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Ray Mac's pre-game interviews <3

Another fantastic interview from Ray Mac. Buzzing for next week! It will be a very difficult game but if we are as resolute as we have been hopefully we nick a result, 1-0. In terms of games we need to get points out of, livi away the following week is very important. This week it's a bit of a free hit. COYR

Brilliant effort mate!

To echo others, brilliant first Q. I posted a few weeks back that history shows 60 (maybe as little as 50) points should be more than enough for 4th (barring a freak table forming!) That's 15 a quarter. So taking 12 in Q2 puts us bang on track. With only 4 home games and three being Falkirk, hibs and rangers, repeating our 18 point haul looks very unlikely! That said, if we keep our defensive solidity there is no reason we can't nick any of our 5 tight games at Alloa, livi, Dumbarton, Morton and queens. Really hoping I can make the Alloa game. Not our happiest hunting ground but with a new management team and new set of players, past form should be irrelevant. A good opportunity to pick up 3 points and get Q2 off to a flyer...

The news in the FFP is all excellent. Signing: winger or striker you would think? Perhaps one of the a loans that was depending on premiership squads settling in etc. Injuries: having those two back, Cal especially, is a massive boost to our squad depth. As I hae said in previous posts, avoiding injuries is crucial to any chance we have of a play off spot. Records: surely means we will bottle it haha! Hopefully not though, in Ray Mac we trust!

I wonder if there is a way to ameliorate the consistent low league crowds with a one off 'super crowd'. take 1500 as our attendance. 500 more each week, 2000, would be a an excellent improvement. So 500, over 18 home league games, is an extra 9000 attendees. Say we managed with a huge advertising campaign and months of build up to a kind of 'lets fill starks park' game. With a big build up we could sell tickets months in advance, in work places, pubs, bars - everywhere. Just a run of the mill game against say Dumbarton or the like. Really push it to all of Kirkcaldy/ glenrothes etc, all the lay fans or non-fans: lets get everyone turn up for this one random game and pack of 7 odd thousand to show support for the local team. No big commitment, just come along for one game (and of course we could have loads of stuff happening that day - i.e. pubs volunteering one free drink with a match ticket, raffles, prizes, beer tents in the bevvy park, football in the bevy for the kids that kind of thing. Make it a kind of big event, like a semi-final feel, but without the semi-final). People love a band-wagon and big 'whole town event'. Thoughts? Even if it we only managed 4000 that would mean the average attendance would be roughly 1750, which again is an improvement. But I think, if we sell it as a 'everyone in Kirkcaldy/glenrothes etc' kind of event we could get more. Having a think about a date - I think perhaps the first home game of the season would be a great time (weather, lust for football etc).

I agree with this fully. And I would also add that if you have mates that are irregular attenders or people in your 'group' that are irregular attenders you have a responsibility to badger them to attend!

Our home form and the 'entertainment' over the past few years has been appalling. It's easier to lose fans than win them back. A good full season or two in the top four will see attendences rise... I hope!

With our excellent start and in particular our solidity at home we look like we are going to be closer to the play offs than worrying about relegation. So I had a look to see how likely this was in terms of how many points you 'should' need. Looking back over the last five seasons. Anywhere from 48 to 56 points have been enough to ensure a fourth place finish at least. So 14/15 points per quarter gives you 56/60. Form would suggest that would be enough to finish in a play off spot. So far we have 15 (potentially 18) in the first quarter so have hit the first target, if you like. Depending on our result against Morton we would need to win 4 or 5 in our second quarter to be 'on target'. Basically, any team that manages to have around 30 points or more by the end of 18 games is in a fantastic position. So, out of our 10 games until the end of quarter 2 I would be quite optimistic we could win 4 or 5. If so we would be 'on target' going on previous campaigns. What does everyone think? Out side shot? Decent chance? Good chance? Very good chance? My view is that we have a good chance. Again our manger, team spirit, defence, early home form are the major factors for me. Our small squad means that some external factors could hinder us, mainly: more injuries (although hoping we've had our share this year) and lots of postponed games meaning a fixture pile up. A bit of luck in that respect and I maintain the view we have a good chance of fourth. That said, this league is so tight a few bad results or ill luck good see us struggling quickly. I hope that's not the case... It will be an interesting season, especially after seeing how things stand come Christmas.

For those at the game on Friday, the full game is on iplayer. I just had a flick through, but there is about a five minute interview with Ray Mac at half time from a 'behind the scenes' angle from last week against Queens. Half time and full time changing room action! Very interesting watch.

That is absolutely sickening For the boy it is a disaster, feel so sorry for him. Hopefully he makes a recovery by the start of next season but sometimes its career over with an injury that bad. I was confident vaughan would step up this year and most likely get snapped up by a Premiership team. That is not going to happen now so if he manages to get back fit we may offer him a new two year deal... but that would be a gamble as you have no idea what player will come out the other side. Can't express how gutted I am for the boy. We definitely need a striker, and an out and out striker at that (like Brian graham played for us, not suggesting him, just an example).

That passing move to create the penalty was excellent!

I am the mysterious Boots man. So no it is not me!

Ray McKinnon saying Vaughan may have popped his knee cap...!!!

I get the not wanting to stand thing through age etc. But I going to Cowden the view on the terracing is far better. If it's raining... Brolly? Edit to add, not being patronising. I'm in my mid 20s and have difficulty standing for a whole game cos of a bad back!

Re- McCord I think the criticism is harsh. He is not a pace or ground covering player. This will look 'worse' when he is not fit i.e. pre season when games are about getting fit. However, quality-wise I think he has shown (previous years included) excellent technical ability and clever movement to get on the ball in deep areas. Movement to get on the ball in deep areas and having the confidence to take the ball under pressure and play passes in our own final third and the middle third is something we have not had since... Paquito!? This is something very often overlooked. And without trying to be confrontational etc., usually by those who do not really have an appreciation for footballing footballers. He may not turn out out to be a great player for the Rovers. But quality-wise he is one of the best we have. So I am hopeful. Also he has been training full time for one month... hopefully this will show a dividend in the next few months. Anyone that has payed part time and then went full time will agree with me that the degree to which your sharpness increases is frightening.

I like the Rob Sloan one too (lets be honest, almost every song is pinched from somewhere) And as much as its a bog standard of most teams, "super rovers" genuinely makes me all emotional! Don't fucking take them away!!!'

Much appreciated. I win. Anyone know where these songs come from?

Ah that is it! Also, while I have you, we had a disagreement over 'sweet molly malone' - can someone post the lyrics and settle a little debate!

As an aside, me and my mates were chatting about what our favourite Rovers songs (songs we sing anyway) are. A consensus formed around Geordie Munro but quite a lot of love for 'We're not orange, we're not green'. What about everyone else? Also, I was trying to remember a song about whiskey and the rovers boys being in town but haven't heard it in a while, can anyone enlighten me to all the lyrics!?

Managed to get it sorted. Cheers Gents

Does anybody have, or know how I could get, a high resolution image of the Raith Rovers club badge? Any help would be much appreciated folks!

Jesus Christ, the negativity in here is frightening. I am genuinely pleased at all of our signing so far. McKinnon is signing young boys with promise. They will have a desire to prove themselves and their is the chance they will get better. I for one am glad we are not signing the 'safe' options i.e. championship journeymen that will secure 7th spot with no chance of improvement. Seriously, when do the Rovers sign players that on paper get the penis twitching? I also like the top! P.S I am not a 'happy clapper' - i wanted Murray out at the end of 2013/14 season. But C'mon folks, where is the optimism. Young hungry team... that sounds better than fox etc!

After the Pars getting beat last night (lololololololol) It looks as if they certainly won't be making the play offs this year. Who does everyone want up and why? And at the other end who does everyone want to come/stay down and why? up: Stranraer - They will be shite and hopefully fill a relegation place and I have not been to a game there so would be able to tick the ground of my list Forfar or Brechin - Bro lives in Dundee so both handy little away trips This also keeps Morton down (lol) which will hopefully mean the townies are consigned to even more sea-side league action. Down: Motherwell straight down - mix things up and living in Glasgow, again a handy away day (st Mirren would be my second choice for the same reasons. Ross County can stay there, thank you very much) Rangers to stay down for obvious reasons

Despite obviously opening my/our-selves up for retorts along the lines of 'obsessed by the Big Team', 'nice to see you care' 'mind we cheated you out the title a few years back' etc... After suffering five seasons in the sea-side league and for 4 out of five of them being pure shite, it is nice to see a similar fate being acted out here. It will be interesting how a few more seasons down there, part-time football, and no cheating to be in the SPL's top six, will affect attendances and the fan base in the coming years. Ahwell, it could be worse, you could be as bad as cowdenbea... oh wait, never mind. So in sum, hahahahahahahahahahaha That is all.