfully.

Yeah, his save at East End was something special also. I was sitting right in line with it and was amazed he managed to claw it out.

[Hank Scorpio]

GordieBoy80, on 22 March 2010 - 15:38, said:

That is priceless, had me rolling about laughing

O rly?

[Andy C]

Jimmy85, on 22 March 2010 - 13:05, said:

If that's the case I'd love to see his top three! That was quite comfortably the best save I've seen live.

The save Paco mentions against East Fife is probably the best save I've seen anywhere and as luck has it, I saw it live.
The save against the Pars at EEP earlier this season was unreal and I can't remember who it was against but this season he was one on one with a striker and it was like he knew exactly where the striker was putting the shot and got low down quick as a flash to make the save.
Technically brilliant!

[Hank Scorpio]

http://raithroversfc...?id=834& type=11

1:10 - 1:17.

[DAFC]

I'm guessing this guy must be on a few SPL club's wishlists.
Great double save there.

[Tomas]

Dazzle, on 21 March 2010 - 17:44, said:

To me it looks like a foul on Simmons and should have been a penalty not a booking.

Have seen Simmons send off incident on website. If there are any doubts about it being Penalty Kick check on the reaction of Pars defender(Higgins ) immediately after he caught Simmopns round about the knee. Defo guilty!!! Also typical of Scottish referees to make big deal of current referees directive ie "to come down hard on simulation" and get it totally wrong. In professional sport the ultimate sanction is dismissal from the field of play to see this debased by incompetent referreeing has become sadly too common. I must say , however , that the ref's reaction to the goalie's challenge on Tade was correct and that although it looked absolutely horrendous Fleming was guilty of mistiming his attempted clearance and nothing more.

[da_no_1]

Tomas, on 22 March 2010 - 20:20, said:

Have seen Simmons send off incident on website. If there are any doubts about it being Penalty Kick check on the reaction of Pars defender(Higgins ) immediately after he caught Simmopns round about the knee. Defo guilty!!! Also typical of Scottish referees to make big deal of current referees directive ie "to come down hard on simulation" and get it totally wrong. In professional sport the ultimate sanction is dismissal from the field of play to see this debased by incompetent referreeing has become sadly too common. I must say , however , that the ref's reaction to the goalie's challenge on Tade was correct and that although it looked absolutely horrendous Fleming was guilty of mistiming his attempted clearance and nothing more.

for someone who was the victim of said "incompetent refereeing" he didnt complain very much. put his jersey over his head & left the pitch. that to me tells FAR more about what actually happened than anything else.

also, an over-riding factor in any logical reasoning towards any decision making in this instance must take into account that simmons, along with tam mcmanus (totally unrelated but true nonetheless) is a total total c**t of a man.

This post has been edited by da_no_1: 22 March 2010 - 21:18

[Yoss]

Wasn't at the game so I'm only going on the highlights - I've got no problems with the ref's decisions on Simmons or Fleming.

Reallt bad set of results for us yesterday, I'm getting worried. We might end up in both the play-offs and the cup final yet.

[gingapar]

extending on DAvie Graham's comments after the game, There was a real victory for honesty on saturday.

Simmons puts the ball past a man and throws himself to the ground hoping to fool the ref, was there a slight hint of contact? maybe just about but I'm not convinced that Van der Waals forces are enough to trip a full grown man and simulation (bearing in mind the referee is about two yards away) is certainly the more likely, bye bye mr Simmons, Rovers down to ten men.

Then Davie Graham puts the ball past his man, The defender promptly attempts to rip the shirt from his back, Graham shrugs him of, stays on his feet, gets a shot away, it's beaten out to Gary Mason who sticks it away, one nil to the pars.

always good to see that in the game.

[Rovers_Lad]

gingapar, on 23 March 2010 - 10:06, said:

extending on DAvie Graham's comments after the game, There was a real victory for honesty on saturday.

Quote

Simmons puts the ball past a man and throws himself to the ground hoping to fool the ref, was there a slight hint of contact? maybe just about but I'm not convinced that Van der Waals forces are enough to trip a full grown man and simulation (bearing in mind the referee is about two yards away) is certainly the more likely, bye bye mr Simmons, Rovers down to ten men

If there was a slight hint of contact,no sending off then

You see it time and time again of similar incidents outside the box that go unpunished

[gingapar]

Rovers_Lad, on 23 March 2010 - 10:43, said:

If there was a slight hint of contact,no sending off then

You see it time and time again of similar incidents outside the box that go unpunished

so it's fine to go down if someone nearly touches you? no. What caused him to go down, the defender? nope, he decided to go down, in the box thinking i'll get a penalty here. there was a a flick of the leg by the defender, Simmons saw it and with it, a chance to hoodwink the referee. it didn't work and the referee punished him accordingly. the defender didn't cause him to go down, he simulated a foul which is a bookable offence however many members of your squad (an the manager) decide that "but it was a derby" is just defence for cheating.

[Rovers_Lad]

gingapar, on 23 March 2010 - 11:09, said:

so it's fine to go down if someone nearly touches you? no.

Where did I see nearly?I said if there was a hint of contact,no sending off