The New Raith Rovers Thread

[Paco]

I’m hoping last night’s pumping is a good thing in the long run. It’s clear that Smith has just kept playing the same thing over the past two months or so, hoping for a different result. We play a basic 4-4-2 with a long ball, it’s not exactly hard to figure out. We simply have to change things around, be it the system or the players, or we’ll struggle every single week.

If we’re going to play the same system we have to play Jonny Court. He isn’t brilliant, and I think his spell out the side has made some think he’s better than he is, but he’s the only player we have who can win long balls and make the ball stick at the top of the park. Smith was going on about ‘second balls’ the other week, you can only win the second ball if the first one isn’t easily dealt with.

Smith has shown the willingness to occasionally drop Spence. Why not Buchanan? He’s been dreadful for weeks. Why not Barr? Why not Herron? I get that we don’t have the personnel to drop them all at the same time but at the moment it’s reminding me of Grant Murray. On paper a decent squad, but we pick the same ‘good’ players every week and they don’t perform. Murray too used to occasionally drop Spence for someone else and that counted as him ‘making changes’...

McKay has done little wrong - indeed, if he’d made even half the mistakes Davidson has this season I’m willing to bet he’d never be seen again. Play him in defence and get Robertson into an area where he can affect the game. Try Vaughan back up top. Try Court. Try three in the middle of the park.

There are options despite the injuries which are, obviously, taking their toll. Lennox, Bene and Davidson out last night with a half-fit McHattie. Three of the probable back five out, another one playing pretty much because he had to. It was said at the beginning of the season that injuries more than anything else could decide the league. Hopefully doesn’t pan out that way.

It’s advantage Ayr currently but it’s ultimately only a three point gap with a game in hand. We can obviously turn that around despite how much of a ‘crisis’ it feels. Hopefully in a perverse way last night helps us turn it round... it may even have been necessary.

[Wullie McNaught]

I’m hoping last night’s pumping is a good thing in the long run. It’s clear that Smith has just kept playing the same thing over the past two months or so, hoping for a different result. We play a basic 4-4-2 with a long ball, it’s not exactly hard to figure out. We simply have to change things around, be it the system or the players, or we’ll struggle every single week.

If we’re going to play the same system we have to play Jonny Court. He isn’t brilliant, and I think his spell out the side has made some think he’s better than he is, but he’s the only player we have who can win long balls and make the ball stick at the top of the park. Smith was going on about ‘second balls’ the other week, you can only win the second ball if the first one isn’t easily dealt with.

Smith has shown the willingness to occasionally drop Spence. Why not Buchanan? He’s been dreadful for weeks. Why not Barr? Why not Herron? I get that we don’t have the personnel to drop them all at the same time but at the moment it’s reminding me of Grant Murray. On paper a decent squad, but we pick the same ‘good’ players every week and they don’t perform. Murray too used to occasionally drop Spence for someone else and that counted as him ‘making changes’...

McKay has done little wrong - indeed, if he’d made even half the mistakes Davidson has this season I’m willing to bet he’d never be seen again. Play him in defence and get Robertson into an area where he can affect the game. Try Vaughan back up top. Try Court. Try three in the middle of the park.

There are options despite the injuries which are, obviously, taking their toll. Lennox, Bene and Davidson out last night with a half-fit McHattie. Three of the probable back five out, another one playing pretty much because he had to. It was said at the beginning of the season that injuries more than anything else could decide the league. Hopefully doesn’t pan out that way.

It’s advantage Ayr currently but it’s ultimately only a three point gap with a game in hand. We can obviously turn that around despite how much of a ‘crisis’ it feels. Hopefully in a perverse way last night helps us turn it round... it may even have been necessary.

This, just this.

[an86]

Definitely think you should terminate Zanatta’s loan. I know of a team who could do with him.

[Ding Dang Doo]

1 hour ago, Poet of the Macabre said:

He will be if the sheer panic from you lot keeps going.

Last night was only your second league defeat and you have a 100% home record. When we won this division, we lost two of our first six games.

It's not sheer panic and yes we've only lost two games but last night was a result which had been coming for the past 2 months. At home to East Fife, no matter how we sugercoat it, we were horrific and only had 1 shot on target. Away to Forfar it was awful. We've been very fortunate to get a few of our wins. I think I actually started to have wee doubts when we beat Forfar at home 3-1 when they were down to 10 men and Smith started directing the players to  take the ball into the corners. We were at home to bottom of the table ...we should have been going for the jugular.

I think Paco's post is spot on. I don't think any fan is saying we are a bad side or won't be up there at the end of the season but Smith has to admit he has got it wrong the past few matches and needs to change how we play or quite simply we won't win the league. He needs to start making far better use of his squad. I think Vaughan has played every minute of every match this season. Yes he is young but why risk him in meaningless diddy cup matches. Give the boy a rest. We have a centre half on the bench...play him. Don't hoof the ball up to a striker who is 5 foot odd and whose best position is smack bang in the middle of the penalty box. 

Smith has to prove he has what it takes to get us back on track. The majority of the matches we will win this season not playing well simply because we have the better players and Vaughan will pull something out the hat. However that won't win you a league especially this season with Ayr alongside us with a similar budget. 

[Beachbum]

I don't get Smith's reluctance in playing development players. Just think how much better they'll be next season if they get a few games now. I'd play Brian in place of Smith until Lennox is fit, Watson at right back and Thomson at left back; an unfit McHattie is not worth his place. Davidson can get to France so McKay can partner Murray in central defence.

I'd maybe try Herron as the defensive midfielder but only because he's useless further forward. I think we need to play Matthews as part of a midfield three, but much further up the park. He's utterly wasted in a defensive midfield role.  Also in there should be Robertson and one other but I honestly can't think of anyone to play there so my choice would be another development player, Ryan Stevenson.

Up front Vaughan should be given a go alongside Buchanan or Court and not wasted out on the wing. Bin the Spence/Buchanan combo.

No place in that team for Smith, McHattie (fit or not) Davidson, Barr or Spence.

Have I forgotten anyone? If not, that's my team to play Peterhead. That's a team with a midfield three, a team without Smith, Davidson, Robertson or McHattie anywhere near the defence and a team with Vaughan in the centre up front.

But it won't happen and that's the reason I won't be there.

[McGuigan1978]

I do think there’s a danger that the quality of the Development players can be overstated.

When teams aren’t playing well, the guys who aren’t getting a game seem to become better by default in the minds of fans, when the reality is sometimes different.

What I’d say about our development team, is that a few of them have demonstrated in fits and starts that they might be able to handle themselves at this level, but I wouldn’t go any further than that at the moment.

Yes they won the league, and they should be commended for it, but it doesn’t mean they’re suddenly able to play in League One.

Take the Ross County youth side we played for example. They were the winners of the Elite League last season, and they were absolutely pitiful at Stark’s Park. In fact, if we hadn’t eased off, I genuinely think we could have scored double figures. The standard at that level really isn’t good at all.

I do think Court is an interesting one though, and he seems to get less chances than Osei and obviously the more senior guys.

I’d like to see him get more opportunities, but has anyone actually seen him in the under-20’s this season?

I haven’t, but off the top of my head, I’m not sure he’s scored *too* many, so if he isn’t impressing there, (and I’ve no idea if he is or not) then I can understand Barry Smith wanting to use Osei and even Jack Smith who came on at Coatbridge before him. In fact, it would be weird if he didn’t do that if they’re impressing more.

Where I do think we could have been cleverer, and a lot of people said it at the time, is that in the cups, and league games where we had big leads, we should have been giving the younger guys half an hour or whatever, rather than the five minutes or so they ended up getting, if indeed they got anything at all.

It would have done them the world of good, as well as potentially reducing the injuries we have now.

Based on the last five or six weeks though, I’m now far, far less confident of winning the league than I was back in August.

[Alyn Stevenson]

We need to play Vaughan centrally behind either Buchanan or spence not both. I think he’ll cause more problems for opposing teams in there, Robertson also has to be put back in midfield. I wasn’t there last night but we looked a lot better when he moved forward at Dumbarton and it sounded as if we improved a bit last night when he did move there.

[Ro Sham Bo]

I'm also a bit skeptical about how good our u20s are but there is no doubt they should have been used more than they have been. Brian, McKay and Court could easily have seen more game time than they have.

It's also interesting that Forfar, who are one of our main rivals in the u20 league, have introduced at least a couple of their u20s into their first team in recent weeks and they appear to have improved. Although this could just be coinciding with the usual impact of a new manager.

 

[CALDERON]

I certainly think the quality of the Development League has been overstated.  Osei looks miles off it in particular.

Court has contributed something in the games he has played though.  He has a bit of a presence about him physically, and is probably the only striker we have who does.

I also refuse to believe that our Development team keeper can be in any way worse than our current one.

[Zen Archer (Raconteur)]

25 minutes ago, Alyn Stevenson said:

We need to play Vaughan centrally behind either Buchanan or spence not both. I think he’ll cause more problems for opposing teams in there, Robertson also has to be put back in midfield. I wasn’t there last night but we looked a lot better when he moved forward at Dumbarton and it sounded as if we improved a bit last night when he did move there.

Vaughan spends most of the game behind 9 men, this is the problem.

[Ding Dang Doo]

4 hours ago, Ro Sham Bo said:

I'm also a bit skeptical about how good our u20s are but there is no doubt they should have been used more than they have been. Brian, McKay and Court could easily have seen more game time than they have.

It's also interesting that Forfar, who are one of our main rivals in the u20 league, have introduced at least a couple of their u20s into their first team in recent weeks and they appear to have improved. Although this could just be coinciding with the usual impact of a new manager.

 

Excellent point about Forfar. They appear to be our main rivals in the Development League and Jim Weir has seen fit to make use of them and give them game time. They certainly didn't look out of place against our first team a few weeks ago. We had 4 of our development squad sitting on the bench yet Smith didn't want to use them. Yes he might think it's too early for them but like most others surely to god Brian cannot be any worse than Graeme Smith and McKay would improve us by putting our best midfielder back into his natural and strongest position. I also have to question any manager who thinks that Dario Zanatta is good enough to start for us. 

[Zen Archer (Raconteur)]

3 minutes ago, Ding Dang Doo said:

Excellent point about Forfar. They appear to be our main rivals in the Development League and Jim Weir has seen fit to make use of them and give them game time. They certainly didn't look out of place against our first team a few weeks ago. We had 4 of our development squad sitting on the bench yet Smith didn't want to use them. Yes he might think it's too early for them but like most others surely to god Brian cannot be any worse than Graeme Smith and McKay would improve us by putting our best midfielder back into his natural and strongest position. I also have to question any manager who thinks that Dario Zanatta is good enough to start for us. 

That mantle currently falls on Livingston.

[batross07]

Definitely think you should terminate Zanatta’s loan. I know of a team who could do with him.

Are they a pub team? Because based on the performances I’ve seen from him that’s where he is headed....

[Frank conner]

Tbh if some of our young players cant hack it in this league thats a worry.

[an86]

4 hours ago, batross07 said:

 

Are they a pub team? Because based on the performances I’ve seen from him that’s where he is headed....

 

The team I have in mind wouldn’t be too far off this level this season, yes.

[Frank conner]

Surely lennox must be about ready to return did he not play in a game a couple of weeks ago?

[Ro Sham Bo]

I have a horrible feeling that Barry Smith will keep faith with Graeme Smith even when Lennox is fully fit.

[Wardy]

He’s only signed until January mind, so only one more month guys. Then we’ll kick on and win the league. 

[Beastie Russell]

Ray McKinnon type January transfer window required

[roverthemoon]

Whilst we have been very poor recently, I don’t think there’s a need to panic. We are only three points behind Ayr with a game in hand. We were never going to walk this league, especially with Ayr and Alloa in it. I still think with our full squad we are good enough to win it though.  Keep the faith