East Fife v Raith Rovers (28th Dec 2019)

[TxRover]

23 minutes ago, Angusfifer said:

Going into the game yesterday I was quietly confident as I thought we were man for man the better squad. We needed a 9/10 performance, similar to the Airdrieonians one however, which is never a given. The other factors that could have worked against us were the conditions and the old derby game leveller.

It turned out that we got the 9/10 performance required and despite the slightly edgy few minutes at 3-2 ran out comfortable winners. 

Forfar Athletic away will be just as big a challenge in my opinion...

I’ll take a different viewpoint (shocking, eh). I think both teams are pretty well matched, and would generally expect to split the season. Both teams have issues that need addressing, but East Fife showed more hunger for the game yesterday, and played the circumstances much better. The East Fife goals were generally excellently taken, opportunistic finishes that showed our defensive travails, not some highlight reel, OMG stuff. The fact that East Fife didn’t rail us by 5 or 6 shows that they may have a little less up front than we should have with Vaughan and Dingwall back. The mids were well matched, but our lads were run over repeatedly, and East Fife’s defense looks quite solid.

if I had to bet, I’d expect 10 games between us to be split about 6-4 or 5-5, depending on personnel, fitness and conditions. That being said, we are definitely a step down from last year, and East Fife have certainly stepped up. 

[1320Lichtie]

I'm not entirely sure that Dunfermline fans will care too much for Crawford’s great interviews when their side lie 2nd bottom after significant investment. 
 
 

Perhaps not, but a bit of honesty, taking responsibility and not making excuses gain respect from other supporters and will also go down better with his own.

[FullTimePint]

25 minutes ago, TxRover said:

I’ll take a different viewpoint (shocking, eh). I think both teams are pretty well matched, and would generally expect to split the season. Both teams have issues that need addressing, but East Fife showed more hunger for the game yesterday, and played the circumstances much better. The East Fife goals were generally excellently taken, opportunistic finishes that showed our defensive travails, not some highlight reel, OMG stuff. The fact that East Fife didn’t rail us by 5 or 6 shows that they may have a little less up front than we should have with Vaughan and Dingwall back. The mids were well matched, but our lads were run over repeatedly, and East Fife’s defense looks quite solid.

if I had to bet, I’d expect 10 games between us to be split about 6-4 or 5-5, depending on personnel, fitness and conditions. That being said, we are definitely a step down from last year, and East Fife have certainly stepped up. 

Pretty spot on analysis for me.

i think raith will be a different proposition once they get their first choice strike force back. That being said, as an overall team, you guys are not at the level of season past, and that defence needs attention. 

For us, I believe we are very much a team in form at the moment, so it was a good time to play the derby. Hopefully we can string results together and get out of this first quarter of fixtures still punching for a top 4 place.

i do believe that on our day we are capable of beating anyone in this league

[Ro Sham Bo]

Forfar Athletic away will be just as big a challenge in my opinion...

This sentence is complete nonsense. Forfar will give you a much better game.

[Raithie]

The fact that East Fife didn’t rail us by 5 or 6 shows that they may have a little less up front than we should have with Vaughan and Dingwall back.

Maybe I’m a bit dense but I’ve read the above several and not quite sure what you mean. Are you saying EF don’t have much quality because they only managed the 4 goals against us or that once Vaughan and Dingwall are back we should be scudding teams by 5 or 6 goals?

[sirscottyoung]

Hahahaha what. We scored 4 and gave yous a doing in the process. Would have loved 5 or 6 but 4 did the job.

Not sure how scoring only 4 can be a weakness [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

 

Ps. You say you don't agree but go on to say you have a well matched midfield that were run over by us... That's not well matched.

 

Our defence you say is solid, your defence conceded four and looks mince

 

Your strikers are on the physio table and ours each scored in the game...

 

Pretty sure man for man that means we are better but hey, it's a game of opinions

 

I’ll take a different viewpoint (shocking, eh). I think both teams are pretty well matched, and would generally expect to split the season. Both teams have issues that need addressing, but East Fife showed more hunger for the game yesterday, and played the circumstances much better. The East Fife goals were generally excellently taken, opportunistic finishes that showed our defensive travails, not some highlight reel, OMG stuff. The fact that East Fife didn’t rail us by 5 or 6 shows that they may have a little less up front than we should have with Vaughan and Dingwall back. The mids were well matched, but our lads were run over repeatedly, and East Fife’s defense looks quite solid.

if I had to bet, I’d expect 10 games between us to be split about 6-4 or 5-5, depending on personnel, fitness and conditions. That being said, we are definitely a step down from last year, and East Fife have certainly stepped up. 

 

 

 

[King Kebab]

if I had to bet, I’d expect 10 games between us to be split about 6-4 or 5-5, depending on personnel, fitness and conditions. That being said, we are definitely a step down from last year, and East Fife have certainly stepped up. 

So you’re worse than last year and we’re better than last year, we took 7 points of you last year (should have been 9) and you won your game (just) in the middle of one of the worst runs in our Club’s history but you still think we’re evenly split???

[CALDERON]

Vaughan will improve things greatly when he's back in. The difference between how we played last season with him in the side and out the side was ridiculous.  Keeping him fit is the issue really, and will go some way to defining our season. Dingwall is quality too to a lesser extent. 

We have a decent League 1 squad supplemented with a couple of quality players. Any kind of success is about keeping all our best players fit, and the start of the season was always going to be about hanging in there until everyone is available. We are doing that, just, but losing goals in the manner we are is really quite shite. 

Edited September 1, 2019 by CALDERON

[R.R.FC]

43 minutes ago, King Kebab said:

 

So you’re worse than last year and we’re better than last year, we took 7 points of you last year (should have been 9) and you won your game (just) in the middle of one of the worst runs in our Club’s history but you still think we’re evenly split???

 

And yet despite us only taking 4 from the available 12 against you last season we finished 14 points ahead. We were significantly better than East Fife overall last year. As always the final league table is the best indicator in quality of sides rather than head to head records. Huddersfield won home and away against Wolves last season, does that mean they were a better team even though they finished 41 points behind? 

The gap has definitely narrowed though and I can understand why East Fife fans wouldn’t swap their side for ours this season. I still think when Vaughan and Dingwall return we have the stronger squad but it is very close. When was the last time East Fife finished above us? Best chance in a long time this season.

[sirscottyoung]

What is the issue with Vaughan and Dingwall and when are they due back because by the sounds of it your season rests on them being fit...

 

Had a quick look on livescores at your record and could only find 9 games dingwall played in and you won 2...

 

 

And yet despite us only taking 4 from the available 12 against you last season we finished 14 points ahead. We were significantly better than East Fife overall last year. As always the final league table is the best indicator in quality of sides rather than head to head records. Huddersfield won home and away against Wolves last season, does that mean they were a better team even though they finished 41 points behind? 

The gap has definitely narrowed though and I can understand why East Fife fans wouldn’t swap their side for ours this season. I still think when Vaughan and Dingwall return we have the stronger squad but it is very close. When was the last time East Fife finished above us? Best chance in a long time this season.

 

[LiamA]

I spoke to Lewis Vaughan & he said he expects to be back in two weeks. Will make a huge difference to Raith without doubt

[grumswall]

I spoke to Lewis Vaughan & he said he expects to be back in two weeks. Will make a huge difference to Raith without doubt

Said the same to me. Spoke to Smith who said he'll be back training in two weeks aswell so shouldn't be far off. Joao must be back in a similar time frame aswell so it does seem a bit silly to sign baird. I'd imagine Matthews getting injured will put paid to baird signing as surely we will have to get someone in to cover him.

[TxRover]

1 hour ago, Raithie said:

 

Maybe I’m a bit dense but I’ve read the above several and not quite sure what you mean. Are you saying EF don’t have much quality because they only managed the 4 goals against us or that once Vaughan and Dingwall are back we should be scudding teams by 5 or 6 goals?

 

East Fife’s goals came from scrambles and set pieces, that didn’t show a huge striking ability...but did show a great poaching ability. With a little better forward play, they shoulda scudded us by at least another 2, clear enough?

if our midfield play like that, Vaughan and Dingwall may as well stay out...we have to hope that their return will match with the midfield playing like a few games ago when they dominated.

[TxRover]

1 hour ago, sirscottyoung said:

Hahahaha what. We scored 4 and gave yous a doing in the process. Would have loved 5 or 6 but 4 did the job.

Not sure how scoring only 4 can be a weakness

 

Ps. You say you don't agree but go on to say you have a well matched midfield that were run over by us... That's not well matched.

 

Our defence you say is solid, your defence conceded four and looks mince

 

Your strikers are on the physio table and ours each scored in the game...

 

Pretty sure man for man that means we are better but hey, it's a game of opinions

Nah, it’s a game of inches and feet.

3 of 4 poached from goal scrums off set pieces, with not a ton of threat of scoring from open run of play, suggests you aren’t quite the scoring machine you’d like to be. Now, that’s simply from this game, and we all agree East Fife was hungrier for this game.

Our  midfield played well below the level in all the other games so far.

See above regarding the defense.

See above regarding strikers.

 Man for man the two are pretty evenly matched, but hunger and conditions can easily change things.

My opinion only, and that plus a few quid will get you a pretty poor bridie at most games.

[CALDERON]

21 minutes ago, sirscottyoung said:

What is the issue with Vaughan and Dingwall and when are they due back because by the sounds of it your season rests on them being fit...

 

Had a quick look on livescores at your record and could only find 9 games dingwall played in and you won 2...

 

 

 

 

Vaughan got an ACL against Brechin in January, a week after single handedly beating the Pars. He is injury prone, he didn't start last season til Sep, was injured again in Oct and then again in Jan. He's probably one of the best players in the league, and is worth a gamble, but it is a gamble. If we keep him fit im confident we have a better season than last season. 

Dingwall showed promising spells. I wouldn't put him near Vaughan, but he would easily get in our first team. 

 

[CALDERON]

1 minute ago, TxRover said:

Nah, it’s a game of inches and feet.

3 of 4 poached from goal scrums off set pieces, with not a ton of threat of scoring from open run of play, suggests you aren’t quite the scoring machine you’d like to be. Now, that’s simply from this game, and we all agree East Fife was hungrier for this game.

Our  midfield played well below the level in all the other games so far.

See above regarding the defense.

See above regarding strikers.

 Man for man the two are pretty evenly matched, but hunger and conditions can easily change things.

My opinion only, and that plus a few quid will get you a pretty poor bridie at most games.

East Fife had several clear cut chances in open play in the first half. 

[kirkcaldybanjo111]

Icant actually remember dingwall having a good game for us.

[grumswall]

East Fife had several clear cut chances in open play in the first half. 

They were well worth their win from the moment they got their first. I think it was paco who pretty much perfectly summed up where our defence goes wrong. That with the movement of dowds and Wallace, especially in the second half with Wallace dropping between the lines, they showed plenty of attacking prowess. Its how I'd like to see us use Vaughan, dropping in as a 10 and playing off of Allan, in between the lines.

[sirscottyoung]

Were you at the game?
We had loads of chances and just happened to score from them...

Nah, it’s a game of inches and feet.
3 of 4 poached from goal scrums off set pieces, with not a ton of threat of scoring from open run of play, suggests you aren’t quite the scoring machine you’d like to be. Now, that’s simply from this game, and we all agree East Fife was hungrier for this game.
Our  midfield played well below the level in all the other games so far.
See above regarding the defense.
See above regarding strikers.
 Man for man the two are pretty evenly matched, but hunger and conditions can easily change things.
My opinion only, and that plus a few quid will get you a pretty poor bridie at most games.

[grumswall]

Icant actually remember dingwall having a good game for us.

I can only remember one, which may have been his first start. He looked very good dribbling past players with ease but that may have been against someone like stenny who struggled last season.