The New Raith Rovers Thread

[Rover the Moon]

First game of the season for me tonight. Thought Miller, MacDonald, Hendry, Spencer and Bowie were excellent. And Allan looked a very good focal point in the way he wins aerial balls and brings others into the game. Deserved his goal.

Horrendous goal to lose and disappointing to chuck away a clean sheet considering how few of them we had last season. Was probably worth putting Mendy and Watson on at that point to give them game time but it’s ended up with Mendy’s confidence being shot more than before. That team has to start at Dumbarton.

[Roath Raver]

Managed to get these done before bedtime. A good win and a first competitive goal for an exciting prospect. I'm doing the camerawork for the trip to Cove on Saturday... see you there!

 

 

[Rovers_Lad]

32 minutes ago, Scary Bear said:

 

Must have been a few hundred birthdays on the go tonight. 700 fans.

 

No,no scary,the interview on the official website when he signed

[Specky Ginger]

Wasn't there tonight, but just watched the highlights. 

We looked impressive going forward (Bowie in particular). Their goalkeeper hasn't changed one bit - shocking challenge on Anderson, but pales into insignificance compared with his knee high assault on Tade when he played for the Pars ten years ago. 

Mendy and only Mendy to blame for their goal. He could have laid it back to Watson, but to play a ball like that towards his own goal is absolutely inexcusable. 

[RaithRyan]

Fucking delicious cross from young Bowie for the third goal.

Right on the money min

[Wardy]

7 hours ago, Specky Ginger said:

Wasn't there tonight, but just watched the highlights. 

We looked impressive going forward (Bowie in particular). Their goalkeeper hasn't changed one bit - shocking challenge on Anderson, but pales into insignificance compared with his knee high assault on Tade when he played for the Pars ten years ago. 

Mendy and only Mendy to blame for their goal. He could have laid it back to Watson, but to play a ball like that towards his own goal is absolutely inexcusable. 

Watson part blame. If he sprays it up the line then the goal wouldn’t have been conceded the way it was. Why is he passing it to Mendy who’s miles out of position on the touchline? Mendy’s pass back was indeed horrendous, but the pass to him from Watson was just as bad in my opinion. No need to give it to Mendy there. 

Watched again on the highlights and it’s even clearer than I thought. 

[Broken Algorithms]

21 minutes ago, Wardy said:

Watson part blame. If he sprays it up the line then the goal wouldn’t have been conceded the way it was. Why is he passing it to Mendy who’s miles out of position on the touchline? Mendy’s pass back was indeed horrendous, but the pass to him from Watson was just as bad in my opinion. No need to give it to Mendy there. 

Watched again on the highlights and it’s even clearer than I thought. 

Agree with this. We'll have issues if we need to use either of Watson or Mendy for any serious amount of time this season.

[renton]

Midfield 3 seems to be bringing out the best in Matthews as well, he's getting forward a lot more and looking confident when he does.

[Scary Bear]

No,no scary,the interview on the official website when he signed

No, I didn’t see that. Watched it there and again he says his English isn’t very good, just as he said last night. He was also asked to describe his time at the Rovers so far. I could help him there.

Anyway, hopefully he improves. Things can only get better.

[Threeattheback]

11 hours ago, Broken Algorithms said:

A special mention for Ando running away with a drop ball after the play had been stopped when we'd been in possession. Top tier shithousing.

The drop ball rule has changed this season so they are no longer contested. It's not just given the team that last touched the ball - which is definitely going to lead a few controversial decisions which lead to a week-long Sportsound debate.

[Raithie]

I might have to rewatch it but Mendy’s back pass last night reminded me of M’Voto’s calamity at home to Brechin in the playoffs.

[Threeattheback]

Lots of things to be positive about after that Raith performance, it would have been doom and gloom going into the league season had they lost to Peterhead. MacDonald looks like one of your best attacking outlets and would have been man of the match had it not been for Bowie. He's clearly still raw but he's massive and he has an end product, grabbing a goal and two assist - even if one of those assist was intended for someone else and went in via a miss-hit cross.

Hendry and Spencer ran the show in midfield and while he didn't have his best game Allan will take confidence from getting on the scoresheet again.

Defence is still the biggest concern but the four that started last night seems the most solid, even if Munro behind them did have a few shaky moments. As for Mendy, well you're stuck with him. I'm not sure I've ever seen a player get a cheer after being directly responsible for three goals (which could have been more) in his first two starts. Peterhead had a lot of the ball for spells last night but they struggled to create until Mendy came on. Even after a minute of taking to the field Bene was screaming at him just so he would stand in line with the rest of the back four. I know he was out of position when Watson passed to him but he had enough time to at least take a touch and think about what he was going to do with it. 

Positives to be had, like I said, but at the moment they look like a team that will concede a lot of goals.

 

[Enigma]

Would like so see Miller at RB and McKay in the middle with either Davo or Bene on Saturday. I feel bad for Mendy, can’t do the boys confidence any good but we can’t be too nice to the guy, he needs to pull his socks up.

[Wee Sandy]

1 hour ago, Raithie said:

I might have to rewatch it but Mendy’s back pass last night reminded me of M’Voto’s calamity at home to Brechin in the playoffs.

Hard to forget M'voto' last two games for us in the play offs!

I think he was switched off because he was on his way to the Pars 

However, unless Mendy gets a grip, ( ETA McGlynn gets a grip of him)  and SOON,  I think we may have signed a lemon!

His first game for us showed great promise, MOTM, which was well earned,....but what has happened? 

Although the match was against lower league opposition if he could play as well as he did then why is he making so many mistakes now.?  it defeats logic, the guy has a lot of potential but is not delivering.

If he has been training with us since April it surely isn't a matter of fitness. ....maybe needs a bit of time working with older, maturer professionals.............who knows, but disappointing to date.

[renton]

21 minutes ago, Wee Sandy said:

Hard to forget M'voto' last two games for us in the play offs!

I think he was switched off because he was on his way to the Pars 

However, unless Mendy gets a grip, ( ETA McGlynn gets a grip of him)  and SOON,  I think we may have signed a lemon!

His first game for us showed great promise, MOTM, which was well earned,....but what has happened? 

Although the match was against lower league opposition if he could play as well as he did then why is he making so many mistakes now.?  it defeats logic, the guy has a lot of potential but is not delivering.

If he has been training with us since April it surely isn't a matter of fitness. ....maybe needs a bit of time working with older, maturer professionals.............who knows, but disappointing to date.

It's not a matter of fitness. From what I've seen in the competitive games, it's a matter firstly of not being up to the pace of the game - not physically - but in terms of being able to mentally react. In the Dundee game he either took too much time on the ball, or has now swung to the opposite case last night, panicking in a tight spot and playing the P'Heid boy in to score. Secondly it's a question of not understanding how to shape his body to make his strength count: Against Dundee, caught under a nothing high ball and nudged out of the way by the Dundee forward, or failing to try and block off White's run at the corner vs. ICT. That may be down to the standard of players he's used to in the French league he was playing in.

Both of those can be remedied I think. It's a question of where we find the time, without the reserve league, to do so.

[Hank Scorpio]

Mightily impressed by Bowie, think he’s in for a big season even at just 16. He’s in a position where John can’t not select him in the side - and all this whilst not actually playing in his natural position. The physical size of him for a boy of his age is in mad which obviously makes him able to compete, but his work rate seems to be spot on, too. Take the third goal for example - bustles his way through two Peterhead players and sprays it wide to MacDonald who shouts at him for not putting it into his path. Undeterred, he continues his run and gets the ball again in the wide position and delivers a pinpoint cross into the head of Allan who scores.

Big fan of his, the fact he’s a massive Rovers fan is the cherry on the cake.

[AJBRFC]

Yaw Osei has joined Berwick, had a spell at your 20s recently. Anyone know what he’s like?

[pantene proV]

1 minute ago, AJBRFC said:

Yaw Osei has joined Berwick, had a spell at your 20s recently. Anyone know what he’s like?

Headless chicken, no awareness of where he should be in regards to tactics or formation of the team  

Do you want a centre back in a similar vein? 

[Enigma]

Yaw Osei has joined Berwick, had a spell at your 20s recently. Anyone know what he’s like?

Terrible “footballer”.

[Zen Archer (Raconteur)]

8 minutes ago, AJBRFC said:

Yaw Osei has joined Berwick, had a spell at your 20s recently. Anyone know what he’s like?

He had a chance in the first team but didn't shine, his form in the Development team was similar until he was injured,  when he came back to fitness he was a far better player.