The New Raith Rovers Thread

[Scary Bear]

I believe we have ambition, but it's got to tempered with some realism. Can we compete with the 'big 3', on a fraction of their gate receipts, whilst paying all out old bills, I don't think so.

Ambition could be to make a profit this year, whilst having a relatively competitive team on the park. Or it could be to grab as much cash as we can and try and buy back the ground.

Whatever the ambition is, it must not jeopardise the future financial stability of the club. We are indebted (in more ways than one) to a few local business men, who are in the 60+ age bracket, and unless they have developed some sort of immortality therapy on Pratt Street, we have start becoming self sufficient in terms of finances.

Irrespective of where, or how well the Rovers play, they will always be my team, and I will always be ready to pay my way to support them in person or in pound notes.

...I saw this film called Cocoon. Just saying.

[Scary Bear]

I reckon the club should buy in more pies (even though we probably have enough) to alleviate supporter concern that there might not be enough pies to get us through a game.

Did you used to post as Bring Back the Twa Hoops, Big Berk?

Andy, in all seriousness, we should bring in the Ronaldo of pies. I give you the Carlton steak bridie. Then bring in Di Maria (apple turnover) and Gareth Bale (fudge donut).

The support will get fatter but we'll pay off that loan in no time. Either that or buy Mario a new motor.

[Whistle Blower]

...I saw this film called Cocoon. Just saying.

I heard they never closed the pit baths at seafield

[Scary Bear]

I've mentioned that the Board should publish their strategy for the club. Think it would be helpful. At the moment the club does feel a bit rudderless.

Think it would help if the Board 'put down on paper' - even just an article on the website - what their thoughts are for the club over the next couple of years.

If we are still in survival mode, where we're just trying to turn a profit and stay in this division, tell the fans. Where are we with clearing the debt? Again, tell the fans. What are we hoping for from this new youth system? You've guessed it...tell the fans.

It would be a short article on the website noting where we are. It would stop folk guessing and fans can either buy into it or not.

Edit: I didn't watch those Meet The Board videos in the summer, so this may have been covered during those interviews. Even so, a summary would be useful, as a one-pager on the website.

Edited September 6, 2014 by Scary Bear

[Zen Archer (Raconteur)]

your grammar could take an upgrade.

i'm away to mix steak and macaroni in a deep fryer

She always travelled first class.

[Scary Bear]

I heard they never closed the pit baths at seafield

Common knowledge about the town. Saw Turnbull Hutton at the train station the other day. He was looking spritely for his age.

[roverthemoon]

Christ, this thread is starting to make me think fondly of the Morton match threads. Come back VT all is forgiven

[Scary Bear]

Christ, this thread is starting to make me think fondly of the Morton match threads. Come back VT all is forgiven

Say his name 3 times and mention 1922 and, as if by magic, he'll appear.

[roverthemoon]

Edit: I didn't watch those Meet The Board videos in the summer, so this may have been covered during those interviews. Even so, a summary would be useful, as a one-pager on the website.

They pretty much covered the strategy in as much as any club will lay their internal discussions and challenges out in public. You should watch them

[roverthemoon]

The thing that gets me about the stupid kunts on here is this: they know the club is operating the team on the cheap, expecting the part time clubs to be a relegation safety net - in fact they justify it as good practise...

.. so they go out to cheer and urge on the Rovers knowing their foots on the brake.

yes - they know theyre being short changed and agree with it, but theyre indignant when its pointed out to them...

The fools on here anyway. As I've said, a large section of the support are voting with their feet.

.

Perhaps one day you will vote with your feet and leave us stupid kunts and fools to it. We can live in hope

[Scary Bear]

The thing that gets me about the stupid kunts on here is this: they know the club is operating the team on the cheap, expecting the part time clubs to be a relegation safety net - in fact they justify it as good practise...

.. so they go out to cheer and urge on the Rovers knowing their foots on the brake.

yes - they know theyre being short changed and agree with it, but theyre indignant when its pointed out to them...

The fools on here anyway. As I've said, a large section of the support are voting with their feet.

.

What a rude man you are!

If a large section of the support are voting with their feet, I can't say I've noticed. Our support is pretty small at the best of times, so if a large section disappeared it would be pretty noticeable.

Even in the 2010/2011 when we were challenging for the league - and top for a sizeable chunk of the season - our crowds were still pretty small.

Edited September 6, 2014 by Scary Bear

[Scary Bear]

They pretty much covered the strategy in as much as any club will lay their internal discussions and challenges out in public. You should watch them

I should, but I can't be arsed. Could they do a short summary for lazy folk like me?

The main one I'd be interested in is how much debt we're still carrying and if we're on track for paying it off anytime soon. Was that covered?

I can read between the lines that the strategy is to try and retain our Championship status and hope for the odd cup run.

[Mij]

That long since I watched the Vid but sure it was stated they or any club could not make long term plans(financially)There was nothing I recall regarding how much debt we were carrying although thats available to shareholders or can be sourced from company house.Also cant recall any mention of how to reduce the debt

[Mij]

Rumbled!

Makes sense though. Nae point in chucking good money after a title tilt or playoff promotion when there isn't much chance of it happening.

Defeatist as f**k but realistic.

Not agreeing or disagreeing with you Andy just your post could have come straight from the horses mouth

I believe we have ambition, but it's got to tempered with some realism. Can we compete with the 'big 3', on a fraction of their gate receipts, whilst paying all out old bills, I don't think so.

We have ambition?The club/some individuals did not want to go up last season

I think its pretty obvious that we in fact no other teams in the league can compete with the big 3 financially but we have to be competitive with the rest playing some decent stuff to keep what supporters we have and possibly getting some of the deserters back

As an aside,the likes of Inverness,Motherwell etc who have poor gates, play good football and compete with clibs with much bigger budgets than them

We are indebted (in more ways than one) to a few local business men, who are in the 60+ age bracket, and unless they have developed some sort of immortality therapy on Pratt Street, we have start becoming self sufficient in terms of finances.

Although happy to sing the praises of these business men for the job they are doing and have been for a number of years lets not forget they are part responsible for the situation we found/find ourselves in

BTW,4 business men

Edited September 6, 2014 by Mij

[Raith Against The Machine]

We have ambition?The club/some individuals did not want to go up last season

This wee 'theory' keeps cropping up again and again despite the fact that there's no logic, let alone evidence, to support it.

[CowdenConvert]

We have ambition?The club/some individuals did not want to go up last season

That'll explain what happened in the second half of the season. The club/some individuals got all the players together and gave them a chat along the lines of "this winning football games will never do. Go out there and look like c***s while losing a few so you get lower wages next season for being pish as well."

[Big Berk]

Right so what would you like to see the board do?

I agree that the board should have maybe pushed the boat out for more players do give us the "strength and depth" that they blethered on about during pre-season. But injuries to Hill and Barr were obviously unexpected. Baird leaving was also a blow (was disappointed in the board for not trying to pull all the stops out trying to make him stay either) although even if we did offer him the same or more as Queens, it wouldn't have guaranteed him to sign for us.

What clubs do do you feel the club should emulate? Falkirk to me would seem like a good example. Although over the years they have spent a few seasons in the Premier League, so they had decent financial backing in order to be able to move to the Falkirk stadium, and invest in their youth academy. During that time, we saw ourselves sitting in the second division going nowhere until Mr. McGlynn arrived. Only then did the club begin to find it's feet again.

I for one am contrary to you're rule of "voting with my feet." I have a season ticket, but missed the Dumbarton game, and the Hearts one due to work commitments, and a wedding respectively. Maybe I'm not the only one in this boat either?

I could just come out with, "but we're third in the league, what's all the panic for?" Type reply?

First, I'm not advocating that the fans should vote with their feet; I still went and suffered the miserable fare on show last season and now this. I'm just saying that if the club are deciding to run on the meanest of budgets there are a lot of fans who might reconsider what they budget for. And in fact it is already happening.

Clubs we should be competing with are Caley Thistle, St Johnstone, Partick and St Mirren and the like. If Ross County can do it from a town thats smaller than Burntisland theres no reason why we shouldnt be. As it is our current peers are Falkirk Livi and QOS who are shortly likely to demonstrate how much better they are than us, so I dont expect us to be 3rd in the league for long.

But we live in hope.

Edited September 6, 2014 by Big Berk

[Beachbum]

First, I'm not advocating that the fans should vote with their feet; I still went and suffered the miserable fare on show last season and now this. I'm just saying that if the club are deciding to run on the meanest of budgets there are a lot of fans who might reconsider what they budget for. And in fact it is already happening.

Clubs we should be competing with are Caley Thistle, St Johnstone, Partick and St Mirren and the like. If Ross County can do it from a town thats smaller than Burntisland theres no reason why we shouldnt be. As it is our current peers are Falkirk Livi and QOS who are shortly likely to demonstrate how much better they are than us, so I dont expect us to be 3rd in the league for long.

But we live in hope.

I would tend to agree with the board's strategy if it meant we were paying off some debt/saving some cash to buy back the ground at some point in the future.

Your comparison with Ross County and Burntisland is a joke because a) they have the whole of the north of Scotland as their catchment area not just Dingwall (and people do come from miles away) and b) how many millionaires are on Ross County's board?

[Pride of Fife]

This season was always going to be a balancing act, promotion practically impossible but a strong and good enough squad capable of holding their own required to keep the support happy while the club rake in cash from other sides' supports.

It hasn't balanced out fairly in my book, our depth is barely noticeable (injuries or not) and the quality is no real improvement on what we ended last season with.

I certainly notice our support dwindling, the quality on show at a Starks under Murray has been torture and while bearable for die hard fans like most on here due to 'love' for the club, it certainly isn't going to entice occasional or new fans to attend on a more regular basis. We have a pretty decent 'sleeping' fanbase which will soon be lost forever if we continue playing garbage football and stagnate at the bottom of this division or worse. People want to be entertained, how many games in last year at Starks could the football on show from us be classed as entertaining? Not very much is the answer.

Murray oot!

Also, Big Berk might come across as a bit of a nugget but he makes plenty of valid points in my opinion

[Mij]

This wee 'theory' keeps cropping up again and again despite the fact that there's no logic, let alone evidence, to support it.

From the horses mouth

That'll explain what happened in the second half of the season. The club/some individuals got all the players together and gave them a chat along the lines of "this winning football games will never do. Go out there and look like c***s while losing a few so you get lower wages next season for being pish as well."

Did they?

This season was always going to be a balancing act, promotion practically impossible but a strong and good enough squad capable of holding their own required to keep the support happy while the club rake in cash from other sides' supports.

It hasn't balanced out fairly in my book, our depth is barely noticeable (injuries or not) and the quality is no real improvement on what we ended last season with.

I certainly notice our support dwindling, the quality on show at a Starks under Murray has been torture and while bearable for die hard fans like most on here due to 'love' for the club, it certainly isn't going to entice occasional or new fans to attend on a more regular basis. We have a pretty decent 'sleeping' fanbase which will soon be lost forever if we continue playing garbage football and stagnate at the bottom of this division or worse. People want to be entertained, how many games in last year at Starks could the football on show from us be classed as entertaining? Not very much is the answer.

Murray oot!

Also, Big Berk might come across as a bit of a nugget but he makes plenty of valid points in my opinion

Good post