The New Raith Rovers Thread

[Rob1885]

Well at least step 1 of putting this in the rear view mirror has been done, a long way to go.
With regards to the McGlynn, it was for sure his worst decision ever to propose him as a signing to the board. Am i disappointed in him for doing so, absolutely..Was it a huge mistake..absolutely.. Is it recoverable? who knows? His reputation has been tarnished big time. 
That being said , i dont want him sacked over it. If he chooses to walk then his call and life goes on. I am sure he underatands the gravity of the situation caused more than anyone, he looked genuinely gutted after the game on Tues at what he has caused by his own doing and may well fall on his own decision.
I do not think he is a rapist 'apologist' nor do i think he just said no problem lets sign him without considering the impact. In the end he made the wrong choice and its baffling how he thought it was the right one other than a huge miscalculation into where society was in putting this into the past.
Does not make him a bad guy to have made a mkstake here. He is probably more gutted than anyone at how this has panned out and the carnage it has caused to the club..fans..sponsors and all of football..etc..
I think he will go on his own terms as he is probably distraught at himself for making the wrong call in the first place.
But i will be returning on Saturday to support the 10 players on the park who have done nothing wrong here...
 
 
 

Why wouldn't you want him sacked?

[Benjamin_Nevis]

2 minutes ago, Hazbart said:

The incident was what 10 years ago? He’s had some income and been employed Football since. If he fails to get a new club because  Rovers, have made him unemployable due to their poor handling of the situation it could be interesting.

He's unemployable because he's a rapist. I don't think you can attribute that to Raith Rovers tbh. RR will have to pay up the remainder of his contract, that's about it. 

[thistledo]

Hats off to the good Raith fans in doing what Clyde fans should have done years ago. A credit to your club that they don't even deserve right now. 

[Pull My Strings]

4 minutes ago, R12ATH said:

Well at least step 1 of putting this in the rear view mirror has been done, a long way to go.

With regards to the McGlynn, it was for sure his worst decision ever to propose him as a signing to the board. Am i disappointed in him for doing so, absolutely..Was it a huge mistake..absolutely.. Is it recoverable? who knows? His reputation has been tarnished big time. 

That being said , i dont want him sacked over it. If he chooses to walk then his call and life goes on. I am sure he underatands the gravity of the situation caused more than anyone, he looked genuinely gutted after the game on Tues at what he has caused by his own doing and may well fall on his own decision.

I do not think he is a rapist 'apologist' nor do i think he just said no problem lets sign him without considering the impact. In the end he made the wrong choice and its baffling how he thought it was the right one other than a huge miscalculation into where society was in putting this into the past.

Does not make him a bad guy to have made a mkstake here. He is probably more gutted than anyone at how this has panned out and the carnage it has caused to the club..fans..sponsors and all of football..etc..

I think he will go on his own terms as he is probably distraught at himself for making the wrong call in the first place.

But i will be returning on Saturday to support the 10 players on the park who have done nothing wrong here...

 

 

 

Are these brand new edgelord accounts all the same guy?

[Raith Against The Machine]

8 minutes ago, baillieinleeds said:

It’ll be good to see the R back, but you take all the time you need and hopefully those responsible are dealt with and out of the club. 

I don't imagine an anyone noticed, but I'm looking forward to reverting my avatar to "RRFC" rather than "RAGE". 

I don't want to come over all Michael The Geordie, but I'm really not a fan of Rage Against The Machine. 

[The Laddie Gastineau]

16 minutes ago, baillieinleeds said:

Hopefully not for long

Why? What's your Club going to do about it? It's now clear that Benedictus and the rest of your scummy players are complicit along with your scummy board. 

[EdinburghPar1975]

15 minutes ago, Dalgety Rover said:

Goodwillie is ultimately the winner here. Will get a hefty pay off and a few years of sitting on his arse.

Unbelievably he's more than likely to get a much bigger pay off than the compensation amount he had to pay his victim!

[Pull My Strings]

3 minutes ago, Against The Machine said:

I don't imagine an anyone noticed, but I'm looking forward to reverting my avatar to "RRFC" rather than "RAGE". 

I don't want to come over all Michael The Geordie, but I'm really not a fan of Rage Against The Machine. 

Amongst all the filth that's been posted in this thread, this is arguably the worst.

[da_no_1]

6 minutes ago, IDoNotKnowThisOne said:

McGlynn can't really be sacked by the board who also sanctioned it, but if he had a shred of decency about him, he'd resign. 

He was happy to select a rapist to play for his team. Think that boat has sailed..............

[tamthebam]

Well this has been a cluster f**k.

Raith have not come out of it well.  

Clyde are unlikely to resign him (we hope)

And those commenting on civil cases- well if you lose a leg in accident at work you wouldn't be seeking compensation in a "kangaroo court" would you, you hypocrites.

 

[Raithie]

Must admit I feel a bit weird about the fact I really want to go to the game on Saturday after all this. Will probably make a decision on the day.

[19QOS19]

I think the fact that there was little to no banter/slagging of Raith fans from other teams posters on here after Goodwillie signed shows it was never a football matter. I am genuinely relieved with this news.

To all the fans on here who boycotted or wrote emails to the club and all the sponsors and volunteers that pulled out - take a bow. In a sport where morals are often questionable it was refreshing to see people not only be disgusted with this debacle but to stand by their words and do the right thing. Without a shadow of doubt every one of you are the reason the Raith board have slithered out with this decision.

To the 4 board members, John McGlynn, any moronic footballer who publicly supported this move and the fuckwits on this very website who were serious and even those clearly trolling - hang your fucking heads in shame. You've outed yourselves as rape apologists and that may well be a damage that can't be reversed.

It's the best possible start for Raith in reversing the damage and we'll soon see if it's enough.

[Dalgety Rover]

4 minutes ago, EdinburghPar1975 said:

Unbelievably he's more than likely to get a much bigger pay off than the compensation amount he had to pay his victim!

That she barely saw a penny off.

[Exiledjag]

I have just seen the statement from the Club that Goodwillie will not be selected to play and that his contract is being 'reviewed'!

So common sense has prevailed. A big well done to all the Raith fans, sponsors and stakeholders who made this about turn happen. 

There is no doubt Goodwillie will be due compensation, perhaps the full value of his contract.

It would only be right that the 4 Directors who voted in favour of signing the player and the manager and assistant manager who requested the signing be required to foot the bill.

They should all then resign for failing to act in the best interests of the club.

I don't see why the club should have to suffer further financial  detriment over and above the damage already done including  to its reputation and integrity.

We keep hearing how individual players are not bigger than the club, recently Rudden and Thistle, well now we know the Club is not bigger than the fans or its community!

[Guest Wind Chime Jimmy]

12 minutes ago, Hank Scorpio said:

Well lads, what a crazy, crazy few days. 
 

I am going to choose to accept the club’s apology on this matter, with caveats. The main one being that I need to hear from McGlynn in the next few days. If he shows any form of frustration or anger that the transfer has been cancelled and he didn’t get his player then he needs to go, without question. I am going to choose to believe, naively perhaps, that McGlynn didn’t fully appreciate the ramifications of this transfer due to existing within a football-centric bubble. I need to hear that he is sorry for this whole episode and that it should never have happened. I have been John McGlynn’s biggest fan since he returned and would’ve happily seen a statue of him erected outside the main stand and handed him a lifetime contract. I am fully aware of how much this is probably affecting my thinking, but I am a simple man and have mountains of respect for how he has nearly single handedly turned the fortunes of my football club around from the dark days of Gary Locke and John Hughes. 
 

Upon reflection, that £120,000 that the fans raised in the first lockdown should never have simply been donated as a gift to the club. The immediate problem we found ourselves in ultimately blinded us. That money should have been transferred into something tangible and given us more of a voice - this is something that should never be repeated. 
 

I am immensely proud of every volunteer who has walked away from the club over the last few days - you made this happen. I am beyond pleased that we will never have that eternal stain on our record and that the correct decision has been made, despite it costing us close to £220,000. 

Great post.

[tirso]

28 minutes ago, onecowden said:

The Raith Rovers board are trying to right a wrong. Surely that’s a good thing. Maybe cut them some slack. Don’t all shout at once.

it was a pretty awful decision so I can see why people are still holding them to account.  I agree though the apology seems profound and they ultimately have done the right thing.  If McDermid's story about the CEO lying to her face is true though, I think that position is untenable.

[GiGi]

1 hour ago, Lex said:

The ‘winners’ here are going to be Clyde and David Goodwillie. The player is going to get the majority (or all) of a 2 and a half year full time contract paid to him in a lump sum.
And Clyde got a transfer fee for a player who’s going to be back playing for them shortly.
What a massive f**k up by the Rovers. Surely McGlynn will be sacked for this?

Sack McGlynn? Who's going to sack him, the only board members left are the ones who signed off on Goodwillie in the first place. 

They should all resign and walk away with nothing if they've a shred of decency in them. Doubtful.

[Dysart]

The manager, directors, and lying CEO should all go, the damage already done won't be sorted by one statement from Sim.

[lichtie23]

36 minutes ago, baillieinleeds said:

Hopefully not for long

That’s brutal. Absolutely no self awareness 

[HIT THE CHANNEL]

What a relief.

It's hard to digest everything - and I am still fucking furious. But you have to start somewhere and this is a massive leap forward.

I say massive because, whilst we have a long way to go and this has tarnished the club (financially and reputationally) for years, after Tuesday's statement I have been trying to come to terms with not going to see my team for years - and after years away, who knows? Would I ever feel the same and be able to go back? I have felt sick, betrayed, sad, ashamed, angry, empty. The spousal betrayal is a great apology (made by a few folks above). The fact that he will never play for the club and there is now a pathway forward is such a relief. It's hard to describe how much following the Rovers means to me. It provides a focal point to me week - and in many ways my life, even. It is who I am. It is what I do. It's what I think about. It's how I maintain friendships and family connections. It's a release, sense of belonging and community spirit that I use to cope when times are hard. It means so so much. And until this statement this morning, I thought I had lost that for years - potentially forever. That is why this is a massive step. Even if it just the first step.

 

What really matters for how things move forward relates to what happens next. These are the key passages of the statement, for me: 

"As chairman, as a board and as a management team, we have all learned a hard but valuable lesson.

This very unfortunate episode is something that we all bitterly regret and we are now wholly committed to making things right. 

We share a desire to do what is best for our club and will be doing everything in our power to regain the trust and confidence of the Raith Rovers family."

 

What does this look like? Not everyone will agree on this. And I think we have to remember this as a fanbase, and that is ok. We can't fight amongst ourselves. There are also things that are shorter and longer term. So not all need to happen before the boycott and financial withdrawals end - and again, different people will have different points at which it becomes manageable for them.  A few things I think are essential (short and long term):

 

- A detailed explanation for why the have changed their minds: Do they really regret it in general - what was it they didn't understand? Or just regret it because it produced negative consequences? It has to be the former. Commitments to go on training courses related to violence against women would be welcomed.

- New management team: It is untenable that McGlynn and Smith (and McCartney - married to the assistant and we still hired her, WTF!!!!???) stay long term. I would like to see all of them gone for the damage they have caused. You live and die by your decisions as a manager/chief exec. This one was so ignorant and stupid that it placed the club in existential danger in the space of 24 hours - for no fucking reason. They have to go. I hope they go by the time I have finished writing this. If it is the end of the season, I will be really disappointed.

- New board members: It is also untenable that the board members responsible remain. For the exact same reasons. Ideally Sim is ousted eventually - whatever happens, new public leadership is essential, even if he remains in control in the background in the short/medium term. Andy Mill and Bill Clarke must be persuaded to come back. Thus, their demands for what this will take need to be given full weight.

- Conversations and apologies to all volunteers who are the life blood of the club: They must be persuaded to come back. Thus, their demands for what this will take need to be given full weight. There is leverage here - and the volunteers should use it.

- Conversations and apologies to all sponsors and fan groups: Those who have withdrawn and those who had not yet done so. They must be persuaded to come back/stay. Thus, their demands for what this will take need to be given full weight. There is leverage here - and the sponsors/fan groups should use it.

- Donation to Rape Crises Scotland with full apology: Inviting RCS to Stark's to provide training would be a good step. 

- Full apology to the Women's team captain and wider Team: They must be persuaded to come back/stay. Thus, their demands for what this will take need to be given full weight.

 

Finally, I am not sure what I will do in the short term. We were supposed to be sponsoring the game on Saturday (naturally we withdrew this immediately). We have since organised a trip to Dundee for a pub crawl. Do we go to the game on Saturday now and use it as a chance to boo McGlynn and Smith and show the board what needs to change? Do we stay away for a while, to let them know that there is a lot of work to do? I honestly don't know yet. Again, I think it hangs on the 'what comes next' outlined above. 

If people do go to the game, please do make your voice heard (having the protest still go ahead, for example, booing the management team etc.)

 

Lastly, on the fan contributions. I, like many others cancelled my Raith Supporters und Direct Debit and the Raith Lottery etc. I knew this could sink the club but felt that it was the only option to force change. But no doubt this will cost the club - and we in the end want a thriving RR. So, now that we are in a place to move forward, I am going to suggest to my group that we re-start these DD and send them to our 'treasurer' (my dad!) so that this money can be handed over to the club at a point when the deserve it i.e. once changes are made. (idea inspired from Raith Down South, who I believe mentioned this in their statement).

Sorry for war and Peace - I am using this as a cathartic process!