Yoss

"as much as we can", fine. But not at the risk of offering more than we can. The club is more important.

Anderson and McCord have been conspicuous by their absence in all the contract rumours, and Anderson hasn't been getting a start even though McKinnon has been rotating the front line quite a bit. Presumably both players will be away. Be sorry to see Anderson go, if so.

Or on current form, 3rd / 4th ...

It's just reversion to the mean.

I didn't take it as being remotely serious criticism anyway, in case that wasn't clear.

I already have a season ticket. Not only that, but because it's in the main stand and I've declined the option of an alternate seat in the South Stand, they can re-sell my ticket and make money out of it twice.

Fair play, Eric. I'm totally with you.

Yeah, steady on Calderon.

Okay, last post on this subject too. I'm not going, because I don't want to, and no amount of goading me or questioning my loyalty is going to make me want to. But just for clarity, when I talk about the Rangers support or the atmosphere, I'm not thinking of or expecting specific incidents (I'm not the kind of person who's ever attracted or got involved in violence of any kind, anyway). Nor am I thinking of specific sectarian songs. But there's a general atmosphere of poison which I find deeply unpleasant. (And the picking out of certain songs as being 'sectarian' totally misses the point anyway, for me. They have loads of songs - and flags and banners - that carry all the same overtones and connotations, and are intended to support all the same political agendas. The singling out of particular songs just because they're the ones that happen to be more explicit is a waste of time.) So, sorry. I respect everyone else's position, and I'm not for a moment criticising anyone for going - nor even for struggling to understand why I might not want to. But I won't go.

Nah, it's really not like that. Not for me anyway. But I'll leave it there.

And I doff my cap for that. But, clearly, I meant then, and not just now. The "no choice, Masterton had control" thing just doesn't wash when you were celebrating (and still are) the 'achievements' of what was long since known to be unsustainable spending. Bobby Barr is an interesting case, been watching him for a few years since his Albion Rovers days. He's always looked to have the ability (and the reason Raith fans are so pleased with the signing is because we saw him tear us a new one more than once while at Livi) but he's had ... off-field issues which have held him back. I think he'd have played at a higher level for longer but for that. Time will tell though - I remember when I first saw Cardle playing for Airdrie and I thought he looked a terrific prospect too, and I was very happy when we eventually signed him. Opinions still vary on how well he did for us, but for me he was a disappointment, and I wasn't in favour of re-signing when the idea was mooted last summer. (In the event, we couldn't have come close to matching the offer that the new fiscally-responsible Dunfermline Athletic made him anyway.) Maybe Barr will end up being similarly underwhelming, ask me again this time next year. Too early to get too carried away about Connolly as well, promising though he is.

Point missed. It's not about taking responsibility for Masterton, it's about taking responsibility for Dunfermline Athletic.

Most of that is good, yeah, and as far as I can tell from the Pars folk I know it does sound like the club is being run on sounder principles (despite the Joe Cardle deal). My not-learning thing was aimed at the one poster specifically I'm going to aim it at you to a degree though, unless and until you take some responsibility and stop blaming Masterton.

Dearie me. I live in Dunfermline and want to see the Pars doing well, and you'll never find me chucking about unhelpful words like "cheating" about what happened before. But it's pretty disappointing to see you and one or two others come onto the Raith thread and start spouting this sort of pish again as if nothing has been learned. First up, don't blame previous board members or anyone else - Pars fans, pretty much to a man and woman, were delighted to keep supporting the team and the overspending long after it was apparent that it was unsustainable (and I still sometimes see and hear them revelling in their 'achievements' even now). More worryingly, "ambitious" is one of those words that should be setting off whole banks of alarm bells in your head. In football-speak it's virtually always code for "currently running at an operating loss". Not that I'm suggesting anything untoward at this stage, but hopefully the club has some people at its helm with rather more nous and understanding than you've demonstrated here. Now f**k off and come back next season.

That's my understanding, yeah. Unless Hibs current form continues and they contrive to drop below us.

Oh, sorry. Hadn't seen anyone else mention atmosphere directly, but I probably wasn't reading the thread carefully enough.

Nope, like I said.

Well first up I already have a season ticket, so my not going to the Rangers games doesn't cost the club anything. I don't go to them (or games against Celtic) just because I have no interest in doing so, I go to football for enjoyment and I don't enjoy the games or the atmospheres against the old firm. I used to go, in the 90s, which meant I at least got to the league cup final, but I missed the Challenge Cup win and don't regret it at all. Nor will I regret missing it if we beat them again next Saturday. (Actually I think I might be working anyway, though I could have changed that if I'd particularly wanted to.)

We are totally in the play-offs.

Like everyone else I like Barr as a player, but I doubt the club will take the risk on him. As the club have said, it's medical bills that have upset the budget the last year or two, so even a pay-as-you-play deal doesn't entirely solve the issue.

Holy shit. Maybe sometime soon I'll lay into a referee.

Bollocks to that.

Contractual stuff is generally more down to the board. But I'm glad it's the direction we've taken. (Wonder if all these contracts have a clause giving better deals in the unlikely event of us going up through the play-offs? Anyone know?)

I stand by both of these comments from last summer.

Isn't Bobby Barr primarily right-sided? I wondered about Alan Trouten, who also worked with McKinnon at Brechin. I always quite liked him but he must be getting on a bit now. ETA: scrub that one, looks like Trouten has another year left on his deal at Ayr.