Raith Against The Machine

Varian can't start up top on his own again next week. Just from a mentality point as much as anything, we need a change.

Both.

He's not done much, but he's been the only player who's actually carried the ball for us, albeit only on two or three occasions. We must've completed two or three times as many passes as Ayr have and we've created absolutely nothing. They've moved with the ball at their feet, usually after turning over possession, and we haven't looked remotely capable of doing the same.

You'd think Lang and Tumilty would wisen up after the fifth or sixth time they were caught in possession and countered upon, but nope, still at it.

Huge amount of pressure on Sam Stanton to sort this midfield out. We've had no semblance of control in midfield since Spencer went off at Gayfield.

What we get from Varian is basically what you hope to get when you throw a centre half up front for the last five minutes. Puts himself about, wins some headers, occasionally bodies folk, but offers no goal threat.

It's nice to have two cameras, but placing them four feet apart doesn't seem to be making the most of the opportunity for alternative angles.

I don't know how we're going to score. Second ball from a corner, maybe? We don't seem to have much by way of an attacking strategy. Varian is excellent at unsettling defences when we're the underdogs, but he doesn't offer anywhere near enough in games like this where we should expect to have chances. Only having two goals is obviously a concern, but he must've only had about ten shots on goal so far this season.

What's the over/under on how many shots on target we've had in the last four and a half games? Three?

Might legitimately need to swap Tumilty for Musonda before half time. He can't make anything stick at all and he's actively causing us problems.

I think the game needed that. For all the Rovers knock it about a bit they've not looked like creating anything. Hopefully that gives them a kick up the arse. No goals from open play in four games, someone needs to make something happen. As for the goal, these things happen when you play as many passes between defenders as we do, especially with the full backs pushed on. It's not the kind of mistake you often see from Tumilty, and the striker does well to put it away. I'm not sure I'd fancy our strikers to do the same.

Thoroughly entertained by the Ayr fan shouting "send him aff!" as the referee lectures the Ayr captain.

The Rovers don't usually post their line up until about half two, so I wouldn't read anything into that.

I don't think Lang has played enough football to be a stick-on, he had to be very patient before getting a run of games. He had been excellent since then, granted. You could certainly argue for Zanatta. It's the nature of wingers to be inconsistent, but when he's been on form he's been tremendous. Others in the division have no doubt been the same, though. The others in the equation from the Rovers would be Jamie MacDonald and Brad Spencer. I wouldn't swap MacDonald for any other keeper in the division, but I don't know that he's necessarily been on better form than others, particularly Sneddon. As for Brad Spencer, he's the key elevating factor in McGlynn's "greater than the sum of its parts" Rovers team. Does a team of the year need a quietly effective metronome that let's everyone else do what they do? I'd absolutely go to bat for Christophe Berra's inclusion, though. People still have their preconceptions of him, but he's been the standout performer in a standout Rovers team. That doesn't necessarily mean he's been one of the two best centre halfs in the league, of course, but I haven't seen better with my own eyes. I think there's an argument to be had for every jersey in the team other than the number 9, which has to be Joel Nouble's. Even when he's been quietened by the aforementioned Berra, you can see how effective he is (like a "more mobile Chris Templeman" in the most damning-with-faint-praise description I've heard on a terrace this year) and why Livingston won't hesitate to pitch him straight into Premiership games.

I think John McGlynn's initial plan was to be coy about player availability but some excellent interrogative journalism from RaithTV forced him to reveal that we'll be basically back to full strength on Boxing Day (minus the known Berra, Spencer and Vaughan). While I wouldn't be entirely shocked if there was an element of misdirection there, on the face of it it's very good news.

Makes a lot of sense. As good a solution as I've seen, and certainly better than Falkirk's "come down to the office during the work day at 13 hours notice" or Morton's "f**k it, alphabetical order".

You're quite literally never going to please everyone in a situation like this, but I'd be going for a season ticket ballot. I can see why you'd potentially include Supporters Fund contributers too, but then it becomes a bit of a "biggest fan" competition, where people start chirping about how they sponsor jerseys too etc, as well as penalising people who might not have the money for contributions on top of a season ticket (which is no small investment in itself) and I really don't like that at all. I know that Dunfermline have already said they won't be admitting anyone. That doesn't sit well with me. I can see why you might need to do that for the Boxing Day fixture because it's short notice, but I find it hard to believe that the operating costs for admitting <500 spectators are insurmountable. If you go with season ticket holders you'll make a loss on that event, but more than a couple of hundred quid to cover stewards and a turnstile operator? Unless there's a load of related costs I can't think of, I don't see that that's justifiable. And if there are a huge number of costs, then I'd rather the club come out and say that. "To defray the costs of hosting this game without the usual attendance, we're going to raffle off tickets for £x amount each" where X is twice what it'll cost the club to break even, with half going to charity, with it made clear that the alternative is nobody could attend at all. That way, people can make a choice whether to buy or not, and the club can do some good at the same time. I just really don't like clubs locking fans out where an alternative exists.

Unsurprisingly, Berra's red card appeal has been thrown out.

That's good going, gents. It'd be very easy not to make that choice right now. I'll be having a look at the post-Christmas finances to see if I can bump up my Supporters Fund contributions. Now, more than ever, the club really need that reliable, steady income.

We've also only scored once in our last four games, and that was a penalty.

Unless Paul Smith was wearing a Go-Pro, I think you're going to struggle to find anyone with a half decent angle or view of that incident. I highly doubt we'd win an appeal anyway.

It does happen all the time, though. Paul Watson told Peter Grant earlier this season that he was "ill" and then went on holiday. When Lewis Toshney was with the Rovers, he refused to turn up to training because he became "ill" as soon as Dundee United showed an interest in him. Miraculously, the mystery malady cleared up in time for his first day at Tannadice.

As much as I thought Aaron A Aarnottson acquitted himself well yesterday, I'd be tempted to swap in Kieran Mitchell in his place and go back to McGlynn's preferred shape. With respect, Ayr are a different proposition to Partick Thistle, and a pacey, direct striker with a strong, experienced attacking three behind him is a more dangerous proposition than a "false nine" of Ethan Ross or Dario Zanatta, in my opinion.

To go back to this, it seems these are the rules: Assuming Berra's suspension, and nobody else either being ruled in or out differently from today, we'll have (by my count) 14 players available. Of those, 2 are goalkeepers, and 12 are 18 or older. In that case, we won't be in a position to request a postponement of the game.

Och, it was fine really. Realistically the longest line of sight anyone really needs is the linesman being able to see across to the opposite touchline for offside calls, and sitting in the Main Stand there was never a point where I couldn't see the other side. It was a struggle to see on the diagonal towards the end and I couldn't say I saw much of the goal, but the players all would've been fine at pretty much all times.