Lichties vs Rovers, 13 Dec…

[HIT THE CHANNEL]

Poorest we have been since Airdrie and looked liked getting no more than a draw all day. Arbroath didn’t make Kev make a save I don’t think (?) and never felt we were going to lose but just couldn’t see a goal coming. 
 

I thought between our goal and the penalty we really took control and started passing it. Unfortunately, as soon as the penalty went in we stopped playing. 
 

What a fucking win though Aways feel it’s hard to play our game properly there, pitch is uneven and it was heavy tonight. Wind picked up second half too which didn’t help. So any three points up there are tough to collect… Hopefully it’s 40 mph wind on Jan the 2nd…

What a man LV10 is

Cannot wait for Saturday. C’mon the fucking Rovers!

 

Edited December 14, 2023 by HIT THE CHANNEL

[A_Rover_In_The_Burgh]

Well just home and we absolutely stole that but once again 3-5-2 for the win. 

Need to start that against Utd on Saturday. Stanton, Brown and Byrne could be key to us winning on Saturday. Don't like us playing 4-4-2 and all the goals come when we change our formation. 

How they keep doing this is unreal but feel for Arbroath, on balance of play they probably deserved a point, we just weren't great. Never an easy place to go, never sure where the ball is going when it enters the air. 

[San Starko Rover]

Thought we were very underwhelming today, got the early goal and looked in control. Gave away the penalty and then looked very nervous. Second half Arbroath had a lot more of the ball while nothing seemed to land for us but absolute scenes at the end to grab that winner. Over all we really weren’t at the races today but credit to Arbroath for closing us down and forcing us to go long which without Hamilton we struggled with. We showed the odd good passing move but too many poor passes saw them then breakdown.  Arbroath looked well organised but they don’t seem to offer much in the final third but early days for a new manager so perhaps he’ll improve them going forward. Arbroath are bottom now but from what I’ve seen there’s very little between 10th-4th with everyone beating each other on their day. Partick are a better team but blow hot and cold and ourselves and Dundee Utd seem to be grinding out the results.  Where will Arbroath finish? Absolutely no idea plenty more football to be played before the end of the season. 

[CALDERON]

I was happy with a draw.  Easily the worst I've seen us this season.  Arbroath were very well disciplined and forced us to play it long, which was fairly wretched to watch.  Fortunately they threatened even less than we did.

Great spirt and determination, but I hope it serves as a wake up call.  Against anyone else tonight we probably lose that.  

We really missed Hamilton, and I think we miss Brown in midfield.

 

[Hayshead2]

1 hour ago, TheRoundO said:

Seriously though lads, I know you lost Hamilton at the last minute and Vaughan didn’t start, but if that’s what you’ve got you will not win the league. Lucky injury time winners do go on for ever. 

As an Arbroath fan I would like to apologise for this comment. I for one hope you keep winning,  (except in the other games v us) last minute or not who cares.

[embow]

Arbroath 1-2 Raith Rovers: Last-gasp win puts visitors top of Scottish Championship - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67073688

[Jilted John]

A wet and cold December night up in Arbroath was never going to materialise into a football fest. It was always going to be a game we were going to have to grind out. We really needed Brown and Byrne in the middle of the park and could have put Corr in beside O’Reilly. I worry that if we only play one in the middle on Saturday then we might be in trouble.

Having said that, it’s very hard to criticise anything Murray is doing just now when he’s getting the results!

[Zen Archer (Raconteur)]

Arbroath 1-2 Raith Rovers: Last-gasp win puts visitors top of Scottish Championship - BBC Sport

OOPS!!!

Quote

Just as the hosts looked set to rise off the bottom with their first point in seven games, Lewis Vaughan struck.

The striker sent a stunning finish into the top corner 

 

[embow]

17 minutes ago, Zen Archer (Raconteur) said:

Arbroath 1-2 Raith Rovers: Last-gasp win puts visitors top of Scottish Championship - BBC Sport

OOPS!!!

 

Not from the highlights he didn't, but I don't care!

[TxRover]

4 hours ago, embow said:

Not from the highlights he didn't, but I don't care!

From the reverse angle, the shot is goal bound before the defender attempts a clearance that doesn't come off. Under the usual standard, that's a goal for Vaughan as the keeper was beaten, and ball heading in, before the defender intervened.

[CALDERON]

That's extremely poor from Dick for the penalty.  For all the attacking options we have, we really do need to stop conceding such cheap goals.  Hopefully, at some point we can field a settled back line, but it does feel like the standout weak area of our game.  

Really unlucky from their defender for the winner.  Just one of those things.  However, we only had the ball in that area of the pitch because we were attacking to win the game.  Arbroath were happy with the draw and were trying to see it out, we went for the win.  

That said, it didn't feel like it was going to happen last night, and whilst it was great to win late again, it should serve as a warning call.  Winning games late on can be seen as the mark of title contenders, but it's not sustainable, as much as its happened frequently this season.  We've still to see much in the way of a solid and settled defensive performances, and we simply must stop giving such cheap opportunities away.  

[ExiledLichtie]

I am still absolutely heartbroken about that game.  I don't think Raith even looked like they were interested in scoring, they played like they were happy with a draw from 30 minutes in.  To see a long speculative shot like that go in during the last kick of the game is absolutely sickening.

That more than anything else makes me think we are going to be relegated this season.  Stuff like that always happens to doomed teams.  

If I was a Raith fan though, I'd be absolutely bouncing, late winners are aye the best winners!  Minds me of a game vs Stenny when Kevin Webster scored a 90th minute winner for us.  Must be nearly 20 years, and I still mind the celebrations!

 

[R.R.FC]

31 minutes ago, ExiledLichtie said:

I don't think Raith even looked like they were interested in scoring, they played like they were happy with a draw from 30 minutes in.

I’m sorry but that’s nonsense and does your team a disservice. We didn’t look like scoring because of Arbroath’s organisation and workrate and us just having an off night, not through any lack of ambition. We had 5 players in the box in the 95th minute when we scored the winner, including one who started the game at centre back.

Murray himself said post match he’d rather lose a point trying to win the game than settle for a draw. A draw would’ve been a great result for Arbroath and a disappointing one for us. 

 

Edited December 14, 2023 by R.R.FC

[philpy]

Dick really has to cut the mistakes out. 2 handballs in 2 games. In fact it's 3, if you count the one he got away with last Friday.

[embow]

6 minutes ago, philpy said:

Dick really has to cut the mistakes out. 2 handballs in 2 games. In fact it's 3, if you count the one he got away with last Friday.

I think you'll find that it was Euan Murray who was the player who conceded the penalty on Friday past and may also be the player in the one not given.

[AllanJM]

Some thoughts after a night's sleep and watching the highlights.

After the game I felt it was the poorest we've played all season and I still think that now.  The highlights probably make us look better than we were as we did create a good few decent chances.

As someone else pointed out (and as we were saying at the game last night) it was like the team were still playing as if Hamilton was in the team.  Long balls to Gullan and Smith just don't work.

We really struggled to get to grips with a very heavy, slow pitch.  That was evident early on when Gullan was clean through and the ball just stopped, forcing him to check his run.

Again, Murray made the right changes at the right time and they paid off.  It was pretty clear that Arbroath were happy to get a point from the game (rightly so given their recent form) and they stopped pressing us so high up the pitch, allowing us to get at them a bit more towards the end.

This team just doesn't know when to quit and regardless of what happens this season we're in for a hell of a ride.

Finally, very decent away crowd there last night.  That was our 5th away game in our last 6 and we have another on Saturday.  Less than 2 weeks until Christmas and we take 543 to Arbroath on a cold Wednesday night.  Great effort (albeit I was in the office in Dundee and it meant not having to help with the kids so it was actually no effort for me).

[Rael Rover]

Watching highlights Sam Stanton's control of the ball initially, desire to win the header to pass to Aiden Connoly who finishes superbly sums up this Rovers team. Great skill and determination throughout. 

[Lang Toun Lad]

Really enjoying the sudden right turn the Arbroath fans behind the goal make as the ball lands over the line.

Pretty sure I was Mourinho celebrating it down the terrace at that point!

 

Edited December 14, 2023 by Lang Toun Lad

[TxRover]

Reflecting upon the match, the pitch, combined with Arbroath’s grit, seriously held our performance back yesterday. The usual low balls were slowing alarmingly compared to more normal conditions, making the passing game we prefer less effective. Arbroath, very much like Partick in much of the second half last weekend, were winning the races to the second balls and fortunate rebounds. We were very lucky Vaughan’s last minute shot wasn’t successfully cleared off the line, and instead came off the crossbar.

Luck has, seemingly, been a huge part of this run so far, but it’s actually just a seam of relentlessness that IM seems to have tapped into with this team. I don’t know how long it can continue, but this team BELIEVE’S in itself, much to Arbroath’ chagrin yesterday. It was desperately cruel that Arbroath got nothing from that match.

[Beachbum]