Like I said on the other thread, i'm disappointed but not overly surprised after Peterheads form of late. It shows that a hard season lies ahead and there will be no easy games, hopefully we can get our first points on board next week.

Well done to Peterhead though, heard they played well and deserved the win.

Nevermind you can use your Alloa winnings from today to cheer yourself up tonight, whoops

bump!

Didn't actually have Alloa on a coupon (though it wouldn't have mattered as my coupons were pish anyway) but I did tell a few folk to back Alloa, just goes to show how tight the league could be this season.

Like I said on the other thread, I don't think too much can be read into this result. Peterhead might just be the dark horses this season. East Fife will take a wee while to remember how they played together at San Starko . Seriously, I still think East Fife will be the team to keep up with this season (just we've all got a slight head start now).

Well today we were very poor. Disastrous really. Both goals caught us on the break. However, no excuses at all. We were crap. Baikies punt n hunt tactics did not work. And I desperately hope they never do. Peterhead were faster, sharper and on the whole a far better team. If we play like this the whole season I would seriously doubt our chances of even the play-offs.

If I had managed to go to this game I would have been blamed for the result, I demand an inquest... the real jinx in our ranks must be purged! Personally I think its King Kebab.

Just in, some nice football from both teams. We were caught by two clynical finnishes from Peterhead who look a good team. Fife created chances but wasnt our day, not too downhearted.

I wasnt at the same game as you. both teams kept the ball down for the most part and played some nice stuff.

Thanks Peterhead.

I don't think you were at the same game as either of us
Peterhead deserved the win. Not much between the teams (apart from 2 fucking goals) but we looked disjointed throughout. Not a pretty game from our point of view and we can play better. Much better.
Peterhead just got on with it and fair play to them. Knew this would be a tough opener and in a way, it might not do us much harm. This aint the 3rd.

Must try harder.

No complaints about the result. The 2nd goal was a cracker. A bullet from Gunn!

We lacked pace today and a midfield! I'm not too downhearted, long way to go etc. The fans who were booing the players off at half time should be ashamed of themselves. I hate Bayview.

His nicknames Shotgun.

Good to see he's started playing well for Peterhead though. It will do him a world of good as he wouldn't have got many games at county this season.

Peterhead were superb today, no complaints about the result. They will be up there at the end of the season. We on the other hand, could barely string 2 passes together. And for some reason we had our top goalscorer warming the bench for most of the game. A disasterous start. The ground was like a morgue for the entire game.

This fair cheered me up after watching our pish! At least it's our old pish that got beat!

Baffling descision from Baikie to leave out McManus and Stewart only to bring them on when the game was all but lost, heard Bobby Mann cruised through the game as he had nobody like those two running at him, if we can't get basic tactics like that right we'll be in trouble, I hope lessons have been learned.

McManus and Stewart should be the first two names on the team sheet.

Did East Fife play a midfield of Stanic, Fotheringham and Young today, with Linn in behind the front two? That's about the only formation I can figure out from the line-up - there was one midfielder in it.

Peterhead may well be a lot better than everyone thought (and we thought they were quite good).

Aye, that seemed to be it, leaving Stewart out is a head scratcher, and by all accounts the ball was going over Stanic's head rather than to his feet.

Agree about Peterhead though, good squad, very good manager, they will be the team to beat this season.

Can't argue with most of the EF fans summing up on this point. They had the bulk of the play but it's goals that win that games and Peterhead certainly proved that point today.
EF never really got going in the first half and by the time they did they were two down to two very well taken goals. Very impressed with Peterhead on the attack and they might well be the dark horses this year.
Couldn't believe the size of Bobby Mann, he looked like a dart player never mind a footballer but credit where it's due he never put a foot wrong all afternoon.
Think the Templeman/Crawford partnership looks a no-no. Would have liked to seen McManus introduced bit earlier and that might have put a bit pressure on Peterhead's back four. Might just bring them back down to earth.

Well done Coop/Gunn.

Peterhead seem to look the business right now, a good pre-season and a good win against the bookie's title favorites.

I too was mystified by East Fife's midfield, I just couldn't see what Baikie was trying to do.

Early days yet though, I think both these teams will be up there pushing for promotion come the end of the season. I'd imagine the odds on Peterhead will come down somewhat after this too.

Today's performance and result were obviously dissapointing but as someone said, this isn't the 3rd and we're going to have to get used to not winning all the time no matter how well we do this season.

The midfield was totally wrong. We started like that at Brechin and had to change things to win the game so why did we go back to it for the first 60 mins today. Young is more effective in the middle, Stanic is not a left winger and Fotherigham can't hold the centre of the park all on his own. Once again, Paul Stewart was left out and when he came on, he totally changed the way we played although it was too late. That midfield needs sorting before we're going to do anything in this league. And I agree with all the folk who were calling for McManus too. All our forwards offer different things but he's the only one who gives us the pace and workrate to bother defences like Peterhead's. Overall, poor from us but I'm not too downhearted. We'll come good eventually.

That's us, now for Peterhead. Very good performance from them. Not spectacular but a neat, efficient performance from a tough team. I know it's only the first day, but this, coupled with their previous results makes me think they're stick-ons for a top 4 finish. Bobby Mann is one fat b*****d but he coped easily with what we threw at him today.

Yeeaahh!! Can't be arsed reading the pish above that Fife fans may have written from behind sodden eyes, but just wanted to say hello.

We'll finish well clear of Arbroath this season. Enjoy today's wee freak result and print out Sunday's League table so you can always look back to the time Arbroath were above East Fife in the league.

I didn't think there was that much between the teams, but Peterhead won with two very good strikes.
We were very slow out of the blocks, but in the second-half were much better.
I wouldn't be too surprised about the team selection; Baikie started with the same eleven who finished last week. I'd expect the eleven who finished today to start in midweek. It's going to take a bit of tinkering around to find the best eleven with the size of the squad we've got.
What we saw today was two decent sides who could very well be in with a shout of promotion.
It's going to be a very interesting season; so fasten your seatbelts...

How the hell can that big blob at the back play football. It was like watching a freak show. He's massive ! and this is coming from a yank No surprised we didn't win when he blocked the whole goal the fat sh*t!

What Big Bad Bob lacks in pace, he makes up for in ability. Did my eyes decieve me, or did I at one point see him bring the ball down on his ample cleavage, flick it over a Fife boy's head, then ping a superb pass up the park?

Today was a walk in the park, really. East Fife offered some nice football at times, but their attack (that's you, Messrs Crawford and Templeman) were about as sharp as King Kong's Ladyshave after five minutes of use. I was disappointed to see Bobby Linn behind those two as I thought his pace could have been used alongside Templeman or He Who Is Overrated To f**k to rip Big Bad Bob to shreds, but no.

Not getting carried away after one game though.

Dougs as man of the match? Having. A. Giraffe?

Can't disagree with any of that. Even Man of the match.

I take it from the two competitive games that both Moore and Gunn have played that they are making a positive impact on the Peterhead team. Craig Gunn might finally show the potential he has. Hopefully both get their loan deals extended.

Moore looks comfortable, but hasn't really been tested, I would say.

Gunn has been nothing short of a revelation. For the past three or four years it's been Martin Bavidge who's had to do everything up top. He's more a creator than goalscorer (though still scores a hell of a lot, obviously!) but even this early on, Gunny appears to be the perfect foil for him.

Both are training full-time with County through the week and only come through for match days, so the way they've slotted straight in is a credit to them.

Angusfifer Were you at the game todayPeterhead were far better than us.They were more direct,pacy and clinical than us.Open your eyes,we're in the 2nd now.Peterhead could win this,we could be also rans.Mann,although Jabba the Hutt size,was untested.He doesn't sweat much for a fat man.

Guys, that’s the most sensible thing I have read since you won the third division. I don't get involved with all the slagging off on here and am glad you guys came up. I am planning my trips home to Scotland when we play.
Anyway welcome to the second, it’s not as easy a league as a lot of you down Methil way think.

well chuffed with the 3 points.isnt it nice to read the fife gretna fans humble pie comments
no doubt ill be doing the same very shortly

I don't think any of us claimed that the second division would be easy, or that the Peterhead game would be easy, and most are saying that Peterhead deserved the win. How is that humble pie?

Speaking of pies, are the Bayview pies as good as they used to be? Can remember they were really tasty at Old Bayview the last time we were there on league duty. Only been to New Bayview for EF-RR friendlies and never sampled their pies since old Bayview.

How do they keep fat Wullie away from them long enough to sell them at the pie stall?

Our pies are delicious, but occasionally served medium-rare. Like yesterday.
Your stomach gets used to it after about 4 weeks of pebble dashing the toilets.

Peterhead were sharp and pacey whereas our midfield was pdestrian to say the least.
Both goals came from poor EF play.
The first was a poor free kick by Bobby Linn that was headed clear, ther was no one betwen the Peterhead box & the half way line where Nugent slipped and let Anderson break free, he held the ball up and Sharp who had run at least 70 yards with no on tracking him fired in a great shot that took a we deflection off Smart.
The second goal, Linn got the ball on the halfway line facing his on goal, took a touch that put the ball in the air, was robbed by Gunn who strode forward and hit n absolute peach into the top right hand corner.
Our players will have to learn fast that you don't get time for that extra touch in this division.
Bobby Linn is NOT a midfield player! This was one of the things that concerned me that with so many players, Baikie oesn't know how to accommodate them all and playing them out of position will not help.
Disappointed yes, dispondant no but we have to adapt quickly or we could be left behind.

So after all the posturing & chicken tikka throwing it seems you are what the rest of us beleived all along.......................bobbins

:: sigh ::

I miss the third division banter.

Aye, the posts in this division are slicker and fitter than what youre used to

The general view on here since the end of last season was that the fife was going to piss this league cos they won the 3rd by quite a large margin, Numerous occasions i have stated that the fife would struggle but were shot down in flames by east fife fans! There to many good teams in this league as for my team i think we will struggle this year again due to a lack of firepower. Success i think has brought alot of bad things to the rovers, the fans expect to much, winning the league cup, europe etc it has had a negative effect on fans So when people come on here and read the posts of rovers fans it comes across as very arrogant on our parts. Anyway guys im just blethering a lot of pish

I've never seen a post from an East Fife fan saying we would piss this league, if you have then where is it?

Lots of other people have tipped us for the title, but we're realistic, this is a better league than the one we've just left, its going to be a hard season, though i'm hopefull we'll at least be challenging.

888 at the first game of the season, you really are a shitty little team aren't you

I thought that was pretty impressive to be honest. Almost near full capacity then was it not?

250 Rovers fans at Somerset for the opening league game in blazing sunshine?

You really are a shitty little team, aren't you?

888? did they have subtitles? i'l get me coat.....

I'm well aware this is about as ironic as two bald men fighting over a comb but you can't really slate rovers in terms of their attendences. Last year we had an average of 1800 which was the 2nd best in the league. I'm pretty sure Ayr had the 3rd highest with 1100. Anyway, Somersets hardly the most desirable stadium to visit in the league.

1100 Ayr fans at Somerset for the opening league game in blazing sunshine?

You really are a shitty little team,aren`t you?

Please do.