The New Raith Rovers Thread

[R.R.FC]

8 minutes ago, Broken Algorithms said:

Thinking on it, if we had everyone fit we'd have a midfield with a choice of Flanagan, Hendry, Wedderburn/Gillespie and Armstrong with Nisbet and Vaughan up top. That's a disgustingly good, yet injury prone, set of players for attacking options. It's great we've got Flanagan signed, but I'd be a bit disappointed if Armstrong goes. I know he'll look to play at the highest level possible, and might well get offers, but I'd love to see a full strength team with that squad.

We'd probably still scrape draws in Angus....

Delighted to have Flanagan signed and for 2 years too, obviously all players are going to say it’s great working for the manager but the extensions of Nesbit and Flanagan along with recent performances prove that the team are really buying into what McGlynn and Smith are doing.

Was thinking the same as you mention regarding a fit team the other day. Would be nice for McGlynn to have a positive selection dilemma for a change. Would be a welcome change thinking which good players to leave out the team compared to barely scraping a team together from 11 fit players as we’ve done a few times this season.

I think our best midfield and strikers would be Flanagan and Armstrong wide with Gillespie (although I’d also be happy to see him continue at RB) and Hendry in the middle. Vaughan and Nesbit would be up front. That would leave out Wedderburn, Matthews and Buchanan who have all been excellent in recent weeks and also Duggan. 

Would be a nice problem to have but we all know, they’ll never all be fit at once. 

 

[Rovers_Lad]

Think theres has to be a place for Big Nat.Brings a different dimension to the team,hes calm and is generally a good passer of the ball.

If Buchanan and Nisbet continue what looks like a good partnership it would be difficult to break that up

Club might send Vaughan out on loan 

[Zen Archer (Raconteur)]

10 minutes ago, Rovers_Lad said:

Think theres has to be a place for Big Nat.Brings a different dimension to the team,hes calm and is generally a good passer of the ball.

If Buchanan and Nisbet continue what looks like a good partnership it would be difficult to break that up

Club might send Vaughan out on loan 

Spoiler

 

[Beachbum]

If you're still looking for a ticket for next year's HoF.....

 

[Tony Stark(s Park)]

Wouldn’t mind knowing what people’s thoughts are of the pitch.

When first mentioned and implemented I was against it, hated the idea. Now we are nearly at the end of the year it seems to have been great so far. Plenty of injuries but none down to the pitch (as far as I’m aware). Seems to be maintained well also. I remember a game about 2 months ago where it looked a wee bit weird at the goal at our end but the next game it was fine again so not worried about.

Just be interesting if anyone has noticed any dodgy bounces or have any complaints about it still

[CALDERON]

It looks great and whilst I'm not really qualified, it looks like an improvement on our previous grass pitch. 

[Rovers2017]

9 minutes ago, Tony Stark(s Park) said:

Wouldn’t mind knowing what people’s thoughts are of the pitch.

When first mentioned and implemented I was against it, hated the idea. Now we are nearly at the end of the year it seems to have been great so far. Plenty of injuries but none down to the pitch (as far as I’m aware). Seems to be maintained well also. I remember a game about 2 months ago where it looked a wee bit weird at the goal at our end but the next game it was fine again so not worried about.

Just be interesting if anyone has noticed any dodgy bounces or have any complaints about it still

So far it does seem like it was a worthy investment (I know it's still early days). I still have my concerns if it has in any way contributed to some of the players injuries but I guess the jury is out on that one at the moment. 

I'll be interested to see how it fairs if there's a bit of a frost on the day of a game. 

[1320Lichtie]

Pitches are usually smashing to start with it's the wear and tear on them, think Forfars is great but Airdrie and Stenhousemuir look horrible.

[Michael W]

Yep, all depends how it holds up. Airdrie's, as highlighted, looked awful. That said, I can't recall when it was put down. 

It's supposed to last 6-7 years if I remember rightly, but the key is how it is after 2/3/4 etc. 

[WSDR 88]

As above, I’ve been looking at what is our current strongest XI in an ideal everyone’s fit world, I think I’d opt for this -

If SJM brings in a RB in January, which I suspect he will then Gillespie will move in to Centre Mid alongside Big Nat, in-place of Matthews. Really struggling to see where Hendry if his loan is extended beyond January would fit in. Personally Big Nat is no.1 on the team sheet in midfield, so can’t drop him.

There’s also the thing if Armstrong doesn’t sign an extension then Vaughan could play out wide and Hendry would then get back in to the middle...

Buzzing though that Flanagan & Nisbet have both signed extensions.

[Ro Sham Bo]

It's difficult to say because there is the potential for a fair bit of movement in January still.

Will Armstrong stay? Will Hendry and Crane's loans be extended. These decisions will have a big bearing on what our starting XI should be.

[basher brash]

53 minutes ago, Tony Stark(s Park) said:

Wouldn’t mind knowing what people’s thoughts are of the pitch.

When first mentioned and implemented I was against it, hated the idea. Now we are nearly at the end of the year it seems to have been great so far. Plenty of injuries but none down to the pitch (as far as I’m aware). Seems to be maintained well also. I remember a game about 2 months ago where it looked a wee bit weird at the goal at our end but the next game it was fine again so not worried about.

Just be interesting if anyone has noticed any dodgy bounces or have any complaints about it still

It appears that it’s other  pitches that are doing the damaged in regards to Hendry, Crane and Duggan. Also good to hear that we are making between 30-40 k from Fife elite also from Thornton hibs in the rearranged Scottish cup tie and Raith ladies just for starters. I appreciate that once available for public hire the pitch will deteriorate but at least it won’t be as much to replace the next time as all the sprinklers are in place as well as the base , drainage, prep work etc which would probably account for the at least half the costs of the original installation

Edited December 4, 2018 by basher brash

[WSDR 88]

Is Crane only with us until January? I wasn’t aware of that

[Rovers_Lad]

1 hour ago, WSDR 88 said:

As above, I’ve been looking at what is our current strongest XI in an ideal everyone’s fit world, I think I’d opt for this -

If SJM brings in a RB in January, which I suspect he will then Gillespie will move in to Centre Mid alongside Big Nat, in-place of Matthews. Really struggling to see where Hendry if his loan is extended beyond January would fit in. Personally Big Nat is no.1 on the team sheet in midfield, so can’t drop him.

There’s also the thing if Armstrong doesn’t sign an extension then Vaughan could play out wide and Hendry would then get back in to the middle...

Buzzing though that Flanagan & Nisbet have both signed extensions.

For me Hendry would be ahead of Matthews

[Hank Scorpio]

I may be speaking out of turn here, and someone please correct me if I am, but I don’t think Forfar or Stenhousemuir laid a pitch which is of as high quality as the one we did? I’m sure, off the top of my head, that ours has, at the very least, a far superior irrigation system compared to those two, plus it’s substantially newer.

I am a big fan of the pitch, I must say. We are able to pass the ball with a lot more ease, though I’m not sure how much of that is due to the way McGlynn has us playing. Maintenance will of course play a part in how it maintains its quality over the next few years but the club, specifically John Sim, definitely spared no expense when it came to choosing what we went for.

[Brashy's Boots]

John McGlynn blamed Hendry's injury squarely on the Forfar pitch. It has no bounce he said, and rapped the table with his knuckles to make the point. Ours has substantial cushion built in whilst Forfar's does not.

[Zen Archer (Raconteur)]

17 minutes ago, Hank Scorpio said:

I may be speaking out of turn here, and someone please correct me if I am, but I don’t think Forfar or Stenhousemuir laid a pitch which is of as high quality as the one we did? I’m sure, off the top of my head, that ours has, at the very least, a far superior irrigation system compared to those two, plus it’s substantially newer.

I am a big fan of the pitch, I must say. We are able to pass the ball with a lot more ease, though I’m not sure how much of that is due to the way McGlynn has us playing. Maintenance will of course play a part in how it maintains its quality over the next few years but the club, specifically John Sim, definitely spared no expense when it came to choosing what we went for.

The high standard of the San Starko pitch was highlighted by Bill Clark at the Q&A, he also emphasised that to keep it that way was of the highest importance.

[CALDERON]

4 minutes ago, Brashy's Boots said:

John McGlynn blamed Hendry's injury squarely on the Forfar pitch. It has no bounce he said, and rapped the table with his knuckles to make the point. Ours has substantial cushion built in whilst Forfar's does not.

[Scottydog]

I’m still not a fan of artificial surfaces and won’t hide it.

Ours my be of a higher standard than some others but we have been training on plastic up at a Michael Woods for 3 seasons and in that time I feel we have suffered more from injuries than we ever used to. 

Correct me if I’m wrong but there are no artificial surfaces in the English Prem or Championship, I wonder why? I also heard recently that the 4 big Dutch teams are donating their European takings to subsidise the Clubs in Holland with plastic to replace with grass again.

Alex McLeish bemoaned that after the Livvi game all the Celtic boys were “tight” when they last reported for international duty, not the first time we have heard such like.  Hammys and groins seem to be very much the in vogue injury.

Every SPL manager has slated the artificial surfaces up there, ours may be of a higher quality but I wonder what those managers would have to say about it if they visited?

Lastly much is being made about the £40,000 from the Fife Elite deal but is that over 1 season, 2 or more? Not that it matters a jot as that money surely has to be going into SP Properties to repay the outlay cost.

[foreverarover]

35 minutes ago, Scottydog said:

I’m still not a fan of artificial surfaces and won’t hide it.

Ours my be of a higher standard than some others but we have been training on plastic up at a Michael Woods for 3 seasons and in that time I feel we have suffered more from injuries than we ever used to. 

Correct me if I’m wrong but there are no artificial surfaces in the English Prem or Championship, I wonder why? I also heard recently that the 4 big Dutch teams are donating their European takings to subsidise the Clubs in Holland with plastic to replace with grass again.

Alex McLeish bemoaned that after the Livvi game all the Celtic boys were “tight” when they last reported for international duty, not the first time we have heard such like.  Hammys and groins seem to be very much the in vogue injury.

Every SPL manager has slated the artificial surfaces up there, ours may be of a higher quality but I wonder what those managers would have to say about it if they visited?

Lastly much is being made about the £40,000 from the Fife Elite deal but is that over 1 season, 2 or more? Not that it matters a jot as that money surely has to be going into SP Properties to repay the outlay cost.

Scottydog, there are actually no artificial surfaces at any if the 92 top tier English clubs. Some of the vanarana national league teams are campaigning with the FA to allow them into the league with an artificial surface is successfully promoted.