Raith Rovers vs Dunfermline Athletic

[Raith_Raver]

27 minutes ago, Ro Sham Bo said:

Teams that can't hold on to a 4 goal lead tend to struggle. It's not rocket science. 

Even Morton managed to beat Accies, but not us.

The fact is that this is the worst set of summer signings we've made since Locke, and we know how that turned out.

Hamilton were nowhere near worth a draw. Is the last bizarre 22 minutes really all you took from that game?

[Raith_Raver]

27 minutes ago, Cardle is Magic said:

You can have anyone you like in defence, it’s not going to make a difference if the midfield isn’t sorted out first.

Simply replacing Graham will do feck all if teams can just waltz through us and we gift them simple goals from set pieces.

We're shite at set pieces; we can't cross for a start. I agree you'd think that midfield is likely will be where the game will be won and lost, and Spencer is a big loss to us, but I think you will go route one and pump high balls into the box at every opportunity and the outcome then might depend on who wins the arial battle between your big forwards and our big defenders. McGlynn will be well aware of that so I expect Lang to be in again.
.
But I would still make us favourites.

[Cardle is Magic]

Actually think it will get a bit toxic in the away end if we shit the bed again at Starks.

Obviously ridiculous to get carried away so early in the season but it was not a popular appointment in the slightest and Grant needs a good start. Can’t be out of the running before the clocks go back.

[Raith Against The Machine]

11 minutes ago, Cardle is Magic said:

Actually think it will get a bit toxic in the away end if we shit the bed again at Starks.

Obviously ridiculous to get carried away so early in the season but it was not a popular appointment in the slightest and Grant needs a good start. Can’t be out of the running before the clocks go back.

Shudder. 

[The Toun Clock]

29 minutes ago, Cardle is Magic said:

Actually think it will get a bit toxic in the away end if we shit the bed again at Starks.

Completely agree. I didn’t want PG and was disappointed when he was announced but I’ve bought into it and even bought a ST for the first time since 2016/17 without knowing if we’d actually get to go or not. However I don’t think a lot of fans have been won over and it would have taken a good start for that to happen. Beating Thistle, Dumbarton and Stenny in the cup won’t cut it for most. A bad start in the league was the last thing PG needed.

I don’t think anyone can get too annoyed if we ship a few goals at Ibrox on Friday night but a comfortable win for Raith in the derby could end up toxic as you say.

Edited August 9, 2021 by JFPar

[CallumPar]

I think you will go route one and pump high balls into the box at every opportunity and the outcome then might depend on who wins the arial battle between your big forwards and our big defenders. McGlynn will be well aware of that so I expect Lang to be in again.

I honestly hope that’s how McGlynn expects us to play and what he prepares for. However, I don’t think he’s stupid, so he most likely won’t.

[Raith_Raver]

1 minute ago, CallumPar said:

I honestly hope that’s how McGlynn expects us to play and what he prepares for. However, I don’t think he’s stupid, so he most likely won’t.

Maybe McGlynn isn't stupid, but he'll know that Grant will see that Hamilton got three of their goals from crosses.

[Zen Archer (Raconteur)]

3 minutes ago, Raith_Raver said:

Maybe McGlynn isn't stupid, but he'll know that Grant will see that Hamilton got three of their goals from crosses.

That was two games ago, Inverness must have had at least a dozen crosses on Saturday yet their goal came from open play.

[CallumPar]

Maybe McGlynn isn't stupid, but he'll know that Grant will see that Hamilton got three of their goals from crosses.

Trying to exploit that would involve getting the ball out wide to wingers/wing backs, on the deck. Not going route one and lumping high balls forward…

[Raith_Raver]

1 minute ago, Zen Archer (Raconteur) said:

That was two games ago, Inverness must have had at least a dozen crosses on Saturday yet their goal came from open play.

I was expecting that comeback.  We played a different style  with extra defenders for that particular away game, a style we do not play at home.

[Zen Archer (Raconteur)]

5 minutes ago, Raith_Raver said:

I was expecting that comeback.  We played a different style  with extra defenders for that particular away game, a style we do not play at home.

Super John can see problems and adapt, this is good to know.

[Raith_Raver]

10 minutes ago, Zen Archer (Raconteur) said:

Super John can see problems and adapt, this is good to know.

While I certainly don't expect him to employ the system we had at Kessock I'm intrigued at how he will set us up with Spencer out, which as everyone has said inevitably blunts our attack. He might try experimenting against the Dons.

[Zen Archer (Raconteur)]

Just now, Raith_Raver said:

While I certainly don't expect him to employ the system we had at Kessock I'm intrigued at how he will set us up with Spencer out, which as everyone has said inevitably blunts our attack. He might try experimenting against the Dons.

Spencer was out on Saturday and we set up fine.

Regards Aberdeen, McGlynn won't settle for it being a practice match, see 16th February 2010

[Raith_Raver]

13 minutes ago, Zen Archer (Raconteur) said:

Spencer was out on Saturday and we set up fine.

Regards Aberdeen, McGlynn won't settle for it being a practice match, see 16th February 2010

As he says, he wants to win every game. I still think he'll have one eye on the derby 'tho.

[Scottydog]

6 hours ago, Raith_Raver said:

Maybe McGlynn isn't stupid, but he'll know that Grant will see that Hamilton got three of their goals from crosses.

Were they crosses?

The Macca header for the 1st certainly came from a cross and his other came from a low 6 yard pass/cross into the danger area but I thought the other two were more as a result of shots from the edge of the area after the attacker was somewhat helpfully shown inside  onto his stronger foot. The 4th was on target I thought it was  more of deflected shot than a cross. All pretty irrelevant now in any case.

[Ro Sham Bo]

9 hours ago, Rovers1992/1993 said:

There aren’t many teams in this league in a better state than we are.


I’ll take my hat off to you though, this is a massive state to get yourself in over 1 freak result that won’t happen again for years

I doubt anyone else in this league would want grandad Berra in their team. Then there's Zanatta and Connolly who are league 1 at best. Then Dick, who flopped in his previous crack at full time football. 

And let not even get started on Riley-Snow and the loans. 

Absolutely woeful business for a team who finished 3rd in the table. 

[raith1974]

53 minutes ago, Ro Sham Bo said:

I doubt anyone else in this league would want grandad Berra in their team. Then there's Zanatta and Connolly who are league 1 at best. Then Dick, who flopped in his previous crack at full time football. 

And let not even get started on Riley-Snow and the loans. 

Absolutely woeful business for a team who finished 3rd in the table. 

Completely agree. Our signings have not improved us they've weakened us.

[Roath Raver]

Not getting criticism of Connolly for us since he re- signed. To me, he has shown great work rate, gets involved and has chipped in with goals and assists in the games he has played in a Rovers shirt so far - and that is all I want to judge him on. Also had a successful spell with us before.

[CrossgatesCynic]

I struggle with the thinking of some Rovers fans on this one. I don't think, by any realistic measure, you can say Rovers have had a poor start to the season. A fairly freak result against Hamilton (which resulted in a point against the recently relegated Premiership side, along with a net GD of 0) and then a narrow defeat at a ground that returns fewer points than the UK every year at Eurovision. Hardly panic stations.

Dunfermline, by contrast, have had a poor start. Dropping points away to the cluster-f**k club that is Morton (though, granted, Morton have been a bogey team of the Pars for a good while) and then the drubbing at the weekend. Throw into the mix that Peter Grant seems reluctant to change things/take responsibility when things don't go well, and you really do have a stark contrast in fortunes.

That said, it's a derby. You get no points for highlighting anything can happen in these games.

[Raith Against The Machine]

Aye, someone else (CALDERON?) made the point already, but if Berra, Zanatta and Connolly were new players who'd rocked up without any reputation, we'd all be pretty pleased with how they're getting on. 

I've got no idea why some folk seem desperate for them, and it seems even the Rovers, to fail. Utterly bizarre behaviour. 

As for the derby, it's very simplistic, but for me it all hinges on Vaughan. He's the one who drives the fluidity and the interplay within our attack. Zanatta, Poplatnik and Connolly all have their moments, but Vaughan's presence seems to bring them all together into a unit. 

That cohesion might well come without him in time, but with only the Aberdeen game between then and now, I'm not sure they'd be ready in time for Dunfermline. 

Vaughan is also likely to be the difference between McGlynn opting for the 3-4-3 or the 4-2-3-1. 

Either way, it's going to be a very interesting game, particularly if Wilson still isn't fit for the Pars. Both teams have something of a soft centre and the midfield might be more of a void than it is a battle. If the Rovers can somehow block out that 20 minutes against Hamilton I'm very confident in the defence, but the Pars front line is stronger than ours on paper. 

Fundamentally though, I think the biggest mismatch between the two is in the dugouts. I'm unashamedly a John McGlynn fan boy and I'll make no apologies for that, but it would appear to me that Peter Grant might well be an absolute charlatan. 

I'm fully aware that this might come back to haunt me, but he's got real Gary Locke vibes. Kind of guy who puts his primary school on his CV (and then doesn't submit it).