The New Raith Rovers Thread

[Scottydog]

My stream of the game buffered to such an extent I missed virtually everything (wi fi issues offshore rather than ICT problem.....probably) so I can only comment on the brief highlights and what I've heard from guys who were there.

Getting Matthews back was a boost but as good as he is at winning the ball he's not as creative as even Brad is and nowhere near as good as Hendry who we may as well write off as irreplaceable, at least for now.  Losing Brad was a blow but losing LV too shafted us creatively middle to top.  Tom Lang helped stiffen up the defence a bit but that wasn't where the issues were, at least not this week.

I didn't think Zanatta or Connolly were bad at all and anything creative we did I thought they were usually involved but as has been said elsewhere all the eventual attempts at goal were powder-puff stuff!

Ridgers probably should have walked but I can see why the ref gave him the benefit of the doubt. Looked as if Varian was undecided on striking or going around him and in the end managed neither.  As has been said elsewhere this was a game that could have gone either way and was looking for a touch of class to settle it, Mr McGregor provided it.

I reckon any talk this early of relegation is complete nonsense and even writing players off at this stage is a bit reactionary and premature. Some of em have been here less than 5 weeks and have only played 3 or 4 times, if they're still shite in a month or so then fair fucks but at least give em a chance to bed in and gel some.

Confidence will have taken a bashing and an improved performance against Aberdeen would help a lot going into the Derby but will it go that way?

 

[TheScarf]

6 hours ago, Specky Ginger said:

Also saw on the EFL highlights Port Vale's goalkeeper sent off for fouling an opposition forward out on the touchline. 

Varian was in a far better position to shoot before he was cleaned out, but Ridgers escapes with a yellow. I'd love to hear a plausible explanation. 

He made a genuine attempt to play the ball so under the new rule it’s a yellow. I’m fairly certain the ‘last man/denoying a goal scoring opportunity’ rule doesn’t exist anymore.

A yellow was the correct decision.

[true_rover]

He made a genuine attempt to play the ball so under the new rule it’s a yellow. I’m fairly certain the ‘last man/denoying a goal scoring opportunity’ rule doesn’t exist anymore.
A yellow was the correct decision.

Fairly sure that new rule only applies when conceding a penalty.

[Raith Against The Machine]

1 hour ago, TheScarf said:

He made a genuine attempt to play the ball so under the new rule it’s a yellow. I’m fairly certain the ‘last man/denoying a goal scoring opportunity’ rule doesn’t exist anymore.

Nonsense. Only applies inside the box. Also, it's not a new rule, it's been around for five years. 

The explanation is quite simple. The referee doesn't think it's a clear goalscoring opportunity, or he'd have sent Ridgers off. But I think he's fallen for flawed logic that you see fairly often in situations like this. 

If that's a defender, rather than the goalkeeper, you'd only give the booking. He's still got thirty yards to go and there are two defenders in relatively close proximity who might be able to catch him. But that also accounts for the fact that he's got a goalkeeper to beat. 

In the situation yesterday, had Varian not been fouled by Ridgers, he's got the whole of the goal to aim at, from 25 yards out. Neither defender is close enough to block his next touch. They might catch him if he takes a touch, but he's only got to side foot a simple effort to score. That's a clear goalscoring opportunity. 

There should be very few situations where a goalkeeper commits a foul outside his box where he isn't then sent off. Maybe if the ball is into the channel and the attacker would have to find a teammate, but not in a case like yesterday's. 

[TheScarf]

4 minutes ago, Raith Against The Machine said:

Nonsense. Only applies inside the box. Also, it's not a new rule, it's been around for five years. 

The explanation is quite simple. The referee doesn't think it's a clear goalscoring opportunity, or he'd have sent Ridgers off. But I think he's fallen for flawed logic that you see fairly often in situations like this. 

If that's a defender, rather than the goalkeeper, you'd only give the booking. He's still got thirty yards to go and there are two defenders in relatively close proximity who might be able to catch him. But that also accounts for the fact that he's got a goalkeeper to beat. 

In the situation yesterday, had Varian not been fouled by Ridgers, he's got the whole of the goal to aim at, from 25 yards out. Neither defender is close enough to block his next touch. They might catch him if he takes a touch, but he's only got to side foot a simple effort to score. That's a clear goalscoring opportunity. 

There should be very few situations where a goalkeeper commits a foul outside his box where he isn't then sent off. Maybe if the ball is into the channel and the attacker would have to find a teammate, but not in a case like yesterday's. 

It’s not nonsense I’m afraid. Pity most of your post was.

[Raith Against The Machine]

2 minutes ago, TheScarf said:

It’s not nonsense I’m afraid. Pity most of your post was.

Uh... sure. 

Setting that aside, these things happen in football. We've no divine right to go to Inverness and win (at this stage, if feels like it might take divine intervention). 

We know this is a competitive division. Some people seem to have lost the run of themselves over the last year. Even last year, when we were largely excellent, we lost some bad games. Queen of the South at home particularly stands out. Today wasn't a bad game to lose. It was a game we lost. A close game, decided by a great strike. 

Our next game is against Dunfermline. We've both had a draw and a loss so far, but looking at how those games have gone, I'd rather be in our shoes than theirs, particularly if we can give Vaughan a break next weekend and have him back for the derby. 

[Ro Sham Bo]

The ref has clearly seen Varian's effort last week when through on goal and realised he would've just fallen on his backside again anyway. 

I assume messing up a one on one every week is his party piece. The quicker he's sent back to Stoke, the better. 

[roverthemoon]

Don’t understand all the doom and gloom. A 1-0 loss is exactly what we got up there the last time. The fixture list handed us a difficult first three fixtures. Home to newly relegated Hamilton, away in Inverness (where we never do anything) and a Fife derby. If we can beat the Pars and come away with 4 points then it’s a fairly reasonable start I’d argue. Think the rather freakish Hamilton collapse is making some lose the head a bit. . 

Edited August 8, 2021 by roverthemoon

[Been going too long]

7 hours ago, TxRover said:

Riley-Snow doesn’t seem the answer, let’s see Arnott. Zanatta and Connolly with Poplatnik and Vaughan delivered nicely, I disagree.

I don’t think he is either but I can’t believe we couldn’t have found another centre mid from somewhere Arnott/Connolly and zanatta is the stuff of my nightmares  

[Been going too long]

1 hour ago, roverthemoon said:

Don’t understand all the doom and gloom. A 1-0 loss is exactly what we got up there the last time. The fixture list handed us a difficult first three fixtures. Home to newly relegated Hamilton, away in Inverness (where we never do anything) and a Fife derby. If we can beat the Pars and come away with 4 points then it’s a fairly reasonable start I’d argue. Think the rather freakish Hamilton collapse is making some lose the head a bit. . 

Your probably right that if we win like we should have last week, we would all be quite content. We haven’t had an easy run of fixtures but there isn’t any in the league . I think it’s just a few things making folk feel like this, Hendry away, zanatta coming back( been decent  in the league games tbf) and poor loan signings ( my opinion only) and the absolute cluster f**k of the ending to the accies game. Hopefully we can get a result against the townies and kick on .

[raith1974]

57 minutes ago, Been going too long said:

I don’t think he is either but I can’t believe we couldn’t have found another centre mid from somewhere Arnott/Connolly and zanatta is the stuff of my nightmares  

Agreed we get told by McGlynn that he's offered hundreds of players every week and we end up with a player that played at the 7th tier of Spanish football playing in sports arena's rather than football grounds.

[R.R.FC]

Surprised to see people still slating Connolly and Zanatta, it’s like people have made their mind up on them before a ball was kicked. Yes, we are right to have concerns based on the last few years of their careers, I thought they were both poor signings.

However, they should be judged on what they do for us and so far their performances have been pretty good. If they were two unknowns from down south, I think people would be saying we had made two good signings based on what we have seen so far.

Understandable to still have reservations given their recent history, they could still turn out poor but to write them off as duds is just completely ignoring how they have played so far in my opinion. 

 

[renton]

14 hours ago, Ro Sham Bo said:

We'll come back to this in May. I've seen us relegated often enough to know the signs and I see them clearly this season. 

I could certainly see us slotting into 6th - 8th tbh. I don't think we'll be bothering the promotion play offs.

[McGuigan1978]

I’m certainly nowhere near the panic stage, and in fairness, considering the starting eleven we put out yesterday, we arguably fared a little better than I thought we would. 

Obviously we knew beforehand we’d be without Musonda and Spencer, but no Vaughan was a bit of a hammer blow. 

However, I thought we defended reasonably well for the bulk of the game and caused them some problems, but we were definitely second best and Inverness deserved the three points. 

I am a little disappointed and concerned though.

I really hoped we’d build on last season’s success, and it doesn’t feel like we have. 

Defensively we’re about as good as last term, the loss of Hendry was never going to be balanced out in the middle of the park, so if there was one area we could definitely upgrade to keep us challenging at the right end it was up front, and so far, as limited as Ugwu and Duku were for us at times, it doesn’t feel like we have. 

In terms of concern, I was hoping we’d be better than Morton, QOS, Ayr and Arbroath, which would at least see us comfortably in mid table at worst, but Morton have started well and Queens have been a little unfortunate so far, so the league may be even tighter than I thought it would be. 

If Vaughan is okay then we’ll be fine I think, bearing in mind we were exceptional for well over an hour last week, but he’s absolutely key for us. If he’s out for any length of time then it’ll be a struggle. 

[raith1974]

10 minutes ago, McGuigan1978 said:

I’m certainly nowhere near the panic stage, and in fairness, considering the starting eleven we put out yesterday, we arguably fared a little better than I thought we would. 

Obviously we knew beforehand we’d be without Musonda and Spencer, but no Vaughan was a bit of a hammer blow. 

However, I thought we defended reasonably well for the bulk of the game and caused them some problems, but we were definitely second best and Inverness deserved the three points. 

I am a little disappointed and concerned though.

I really hoped we’d build on last season’s success, and it doesn’t feel like we have. 

Defensively we’re about as good as last term, the loss of Hendry was never going to be balanced out in the middle of the park, so if there was one area we could definitely upgrade to keep us challenging at the right end it was up front, and so far, as limited as Ugwu and Duku were for us at times, it doesn’t feel like we have. 

In terms of concern, I was hoping we’d be better than Morton, QOS, Ayr and Arbroath, which would at least see us comfortably in mid table at worst, but Morton have started well and Queens have been a little unfortunate so far, so the league may be even tighter than I thought it would be. 

If Vaughan is okay then we’ll be fine I think, bearing in mind we were exceptional for well over an hour last week, but he’s absolutely key for us. If he’s out for any length of time then it’ll be a struggle. 

If Vaughans out for any length of time and I don't mean a couple of weeks then we need to bring someone in as his workrate, creativity and goals will be sorely missed.

Getting back to signings I've no idea why we didn't go back down south. We uncovered a gem in Musonda, Duku scored goals albeit his head dropped or attitude changed when McGlynn appeared to return to first team action, that's not a dig at McGlynn and Gozie was a decent target up front. Instead we sign two 18 year olds one of which was too lightweight for 1st division football, two wingers that appeared to have very poor seasons last season and an over the hill centre half. 

In terms of Zanatta his biggest problem is not his ability but his desire, in short he pulls out of challenges in the air and on the ground. He needs a bit of dig about his game.

 

[CALDERON]

48 minutes ago, R.R.FC said:

Surprised to see people still slating Connolly and Zanatta, it’s like people have made their mind up on them before a ball was kicked. Yes, we are right to have concerns based on the last few years of their careers, I thought they were both poor signings.

However, they should be judged on what they do for us and so far their performances have been pretty good. If they were two unknowns from down south, I think people would be saying we had made two good signings based on what we have seen so far.

Understandable to still have reservations given their recent history, they could still turn out poor but to write them off as duds is just completely ignoring how they have played so far in my opinion. 

 

Some people are absolutely desperate for Zanatta, Connolly and Berra to fail.  It's been really clear at the games.

[foreverarover]

At least we didn't lose four!  How come we came 3rd last season yet our budget seems smaller?

Because we had no crowds last season to fill the coffers [emoji848]

[Frank conner]

19 minutes ago, foreverarover said:

Because we had no crowds last season to fill the coffers

Neither did anyone else

[Broken Algorithms]

2 hours ago, CALDERON said:

Some people are absolutely desperate for Zanatta, Connolly and Berra to fail.  It's been really clear at the games.

It's utterly bemusing. I've made my fair share of cuntish comments about players in the past but I don't think I've ever actively gone out against a player who has re-signed for us for a second spell. There's so much reactionary nonsense on social media and online. I'm in a few groups on stuff like facebook and there's folk suggesting we should promote Paul Smith as manager and get rid of McGlynn - our most successful season since the turn of the millenium has recently finished and two games into the new league campaign and you've folk wanting the manager gone. 

I really hope it doesn't have an impact on the players. All you can really do is to try to get behind them at the games and, you know, support them.

Edited August 8, 2021 by Broken Algorithms

[CALDERON]

Based on the limited evidence so far, I don't think Zanatta or Connolly will contribute significantly less than Armstrong or Kennedy did.  I would have kept Arrmstrong, but he isn't irreplaceable.  And whilst Kennedy is obviously a very talented player, after an electric start, his contribution was actually a bit limited.  

Berra and Lang will give us more than Davidson, so the defence is improved. Still need to see more of Liam Dick, but he's been fine so far.  

The main question marks I have re recruitment only really lie with Riley-Snow, Varian and perhaps Fotherhingham.  The former two have looked poor when they came on the past few weeks.

Poplatnik has been fine.  He's been replaced in each of our last 3 games, and I think we've seen a huge impact each time.  He isn't particularly spectacular and wont get us much goals, but is one of our few genuine out balls and decent in the air actually.

We aren't far away,  at all.  Obviously we need Vaughan and Spencer back, but it's important to remember that for 68 minutes against Hamilton we played as well as we have for years. That type of play is still there to be had.

The worry comes from being 5 points off the pace already, however.