The New Raith Rovers Thread

[MC_Lachlan]

Spence signs for Alloa. A few miles closer to the Nandos in Stirling.

Good luck to him, just not against us.

[RavyDavy]

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.

And you are cheer leading by pretty much calling him pish before a ball is even kicked?

[Michael W]

No malice against Spence for me - glad he isn't staying at the club after last season though. He's a decent player and maybe this will do him some good and allow him to find some form again.

Nandos is shite, though.

[kev23]

And you are cheer leading by pretty much calling him pish before a ball is even kicked?

Aye am sure he reads this forum

[kev23]

That makes 2 of us - you're boring.

At least you're not bothered

[Guest]

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.

Look, read back what you wrote. It was you who offered up the word "winger". A winger is not a wing back. Quote any formation you like, it doesn't change the fact that you offered up the potential or Stewart to be deployed as a winger, and are trying to use the word "might" as some sort of retraction. Best to leave it there.

[kev23]

Spence signs for Alloa. A few miles closer to the Nandos in Stirling.

Good luck to him, just not against us.

If he cut out trying to be a LAD I think he has a bright future. All the best to him.

Glad we don't have to hear the cries* of SPENCEY SPENCEY from the crowd now.

*of one person

[Munich95]

Shows the lads determination and willingness or lack of it if he not willing to stay to prove his worth, he wasnt shit hot last season and has proved hos off field antics mean more than first team football. Part time will suit him more since his mates at cowden are part time and seem to enjoy spending time in nandos or shopping! Good luck to the lad though i suppose.!

[Beachbum]

I hope our offer wasn't still on the table and that's why he signed for Alloa. It will be interesting now to see if we want another striker and what happens with Anderson.

[Munich95]

Our offer was on the table, and alloa and dunfermlines all at same time!

[p&b is a disgrace]

I wish I could jump in a tardis and arrive back 6 weeks from now. The boredom of the close season seems to just have us all indulging in wind ups and petty squabbling about stuff that we have no input to or control over.

Roll on the ore season friendlies - at least we will have something concrete to fall out about.

[Yoss]

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 don't know the answer to this question - but just out of interest, how many of those 15+ goalscorers also scored 15+ the season before?

It tends not to be the way things work at this level, players hit a streak of form or just hit lucky and have good seasons, then often move on. (Mark Stewart was one of those who did, a few years ago.) It's not that common for someone at our level to sign someone who is already a reliable goalscorer at the same level. To some extent everyone is taking punts.

[kev23]

I don't know the answer to this question - but just out of interest, how many of those 15+ goalscorers also scored 15+ the season before?

It tends not to be the way things work at this level, players hit a streak of form or just hit lucky and have good seasons, then often move on. (Mark Stewart was one of those who did, a few years ago.) It's not that common for someone at our level to sign someone who is already a reliable goalscorer at the same level. To some extent everyone is taking punts.

MCDonald scored over 15 I believe.

Loy didn't play in Scotland.

Hemmings scored a few in a short space of time (5 in 10 or something) over his loan spell.

McNulty scored a few bit don't think he was as prolific. He is young though.

I seem to be in the minority in thinking Stewart is a poor signing here but I totally understand why people see him as a good addition. He has scored a total of 5 goals over his last 60 games. Even In his good spell he only had 1 quite good season which bagged him his move. We already have 2 strikers who aren't going to score a barrel load and a problem we had last year was scoring. Didn't we go a record amount of time without a goal or something? Maybe I am wrong on that one though.

Personally I feel if it was one of our challengers signing Stewart we would would be saying how it's a poor signing for them.

[Yoss]

Okay, so Dundee have the resources to sign proven performers from within the division, but none of the others have been signed from other clubs at that stage. (Maybe it would have been more meaningful to look at the season before they joined their current clubs.)

I have no particular opinion either way on Stewart. It's not a signing that fills me with excitement but it could work. Jury out.

[Varna Rover]

MCDonald scored over 15 I believe.

Loy didn't play in Scotland.

Hemmings scored a few in a short space of time (5 in 10 or something) over his loan spell.

McNulty scored a few bit don't think he was as prolific. He is young though.

I seem to be in the minority in thinking Stewart is a poor signing here but I totally understand why people see him as a good addition. He has scored a total of 5 goals over his last 60 games. Even In his good spell he only had 1 quite good season which bagged him his move. We already have 2 strikers who aren't going to score a barrel load and a problem we had last year was scoring. Didn't we go a record amount of time without a goal or something? Maybe I am wrong on that one though.

Personally I feel if it was one of our challengers signing Stewart we would would be saying how it's a poor signing for them.

Christain nade has scored 23 goals since 1999 from 199 starts. Surely on your reconing he too must be a bad signing. The truth is, no one can say how Stewart will play and how many goals he will score until he goes out for a rovers team. It just may well be Murray has a style of play planned that will suit him and benefit the rovers. Good luck to him and prove all your doubters wrong.

[Pride of Fife]

So Spence has joined someone else.

Last week folk on here were saying we offered him a contract simply so we would receive a development fee if he went elsewhere. Can the same people now tell us roughly how much we are going to get?

[kev23]

Christain nade has scored 23 goals since 1999 from 199 starts. Surely on your reconing he too must be a bad signing. The truth is, no one can say how Stewart will play and how many goals he will score until he goes out for a rovers team. It just may well be Murray has a style of play planned that will suit him and benefit the rovers. Good luck to him and prove all your doubters wrong.

Except I never said or hinted towards that at all. Infact I have had nothing but praise for Nade. I pointed out we had 2 strikers who aren't likely to rack up the goals and that I believe we should have went for a striker who will score goals. Will Stewart do that? I hope so but his recent stats say he won't. I can't say how well he will do the same I don't know how any of our new signings will do. However you don't see Fans of his ex clubs coming onto threads and saying we have a good player on our hands like what has happened with our other additions. Infact most have said he has 0 football ability but can run about a little.

Seems to me like some people are happy just to have anyone because we are tiny wee rovers and anybody who is decent won't be near us.

If Novo or oconnor had signed yesterday I would imagine I would be saying the same as I am today and some would still be saying 'give him a chance' and 'what more do you want'

[baillieinleeds]

Except I never said or hinted towards that at all. Infact I have had nothing but praise for Nade. I pointed out we had 2 strikers who aren't likely to rack up the goals and that I believe we should have went for a striker who will score goals. Will Stewart do that? I hope so but his recent stats say he won't. I can't say how well he will do the same I don't know how any of our new signings will do. However you don't see Fans of his ex clubs coming onto threads and saying we have a good player on our hands like what has happened with our other additions. Infact most have said he has 0 football ability but can run about a little.

Seems to me like some people are happy just to have anyone because we are tiny wee rovers and anybody who is decent won't be near us.

If Novo or oconnor had signed yesterday I would imagine I would be saying the same as I am today and some would still be saying 'give him a chance' and 'what more do you

want'

Watch out mate, your starting to sound like me.

[CALDERON]

Except I never said or hinted towards that at all. Infact I have had nothing but praise for Nade. I pointed out we had 2 strikers who aren't likely to rack up the goals and that I believe we should have went for a striker who will score goals. Will Stewart do that? I hope so but his recent stats say he won't. I can't say how well he will do the same I don't know how any of our new signings will do. However you don't see Fans of his ex clubs coming onto threads and saying we have a good player on our hands like what has happened with our other additions. Infact most have said he has 0 football ability but can run about a little.

Seems to me like some people are happy just to have anyone because we are tiny wee rovers and anybody who is decent won't be near us.

If Novo or oconnor had signed yesterday I would imagine I would be saying the same as I am today and some would still be saying 'give him a chance' and 'what more do you want'

Who would you have signed?

[Raith Against The Machine]

I'm quite impressed that Spence has decided to opt for playing every week over a more comfy full-time gig either with us or (as rumoured) with the Pars.

If he was quite as #nandos obsessed as people like to make out, he'd have stayed full-time without a doubt.

Obviously he comes across as a complete bellend on Twitter, but I do feel like that's a difficult way to judge someone. Would everyone have a better opinion of his attitude if he tweeted about going out for a run every now and then, or how he was just off to/back from training? I'm not sure, but it makes me wonder.

That said, I'm not too disappointed to see him go. He'll score goals for Alloa, and I'm sure he'll get at least one against us, but I feel that on the balance of probabilities, the strike force we start the season with will be stronger without him than it would be if he'd signed on again.