He's Got No Hair

When Davo has his head screwed on and is focused on the game itself he is a very useful defender. However too often he lets little things get to him throughout the match resulting in losses of concentration, rash challenges and acts of petulance. He has been a great servant on and off the park and clearly he wants the best for the club. Whether that is enough to warrant a new contact, i'm not sure.

In the last two seasons of utter despair, Easton stood out. He was always doing his thing around the local community and developed a wonderful bond with the young players and fans alike. I certainly don't know if he's management material but he certainly comes across as a man who genuinely cared about the club and could motivate and inspire those around him. I think bringing him back in some capacity in the future would only be a good thing.

Dundee United are an absolute disgrace. Poach our manager and two coaches only to toss them away without a care whilst we are rotting in League One. Ever since that sad, sad day when King Ray left Stark's Park we have been on a rapid downward spiral.

Raith fans need to take off their rose-tinted glasses when it comes to McGlynn. If this was any other manager there would be calls for a sacking, yet nothing is his fault, he can do no wrong. We are closer to dropping out of the play offs than to top spot and the ways things are going it's going to be a tight battle for the top 4. He has lost one third of his games in charge, that is not good enough. My name and picture were decided upon before he was unveiled in that dreadful video on the website. He is still a legend for what he achieved in his first spell and i will never forget the memories and the wonderful moments his teams created but the decision to appoint him was wrong and a backwards step.

Smith never once pretended his teams played passing football whilst watching Iain Davidson hump it up field after receiving a short goal kick. It's all about getting out of this league and winning games. The football we have played has always been poor, Smith and McGlynn in both his spells played this way. McGlynn has had months to improve the players with his wonderful analysis and training and yet we are worse than when he arrived.

McGlynn is a fraud. He has come back as some sort of messiah however was a pathetic, backwards appointment by the board to appease the fans. He pretends he wants to play passing football and in his mind, having the centre backs split at a goal kick and the keeper to play it short only for them to then punt it constitutes a passing game. At least Barry Smith knew what he was and how he wanted his team to play and didn't pretend we were something else. He knew what it took to wins games at this level and took us a hell of a lot closer to promotion than we will with McGlynn. We only lost five games under Smith all season and have now lost 5 since McGlynn took over, four of which we were in a winning position. We have lost our unbeaten home run in the league and lost to East Fife twice! He has been away from management for six years and has forgotten the things that made his teams successful in the past. He is past it and should never have been appointed in the first place let alone backed significantly by the board. Being allowed to bring in an assistant, numerous signings, 18 month contracts for our highest earners… You’ve had your time, it's over. Where are we going to be in 18 months’ time after his contract has expired? Still in league 1 is my guess and back to square 1 with no manager and no plan.

McGlynn came to the club for the second time with a new idea of how to play football. This philosophy was based around one player: Regan Hendry. Someone with genuine quality in the middle of the park, not scared to take the ball deep and drive us forward. You could see in the first few games back he focal point of all attacks and playing out from the back. The football we played did improve in the few games Hendry played and he looked cut above the rest . Since he was injured we have lost 4 games, and reverted back to a more direct style. We can only hope he comes back from injury soon and we extend his loan until the end of the season and along with a few more additions, can start to improve.

I wouldn't shed a tear if Cuthbert was to leave. We don't even know if he is a good coach, just apparently a nice guy. We stuck by him through injury and offered him a coaching role. We owe him nothing. It seems he believes he is the next big thing in coaching and too good to learn his trade further from two legends. Judging by the shambles of the last three games i think he should jump at the chance to shadow McGlynn for the next 18 months.

This video brings a tear to my eye every time. It's back on!!!

I appreciate the board wanting to make the right decision on the new manager however what is taking them so long!? They must not think an Irn Bru Cup game or two leagues games against Brechin or Montrose are of any importance otherwise they'd of moved quicker than this. The new manager is missing out on hours of training and implementing a new style whilst Cuthbert and god knows who else tries to shoehorn Kevin Nesbit to right wing back.

Why Goodwin was even on the Fife Free Press poll is beyond me. A manager who is doing great things at a club in the division above ours. We are small time now, i think we need to accept that and be realistic with our expectations.

What's next? The Kirkcaldy Colts in round 1?

Are we going to start a 'Raith Rovers Injury Crisis Sweepstake' Even money on Big Nat Wedderburn to pull up vs Stranraer.

This team is build on the personality of the manager...monotonous. How many times last season were we outplayed by teams coming to Stark's trying to pass the ball, with an extra man in the middle, working our two in the midfield with ease. We were happy to sit deep and let them have the ball, we should be dominating teams form the get go, getting them turned, forcing them into mistakes and showing our dominance. Instead we watched insipid, boring football, just getting over the line with bits of individual skill. When it came to making tactical changes for example in the play off games against Alloa he stuck with the same team in the first leg and the same formation when it was clear that we needed to shift to a 3 man midfield. Is it too much to ask of a manager to be able to adapt his tactics against certain opposition? Does he have any skills as a manager? He seemingly can't even motivate the troops or get them to respect him and follow a simple on pitch instruction. And now after what I thought was a decent few signings in Gillespie, Duggan and Wedderburn, he signs one winger (who has never been seen) on a six month deal and that is it. So now surely Smith has a plan in mind, a new formation with the players he has signed?? No, think again. He then plays four centre backs in the back four of a 4-4-2 and we lost to the worst professional team in Scotland. He does change formation for the next game however from the 4-4-2 to the 4-1-4-1 and this works relatively well against a very poor Hearts team 'That worked well' Smith thinks as he then plays the same formation in Inverness and a narrow 2-1 defeat follows. Not one to change things and confuse the poor players.. he decides to play this same formation against Cove Rangers...and we muster about 4 shots on goal and get outplayed. What is next for Smith and Raith? A long journey to Stranraer, a team that has recently been pumped by Clyde and Edinburgh City, conceding seven goals. Surely a chance to erase the joke a Betfred Cup campaign with a good win in our first game of the season, get a few fans back onside and get a decent crowd for the plastic pitch ribbon cutting on the 11th? Or will it be a 4-1-4-1 with Buchanan chasing hopeless long balls and the much maligned Isaac Layne bagging a double in a thoroughly dreadful 2-0 defeat?

Surely a foul for the second goal?