Raith Against The Machine

I know this makes me sound like one of those fucking Stockport County fans who sees their striker sign for a Scottish side and starts giving it "He'll get 30 goals in that farmer's league", but Brad Spencer could easily be the most technically accomplished player in League One next season. That's not to say he'll be an absolute standout every week or that his game doesn't have its weaknesses, but if you want a midfielder who'll drop back to pick the ball up from the defence, shift the ball up the park, make himself available for a pass at basically all times and very rarely give the ball away, I don't think you'll see better at this level. I was surprised the Rovers didn't do more to keep him, but it looks increasingly like Murray just doesn't see the need for that slow build, possession focus at the base of his midfield. McGlynn absolutely does, and I'm not surprised in the slightest that he's after Spencer. You'll still need someone alongside him doing the tackling and the hard yards (although he's far from a luxury player) and you'll need decent bodies ahead of him to create and finish chances, but he's a proper cornerstone for a working midfield. If he's staying in Scotland, and that didn't always seem like the most likely scenario, I'm surprised another Championship club hasn't picked him up.

I'll always remember him being out early before a game teaching Rudy Puonnosamy how to take goalkicks.

Say the line, FFP!

It's the ones linked in piebob's post here. Jim Foy had posted them on his own Twitter.

Maybe the challenge he wants is how to pay his bills with much lower wages.

Definitely more of a centre half these days, though.

League Cup Group Stage?

Aye, Sim really can't give it the whole "Travolta in Pulp Fiction" lookaround on that front. Lack of appropriate oversight makes him as culpable, if not more, than McGlynn. That said, I do love the term "McGlynnflation", so I'm happy for that to remain the dominant narrative.

Intrigued to see how this experiment turns out. On the face of it, I'm a wee bit sceptical/disappointed that it's splitting the home support. I'd have preferred it to be at the other end of the Railway Stand, in an ideal world, keeping the Rovers support together. That said, it's obviously a good laugh being that close to the away support if things are going well, and whereas this might've been a single, standalone move under the old regime, I'm sure it'll be part of a bigger movement with the new guys. I don't think it's a secret that they're hoping to emulate what Dunfermline have done with their North West section, and I'm keen to see how that manifests itself, and sort of relationship develops between the club and the fans who move there.

His fitness absolutely is a problem, but he's signed for Livingston regardless.

Well, if the clown shoes fit...

As long as its not Lars Lokotsch.

We must be set to bring in some absolute chumps at centre half, because this is shaping up to be an unbelievably good window otherwise. It feels weird. I don't trust it.

John Sim's out here playing 4D chess.

If we're at home to Dunfermline and away to Annan, I'm quite happy with that. The opposite, and it's a shambles of a draw.

Greig Young never really had a chance at first team minutes last season. We had Liam Dick at left back and then brought in Kieran Ngwenya from Aberdeen on loan, which is why Greig Young went to Elgin. Even at the tail end of the season when we had our injury crisis, he still barely featured because Dick and Ngwenya were two who stayed fit. When we went to Ayr Utd with only twelve players, Young was sat on the bench by himself. He did come on to play left wing in the latter stages of the last game of the season and whipped in some incredible crosses. I'm keen to see how he gets on. At the moment, the Rovers have a first team and nothing else. No reserves, no 21s or 19s, so it's difficult to keep a hold of guys like Greig Young who might be on the fringes of the first team but won't play most weeks. First team football is the best thing for him, and I believe he didn't look out of place at Elgin.

Just pulling this excellent post back up to the top for anyone who missed it first time around when Dabrowski was suggested. I'd like us to sign more former Dumbarton players just to get more Jan Vojáček scouting reports.

Ach, that was for Queen of the South. Who can honestly expect their goalkeeper to achieve anything? He'll be grand once he's behind our solid defensive pairing of a teenager from Celtic, and some other c**t.

Proper pace is going to be an interesting new feature. I don't think we had anyone who was properly sluggish (Isma aside, maybe), but who was the quickest player last season? Willy Akio? He didn't show it much. I'm sure there's an obvious one I'm forgetting, but if not, then you just get into 'normal' paced guys like Connolly and Easton.

Well, I'll have to take your word for it. I haven't seen much League One recently.

Over Deniz Mehmet? I've no idea if it's Dabrowski we're getting or not, but I wouldn't swap you Mehmet for him.