Raith Rovers vs Falkirk - The Sequel

[Michael W]

We might be the better "footballing" side, but that doesn't win you points.  All that matters is grinding out wins. 

Falkirk also have a better goalscorer than anything we have, and also don't have Ross Munro chucking goals away. 

[Paco]

Still feel a bit deflated from that. Wouldn’t have thought I’d be so disappointed with a draw but until Thomson went off I was pretty confident of the win. A huge turning point in the game and quite probably the season. There was a long way to go in both games but Munro has now sold an equaliser to Falkirk twice - the league might just have been in the bag if he hadn’t, who knows.

 

Falkirk were brutal until Thomson went off/Miller came on. Relatively solid but it was an odd approach to the game from them, not really dissimilar to playing a bottom half side. The comparisons with our Barry Smith side are fairly valid.

 

Either side could’ve won it in the last fifteen minutes if we’re honest but the one that hit the post and then the bar might be the one we look back at in May.

 

A long way to go. I think Falkirk will be top in the next couple of weeks looking at the fixtures, and from there maybe we’d be happy with a last day showdown..

 

[Mr.Reeee]

The goal from Falkirk is a hard one and while its tempting to blame the goalie the boy who whips in the ball and then the striker do everything right. There is a reason people say to put the ball right on top of the keeper and that is because it catches him in two minds 1. do i  come and commit to grabbing the ball at the front post with the danger of not getting there (either because he misjudges it or because another player gets in the way) which then leaves the whole goal begging or 2.do you stay on your line and deal with the header or shot as it comes. As Munro is a youngish lad and not that imposing we should be set up so he can do the second and make use of his pretty decent reactions as hes never going to muscle folk out the way to pluck crosses out the air in a packed box imo.

That said the game from a Rovers point of view was decent enough but the way we couldn't settle and the ball spent so much time in the air for 10 or so minutes after us having decent possession and limiting chances in the first half was a bit dissapointing.

[R.R.FC]

11 hours ago, Raith Against The Machine said:

Thomson's injury was the defining point in the game, and quite possibly in this title race. I don't know how his stats stack up versus Munro, but he's navigated a difficult winter very well, and his kicking alone makes him a much, much better fit for this Rovers team.

Exactly this. Since Thomson came back into the team, he started 6 matches. Before he went off last night his record was:

Played: 6    
Won: 3   
Drawn: 2 (although it was 1-0 when he went off last night)     
Lost: 1     
Conceded: 3

Munro’s record for the previous 6 before he was injured/dropped was:

Won: 3     
Drawn: 1    
Lost: 2      
Conceded: 13

So our actual results haven’t differed too much. However, the difference in goals conceded is absolutely frightening. We averaged a goal against every 2 games under Thomson. We’re averaging more than 2 goals against per game with Munro recently.

[renton]

3 minutes ago, R.R.FC said:

Exactly this. Since Thomson came back into the team, he started 6 matches. Before he went off last night his record was:

Played: 6    
Won: 3   
Drawn: 2 (although it was 1-0 when he went off last night)     
Lost: 1     
Conceded: 3

Munro’s record for the previous 6 before he was injured/dropped was:

Won: 3     
Drawn: 1    
Lost: 2      
Conceded: 13

So our actual results haven’t differed too much. However, the difference in goals conceded is absolutely frightening. We averaged a goal against every 2 games under Thomson. We’re averaging more than 2 goals against per game with Munro recently.

The other half of that story though is that we were playing a lot more open and scoring more as well. Granted you can look at aspects of Munro's keeping but isn't it also the case that our defence had previously been letting more opportunities through?

[gav-ffc]

4 minutes ago, renton said:

The other half of that story though is that we were playing a lot more open and scoring more as well. Granted you can look at aspects of Munro's keeping but isn't it also the case that our defence had previously been letting more opportunities through?

Biggest difference we spotted was Munro taking short goal kicks while MaClean is up front despite Thomson taking them long all game.  
 

 

[grumswall]

Biggest difference we spotted was Munro taking short goal kicks while MaClean is up front despite Thomson taking them long all game.  
 
 

Probably because he put them out the park everytime he went long with them.

[R.R.FC]

6 minutes ago, renton said:

The other half of that story though is that we were playing a lot more open and scoring more as well. Granted you can look at aspects of Munro's keeping but isn't it also the case that our defence had previously been letting more opportunities through?

Absolutely, it’s not a case of Munro is the sole reason we have conceded 10 more goals in that time. But it’s hard to ignore the overall picture it paints he played a big part. He was certainly culpable for some of those 13 goals (particularly thinking back to Montrose and Forfar but he also didn’t cover himself in glory against Dumbarton, Peterhead or East Fife). Thomson is not perfect and he’s not particularly good on crosses either. However, he has definitely been an important factor in us defending better and conceding less goals in the last 6 games. 

I feel like the whole defence have a bit more confidence in Thomson than Munro at the moment. The thing is, we know Munro can be a decent keeper, he showed that earlier in the season but his own confidence looks shot just now and it’s tough at his age to bounce back straight away. But he needs to get back to some form quickly. He will be targeted now too. Montrose will pile crosses on him after the last game, and I’m sure with McCracken starting the season as a coach at Peterhead he will have told McInally of his frailties for a couple of weeks time.

Let’s hope he can get back to his form from around November time where he looked solid, I fear the worst if he doesn’t.

[Flemboflem]

Thought a draw was a fair result leaving the ground and feel the same after the highlights.
Both teams had chances that could have resulted in goals.

McManus's chance in the first half when he smashed the corner out wide from 2 yards, should have seen the look of relief on his face when another corner was given incorrectly.  He looked raging at himself for about 5 seconds till he realised he was getting another corner out of it so not to blame.  Big sigh of relief from him!

Bene's free header from a corner for us the big one obviously outwith the post/bar combo.  A free header for your centre half is one of the fundamentals you want from a corner kick!

Gonna be a tight run, who is next to make an arse of it and drop points?! answers on a postcard!

[renton]

10 minutes ago, R.R.FC said:

Absolutely, it’s not a case of Munro is the sole reason we have conceded 10 more goals in that time. But it’s hard to ignore the overall picture it paints he played a big part. He was certainly culpable for some of those 13 goals (particularly thinking back to Montrose and Forfar but he also didn’t cover himself in glory against Dumbarton, Peterhead or East Fife). Thomson is not perfect and he’s not particularly good on crosses either. However, he has definitely been an important factor in us defending better and conceding less goals in the last 6 games. 

I feel like the whole defence have a bit more confidence in Thomson than Munro at the moment. The thing is, we know Munro can be a decent keeper, he showed that earlier in the season but his own confidence looks shot just now and it’s tough at his age to bounce back straight away. But he needs to get back to some form quickly. He will be targeted now too. Montrose will pile crosses on him after the last game, and I’m sure with McCracken starting the season as a coach at Peterhead he will have told McInally of his frailties for a couple of weeks time.

Let’s hope he can get back to his form from around November time where he looked solid, I fear the worst if he doesn’t.

I'll grant you the Forfar and Montrose games but dont think he was hugely culpable against EF or Dumbarton. 

We've generally tightened up at the back and been a bit more compact of late: our goals for column has dried up as well as us conceding less. I think he is generally a decent keeper who we may need to provide some extra protection under dead balls in the short term, we coped for years with McGurn: a man permanently rooted to his line, after all.

[Russ]

If Miller is seen as a significant upgrade for Falkirk then it's quite a statement on their other strikers (other than Mcmanus). Other than throwing himself about a bit and blazing the ball over I don't think he did much at all.
 

He dominated in the air when he came on so where before your centre backs were dealing with the first ball pretty easily he was winning absolutely everything and allowing us to pay off him. That makes a massive difference as we were actually getting the ball to stick up front. Because he was so dominant in the air it just attracts more defenders to him and frees up more space.

Our other options up front are Conor Sammon and David McMilan. Sammon is pish poor whilst McMillan is barely a footballer so hardly a stretch to suggest Miller is a far better option than both.

[Hank Scorpio]

Some great chances to win the game for both sides in the second half. That 3 second period where we first hit the post then the bar, along with Matthews shot from the cross and Benedictus’ header were all great opportunities. When Mutch dropped the cross at the feet of McLean probably isn’t a great chance, but something we should’ve done better with. For Falkirk you’ve got the obvious chance that Miller spooned over the bar as well as Doyle’s header.

MacDonald is so stupid to give away foul for the Falkirk goal, then Munro needs to be so much stronger at the cross. Piss poor. Munro, having looked fine earlier in the season, has totally gone to shit of late. Could really do without him costing us goals in the run in. Up front I thought McLean did well whilst Bowie was quiet. The former is a great addition to our team. One of the first names on the team sheet. Tait’s a better option than Spencer just now so I’d have him in the team next week.

The final game at Falkirk is going to be the decider, I think. Can feel it in my pish.

[TxRover]

2 hours ago, wee_bairn said:

No way are we favourites. Rovers are the better side, imo. Both teams will drop points between now and May meaning I think it’ll still be winnable for both come the last game of the season. If we can stay 1 point behind for the challenge cup game and win on the Saturday to put us top it’ll be interesting to see how Raith react to the pressure. Is your postponed fixture the following Tuesday? 

Airdrie date hasn’t been released yet.

[wee_bairn]

What are rules with loan signings for emergencies? Would you be able to sign someone on a short term deal if Thomson's injury was to keep him out for the rest of the season?

[Jilted John]

Having watched the highlight back, it’s clear that there was no foul by Miller. He’s clever enough to know that he’s bigger and stronger than Davo and Munro and he just positioned himself in front of them and stood his ground, knowing that if they pushed him, it would have been a penalty. What we should have done was have someone like Maclean in front of him to try and clear it. Munro doesn’t exactly cover himself in glory but he’s got two players blocking him so he couldn’t get to it.

[R.R.FC]

59 minutes ago, renton said:

I'll grant you the Forfar and Montrose games but dont think he was hugely culpable against EF or Dumbarton. 

We've generally tightened up at the back and been a bit more compact of late: our goals for column has dried up as well as us conceding less. I think he is generally a decent keeper who we may need to provide some extra protection under dead balls in the short term, we coped for years with McGurn: a man permanently rooted to his line, after all.

I thought he could have done better with the first goal against Dumbarton maybe a bit harsh though, it was a big deflection. Just seemed to go in slow motion. East Fife, not necessarily the goals but he had a couple of moments he got away with. Again, possibly harsh but there was a real air of uncertainty around him from the Falkirk away game onwards.

Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s as straight forward as us being more compact and that suddenly resulting in a 10 goal swing in the number of goals we conceded over a 6 game period. 10 goals is too many to not put some sort of blame and responsibility at the ‘keepers door. No doubt the changes to style have had an impact and I don’t expect us to suddenly go back to averaging 2 goals against per game now Munro is back in goals.

However, I believe it will have an effect. I think the defence have more confidence in front of Thomson which has helped them and Thomson hasn’t thrown any in and has overall been more solid in every aspect of his game than Munro which has been a big factor in the recent defensive improvement. I really hope you are right though. A clean sheet on Saturday could give him a much needed confidence boost.

On your last point regarding McGurn I completely agree I think that’s part of the problem with Munro. McGurn wouldn’t come out for anything, the defence knew this and defended accordingly. Munro is so inconsistent, sometimes he’ll come for crosses, sometimes he won’t, sometimes he’ll come out and flap/miss completely which makes it a nightmare for defenders when defending balls in the box, that feeling of uncertainty spreads. I actually think we’d be better off telling Munro not to come for anything and have the defenders defend every ball into the box knowing they have to protect the keeper and deal with everything themselves.

Edited March 4, 2020 by R.R.FC

[CALDERON]

The problem is that Munro makes it suddenly very easy to get some joy up top against us. Launch a ball into the box and have a striker who can rough things up a bit and we are in trouble. That's essentially what Falkirk did. 

[Wardy]

McGlynn was saying Thomson pulled his quad muscle. Looking at maybe 5-6 weeks? If just a strain then maybe just 1-2 weeks? That’s from google btw.

[CALDERON]

13 hours ago, bridge of allan bairn said:

not a bad point away from home. with last round of games to play we have a superior goal difference and the last game at home to raith so too close to call but take it.

both teams have 5 home and 4 away and obviously same teams to play could depending order of teams and if they still have something to play for.

will raiths extra challenge cup game help or hinder?

I'm more confident that Lee Miller is back involved for cameos as think he might score a few.

Depends if we win it or not. 

If we win the cup I can't see it having anything but a positive effect. 

[Easy Days for Raith]

Anyone involved in the smoke bomb incident should be banned, for life. A statement should be released from the club and fans with information should come forward and report it.

Shocking and vile behaviour.