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Ayr vs Aidan Connolly dba Raith Rovers strike force, 3/12/22


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It’s time to play again…how’s Frankie doing? Specially request from our guests today to hump Ayr the next time we saw them, so being a gracious host, I’ll predict 0-5…a Connell hat trick, Little John to get a closing cameo and goal, plus a Tom Lang goal for fun.

But, more honestly, I’ve really got no idea which Rovers team will show up for this match. If it’s the recent winning team, we can take this one…if it’s todays squad, a tough fight…if it’s the lot that played Queens, we’ll be horsed. How’re the Ayr fans feeling?

Edited by TxRover
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It’s time to play again…how’s Frankie doing? Specially request from our guests today to hump Ayr the next time we saw them, so being a gracious host, I’ll predict 0-5…a Connell hat trick, Little John to get a closing cameo and goal, plus a Tom Lang goal for fun.
But, more honestly, I’ve really got no idea which Rovers team will show up for this match. If it’s the recent winning team, we can take this one…if it’s todays squad, a tough fight…if it’s the lot that played Queens, we’ll be horsed. How’re the Ayr fans feeling?

Feeling slightly embarrassed for Talbot fans at the way they obsess over us. Almost as much of a riddy as QOS fans singing about us but at least they are an actual professional football club.
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2 hours ago, TxRover said:

It’s time to play again…how’s Frankie doing? Specially request from our guests today to hump Ayr the next time we saw them, so being a gracious host, I’ll predict 0-5…a Connell hat trick, Little John to get a closing cameo and goal, plus a Tom Lang goal for fun.

But, more honestly, I’ve really got no idea which Rovers team will show up for this match. If it’s the recent winning team, we can take this one…if it’s todays squad, a tough fight…if it’s the lot that played Queens, we’ll be horsed. How’re the Ayr fans feeling?

Musonda has been a great signing for us. Only mistake I can remember him making was actually against you at Starks where he was turned far too easily by your striker.

He’s currently injured. I’m currently abroad so not sure if anything has been said about when he’s due back. Hopefully sooner rather than later as our other centre half, Alex Kirk was stretched off last weekend and is expected to be out for 2-3 months. Our only other centre half is Sean McGinty who seems to be the scapegoat with most of our fans. 

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30 minutes ago, ayrunitedfw said:

Musonda has been a great signing for us. Only mistake I can remember him making was actually against you at Starks where he was turned far too easily by your striker.

He’s currently injured. I’m currently abroad so not sure if anything has been said about when he’s due back. Hopefully sooner rather than later as our other centre half, Alex Kirk was stretched off last weekend and is expected to be out for 2-3 months. Our only other centre half is Sean McGinty who seems to be the scapegoat with most of our fans. 

There was speculation that perhaps his injury “history” was why we didn’t sign him…that or we only offered one vs two years (perhaps for the same reason). No one seems to know, has Frankie even commented on that?

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Musonda is easily one of the top two or three centre backs in this league so I’d be shocked that Raith simply decided against signing him because of an injury. Sounds more like they weren’t able to offer him the security of a two year deal like we were. Add to the fact that we’ll be paying his accommodation for that time as well.

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After Connell's performance against Ayr at Stark's I would start him up front and play Vaughan off the left. Easton was dreadful yesterday and can't complain if he drops out. Gullan will presumably be available so he might come in. Other than that, the only question is what back 4 Murray goes with after the Queen's Park debacle. 

Whatever we do, based on our away form and Ayr's league position it is difficult to make much of a case for us. 

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11 minutes ago, Ro Sham Bo said:

After Connell's performance against Ayr at Stark's I would start him up front and play Vaughan off the left. Easton was dreadful yesterday and can't complain if he drops out. Gullan will presumably be available so he might come in. Other than that, the only question is what back 4 Murray goes with after the Queen's Park debacle. 

Whatever we do, based on our away form and Ayr's league position it is difficult to make much of a case for us. 

Our away form is total shan, really don’t know how we’ll do. Just hoping Jamie has the game of his life. 

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1 hour ago, D'Jaffo said:

Musonda is easily one of the top two or three centre backs in this league so I’d be shocked that Raith simply decided against signing him because of an injury. Sounds more like they weren’t able to offer him the security of a two year deal like we were. Add to the fact that we’ll be paying his accommodation for that time as well.

To be fair, we look better at the back than we did with Musonda in there last season.  I suspect he wasn't signed partly due to injury,  partly due to being part of a pish defence, and partly due to cost.

In any case, our away form is awful so I'm assuming best we can do here is a draw.  The fact we've conceded fewer goals than Ayr, yet find ourselves 7 points and a goal difference of 12 worse off gives a pretty good indication as to where the problem lies.

Edited by CALDERON
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The fact we are in the Scottish cup, coupled with the fact we are playing a junior team has come at the right time, losing out two best centre halfs at the same time could have been a disaster, we will be able to Sellotape a defence together for the Pollock game that will hopefully see us through and hopefully have a couple of players back for this game.

If we have Musonda out then I expect we will lose, with Musonda it will be a closer game. 

With Morton playing Arbroath and Queens Park playing Hamilton, we really need to win this game. 

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41 minutes ago, CALDERON said:

In any case, our away form is awful so I'm assuming best we can do here is a draw.  The fact we've conceded fewer goals than Ayr, yet find ourselves 7 points and a goal difference of 12 worse off gives a pretty good indication as to where the problem lies.

I don’t think it’s a particularly controversial opinion to say if you swapped Akinyemi with any of our number 9 options, we would be in Ayr’s league position and they in ours.

A top quality number 9 makes such a huge difference to any side and as well as being a goal scorer, Akinyemi acts as a great focal point to build attacks from.

Obviously any signing carries a degree of luck but Ayr deserve a lot of credit for getting someone like him on a two year deal, reaping the rewards for putting in place a strong structure off the field. Akinyemi will either fire them to a promotion battle this season or they are going to receive a huge transfer fee (for this level). Win-win really.

As for the game, with our away form, I’m not confident. I would bring Dick in for Ngwenya as the only change to yesterday’s back 4. Also, Vaughan out left for Easton and Gullan back in up top. 

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  • TxRover changed the title to Ayr vs Aidan Connolly dba Raith Rovers strike force, 3/12/22
1 hour ago, renton said:

Wrong thread title, should more accurately read: Ayr vs. Aidan Connolly.

Voila

2 hours ago, Ro Sham Bo said:

After Connell's performance against Ayr at Stark's I would start him up front and play Vaughan off the left. Easton was dreadful yesterday and can't complain if he drops out. Gullan will presumably be available so he might come in. Other than that, the only question is what back 4 Murray goes with after the Queen's Park debacle. 

Whatever we do, based on our away form and Ayr's league position it is difficult to make much of a case for us. 

I wonder if IM will go with O’Riordan and Nolan and move Dick back out left, giving Ngwenya a rest? Not sure I like that, but wouldn’t surprise me, as Ngwenya hasn’t looked as incisive the last couple of weeks. I like the constant graft of Connell, and perhaps it is the lack of a second attacker that means it so often results in nothing, so I’ll go for that idea. So that would be something like…???

MacDonald

Millen/O’Riordan/Nolan/Dick

Brown

Connolly/Stanton/Spencer

Connell/Vaughan

 

Gives us options if we fall behind to bring in Ngwenya for a more offensive threat from the back (either replacing Dick, or Nolan with Dick moving in), Gullan to spell Vaughan or Connell, Easton for Stanton or Spencer to try to spark something…

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1 hour ago, diegomarahenry said:

If we have Musonda out then I expect we will lose, with Musonda it will be a closer game. 

 

Don’t quite see it like this , only lost one game at home in the league this season and that was a freak show against Inverness , a game we could have 5-1 or 6-1 ... yes our team is weakened at the back with Frankie and Alex out . However this season is a bit different to the norm . It seems to be more what we do when on the ball rather than what we do off it . Chances are Rovers will score one or two but we are the divisions top scorers with the divisions top scorer . I expect us to win and Dipo to be amongst the scorers . Then it’s a free week then two games until the window where two or three will be coming in . Could be nearly time to believe ...

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1 hour ago, North British said:

Don’t quite see it like this , only lost one game at home in the league this season and that was a freak show against Inverness , a game we could have 5-1 or 6-1 ... yes our team is weakened at the back with Frankie and Alex out . However this season is a bit different to the norm . It seems to be more what we do when on the ball rather than what we do off it . Chances are Rovers will score one or two but we are the divisions top scorers with the divisions top scorer . I expect us to win and Dipo to be amongst the scorers . Then it’s a free week then two games until the window where two or three will be coming in . Could be nearly time to believe ...

With Musonda and most likely Houston out, we would then have to most likely play a right back at centre half and a left back at right back. Or, we play Ecripont or Billham, neither has experience at this level. If it was a straight swap, McCallister for Musonda and Houston is back, I'd be slightly more confident but if Raith put their 6 foot 7 striker up against him, he'll not win many high balls. 

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Don’t quite see it like this , only lost one game at home in the league this season and that was a freak show against Inverness , a game we could have 5-1 or 6-1 ... yes our team is weakened at the back with Frankie and Alex out . However this season is a bit different to the norm . It seems to be more what we do when on the ball rather than what we do off it . Chances are Rovers will score one or two but we are the divisions top scorers with the divisions top scorer . I expect us to win and Dipo to be amongst the scorers . Then it’s a free week then two games until the window where two or three will be coming in . Could be nearly time to believe ...

Guaranteed we won’t sign anyone in the first week of the January window. So we’ll still have at least six games to get through before we see anyone new coming in. I’d be happy if we won half of those games and got a draw or two. Doubt it with the teams we’ll play in those six games.
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20 hours ago, D'Jaffo said:

Guaranteed we won’t sign anyone in the first week of the January window. So we’ll still have at least six games to get through before we see anyone new coming in. I’d be happy if we won half of those games and got a draw or two. Doubt it with the teams we’ll play in those six games.

Are you really sure we won't sign somebody in the first week of the window ? 

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