The New Raith Rovers Thread

[R.R.FC]

To keep the feel good factor going and build excitement towards the play offs, how would everyone rank our play off disappointments. 1-5, 1 being the most gutting at the time, 5 being the least hard to take.

For me it would be:

1. Brechin City (3-3 aggregate) - We absolutely deserved to be relegated that season. However, I remember being pretty sure it would be Alloa that would do it and thought we’d have enough about us to see off Brechin. Our away form was terrible (shock!) so after a draw at Glebe Park most of us thought we’d get the job done at Starks (given our form under Hughes was very good there) but that didn’t factor in the M’Voto horror show.

2. Airdrie (4-2 aggregate) - Davo and Fahey with another play off defensive horror show. 2 identical goals at Starks to kill the tie off in the first half. Put this second as going in I genuinely thought we had a good chance. We had beaten Airdrie in 3 of the 4 games and we finished only 6 points behind them. The terrible and entirely preventable goals killed off that hope within 40 minutes. Made worse by the fact Airdrie were beaten in the play off final but were still promoted due to Gretna (I think?) going bust.

3. Stirling Albion (3-1 aggregate) - This is a tough one. When McGlynn arrived in October we were 9th in League One and any play offs hopes seemed far fetched. However, we improved massively. The form since JM arriving through to the end of the season was actually the best in the league. Stirling were a very good side that year and were definitely better than us but we went into with a great deal of hope due to our turnaround in form. We went 1-0 up in the second leg at Forthbank but lost the lead straight away and Stirling ran out deserved winners. It was disappointing but not particularly unexpected. 

4. Hibernian (2-1 aggregate) - Our one play off tie win!!! A midweek 1-0 win at Stark’s amongst building speculation about McKinnon’s future. Our form since our January signings was the best in the league I’m sure? However, I still travelled in more hope than expectation. Two quick fire early goals by Hibs put them infront and a great season kind of petered as we failed to put Hibs under sustained pressure. Made worse by Dundee United approaching McKinnon about 5 minutes after full time. Ranks slightly lower because I never seen us navigating the required 6 games to gain promotion.

5. Alloa (4-1 aggregate) Might seem strange to some that this would be the least disappointing considering we lost to a team that finished 15 points behind us. However, after the losing the title by failing to beat Alloa on the last day I don’t think there were any Rovers fans who expected us to beat them over 2 legs just days later. The inevitability of what followed lessened the disappointment. 

[Scary Bear]

1. Alloa. Although we had fucked it on the final day of the season, I still hoped we’d make a better fist of this. I didn’t travel to the away leg, but followed it and was in pain seeing the goals going in. I went to the home leg and saw us go 1-0 down just before half time, so that was 3-0 on aggregate against a team we had huffed and puffed against the previous Saturday. Couldn’t face the second half and left for the pub.

2. Brechin. I knew that shower of shite would get relegated so I didn’t bother going. Watched the updates from the second leg and couldn’t believe what happened. Even for our gutless bunch that was a total shitshow. The late extra time equaliser for Brechin was a blow. Then Brechin miss their first two penalties and still win the shoot out. Terrible.

3. Hibs. Went to the midweek home win at Starks. We got our one win which was nice. Didn’t travel to Easter Road but seeing the score come in was a blow.

4. Airdrie. Missed the first leg at home where we fucked it up. Went to the away leg but we were never really in it. As I recall we got a late equaliser but lost 4-2 on aggregate.

5. Stirling. I was down in London so I missed this one.

Time dulls the painful memories.

Edited April 15, 2019 by Scary Bear

[Easy Days for Raith]

1. Alloa. Although we had fucked it on the final day of the season, I still hoped we’d make a better fist of this. I didn’t travel to the away leg, but followed it and was in pain seeing the goals going in. I went to the home leg and saw us go 1-0 down just before half time, so that was 3-0 on aggregate against a team we had huffed and puffed against the previous Saturday. Couldn’t face the second half and left for the pub.
2. Brechin. I knew that shower of shite would get relegated so I didn’t bother going. Watched the updates from the second leg and couldn’t believe what happened. Even for our gutless bunch that was a total shitshow. The late extra time equaliser for Brechin was a blow. Then Brechin miss their first two penalties and still win the shoot out. Terrible.
3. Hibs. Went to the midweek home win at Starks. We got our one win which was nice. Didn’t travel to Easter Road but seeing the score come in was a blow.
4. Airdrie. Missed the first leg at home where we fucked it up. Went to the away leg but we were never really in it. As I recall we got a late equaliser but lost 4-2 on aggregate.
5. Stirling. I was down in London so I missed this one.
Time dulls the painful memories.

Do you ever actually go to any of the games?

[Scary Bear]

8 hours ago, Easy Days for Raith said:

Do you ever actually go to any of the games?

I mention three games I attended in that post you quoted. Brush up on your reading and comprehension skills.

[++Ammo - Airdrie++]

I remember that Airdrie playoff game at Starks, Allan Russell [emoji7] that got the 2 goals I'm sure, I remember watching one back later that night online, was it not a mental defensive mixup resulting in about an 18 yard lobbed header?? Something like that rings a bell perhaps.

[Kdawg]

4 minutes ago, ++Ammo - Airdrie++ said:

I remember that Airdrie playoff game at Starks, Allan Russell that got the 2 goals I'm sure, I remember watching one back later that night online, was it not a mental defensive mixup resulting in about an 18 yard lobbed header?? Something like that rings a bell perhaps.

Allan Russell who’s now England coach???

Yeah it was two defensive howlers. I remember being raging at the time as one of your players was injured. The ref stopped play to allow treatment then re started with a drop ball. For some bizarre reason, we just kicked it up to your keeper, even though we had possession when play was stopped. If anything it should have been you giving us the ball back. Whoever it was that gave you it back was obviously not paying attention..Your keeper then kicked it up the park and you scored!

[buchan30]

Brechin has to be up at the top followed by alloa. Both times you knew before a ball was kicked we weren’t going to win they games. 3rd probably stirling albion, we were absolutely outplayed the 1st leg at starks park. 4th probably the hibs game, weren’t expected to beat them, the atmosphere was absolutely amazing at starks park that night. Unfortunately we messed it up on the Saturday. And I wasn’t at the airdrie games.

[++Ammo - Airdrie++]

Allan Russell who’s now England coach???
Yeah it was two defensive howlers. I remember being raging at the time as one of your players was injured. The ref stopped play to allow treatment then re started with a drop ball. For some bizarre reason, we just kicked it up to your keeper, even though we had possession when play was stopped. If anything it should have been you giving us the ball back. Whoever it was that gave you it back was obviously not paying attention..Your keeper then kicked it up the park and you scored!

The very same Allan Russell [emoji7]

[Michael W]

Hard to say which was worst. Alloa springs to mind given the deflation of the last day and sheer predictability of what was going to happen: league bottled and then a complete horror show in the play offs. 

Stirling Albion was hard to take given the run to make the play offs and then taking the lead in the tie in the away game despite being outplayed totally up until that point.  Quickly went downhill after we scored that goal. Who could also forget Stirling Albion fans going mental and saying Marvin Andrews had ruined Steven Bell's career, and that he would be out for months, only for him to rip the piss out of us in the second leg? 

Brechin was just an inevitable, slow death that we all knew was coming from an utter car crash of a season. 

[renton]

 

20 hours ago, Paco said:

When it comes to the current squad, It’s definitely worth remembering that we’d never have had McGuffie, Gullan and Barjonas if it weren’t for injuries, nor Dingwall if Armstrong had stayed. We’d probably had never wound up with Lyness either if Kieron Wright wasn’t out when McGlynn arrived. So it’s easy to say McGlynn has made signings but all were replacements for injuries, and some of them were replacements for replacements. Only so much you can expect in that situation, and Vaughan, Duggan, Armstrong and Hendry starting rather than Buchanan, Gullan, McGuffie and Barjonas? That’s a big change to the squad we see at the moment, and surely at least one of those extra wages would have wound up going on an actual right back...

It’s not the only factor, of course, and we could still have done much better despite it. There was nothing much wrong with the sides that led at Forfar and Brechin, for example, before going on to lose.

But I’d give McGlynn the summer personally. Inherited a pretty terrible squad, hugely imbalanced, and got hit by a huge spate of injuries into the bargain. He’ll get it right.

Got to agree with this. The board deserve considerable criticism for their half measures in the Summer with respect to Smith. Either back him or sack him, as it was it seemed he was raking in the bargain basement section again for the signings he could make: Milne had a full time clause in his contract, Wedderburn was looking to stay local and Gillespie was pals with Cuthbert. Nisbet and Flanagan realistically had no other options for full time. Even at the start of the season we were playing reserve team left backs at left wing to make up the numbers in the cup.

It seems to me that the Summer recruitment is the critical time for managers. If you don't get that right then the season can be a bust before it even starts. January you can use to trim in or tune up the performance of a team but you can't really make wholesale changes to the team, partially because of the budget ramifications of that many players going in and out, and partly due to the calibre of player going around in winter. Basically the Summer recruitment sets the tone for the season ahead.

McGlynn did his best with what he's had. He seemed to get a far better performance out of Hendry than Smith did - to the point where he looked like the best all round player in the league only to lose him after a few weeks to a season ending injury. Armstrong took his chance well but wanted to try his luck elsewhere. Duggan and most of all Vaughan we've struggle to keep fit. The only reason we were closer to winning the league last year was because Vaughan was fit for the majority of it (and even then played ridiculously out of position). Far from being able to try and build a team he's spent his time plugging holes. There is no doubt the standard of football improved after he came in.

McGlynn deserves the Summer, and I don't think anyone else could've done much better with what he had to work with. Anyone who watched that first league game against Stranraer would've been filled with dread as to what we were about to witness.

[pantene proV]

I keep reading about the standard of football improving since McGlynn came in but sorry, not for me guys

I thought it reasonable to assume our defence and fitness would improve but no. Maybe it’s just this group of players who can’t be managed effectively 

 

[Rovers_Lad]

With you pantene

[Scary Bear]

26 minutes ago, pantene proV said:

I keep reading about the standard of football improving since McGlynn came in but sorry, not for me guys

I thought it reasonable to assume our defence and fitness would improve but no. Maybe it’s just this group of players who can’t be managed effectively 

 

I think you have to be a connoisseur of lower league football to see a big difference. For me we haven’t played decent football since McKinnon left.

[CALDERON]

We've played some really "nice" passing football, looking at goals like out first vs Dumbarton the other week. 

Problem is it more often than not leads nowhere. As per against Stenny last week where we had some quite nice passages of play, followed by a shanked cross out of play. 

[Easy Days for Raith]

I mention three games I attended in that post you quoted. Brush up on your reading and comprehension skills.

You also mention games that you didn’t go to.

I remember in a thread once, you posted you hadn’t been to an away game since January 2017.

You’ve been called a part time fan on here before, only wanting to join in.

[kirkcaldybanjo111]

the standard since mcglynn has worsened full stop.

[Ro Sham Bo]

 

 

 

 

I remember in a thread once, you posted you hadn’t been to an away game since January 2017.

 

.

 

Considering our away form since then you can hardly blame the man if he hasn't....

 

 

 

 

 

[Frank conner]

45 minutes ago, kirkcaldybanjo111 said:

the standard since mcglynn has worsened full stop.

Ffs don't go there the Politburo will have a field day!

[Ebanda's Handyman Services]

1 hour ago, kirkcaldybanjo111 said:

the standard since mcglynn has worsened full stop.

Aye. I wish we could go back to pinging pitch length balls at Liam Buchanan's heid. 

[Raith Against The Machine]

There seems to be a direct correlation between an individual's grasp of the English language and their faith in John McGlynn.

I'm not saying it means anything in particular, but it's noteworthy.