The New Raith Rovers Thread

[raith1974]

Now that I've has a little time to calm down after that awful performance last night I have decided that Neill Collins needs a little more time before we rip into him or tactics etc.

This is a squad issue. Let's look at the East Fife game. I got slated as I was critical of that performance as we created nothing. Move forward to ICT, we only looked okay in that game as they were very poor and for the 2nd goal they had a boy in goals.

Hamilton Cup game which a win would have qualitied us if we could score 3 goals and again we created virtually nothing. 

The problems we have have been here long before Neill Collins came in. Out summer recruitment should have been better and addressed the obvious issues. Pace, power was missing, a right back and a goal scorer. Now we are scrabbling to try and get a loan or 2 in.

For me lets judge NC after a few games. Personally I would like to see a couple leave on loan. Connolly, Mullen, Matthews, Montague, Freeman, take your pick with money freed up for a couple of free agents and a couple of loans. We need more than a rightback and a striker. A CH with height and pace and a very quick winger. Get Hanlon playing in his favoured left centre back position, add an injury free Brown, hopefully Stanton, a fit Vaughan and Easton playing wide left and we will be okay.

[Brashy's Boots]

1 hour ago, Ding Dang Doo said:

Hanlon was excellent last night. Few times in this first half he made some excellent clearances when balls were getting thrown in down our left side. To suggest he was in any way liable last night is ridiculous. Perhaps a 3 year deal for a guy his age wasn't the smartest move but I've been told that was one of the reasons he came to us and not elsewhere. We didn't offer him the most money so had to incentivise him somehow.

The issue comes down to when we sacked Murray we had lost Turner, McGill and Rudden (thrown in Gullan from January) and replaced them with 2 untried youngsters at this level. Murray never said he thought the squad was finished if I recall he more or less said he wanted others but if we couldn't get them we would go with what we had. That tells me he wanted options but the board never got it over the line which then is a worry. Are we offering 3 year deals cause we don't want to pay the money needed. 

"Throw the Stanton "issue" into the mix (he is not injured)."

You better be ITK, otherwise you're part of the problem.

[Ding Dang Doo]

7 minutes ago, Brashy's Boots said:

"Throw the Stanton "issue" into the mix (he is not injured)."

You better be ITK, otherwise you're part of the problem.

I can guarantee you he's not injured. It's not me who's the problem.

[Brashy's Boots]

8 minutes ago, Ding Dang Doo said:

I can guarantee you he's not injured. It's not me who's the problem.

Are you Sam Stanton?

[raith1974]

19 minutes ago, Ding Dang Doo said:

I can guarantee you he's not injured. It's not me who's the problem.

Over to Raith TV to ask questions of NC regarding Stantons status. He's either injured as we were told or refusing to play which surely means breach of contract.

[Arthur Reid McDermott]

36 minutes ago, raith1974 said:

Get Hanlon playing in his favoured left centre back position, add an injury free Brown, hopefully Stanton, a fit Vaughan and Easton playing wide left and we will be okay.

You get your wish raith1974 if we can get Fordyce back fit.

[Brashy's Boots]

1 minute ago, raith1974 said:

Over to Raith TV to ask questions of NC regarding Stantons status. He's either injured as we were told or refusing to play which surely means breach of contract.

Raith TV is the club media channel. That question, even if allowed to be asked, will not be answered there, and rightly so.

But I agree that a player's refusal to play is almost certainly a breach of contract, and if so, needs addressed. If he's not being selected when fit, it's tactical or personal, and given the state of the side, it's not tactical. Which leaves us with one explanation. 

Serious allegations, hence me asking if OP is actually ITK or Sam Stanton himself (I don't think it's Sam).

[Wardy]

Oh here we f**king go again.

[Raith2711]

Sam came on last week... which to me suggests he is injured and has tweaked something or been rushed back too soon.

 

[pub car king]

We have one of the smaller squads in the division. We need a third goalkeeper, not a pressing issue but will become 1 very quickly if Kev gets injured. We need another RB and ideally another CB as Fordyce has fell off the earth, Murray gets injured every 4 or 5 games and is good for a red as well as the age of Hanlon which will play a factor. 

Some sort of fast traditional winger or someone who moves the ball quickly through midfield, although Gibson looks decent from what I've seen but he's landed in a squad devoid of any form. 

The forward situation has been crying out for a good sized forward with experience at this level. We might not want to play a physical game but we need to have it as an option.

That's 4 players to fill out the squad and nothing that we didn't know in January. We have not acted on this effectively enough. Do we have the funds to build it? Potter says we do. 

We are now in the loan window and won't be getting 4 players we might get one.

So all that means Collins has to pish with the cock he's got. He needs to bin the 3 at the back and play to the strengths of what he has for the time being. 

This move is as big a gamble for him as it is for us. He could have held out for a job in England at a similar level to Barnsley going on the unlucky to get sacked with a team in the play offs. Instead he's gambled he can come here do well and get back to that level. If  this goes tits up he slips down the levels of becoming another Scottish league jobber. 

[Arthur Reid McDermott]

I can't understand the timing of the RTV walk round film of the works at Stark's park.  The team are currently playing crap.  We cannot fill a bench.  We are desperate for new players, loaned or free agent.  We are sitting right at the bottom of the league.  But you show us how much money you have spent (wasted) on tarting up the fabric of the building while the team can't even score a goal!  Fur coat and nae knickers or what?

Here's a choice boys.  Mair, and better players.   Or a super new blue cladding with a huge screen and a lit up sign with Rovers on it?  Now let me think???????????

The team are playing terrible with heads down.  I said a few posts ago that I feared the method of Murrays sacking could lead to a huge drop in confidence in several players.  I know many of you thought I was talking crap.  Well let me stick my neck out here, I genuinely believe we are starting to see the full aftershock of Murrays sacking now.  Players do not appear to be motivated and heads are down.  It is a natural human reaction to the loss of a boss I think most of our players admired.  I don't think there will be the same admiration for our CEO though.

[Zen Archer (Raconteur)]

25 minutes ago, raith1974 said:

Over to Raith TV to ask questions of NC regarding Stantons status. He's either injured as we were told or refusing to play which surely means breach of contract.

Supposition and hyperbole.

Unless you know something, kindly refrain from making a fool of yourself.

[Zen Archer (Raconteur)]

3 hours ago, Stellaboz said:

Any manager that wears a jumper and shirt, beware. Be a ware. 

^^^^^ ITK

[Brashy's Boots]

3 minutes ago, Zen Archer (Raconteur) said:

Supposition and hyperbole.

Unless you know something, kindly refrain from making a fool of yourself.

To be fair to 1974, Ding Dang Doo has "guaranteed" Stanton is not injured. 

He's either ITK and too chickenshit to reveal what would indeed be a problem, or blethering pish.

Edited Saturday at 13:06 by Brashy's Boots
More info

[raith1974]

2 minutes ago, Brashy's Boots said:

To be fair to 1974, someone else has "guaranteed" Stanton is not injured. 

Thanks just trying to get someone to give us some clarity. We were told Stanton picked up an injury yet someone on here believes that's not the case.

[Zen Archer (Raconteur)]

2 minutes ago, Brashy's Boots said:

To be fair to 1974, someone else has "guaranteed" Stanton is not injured. 

If I wanted to be fair, I wouldn't have quoted him.

I extend the statement to whatever poster you mean.

[raith1974]

Just now, Zen Archer (Raconteur) said:

If I wanted to be fair, I wouldn't have quoted him.

I extend the statement to whatever poster you mean.

Then your a dick. Read all posts.

[A_Rover_In_The_Burgh]

All this, blame Matthews he was out of position.... He's a midfielder again being asked to play out of position. We have a RB sitting on the bench?! Last season, Corr on the bench all season until the play-offs!! Where's the logic? 

The squad is absolute garbage and I have said that since early last season. Murray, Hanlon, Freeman, Dick, Mullin, Matthews, Byrne, Connolly, Stanton, Easton, Stevenson, Jamieson, Smith, Hamilton are not going to take us forward. Everyone saying Murray should have been given longer... He signed duds during the close season and it showed in the friendlies. We were rank in them as well. He's left a crock o sh*te for the new manger to work with. The board are to blame here as well. Signing Hanlon and Stevenson on the contracts they did is ludicrous and worries me they never learned from the Murray mistake and in fact have now put a relatively unknown manager in this league on a 3 year deal. They are doing great work to the ground but their savvy for on the pitch stuff is nada currently. 

It's really worrying. I just can't see without 5 or so signings us doing anything this year and in fact could be relegation fodder given a miracle at present. That team should have been stripped post season. It was proved against Livi and County they weren't even close to being good enough, yet here we are with the same crap with the addition of extra crap thrown in. 

I'd rather see Hannah back in front of Stevenson. Stanton and Brown will not change what's going on, they were part of the crap last season as well and both played preseason and it was no different. 

Not even a sign of new manager buzz on the field. It's worrying. 

At present there is absolutely no pro's and I just don't see it changing. 

[g martin]

On 03/09/2024 at 18:46, g martin said:

If your board is happy with swapping Murray for Neill Collins, someone with no track record of promotion to the premiership, or indeed promotion to any league, or even managing in Scotland then lol. I've got some magic beans they might be interested in swapping for the south stand.

The surprise from some that things aren't going well straight away is baffling to me. Anyhow, obviously Collins is there now and won't be leaving for a while even if he continues with 3 at the back losing games etc. He has time to make changes or flap around as he sees fit, Murray will still be getting paid off at the moment. Maybe he shouldn't pull the kids out of school in England yet though, and save money on a house move.

In the short term that means the pressure is on others. Benching players is hard when there are few fit replacements. Finding new ones not easy either obviously, eg a free agent goal scoring striker or loan option is unlikely, it's what everyone in the championship wants. So the players are somewhat immune as well just now. That leaves Potter and Cameron, and the board / Barrowman as the next in the firing line if this form continues. Not sure who would or should be first to go out of them, if any. Probably best and most likely to keep on as is and hope.

[Raith2711]

If Stanton was refusing to play he wouldn't have come on in the cup last week. If he'd been Ross Millen'd he would be totally frozen out. The most logical explanation is that he is injured. 

We ran Connolly in to the ground the year before and we ran Stanton and LV in to the ground last season.

For me we're not a million miles away from a good team. I think when fit our strongest 11 is:

Kev 

Stevenson

Hanlon

Fordyce

Matthews

 

Brown

Stanton

Easton (left)

Gibson (Right)

 

Vaughan

Hamilton

 

With Byrne coming in if we want a second holding midfielder instead of two upfont.

 

We desperately need a goalscorer to challenge Hamilton + a RB + some squad depth to cover injuries.