R.R.FC

Thought that too. Seems very Old Firm like of us to announce the pre contract signing of an opposition player a week before we play them twice. However, I am sure it is just coincidence the timing of when the deal was agreed. Anyway, a good signing, should fit in well with our preferred style of play.

Even in the unlikely event he’s utter shite, it’s a great signing because it’ll finally stop him scoring against us.

Good to see us reduce the price to £10, means our games against Dunfermline have averaged a PPV charge of £12, our standard price for the season. A very fair deal, I’m sure we can all agree...

Probably got the idea from Dunfermline who did exactly the same for their game against Hearts in November... Can’t see many folk buying it but any extra income is always welcome.

Yeah, they did me hook, line and sinker there!

Dave McKay signs a one year extension. Good to see the club sticking by him after his injury. Big year for him next season, hope he can get back fit and really kick on. Possibly a day of extensions with McKay’s announced at 11am and Thomson at 10am? All eyes on midday. No inside info but I have a strange feeling Hendry might sign an extension.

Wonder what that means for Kieran MacDonald? He is already signed up for next year so either he’ll be moving on or he has agreed to go full time. Either way a good step to be returning completely full time and a positive reflection of the current financial health of the club despite the challenges of the pandemic. I like the idea of the hybrid if you have the very best part time players in the country that you couldn’t have any other way but I don’t really think that his been the case for us. Grant Anderson, Victoria, McGurn, Miller etc all fall under the solid experienced pros rather than outstanding part time footballers like Tam O’Brien for instance. Also, if anything sums up our luck with goalkeepers it’s the fact that Robbie Thomson with almost 50 appearances for the club has came on as a sub in almost 10% of his games for us!

I don’t know about doubtful, I think it’s more likely than not we’ll stick with the same team and formation. McGlynn rarely changes a winning team. In terms of ‘relative success’ of three centre backs, have we not only played that away to Morton in the league this season? One game, in terrible conditions. The time to continue with 3 at the back was away to Arbroath and the fact McGlynn didn’t in those conditions tells you it is not his favoured formation. Given how our two centre backs were exposed at EEP there is always the chance he may switch it up with a 3 this time if Musonda is fully fit but I don’t see it. Our incredibly lightweight midfield was equally to blame in that game and I think McGlynn will be keen to rectify that with Spencer, Matthews and Hendry all playing this time around.

I think we’ll go with the same team as yesterday, assuming everyone remains fit. I would bring Musonda back in at centre back but I don’t think McGlynn will. Likewise, I didn’t think Duku was great but McGlynn seemed happy enough so I think he’ll keep his place. As someone else said, eventually we need to pick a number 9 and stick with them a few games, chopping and changing every week doesn’t help anyone. I like Gullan but I prefer him in a ‘wide forward’ role rather than as a single central striker. Our game relies on the central striker bring the midfield into the game and that’s not really Gullan’s game. As for this game, I have no clue what to expect. I thought we had a good chance at EEP and Crawford did a number on us and we got hammered. The midfield has a much better look to it this time with Matthews and Hendry back so hopefully that will help. Hopefully our players are desperate to make amends after being embarrassed in the last derby. Sounds from McGlynn’s comments through the week and the commentators yesterday that Vaughan should be available again. We should have a very strong bench with Thomson, Mendy, Musonda, King, Tait, Vaughan, Gullan, Ugwu and Abraham all vying for the 7 places (assuming the starting line up remains unchanged). Also have to take in account that Dunfermline are probably starting with a 2 goals headstart given the inevitability of goals for McManus and Wighton... It would be nice if we could string two results and performances together and this would be as good a time as any to start.

Kieran MacDonald hasn’t been at his best recently but I thought today was his best game since Ayr away. Got forward well and put in some good deliveries. A few runs he made stretched and pulled the Alloa defence wide even when he didn’t always receive the ball it created space for others. Never gave much away defensively either.

Agree with this. Said it at half time, we were nowhere near as bad us some tried to make out. We certainly weren’t brilliant but it wasn’t a terrible display. Our final ball was poor but we were getting in decent positions and we know with the quality we have if we keep patient and doing the right things, it should eventually pay off. I was pretty confident we’d score and thought once we got the equaliser we’d go on to win. Was surprised to hear the commentator say McGlynn would be more annoyed at half time today than at Arbroath last week. We were awful at Arbroath first half (and second half) today wasn’t like that. Important and well deserved win in the end. This league is ridiculous, at half time we were 6 points off 9th and only 8 points clear of bottom. 45 minutes later we are 2nd and would be 6 points behind Hearts in the unlikely event we won our two games in hand. We certainly weren’t at our free flowing best but I think coming from behind and grinding it out should do a lot for the mentality of our young side. Now to Friday to see if we can finally string two results and positive performances together.

The only certainties in life, death, taxes and the Rovers struggling to breakdown a dogged and well organised Alloa side. Dundee (twice) are the only team we have come from behind against in the league to get points from this season which is a huge worry. We’ve not been great but I’m not sure we’ve been as bad as made out. We’re not anywhere near as bad as QOS, Hearts and Arbroath games, a very low bar admittedly. I am still hopeful we will get something from the game. Alloa look threatening from set pieces, a second goal for them and it is definitely game over. Better final ball from us in the wide areas and we’ll get some joy.

Looked a sore one but Duku must go down for treatment at some point every game.

Yeah, a physical destructive older head in midfield is something I’d like to see. I get that doesn’t fit in particularly with the style we try to play but it would add better balance. We are missing Matthews badly. He obviously isn’t a destructive midfielder, more box to box. But he is the most adept at doing the dirty side of the game in our current squad and without him we have looked a bit lightweight. Nothing mentioned pre match about Musonda. With 4 centre backs in the squad, regardless of what we think of their quality, I agree if McGlynn adds another one it would make me fearful Musonda could be out for a while.

The only position we should be strengthening is centre back or at a push left back cover. Tait, Vaughan, Armstrong, Kennedy, Hendry from a deep role and Gullan who can play wide offer enough quality creative midfield options for a club at this level regardless of any questions over current form. Likewise, Duku, Ugwu, Abraham and Gullan are more than enough striking options. Adding another striker or midfielder at this stage would be madness and a waste of limited funds.

Yep, given how tight and quickly things change in this league, I find myself hoping for a draw in every game not involving us at the moment.

Agree this is a must win. The league is so tight that defeat here and we could be nervously glancing down the table. Start of a run of 3 straight home games and we should have a much clearer picture of our hopes for the rest of the season after them. Anything less than 5-6 points would be disappointing for me. Alloa will be a tough game though, they seem to have slowly turned a corner in recent weeks. A good win against QOS and a point against Arbroath followed by an unlucky defeat at Dunfermline in their best performance of the 3 going by reports. Famous last words but this game should suit us a bit more. Back at home on a decent surface and Alloa are a good footballing side who try to get the ball down and play but also allow the opposition the chance to do the same. Who knows what Rovers team will turn up but if we are at our best this should be an entertaining game much like the away game in December which was a good game in tough conditions although 5-2 flattered us in the end. Impossible to predict a starting line up for us until we know if any of Matthews, Spencer, Vaughan or Musonda will be back. However, I think at least 3 of those start in our strongest 11 so would be a big boost to even get 1 or 2 back. Duku should start up front, he caused Alloa real problems last time. I actually don’t think there is anything sinister to his lack of game time recently though. Yes, he is our top goal scorer but he blows hot and cold and his all round game isn’t good enough to be considered a ‘must’ start every game. He was poor in the game against QOS (along with the rest of the team) so dropped out for Ugwu at Tynecastle, who did well. He came on 2nd half scored and played well and kept his place for the game at Starks. However, he was awful in the match, albeit with little quality service. But he was rightly dropped for the Dundee game where Abraham came in after signing and had a good game meaning he kept his place for Dunfermline. Abraham was then rightly dropped after the Pars game and Duku could have been back in for Morton but Ugwu was fit again and had a really good game at Tynecastle and wouldn’t have been out of the team but for injury so only right he returned when fit. His hold up play also suited the conditions better. He did well against Morton and deserved to keep his place in similar conditions at Arbroath. However, after Ugwu’s poor performance at Arbroath he should drop out this week and it is right Duku gets his chance again. If Ugwu or Abraham are selected ahead of him I might think there is more to it but at the moment, I don’t see the big mystery and his place on the bench has been easily justified the last few games as per above.

Yet another week of failing to string together 2 performance and results. We have been both the best and worst team I have seen this season. Hugely frustrating. Said on the match thread I think McGlynn got it totally wrong today but the constant injuries and being unable to name a settled side must be annoying and a slightly contributing factor to our inconsistency. Hopefully we can get the likes of Matthews, Musonda, Spencer and Vaughan back soon, they will make a big difference. Ideal world, everyone fit, I think our strongest line up at the moment is: MacDonald Tumilty Musonda Bene MacDonald Spencer Hendry Matthews Armstrong Duku Kennedy Hopefully the injuries clear up and we get a chance to see that against Alloa or very soon.

Credit to Arbroath. They wanted it more, great commitment, fight and energy and played the pitch and conditions far better. Got the ball forward quickly and only tried to play football in the right areas. Bobby Linn man of the match for me but Williamson dominated the midfield as well. 7 match unbeaten run for a part time team in this league is an excellent achievement and I have no doubts they will be safe. A very solid side, they don’t try to play easy on the eye football just defend well, outfight and outwork the opposition and get the ball forward early, they all know their jobs. Fair play to them. Onto us, that was absolutely dreadful. Since the QOS game we only ever seem to be one game away from an absolute shit show and today was up there with QOS, Hearts and Dunfermline. Huge fan of McGlynn but I felt he got it totally wrong today. I’m no fan of Mendy but he was fine against Morton and this game was always going to be a battle. He should have stuck with the same formation as there. 3 big centre backs and grind it out. It was never a pitch for good football yet we tried to pick a small footballing side. Felt sorry for Kennedy, not the game for him (although he was far from our worst player) it was almost as if McGlynn felt he had to play him because he couldn’t bench him 2 weeks in a row. Nonsense passing it around the back instead of getting it forward pressing Arbroath and trying to play in their half like they did to us, it’s basic but effective. I actually thought Davidson was decent first half but that second half...deary me. Play him in a 3 or not at all. The amount of times he was left for dead was painful. You could see it on his face too, I think he knows. Awful from Kieran MacDonald at the goal. We had a warning minutes earlier from Armstrong failing to clear his lines, crazy to do the exact same thing again. Adam King has had 3 substitute appearances for us now and I still can’t recall him doing anything of note. Sooner Matthews is back the better. Only player to get pass marks was Jamie MacDonald who gave the scoreline a more respectable look than it deserved. Must win at home to Alloa next week, we have to be a million times better and then if we could string 2 performances together that would make a very welcome change. Arbroath TV was okay picture quality, second half wasn’t the best (probably a blessing!) and missed some bits of play when the ball moved quickly but you can tell they are really trying their best to put together a decent product so fair play to them for that.

Well deserved for Arbroath, shocking goal to lose from our point of view. Pretty much sums up our performance so far though, ridiculously sloppy.

How not to play the conditions from us so far. Not the day for building from the back. Pitch is a mess and it is just inviting pressure. Wind with us slightly but looks like it might be blowing across the pitch away from the camera as much as anything else.

No Matthews either who is a big player for us now. Pitch looks very heavy and a bit of a mess, unsurprisingly given the recent weather. We look very lightweight to deal with the conditions but fingers crossed we can dig in.

Shite luck with injuries continues. Bene returns to fitness only for us to lose Musonda. Matthews is another big miss in a battle like I expect today to be. I would have stuck with 3 centre backs today to grind it out but McGlynn has reverted to our best ‘footballing’ line up. Time will soon tell whether it is the correct decision.

Are you not confusing that with Grant Murray’s last season? We won away at Falkirk on BBC Alba after Maurice Malpas came in and went on a good run but it ultimately fell apart again before the end of the season. Under McKinnon, I don’t think we were out the top 4 all season despite a couple of winless runs in November and January. We did get a 2-2 draw at Falkirk in February which was the beginning of a positive run of results to the end of the season after the January additions. I always think the first half of the season results under McKinnon are exaggerated. We weren’t great by any means but we always seemed on course to stumble our way into 4th. The run of form after the signings was outstanding though and turned us from a decent side to a very good one. Shame about the first 10 minutes at Easter Road...

Expecting a difficult game here. As Calderon says, after the first 15-20 minutes at Starks, Arbroath were awful and 3-0 flattered them in the end, however, their results since have proved it was just a one off bad day at the office and I can’t see Dick Campbell allowing that to be repeated. Arbroath are on a decent run and look to have kicked on with the help of a few January additions but even before then when they weren’t picking up many points all their games seemed close. Looks like Williamson and Hamilton have given them that little bit extra to make the difference. Of the other sides in the top half, Ayr and the Pars have both lost at Arbroath with Dundee drawing and Hearts scraping a win so we should be well aware we need to be at our best to win here. In amongst all the complaints about the wind from the Pars game there were a few comments that the pitch, understandably given the recent weather, was not in great condition. I’d imagine that will help make up McGlynn’s mind to stick with the same formation as Morton. Will be interesting to see how it works against better opposition. In terms of personnel I’d bring Kennedy in for Gullan and Bene for Mendy if he’s fit. We still have doubt on the fitness of Matthews, Jamie MacDonald, Tait, Vaughan and Gullan. Would be nice if at least some of them were available, even if off the bench. Have heard the Arbroath PPV is good so will be watching this. A win would be excellent and would cement our place in the top 4 but I’d probably settle for a point right now.