The New Raith Rovers Thread

[Irosshed and I was wrong]

Collins seems insistent on playing a 3. We looked completely lost from the start in that shape. He’s as much to blame as anyone for that mess tonight.

Everyone involved in the decision to fire Murray needs to take a long look at themselves.

[DITSOR]

But but it was great decision the happy clappers said 

[DITSOR]

A spectacular backfire

[pub car king]

15 minutes ago, Michael W said:

Some very tough questions ahead for the board and the club management. 

A lot of pressure on the team now. 

Absolutely, those players look like they've had enough of this season already. It's been a shit show since the Airdrie game and pretty much anything that can go wrong has gone wrong on the pitch. 

This 3 at the back needs binned for the time being, we can look at again when we have a full squad. 

Collins is now in a shit position of trying to fix someone else's squad, motivate them, find a way to play, stop leaking goals and score at the other end. All with a team now bottom of the league. 

Next game is must win. 

[renton]

2 minutes ago, pub car king said:

Absolutely, those players look like they've had enough of this season already. It's been a shit show since the Airdrie game and pretty much anything that can go wrong has gone wrong on the pitch. 

This 3 at the back needs binned for the time being, we can look at again when we have a full squad. 

Collins is now in a shit position of trying to fix someone else's squad, motivate them, find a way to play, stop leaking goals and score at the other end. All with a team now bottom of the league. 

Next game is must win. 

And do it while playing a formation that makes half way sense with the players he has, which he has failed at two games now.

[Irosshed and I was wrong]

Potter seems to dodge any criticism…..he’s in charge of recruitment and football operations but seems to miss any question marks because players say he was a big part in them joining. Both Barrowman and Potter’s performances in role should be scrutinised.

[Honestmen]

3 minutes ago, pub car king said:

Absolutely, those players look like they've had enough of this season already. It's been a shit show since the Airdrie game and pretty much anything that can go wrong has gone wrong on the pitch. 

This 3 at the back needs binned for the time being, we can look at again when we have a full squad. 

Collins is now in a shit position of trying to fix someone else's squad, motivate them, find a way to play, stop leaking goals and score at the other end. All with a team now bottom of the league. 

Next game is must win. 

Your board has some serious questions to answer though don’t think you’d be sitting any prettier with Murray, squad looks shit starting with the keeper right thru to the attackers

[renton]

Annual reminder that for managers, technical directors and the like that their money is largely earned in the close season.

Failure to recruit correctly in the one window worth a damn is the difference between success or the seaside.

[SirJimmyofNic]

Bottom of the league, a 3-5-2 that doesn't work or have quick enough players to play it, a manager that really isn't up to speed with scottish championship football,  Mathews isn't a leader, and without Brown or Stanton we're in grave danger of being detached very early in the season 

Edited Friday at 20:53 by SirJimmyofNic

[MICMAC]

Painful watch. Until Vaughan came on there didn't seem to be any passion from the team. We have little drive going forward without Stanton and Brown. Think Jamieson would've been better on the bench, easily bullied by their defence. All credit to the Pars, they ripped us a new one in the middle of the park.

We really need a striker, like we have done since last season. 1 goal from a penalty isn't good enough.

[Ex Machina]

I still don't think that sacking Murray was the wrong call (although do still question the timing). Questions marks still hanging over Collins but it is early days and the squad is very imbalanced - he does need to get the three at the back to f**k though.

However, I do think that Potter has done a fairly poor job this summer in the transfer window. We still need a pacy winger, right back and striker, all players we could have done with last season as well.

[renton]

2 minutes ago, SirJimmyofNic said:

Bottom of the league, a 3-5-2 that doesn't work or have quick enough players to play it, a manager that really isn't up to speed with champion football,  Mathews isn't a leader, and without Brown or Stanton we're in grave danger of being detached very early in the season 

Aye, Collins has done nothing so far to suggest he understands the team's strengths. If it has any. 

The Summer window is everything. Either you have a good squad, or you don't. Last year doesn't matter - for some guys that extra 10% is gone, or the form of their life has deserted them and what we have left is a new manager setting up the side in a suicidal formation. 

So, aye - make no mistake, this season is about survival.

[Michael W]

14 minutes ago, Honestmen said:

Your board has some serious questions to answer though don’t think you’d be sitting any prettier with Murray, squad looks shit starting with the keeper right thru to the attackers

Since the summer recruitment has not addressed the decline in results and Ian Murray has already taken the hit for that, they can start by asking John Potter some tough questions. 

I am starting to think that the first half of last season was a fluke. Because I can't rationalise the decline otherwise. 

[Raith2711]

To echo everyone else... we do not have the squad for a 3-5-2. 

We have 3 centre backs, all liable to get injured or suspended at points.

We have no one suited to RWB. 

We get over run in the middle. As soon as I saw the pars were set up 4-5-1 with Hamilton Otoo and Wotherspoon in the middle I knew we were f**ked.

Stevenson was the only player willing to pass forward.

 

 

[renton]

1 minute ago, Michael W said:

Since the summer recruitment has not addressed the decline in results and Ian Murray has already taken the hit for that, they can start by asking John Potter some tough questions. 

I am starting to think that the first half of last season was a fluke. Because I can't rationalise the decline otherwise. 

Not a fluke, but you have to look at it in the context of players as wasting assets. Either they are getting better, or getting worse - there is no plateau. So no team ever gives you the same performance two years running. The trick is to add guys getting better at your level quicker than guys already in your side getting worse.

[Anthony Fitzgerald]

Is Freeman really that bad at right back?

[Michael W]

9 minutes ago, Anthony Fitzgerald said:

Is Freeman really that bad at right back?

Three managers picking a midfielder over him isn't looking good. 

[SanStarko]

I know it's too early to really panic, and we have a lot of players to come back.  But that looked like a team of players who had absolutely no clue what the f**k they were meant to be doing and just kept doing the same thing over and over even though it was very clear it wasn't working.  Having players due back is great but at this rate we're going to finish the first quarter clear at the bottom of the league and with a team with zero confidence.

Does seem the board watched the teams run last season and came to the conclusion that Murray was holding the team back.  Now it's becoming quite clear that Murray had the team punching way above their weight for a big chunk of the season, and after that something extra fell away you're left with an unbalanced team with little to no pace and pretty glaring weaknesses in the team which haven't been addressed.  Which surely should be raising some questions Potters way.

[Raith2711]

Zak Rudden has scored more goals than our entire team in the league this season.

[grumswall]

30 minutes ago, Irosshed and I was wrong said:

Potter seems to dodge any criticism…..he’s in charge of recruitment and football operations but seems to miss any question marks because players say he was a big part in them joining. Both Barrowman and Potter’s performances in role should be scrutinised.

This! 

For the past year all we've heard in the signing interviews is "potsy was on the phone to me every day etc" this is as much his squad as it is Murrays. Him and mickey have coached them the same as Murray did. 

Iv been relatively on the fence until iv seen what Murrays replacement was, despite not agreeing with it in the first place. I cannot see how anyone can think Neil Collins can actually improve us. His tactics have been questionable in both games now. Use of subs, questionable. How we started the game tonight was brutal and exactly how Barnsley fans have described his play, when we actually managed to get on the ball against a very poor dunfermline team. 

2 minutes ago, Michael W said:

Three managers picking a midfielder over him isn't looking good. 

I only seen him play twice but he generally looked like he couldn't even decide what foot he can kick the ball with.