The New Raith Rovers Thread

[kev23]

Have you forgotten who we are? Who are the 15+ goal strikers who will come to a side which never kicked a ball, 2 games apart, in the last six months of the season? Living within your means sometimes forces reality upon you. Give the felly a chance for goodness' sake.

That's not my job to find out. But there were 4 in the division last season all from different clubs. Cowdenbeath even had one. Even their second top goal scorer out scored our top. Hamilton had 3 players above Spence for goals, albeit they never scored over 15. Is wanting someone who can play as an out an out striker to much to ask for? There will be some out there who would be willing to play for us.

If One of the teams around us had signed Stewart we would be laughing at them. Murray has clearly just brought in him because he's a name that he knows and he has probably have him the run around a few years back.

Sorry for not getting excited over this signing. He's just not very good.

However the signing of McKeown fills me with a lot of confidence. He's a very decent player at this level and his throw will add another dimension to our game. Very happy with that one.

[renton]

That's not my job to find out. But there were 4 in the division last season all from different clubs. Cowdenbeath even had one. Even their second top goal scorer out scored our top. Hamilton had 3 players above Spence for goals, albeit they never scored over 15. Is wanting someone who can play as an out an out striker to much to ask for? There will be some out there who would be willing to play for us.

If One of the teams around us had signed Stewart we would be laughing at them. Murray has clearly just brought in him because he's a name that he knows and he has probably have him the run around a few years back.

Sorry for not getting excited over this signing. He's just not very good.

However the signing of McKeown fills me with a lot of confidence. He's a very decent player at this level and his throw will add another dimension to our game. Very happy with that one.

A quick look at his career to date suggests he's nto had too much luck since elaving Falkirk, he's been shipped around a bit on loan when at Bradford, and had a couple of injuries including a jaw break at Kilmarnock that kept him out of that team for 4 of the 5 months he was there.

This is his first time back at this level since he left, and he wouldn't be the first striker to fail to make an impact at the premier who could bang them in in the second tier.

[peegee]

That's not my job to find out. But there were 4 in the division last season all from different clubs. Cowdenbeath even had one. Even their second top goal scorer out scored our top. Hamilton had 3 players above Spence for goals, albeit they never scored over 15. Is wanting someone who can play as an out an out striker to much to ask for? There will be some out there who would be willing to play for us.

If One of the teams around us had signed Stewart we would be laughing at them. Murray has clearly just brought in him because he's a name that he knows and he has probably have him the run around a few years back.

Sorry for not getting excited over this signing. He's just not very good.

However the signing of McKeown fills me with a lot of confidence. He's a very decent player at this level and his throw will add another dimension to our game. Very happy with that one.

I think he deserves a bit more credit than that. And you've kinda unwittingly proved my point about strikers - Cowdenbeath's is off to better things than the Championship, as are Hamilton's. If you're a guaranteed 15+ man, you'll have plenty choice where to go and how much you can earn. Why would you come to the Rovers?

[Munter]

The Stewart signing is a risk, but if it pays off come Christmas we'll all be celebrating Murray's foresight. So far the squad is shaping up well, but we were in this position same time last year and it didn't make much difference come the New Year when the form slid off a cliff. Big difference this season will be the first time in years there will be genuine depth to the squad with competition for places and solid cover for injuries/suspensions.

I feel this is the season that we'll see if Murray has what it takes to be a top manager or not. There can be no excuses. It's a competitive league, but I see no reason why we shouldn't be expecting to challenge for top 4. Sevco remain a shambles and even Kenny Miller running down his career in a lower league won't be able to carry McCoist through the whole season. Hibs will have a good budget, but thats a rebuilding job with an entirely new team and manager. I don't see them as automatic promotion candidates. Hearts again have management and squad changes to deal with. All three of these teams will have massive home advantage with large supports, but there will be some surprising results and as we showed last season we have nothing to fear going to the likes of Ibrox, Easter Road and Tynecastle as underdogs.

[kev23]

A quick look at his career to date suggests he's nto had too much luck since elaving Falkirk, he's been shipped around a bit on loan when at Bradford

This is his first time back at this level since he left, and he wouldn't be the first striker to fail to make an impact at the premier who could bang them in in the second tier.

He was sent out on loan once.

I totally agree with the next part though. I really hope he shuts me up and proves me wrong and bags them in. However I fully expect come the end of the season he will have scored 2 in 24 or something and isn't offered a new contract.

[Guest]

never said he brought him in to play out wide, i said he might utilise him as a winger. So basically what you're saying is that any team who has a little and large combo up front are just gonna be long ball merchants. I think you've had one too many on a school night my friend.

You do understand that a "winger" (as the name suggests) plays wide...... You are bemoaning a lack of wingers, yet unwilling to accept that the very fact you don't have any means that Nade only works as a target man, and a target man in a wingerless team only works in a long ball system. I don't think you have thought this through......

[Broken Algorithms]

That's not my job to find out. But there were 4 in the division last season all from different clubs. Cowdenbeath even had one. Even their second top goal scorer out scored our top. Hamilton had 3 players above Spence for goals, albeit they never scored over 15. Is wanting someone who can play as an out an out striker to much to ask for? There will be some out there who would be willing to play for us.

If One of the teams around us had signed Stewart we would be laughing at them. Murray has clearly just brought in him because he's a name that he knows and he has probably have him the run around a few years back.

Sorry for not getting excited over this signing. He's just not very good.

However the signing of McKeown fills me with a lot of confidence. He's a very decent player at this level and his throw will add another dimension to our game. Very happy with that one.

A lot of people expected the player to step up to the mark last season would be Spence. He had a good first season and looked very positive and was good at getting in dangerous areas as well as solid in link up play.

For whatever reason, he simply didn't perform to the same standard last season. He got a hat-trick against Cowdenbeath at the start of the season, albeit he scored two penalties in doing so. He picked up goals against Falkirk and Queen of the South, as well as a penalty against Dumbarton on the 5th October. From there on in, he didn't score again until the 15th March against Morton. Outwith the penalties which Spence scored (four I think), there wasn't that much between him and Elliot.

Smith was similarly disappointing. He chipped in with the occasional goal but was nowhere near the standard needed.

Following on from that, he was rotated with Smith as Elliot looked miles ahead of either of them. Elliot isn't a fantastic poacher, but he brought a lot more to the team: the hope was that either Spence or Smith would use this to their advantage and kick on.

I think that looking forward, Stewart might not be the most exciting signing we'll make, but I do think that we need to get behind the lad. Hopefully, he'll look to Nade and see someone who's actively trying their hardest to get back to the top and want to follow his lead. It'll be impossible to tell until the season starts.

[Rovers1992/1993]

All I can say is, I hope Spence signs on now (didn't think I would ever say that) but the thing that bothers me, that's probably our forward line finished now - Elliot, Nade, Stewart, Vaughan and the new 18 year old apprentice..

If it's a choice of keeping those 5 and start the season with them, or add spence into the mix, I know what I would do anyway, Spence would easily be one of our top scorers again even if he does miss numerous sitters every game.

Elliot managed to bag himself 10 or 11 goals last season, up until the queens game at the start of December( which he scored his last 2 goals of last season for us), of which he was carrying an injury the rest of the season there afterwards. Give him a full pre-season under his belt and he could be the hero by the end of the season with 15-20 goals no problem? He certainly has that in him.

[kev23]

I think he deserves a bit more credit than that. And you've kinda unwittingly proved my point about strikers - Cowdenbeath's is off to better things than the Championship, as are Hamilton's. If you're a guaranteed 15+ man, you'll have plenty choice where to go and how much you can earn. Why would you come to the Rovers?

Fair enough.

Did I say guarenteed? I am not sure. Maybe did. However a 14 goal striker would do. Players looking for a step up in their career, players looking to take a step down to re establish themselves and young players looking for 1st team football will all consider us a decent option. Quite a few of our players have moved up the way. Admittedly a lot have moved down but Russell, Goodwillie, Walker then even Tade, Graham etc will show players that we can help them as much as they can help us.

[renton]

You do understand that a "winger" (as the name suggests) plays wide...... You are bemoaning a lack of wingers, yet unwilling to accept that the very fact you don't have any means that Nade only works as a target man, and a target man in a wingerless team only works in a long ball system. I don't think you have thought this through......

Yeah, but you are assuming we are going to start the season with the team as it is now. There is no way we intend to start the season with no recognised wide players.

[kev23]

I think that looking forward, Stewart might not be the most exciting signing we'll make, but I do think that we need to get behind the lad. Hopefully, he'll look to Nade and see someone who's actively trying their hardest to get back to the top and want to follow his lead. It'll be impossible to tell until the season starts.

No doubt about that and I hope everyone gets right behind the lad. He's probably a player that's going to need that extra bit of a confidence boost after his last few years.

[Broken Algorithms]

No doubt about that and I hope everyone gets right behind the lad. He's probably a player that's going to need that extra bit of a confidence boost after his last few years.

The funny thing is, Brian Graham is probably the best example we can use for how confidence impacts a player. Some Morton fans too great joy in telling us Graham was a poor player with a bad attitude and had a go at their fans once after a brutal miss. He didn't have a great impact at first, but on his return from his hernia operation he got a few goals. From there on in, the fans started singing "he scores when he wants" and he took great confidence and belief from it. He then went on an absolute spree of goals for a season and a half.

[P.C]

The last time we had a striker who hit 15goals plus with Kevin Smith and before we signed him im pretty sure he hadn't scored any goals in competitive games. As has been mentioned anyone who is hitting 10/15 goals a season in this division will not be coming to us. We managed to steal a march with Baird but that's pretty much been the exception, we need to sign players who either haven't had enough first team football or are trying to rebuild their careers after injuries or failing at other clubs.

[Cowden til i die]

Looking at your squad I think it's a stick on Murray is going to mirror our formation from last season.

[renton]

Looking at your squad I think it's a stick on Murray is going to mirror our formation from last season.

to be fair, our squad isn't finished, so any stick on assertions are premature.

[Broken Algorithms]

Looking at your squad I think it's a stick on Murray is going to mirror our formation from last season.

to be fair, our squad isn't finished, so any stick on assertions are premature.

I'd agree with that. We've still got a contract offer out to Anderson, and I'd imagine we're still considering another midfielder. Ryan Conroy was linked to us on loan initially, but following his release there has been little to no word on him outwith Murray saying in the FFP last week he was yet to speak to him.

In terms of formation, in his first season we generally stuck to a 4-4-2 quite rigidly, but then he'd not had his time to make his mark with his own signings.

Last season saw us favour 4-4-2 again, with more outright wingers in the form of Cardle in addition Anderson, with overlapping full-backs. We'd change it if playing in bigger games like when we beat Hibs at Easter Road.

We've got a lot of options in terms of formations this season as we've more depth this time around (assuming we make a couple of more signings). Players like Barr and Stewart can play in different roles across the pitch too so we can be a bit more flexible on that front.

[kev23]

The last time we had a striker who hit 15goals plus with Kevin Smith and before we signed him im pretty sure he hadn't scored any goals in competitive games. As has been mentioned anyone who is hitting 10/15 goals a season in this division will not be coming to us. We managed to steal a march with Baird but that's pretty much been the exception, we need to sign players who either haven't had enough first team football or are trying to rebuild their careers after injuries or failing at other clubs.

Brian Graham did.

Spence got 9 last year whilst carrying an injury for a good part of the season. He got 11 the season before. So an average of 10 league goals per season since he has been here? It's not actually beyond the realms of possibility for us to get a striker who will hit a decent return.

[baillieinleeds]

Anyway, welcome to the club Mark. Prove these c***s wrong, hope you bang them in.

[MICMAC]

You do understand that a "winger" (as the name suggests) plays wide...... You are bemoaning a lack of wingers, yet unwilling to accept that the very fact you don't have any means that Nade only works as a target man, and a target man in a wingerless team only works in a long ball system. I don't think you have thought this through......

I've never once bemoaned our lack of wingers and again I'll say in case the first time it didn't sink into your head. I said he "might" utilities him as a winger. might just go with a 352 flat midfield or a 532 using the wingbacks or hadn't u thought that through.

[RavyDavy]

I really hope he shuts me up

That makes 2 of us - you're boring.