Raith Rovers v Hamilton Academicals

[Enigma]

Two sides who’ll be keen to put their previous results behind them.

For us, this should be, on paper, a game we need to be winning if we want to be in contention at the right end of the league.
 

Hamilton’s squad looks absolutely massive, a luxury we don’t enjoy. We’ll be hoping Scott Brown will be back for this one and Vaughan will be fit to start. It will be interesting to see if we persist with a back three or we revert to four at the back here.

[Beckford]

Do we have to? Come on we all know how this goes! A team desperate for a win so Accies roll into town and the points are dually gifted by a lacklustre performance.

Tbh, I have  no idea how this will pan out but I'd bet my mortgage that Rankin will do something mental that will probably cost us. Just hope we try something other than lump the ball blindly up the park in the hope that Shaw might be where it lands. Today was honking!

 

Edited September 14 by Beckford

[Owsley 2]

C'mon, you know it's Academical. 

Would happily take a point.

[Raith2711]

If we start with 3-5-2 I'll have low expectations.

[Ian Mcleod]

Anything could really happen here and it wouldn't surprise me I watched Raith last night and they looked completely lost although they were down to 10 men they were still terrible and probably just as bad as we were today. I expect at some point Raith mignt click but I do have my own personal opinion on the sacking of Murray which I won't put in here right now as I could end up looking like a mug if Raith do beat us. I would personally like to see Henderson and Bradley start instead of Barjonas and O'Hara so we have wingers as that cost us massively against Livingston but I can't see Rankin dropping either of them. I really do appreciate that O'Hara is a hardworking player and I do really like him however he's not been good enough for most of this season and I think a game on the bench might do him a bit of good. He would also add more off the bench later in the game than Todorov and it would mean that Todorov could stay on the bench next week same goes with Barjonas being the option off the bench instead of Williamson. 

Like i said this could really end up anything and I wouldn't be that surprised as I have no real idea of how it will go but I will sit on the fence and go Raith 1-1 Accies 

[SirJimmyofNic]

2-0 Hamilton followed by total meltdown toward the board after the final whistle, after last nights shocking performance I've no confidence, never mind the players having any. 

[pub car king]

I don't expect Starks Park to be a happy place on Saturday to begin with. Another shitshow and it'll be brutal. 

Really need Brown back and to play a back 4 preferably with an actual RB.

[Scary Bear]

11 hours ago, pub car king said:

I don't expect Starks Park to be a happy place on Saturday to begin with. Another shitshow and it'll be brutal. 

Really need Brown back and to play a back 4 preferably with an actual RB.

 

On the RB thing, you’d have to ask why we signed that lad Kieran Freeman if we aren’t going to play him?

I’m assuming Murray and/or Potter wanted him signed, so they must have thought he was what was required.

The players need to step up. This is the same bunch who managed 2nd place last season, and saying “aw if only Brown or Stanton were playing” just gives them an excuse. We’ve managed to win games last season without Brown and Stanton (I think - would need a statto to confirm). If these boys can’t win a football match when we’re down a couple of players they should all just f**k off to the Lowland League or pack it in.

[Michael W]

I think Murray's red card means that a back 3 is highly unlikely, as we don't have enough CBs available to play it. I don't think Fordyce is expected back imminently and so surely we revert to a back 4. 

I suppose there is a non-zero chance that Brown is deployed at CB as part of a back 3 if he's back, in which case my head will explode. We should also try playing our actual RB at RB rather than putting a midfielder there and causing ourselves problems. 

This is a very big game and, IMO, a must win. We've had a terrible start and things need to turn around quickly. But to do so we need to start doing that very necessary thing and start scoring goals. 

[Heid_The_Baw]

Drop the passengers like Smith, Easton and Mullin.  All rank rotten at Least End.

Start Vaughan up top with the young lad.

Connolly one side, Gibson the other.  

Matthews and Byrne or Brown in the holding middys.

Back 4 we need to play the right back Freeman.  Not seen enough of him to say for sure if not good enough.  Specialist position so surely better than putting in Mullin or Matthews there.

Stevenson on left with Dicko and Hanlon in the middle.

 

We looked like relegation fodder all season.

 

 

[philpy]

Hamilton and Vaughan up front.

[McGuigan1978]

1 hour ago, Scary Bear said:

On the RB thing, you’d have to ask why we signed that lad Kieran Freeman if we aren’t going to play him?

I’m assuming Murray and/or Potter wanted him signed, so they must have thought he was what was required.

The players need to step up. This is the same bunch who managed 2nd place last season, and saying “aw if only Brown or Stanton were playing” just gives them an excuse. We’ve managed to win games last season without Brown and Stanton (I think - would need a statto to confirm). If these boys can’t win a football match when we’re down a couple of players they should all just f**k off to the Lowland League or pack it in.

I’m not sure there were any games last season that both Sam Stanton and Scott Brown missed. 

Stanton only failed to feature in five league games, of which we lost three and drew one.

He also only came on as a reasonably late sub in the game we lost at Arbroath, and wasn’t in the squad for the Scottish Cup defeat at Livingston and the loss to Airdrie in the Challenge Cup. 

So aye, our record without Stanton last season was pretty guff. 

[CountryBumpkin]

29 minutes ago, Heid_The_Baw said:

Drop the passengers like Smith, Easton and Mullin.  All rank rotten at Least End.

Start Vaughan up top with the young lad.

Connolly one side, Gibson the other.  

Matthews and Byrne or Brown in the holding middys.

Back 4 we need to play the right back Freeman.  Not seen enough of him to say for sure if not good enough.  Specialist position so surely better than putting in Mullin or Matthews there.

Stevenson on left with Dicko and Hanlon in the middle.

 

We looked like relegation fodder all season.

 

 

That is probably the best that we can do, and absolutely highlights our deficiencies. No midfielder able to break the lines, no real creativity and no right footed defender, which isn't a massive thing unless you're looking to play the ball out from the back instead of punting it.

We need right side cover, a playmaker and an intelligent forward I think. And ideally Kev to discover that the ball isn't a hand grenade every time it comes close to his feet. The Dunfermline keeper on Friday highlighted what all keepers should be capable of these days, good ball distribution.

[stevoraith]

1 hour ago, Michael W said:

I think Murray's red card means that a back 3 is highly unlikely, as we don't have enough CBs available to play it. I don't think Fordyce is expected back imminently and so surely we revert to a back 4. 

Did we not play a back 3 of Dick, Hanlon and Matthews against Ayr in the cup?  

Playing a back 3 is bold, playing a back 3 with only one recognised CB is absolutely bonkers (although I will concede that Dick is competent at LCB).

So on previous evidence, having only one fit CB does not preclude the possibility of playing a back 3 unfortunately.

[mrpaddyx]

I'm sure Collins wants to implement some fancy 3-5-2 formation long term but short term we need points and some goals from outfield play.

To paraphrase Mike Bassett his pre match interview should end with something like, "Raith Rovers will be playing Four Four f**king Two"

Dabrovski

Stevenson Dick Hanlon Freeman

Connolly Stanton Brown Easton

Vaughan Hamilton

 

[Scary Bear]

1 hour ago, McGuigan1978 said:

I’m not sure there were any games last season that both Sam Stanton and Scott Brown missed. 

Stanton only failed to feature in five league games, of which we lost three and drew one.

He also only came on as a reasonably late sub in the game we lost at Arbroath, and wasn’t in the squad for the Scottish Cup defeat at Livingston and the loss to Airdrie in the Challenge Cup. 

So aye, our record without Stanton last season was pretty guff. 

I’ll prepare myself for another relegation season.

Hopefully the rest of the odds and sods that make up the current Rovers team can band together and try their level best to beat Accies.

[pub car king]

It does have the stench of a season to write off already. 

[Scotty Tunbridge]

New manager in need of a win to turn a teams fortunes round. Who else but Hamilton Academical (singular) to oblige.

2-0 Raith.

[CrossgatesCynic]

As long as it isn’t 4-0, finishing 4-4…

[Rovers_Lad]

Down at grandsons community coaching on Saturday and Brown and Fordyce along with trainer/physio or whatever they,re called nowadays were out on the pitch for a short time gentle jogging/running but nothing more.