The New Raith Rovers Thread

[mrpaddyx]

Not sure if it led to anything but there was a group of young guys (maybe around 20 or so) hanging around the corner of the stand Hamiltion fans were in (behind the goal). Smoke bombs can almost be passed off as having some fun but actively looking for trouble is something much worse.

[TxRover]

I don’t understand all the criticism of Isma. He did his part, trying to hold up the ball and work as others came up to support him. In the first half he was supported poorly until the last few minutes, in the second half it was better, and he was clearly tired but still did the job.

[Scottydog]

Our team was flat, Accies were up for it and put their bodies on the line time and again.

Going into this I thought we had more quality than them, I was wrong. Most in blue were a six out of 10 at best, Isma and Brad were both less than that.

IM & CC also need to analyse their role in the defeat, imo it's no small part either.

A big support shows up......and the team doesn't!  How often have he seen that over the years?

[basher brash]

6 hours ago, roverthemoon said:

Love the atmosphere the young guys bring but throwing smoke bombs onto an Astro pitch, damaging seats (if they did) and recent reports of attempting to bring back pavement dancing after games can all GTF 

I seen them with my own eyes so don’t accuse me of lying , if I’m making a statement on a public forum trust me it’s true , It’s about time our support starts opening there gob , Plenty oh other fans saw it but chose to keep there gob shut 

Edited March 27, 2023 by basher brash

[CountryBumpkin]

2 hours ago, basher brash said:

I seen them with my own eyes so don’t accuse me of lying , if I’m making a statement on a public forum trust me it’s true

I don't think anyone accused you of lying but good lord the state of this sentence.  

[Wardy]

Whole atmosphere even before the game seemed a bit flat, even compared to last years final. 
 

Can’t win them all, but at our level, we don’t get to many finals so pretty disappointing to lose it. You knew after a couple of the chances in the second half that we were never scoring. But very poor in the first half. Pedestrian and tentative in our play when we should have been getting at them. 
 

Big games coming up now, especially at home so just need to get some more wins on the board and finish the season as high as we can. 

[renton]

Aye, that was a flat, grim effor from the Rovers. We could be throwing in crosses and not scoring from them now.

Just a total shrug of the shoulders type performance.

[SanStarko]

Really, thinking about it, most of what went wrong yesterday has been the same problems we’ve had all season. Just a pity that they all came into play during a final.

Only playing for half a game.  Not the first time this season that we’ve played poorly for half a game.

Inability to finish.  Again, how many times have we watched us play all this fancy football with zero end product.  Always trying to play that extra pass too much or pass instead of shooting.

The above ties in with our lack of a striker.  I do think Isma might have taken one of the many chances we created in the second half.  But wasn’t a huge surprise he was taken off given he spent the entire time on the pitch the second half clutching his back and looking in pain.

Few options off the bench.  We had a stronger bench than we’ve had in a while, but it was all similar options.  Players who are good for the build up play, but nobody who can actually finish a chance.

 

Disappointing defeat but the cries from some on Twitter for Murray to be sacked are bizarre to say the least.

[CALDERON]

1 minute ago, SanStarko said:

Really, thinking about it, most of what went wrong yesterday has been the same problems we’ve had all season. Just a pity that they all came into play during a final.

Only playing for half a game.  Not the first time this season that we’ve played poorly for half a game.

Inability to finish.  Again, how many times have we watched us play all this fancy football with zero end product.  Always trying to play that extra pass too much or pass instead of shooting.

The above ties in with our lack of a striker.  I do think Isma might have taken one of the many chances we created in the second half.  But wasn’t a huge surprise he was taken off given he spent the entire time on the pitch the second half clutching his back and looking in pain.

Few options off the bench.  We had a stronger bench than we’ve had in a while, but it was all similar options.  Players who are good for the build up play, but nobody who can actually finish a chance.

 

Disappointing defeat but the cries from some on Twitter for Murray to be sacked are bizarre to say the least.

That was the problem.  At one point we had Stanton, Easton, Vaughan, Ross, Connolly and McBride all trying to do the same thing - essentially tripping over themselves on the edge of the box.

[RAITHROVERS84]

Opportunity gone to add at least a 100 fair weather fans to our league campaign. 
I went into that thinking we’d win at a canter and we should have with our squad vs theirs however that was an abomination of a first half and maybe the squad thought the same as me in that it’d be straightforward.

I thought I was the only person who doesn’t see the value of Spencer, never gets criticism but been poor all season.

Nolan, Lang, Stanton, Easton, Brown, Connolly, McDonald are the only ones I’d be disappointed to see go. Would be fine with Millen and Dick staying. 
 

I like Murray and disappointed for him not to get silverware but how you don’t get up and at it for 45 minutes in a final I’ll never know. 

[CALDERON]

16 minutes ago, RAITHROVERS84 said:

Opportunity gone to add at least a 100 fair weather fans to our league campaign. 
I went into that thinking we’d win at a canter and we should have with our squad vs theirs however that was an abomination of a first half and maybe the squad thought the same as me in that it’d be straightforward.

I thought I was the only person who doesn’t see the value of Spencer, never gets criticism but been poor all season.

Nolan, Lang, Stanton, Easton, Brown, Connolly, McDonald are the only ones I’d be disappointed to see go. Would be fine with Millen and Dick staying. 
 

I like Murray and disappointed for him not to get silverware but how you don’t get up and at it for 45 minutes in a final I’ll never know. 

There was absolutely nothing to suggest we would win at a canter.  Felt that was one of the problems yesterday, there was an air of " job done" to a certain extent.

[roverthemoon]

5 hours ago, basher brash said:

I seen them with my own eyes so don’t accuse me of lying , if I’m making a statement on a public forum trust me it’s true , It’s about time our support starts opening there gob , Plenty oh other fans saw it but chose to keep there gob shut 

Didn’t accuse anyone of lying. The ‘if they did’ was purely because I hadn’t seen it myself. Idiotic behaviour which will cost our club money. 

[roverthemoon]

The morning after the night before and can’t get too upset about yesterday. Would have been nice to have won another cup but having won it last year it doesn’t feel like too bad a blow in all honesty. And as someone said earlier it’s not as if we didn’t know that this team can struggle to score or have off days or put in extremely poor halves of football. Unfortunate that yesterday we got the poor side of our Jekyll and Hyde team. 

Big test of the mentality in our next two games. Two matches at home to bounce back and put ourselves back into play-off contention.  Six points and we could be right back in it. Draws or defeats and it’ll be a bit of damp squib end to the season. 

[Kuma Power]

Just to build on what others have been saying above, not for the first time this season it seemed yesterday like there was no 'Plan B' that played to the strengths of the players we had on the pitch. We saw last week against Cove how good we can be if everything falls into place, but when things weren't working yesterday we resorted to launching long balls up to Isma (first half) and then moving across the 18-yard line before firing a diagonal ball into the box (second half). 

It didn't help that with Akio on international duty and Gullan injured, Isma was effectively the only striker - and I use that term very loosely - in the squad. Not saying either of them would have won us the game, but the former in particular might have given us something a bit different as the game wore on. As it was, we ended up putting on more and more wingers and attacking midfielders who were all trying to do the same thing. In a sense it felt as if we looked less likely to score rather than more likely as the minutes ticked by.

Granted, things like this happen in football, and you can't legislate for Fulton in the Hamilton goals playing a blinder. But whether it's recruitment, tactics, mentality or a combination of all three, being able to regroup and do things differently is something we need to look at before next season.

[Raithie]

1 hour ago, CALDERON said:

Felt that was one of the problems yesterday, there was an air of " job done" to a certain extent.

Would agree with this. Having came off the back of a 6-1 win and Hamilton losing there was certainly this weird vibe that all we had to do was turn up. You have to wonder if that was filtering through to the players in some way as we never started the game at all and whilst Hamilton didn't put us under any major pressure they seemed more energetic and up for it and got their goal when it mattered. Fair play to Tumilty for not doing what many ex players would do and goad the opposition fans. As expected the 2nd half was one way traffic, for me that was never a red card, but Hamilton were very resiliant and organised. Frustrating afternoon and a big dissapointment. 

[R.R.FC]

I’d class myself as a bit of a happy clapper and I get we all want to cling on to something rather than end the season now but there is no chance we are making the play offs. We would need to win 5/6 of our last 8 games. We haven’t beaten a team above us in the league since Partick Thistle on 29th October. That was a Thistle side that had lost their 3 games previously, conceding 4 in each.

We’re just not good enough to string 4/5 wins together in a row at the moment. That’s not a criticism of the manager, I like him and think he has done a good job in a transitional season. I feared given how the second half of last season went, we could be in the fight at the bottom of the league this season but that’s never really been close. If the League table wasn’t enough proof in of itself, our individual results show we are clearly better than the teams below but lacking against the sides above us.

It’s not necessarily a bad thing, knowing what league we are going to be in at this stage gives us plenty time to plan ahead, it was all a bit rushed last season, given when Murray came in. We need the ownership situation resolved as soon as possible to set Murray a competitive budget for what looks a tough league next season.

A number 9 is clearly top priority but we also need a bit of variety in the 3 behind the striker, it all feels a bit samey and when we get sussed out, we don’t really pose any different questions for teams. Murray himself commented on our lack of pace after the Rangers game so I think that is something he will be looking to address. Having Ethan Ross fit after a full pre season should also help.

I like Spencer but can’t argue that he’s not been anywhere near the level of quality and influence he showed last season. It’s a cliche but having Matthews back will be like a new signing and gives us an option to mix it up in the middle of the park.

Defensively, individually none of them are bad players but I can’t join the calls of keeping them all as our first choice back for next season. We have kept 2 clean sheets in our last 15 league games, whilst that isn’t all on the back 4, it’s not nearly good enough. I like Nolan and Dick and I’d keep them but not as automatic starters at this stage. An experienced centre back to challenge and help Lang/Nolan would really bring them on and a real attacking full back would offer a different dimension down the left in some games. Someone in the mould of Ngwenya but maybe a bit further ahead in their development.

I would keep all 3 keepers, MacDonald had slightly shaky spell after his injury but is generally a good, reliable goalkeeper and the other 2 capable back ups and I can’t imagine McNeil is on much. Rolling the dice to improve this area is too risky given MacDonald is still solid, only have to look at Dundee United to see what happens when you get that position wrong.

We aren’t very far away from being a good side at this level but it’s important to acknowledge our flaws and that we are 7th in this league (albeit with games in hand) for a reason. We have a decent base to build on but we have to be ruthless to improve for next season and Murray will have to make some tough decisions. It may mean losing a few players that will divide the support but retaining the majority of the squad and pinning our hopes on finally getting the right striker in to make the difference is too big a gamble for me. It may even be about changing some of the types of players we have rather than massively improving the individual quality just to give us a different dimension. 

Whether Murray is given the budget to make the moves required is obviously up for debate though.

Tl;dr version - Seasons over, sort out the budget/ownership and back Murray to start planning for next season now to make the changes required to progress.

Edited March 27, 2023 by R.R.FC

[CALDERON]

5 minutes ago, R.R.FC said:

I’d class myself as a bit of a happy clapper and I get we all want to cling on to something rather than end the season now but there is no chance we are making the play offs. We would need to win 5/6 of our last 8 games. We haven’t beaten a team above us in the league since Partick Thistle on 29th October. That was a Thistle side that had lost their 3 games previously, conceding 4 in each.

We’re just not good enough to string 4/5 wins together in a row at the moment. That’s not a criticism of the manager, I like him and think he has done a good job in a transitional season. I feared given how the second half of last season went, we could be in the fight at the bottom of the league this season but that’s never really been close. If the League table wasn’t enough proof in of itself, our individual results show we are clearly better than the teams below but lacking against the sides above us.

It’s not necessarily a bad thing, knowing what league we are going to be in at this stage gives us plenty time to plan ahead, it was all a bit rushed last season, given when Murray came in. We need the ownership situation resolved as soon as possible to set Murray a competitive budget for what looks a tough league next season.

A number 9 is clearly top priority but we also need a bit of variety in the 3 behind the striker, it all feels a bit samey and when we get sussed out, we don’t really pose any different questions for teams. Murray himself commented on our lack of pace after the Rangers game so I think that is something he will be looking to address. Having Ethan Ross fit after a full pre season should also help.

I like Spencer but can’t argue that he’s not been anywhere near the level of quality and influence he showed last season. It’s a cliche but having Matthews back will be like a new signing and gives us an option to mix it up in the middle of the park.

Defensively, individually none of them are bad players but I can’t join the calls of keeping them all as our first choice back for next season. We have kept 2 clean sheets in our last 15 league games, whilst that isn’t all on the back 4, it’s not nearly good enough. I like Nolan and Dick and I’d keep them but not as automatic starters at this stage. An experienced centre back to challenge and help Lang/Nolan would really bring them on and a real attacking full back would offer a different dimension down the left in some games. Someone in the mould of Ngwenya but maybe a bit further ahead in their development.

I would keep all 3 keepers, MacDonald had slightly shaky spell after his injury but is generally a good, reliable goalkeeper and the other 2 capable back ups and I can’t imagine McNeil is on much. Rolling the dice to improve this area is too risky given MacDonald is still solid, only have to look at Dundee United to see what happens when you get that position wrong.

We aren’t very far away from being a good side at this level but it’s important to acknowledge our flaws and that we are 7th in this league (albeit with games in hand) for a reason. We have a decent base to build on but we have to be ruthless to improve for next season and Murray will have to make some tough decisions. It may mean losing a few players that will divide the support but retaining the majority of the squad and pinning our hopes on finally getting the right striker in to make the difference is too big a gamble for me. It may even be about changing some of the types of players we have rather than massively improving the individual quality just to give us a different dimension. 

Whether Murray is given the budget to make the moves required is obviously up for debate though.

Tl;dr version - Seasons over, sort out the budget/ownership and back Murray to start planning for next season now to make the changes required to progress.

I'd agree with all of that, but it's important to stay in the running for top 4 as long as possible.  Meaningless games are grim, and won't help the gates for the remaining home games.

[Kdawg]

I can’t help but feel that before anything on the park gets sorted, we need the ownership situation to be confirmed one way or another. 
 

I don’t think we are a million miles away from having a squad capable of competing for promotion, adding that quality whilst retaining the majority of the squad might not be possible with the current financial situation at the club though. 

[Athlete29]

1 hour ago, R.R.FC said:

It’s a cliche but having Matthews back

Has there been anything about his return - feels like it's been months since we've had an update?

[SirJimmyofNic]

1 hour ago, Kdawg said:

I can’t help but feel that before anything on the park gets sorted, we need the ownership situation to be confirmed one way or another. 

This is it in a nutshell, some kind of financial input is a must if we are to stay in this league and push on, Sims pockets are only so deep and we've reached the bottom of them, hes looking at another 500k+ for repairs, so unless he's prepared to sell we'll be in a similar position as last season.