[FM15] "I've Never Played for a Draw in my Life"

[deltablue]

You just keep going from strength to strength this season.

[Cougar2010]

Great read and fantastic layout pal. Really impressed with those quote boxes and in depth reports

Keep it up!

Cheers Rich, always good to know people are enjoying the ride

You just keep going from strength to strength this season.

A tough start but we had a pretty good run through the winter.

[Cougar2010]

Scotland

Raith Rovers

April 2019

Illness

Michael Duffy (MLC) – Sent home for a few days with a cold.

Saturday 6th April 2019 – Scottish Premiership (32/38)

Hearts (7th) 1-0 Raith Rovers (3rd)

Goals: Alston (80)

MOTM: Hamilton (7.3)

Hearts line up 352 with wingbacks and in hindsight I should maybe have done the same to go man for man but I stuck with the 4132 which has served us well the last few months. Hearts have the better of possession and more shots but their best effort is a half chance which goes into the side netting. At the other end we create less and struggle massively in their final third. The second half sees me switch to 352 and we make it more even but still struggle to create chances while Hearts rattle the bar from a cross. In a tight game one goal makes all the difference and this time it goes to Hearts when a wide freekick is headed in late on by Alston.

Illness

Callum Saunders (ST) – Sent home for a few days with a cold.

Saturday 13th April 2019 – Scottish Premiership (33/38)

Raith Rovers (3rd) 2-2 Celtic (1st)

Goals: McKenna (88), Murray (pen 90) ; Wolff Eikrem (12), Immobile (15)

MOTM: Wolff Eikrem (8.3) (Celtic)

Attendance: 8,528

Last match before the split and we are safe in the top half but we still need points for our chase for a European spot. Celtic make a flying start scoring from their first two shots, first Wolff Eikrem fires in a freekick before a quick break sees the ball squared for Immobile to tap in. With the lead Celtic sit back as we end up frustrated as Callachan, Adeyemo & Murray all see good chances saved. With time running out and the team more or less accepting the defeat a scramble in the box sees McKenna drill the loose ball through the crowd to give us late hope. Deep into injury time a long throw sees Celtic give up a soft penalty which Murray fires in to give us a deserved draw. Tough to know what to say overall, it was an even match where we created the better chances but with a two goal lead for much of the game Celtic didn't exactly push forward.

Match Injury

John Egan (DC) – Out for 4/5 weeks with a pulled hamstring.

Club News

The league splits after 33 games and we are comfortably the top side and in the Championship group. St Mirren nicked the last spot by grabbing a draw against Dundee Utd as Hearts lost heavily to Partick Thistle while Aberdeen were beaten away to Rangers.

Training Injury

Michael Crowe (GK) – Out for about 10 days with concussion.

Saturday 20th April 2019 – Scottish Cup (Semi Final)

Raith Rovers (Premiership) 1-5 Aberdeen (Premiership) (Neutral Ground)

Goals: Murray (22) ; Rooney (34, 45, 48, 72), Miller (50)

MOTM: Rooney (9.8) (Aberdeen)

It all started out so well when steady play sees a typical goal from Murray when he checks his run to receive a pass before sweeping it past the keeper. Aberdeen equalise when good play sees Rooney isolate Oyebanjo at the far post to head in and from there we fall apart. Every single goal was a mistake at the back with Obileye responsible for no less than three and yet still got a 4.2 rating. Fines followed a terrible performance and although the team wasn't exactly happy about it no one complained.

Manager News

Another year and another contract.

Saturday 27th April 2019 – Scottish Premiership Championship Group (34/38)

Celtic (1st) 3-1 Raith Rovers (3rd)

Goals: Immobile (4, 40), Wighton (25) ; Saunders (43)

MOTM: Immobile (9.0) (Celtic)

We need to finish 4th to qualify for Europe and with no wins from our last three league matches we are coming under pressure from Dundee Utd & Hibernian. Any hopes we had of getting anything from this match are dashed early on as the bar had already been rattled before Immobile opened the scoring. Its one way traffic for most of the first half and Celtic could have easily had a few more than the three their scored. On a rare trip to their end Saunders taps in after Doughty's shot is fumbled but thats the best we can manage. As Celtic sit back in the second half we get more possession but its clear we still have a long way to go before we can think about challenging them.

[Cougar2010]

Scotland

Raith Rovers

May 2019

Illness

Ola Adeyemo (ST) – Sent home for a few days with a cold.

Saturday 4th May 2019 – Scottish Premiership Championship Group (35/38)

Hibernian (5th) 1-1 Raith Rovers (3rd)

Goals: Polworth (4) ; Murray (29)

MOTM: Polworth (8.3) (Hibernian)

Milestone: Callum Saunders - 100th Career League Appearance

No wins in the last six games is a sign that the other teams have certainly upped their game against us. If we want a European place this is a match we can't lose but it starts badly when Polworth fires in from 30 yards. A double save from Crowe keeps us in the game while at the other end we force several half chances. With confidence low we need a spark and Murray provides it when he drifts into the channel before cutting inside his marker beating the keeper at the near post. This gives us a lift and with the defences tightening up the second half is a much closer affair with both sides eventually having to settle for a draw.

Manager News

The “Player's Manager of the Year” is announced and I'm surprised to learn I came 3rd.

Saturday 11th May 2019 – Scottish Premiership Championship Group (36/38)

Raith Rovers (3rd) 5-2 St Mirren (5th)

Goals: O'Brien (23), Murray (35, 43, 59, pen 90) ; Leitch (17), Connolly (54)

MOTM: Murray (9.7)

Attendance: 6,659

Milestone: Michael Doughty - 150th Career League Appearance

Huge match for us as a win could be enough to secure European football next season. St Mirren start well though putting us under pressure but the defence cope well until a volley from the edge of the box flies in from Leitch. I tweak the tactics to give us a more patient, possession based approach and this works well when a half cleared freekick comes back to Obileye in the box who lays off for O'Brien to drill in. Following that we create a series of half chances and while Adeyemo is finding goals tough to come by at the moment Murray isn't as he shows a clinical edge. A mistake by Holmes sees a flicked header finished off by Connolly to give St Mirren hope but Murray wraps up his hattrick and could have had a few more before McKenna wins a late penalty driving into the box. A massive win for us which puts us six points clear of Hibernian with two games to go which should be enough to secure a top four place & European football next season.

Saturday 18th May 2019 – Scottish Premiership Championship Group (37/38)

Raith Rovers (3rd) 0-3 Rangers (2nd)

Goals: McCabe (34, 39), Boyle (pen 64)

MOTM: McCabe (9.0) (Rangers)

Attendance: 7,945

Rangers put us under pressure early on controlling more of the ball and having more shots although a lot are from distance. When we do get the ball we find it difficult to break them down as well as both defences look comfortable. A couple of half chances for Rangers are easily saved by Crowe while Adeyemo creates a couple of decent chances for Murray which are also saved. With not a lot happening a nothing shot from McCabe from 30 yards somehow finds its way past Crowe despite looking like an easy save while he adds a much better effort from 25 yards minutes later. Heads drop as the match gets away from us and when O'Brien bundles a player over in the box its all over. Overall the stats suggest we did fairly well but in truth we gave up possession far too easily and let Rangers control the game.

Club News

Our form might have been poor recently but our previous efforts earn us an unexpected European place for next year.

Sunday 26th May 2019 – Scottish Premiership Championship Group (38/38)

Dundee Utd (4th) 2-1 Raith Rovers (3rd)

Goals: Guberac (20), Telfer (33) ; Murray (pen 50)

MOTM: Telfer (8.6) (Dundee Utd)

Last match of the season and 3rd place is on the line. A draw or win and we equal Raith's best ever league finish which dates back nearly 100 years to the 1921/22 season, defeat sees Dundee Utd leapfrog us on the last day. As usual its a tight game and a set piece breaks the deadlock when the unmarked Guberac smashes in from only the second shot of the match. A right wing cross picks out the run of Telfer who turns and slots in to give them a 2-0 lead as heads begin to drop. Young McKenna has been kicked around by Dundee Utd in the first half so I switch him for Robinson whilst giving the rest of the team a kick of my own. It works initially when Robinson gets sliced down turning a defender in the box with Murray drilling in the penalty but the team don't look bothered as the match fades out. Disappointing way to end the season as the team didn't really seem to care the last few matches.

Club News

Bigger crowds saw us turn a £400k overdraft at the bank into a £250k surplus this season but this is what I was really waiting for as our finances get a massive boost:

[Cougar2010]

Scotland

Raith Rovers

2018/19 Season Review

Scottish Premiership

Celtic were odds on favourites to claim their 50th league title and 8th in a row and they didn't disappoint securing the trophy with a few matches to spare. Rangers were 40/1 at the beginning of the season after being poor the year before but two years ago they finished 2nd and they did so again this year as the signs are the old firm stranglehold on the Scottish game is returning. Dundee Utd were the team expected to push Celtic the hardest but in the end they only nicked 3rd from us on the last day of the season leaving us a shock 4th on our first season in the Premiership for 22 years. Hibernian (predicted 9th) and St Mirren (predicted 3rd) rounded out the top six.

The bottom half saw last seasons runners up, Hamilton crash in style as they were adrift at the bottom early and never recovered while Inverness CT just survived leaving Ross County in the relegation playoff. In the playoff they faced Motherwell and were hammered in the first leg which saw them drop out of the Premiership as Motherwell return. Partick Thistle, Hearts & Aberdeen ended up in no mans land in the middle which was disappointing for Aberdeen but about right for the other two.

The board expected us to not get relegated and were delighted we finished 4th and qualified for the EURO Cup.

Scottish Cup

The semi finals were an all Premiership affair as we had a disappointing defeat to Aberdeen in one while the other was a repeat of the League Cup final with Rangers getting the better of Hibernian to make their second final of the season. Rangers lost in the League Cup and this one went all the way to penalties before they edged out Aberdeen to lift the trophy for the 34th time but the first one in ten years.

The boards target was the 5th round and they were delighted we went two rounds further and reached the semi finals.

Scottish League Cup

The Premiership teams dominated with all eight of the quarter finalists. The first semi saw Rangers put out Dundee Utd while Hibernian beat St Mirren in the second. A close final saw Hibernian edge out Rangers to lift the League Cup for the 4th time.

The board expectation was the 3rd Round and they were delighted we went one step further losing 1-0 to Hibernian in the Quarter Finals.

Scottish League Challenge Cup

League 1 side Alloa Athletic provided the shocks as their run to the final saw them defeat Dumbarton in the semis. The other semi saw Motherwell beat St Johnstone before despatching Alloa in the final to lift the trophy for the 1st time.

Awards

Scottish Premiership Football Writers' Player of the Year:

1st Adam Johnson (31yo English ML) (Celtic)

2nd Jiri Skalak (27yo Czech MR) (Hibernian)

3rd Rhys McCabe (26yo Scottish MC) (Rangers)

Scottish Premiership Players' Player of the Year: Martin Boyle (26yo Scottish MR) (Rangers)

Scottish Premiership Football Writers' Young Player of the Year: Calvin Miller (21yo Scottish ST) (Aberdeen)

Scottish Premiership Players' Young Player of the Year: Craig Wighton (21yo Scottish ST) (Celtic)

Scottish Premiership Top Goalscorer:

1st Ciro Immobile (29yo Italian ST) (Celtic) – 18 goals from 22 apps

2nd Martin Boyle (26yo Scottish MR) (Rangers) – 18 goals from 35 apps

3rd Jason Cummings (23yo Scottish ST) (Hibernian) – 17 goals from 35 apps

Scottish Premiership Goal of the Season:

1st Ivica Guberac (30yo Slovenian MC) (Dundee Utd) vs St Mirren

2nd Rhys McCabe (26yo Scottish MC) (Rangers) vs Raith Rovers

3rd Brad Fox (19yo Scottish ST) (Hibernian) vs Inverness CT

Scottish Premiership Team of the Year:

GK – Craig Gordon (36yo Scottish GK) (Celtic)

DR – Jason Naismith (24yo Scottish DR/DC) (St Mirren)

DL – Paul Hanlon (29yo Scottish DLC) (Hibernian)

DC – Bruno Ecuele Manga (30yo Gabonese DC) (Celtic)

DC – Ayo Obileye (24yo English DC/DM) (Raith Rovers)

MR – Martin Boyle (26yo Scottish MR, ST) (Rangers)

ML – Adam Johnson (31yo English MRL) (Celtic)

MC – Rhys McCabe (26yo Scottish MC) (Rangers)

MC – Ryan Christie (24yo Scottish AMC/ST) (Inverness CT)

ST – Craig Wighton (21yo Scottish ST/AMC) (Celtic)

ST – Calvin Miller (21yo Scottish ST/AMR) (Aberdeen)

Raith Rovers Fans' Player of the Year: Ola Adeyemo (34%) ahead of Ayo Obileye (28%) & Ross Callachan (24%)

Squad Review

Goalkeepers

Former English & Welsh U21 GK, Michael Crowe joined us at the beginning of the season to provide competition for Laidlaw and the two shared duties all year. The coaches expected Michael to be the better keeper and that more or less proved to be the case. With some more experience Michael could well be the number one GK we are looking for long term while Laidlaw continues to be a good second choice at this level.

Ross Laidlaw (26yo Scottish GK) – 18 apps, 30 conceded, 4 clean sheets, Ave Rating: 6.74

Michael Crowe (23yo English GK) – 30 (1) apps, 39 conceded, 11 clean sheets, Ave Rating: 6.85

Fullbacks

It was same again on the left. Rory McKeown is definitely difficult to deal with off the field and is prone to letting his head drop on it but overall proved he could compete at this level with a solid season. Fiacre Kelleher's athleticism & hard work saw more improvement from him and he is really pushing hard for a starting role on either side of the field. On the right captain Jason Thomson quickly found himself out of his depth and lost his place in the first team. He has been kicking his heels all year but will be released in the summer. Danny Holmes joined to replace him and competed with Lanre Oyebanjo for the starting spot. Danny was the more solid defender of the two but was prone to errors while Lanre also looked a little out of his depth particularly when defending.

Rory McKeown (26yo Northern Irish DL) – 28 (2) apps, 2 goals, 7 assists, Ave Rating: 6.97

Fiacre Kelleher (23yo Irish DL/DR) – 23 (11) apps, 0 goals, 0 assists, Ave Rating: 6.90

Jason Thomson (31yo Scottish DR/DL) – 4 (1) apps, 0 goals, 1 assist, Ave Rating: 6.68

Lanre Oyebanjo (29yo Irish DR/DC) – 18 (2) apps, 0 goals, 3 assists, Ave Rating: 6.77

Danny Holmes (30yo English DR/DC) – 22 (2) apps, 0 goals, 6 assists, Ave Rating: 6.79

Central Defenders

This year sorted the men from the boys as Ayo Obileye stood out from the rest despite the odd bad game. John Egan did his best and had a decent season but he is simply a little short of the quality we need. Ben Frempah struggled last season and that didn't change this year as he was found lacking at this level. This left new signing Paddy Barrett to pick up some of the slack which he did to some extent. A bad injury mid season didn't do him any favours while much like Egan he did ok but is simply a little short of quality

Ben Frempah (24yo Ghanaian DC) – 17 apps, 1 goal, 0 assists, Ave Rating: 6.78

John Egan (26yo Irish DC) – 31 (2) apps, 1 goal, 1 assist, Ave Rating: 6.85

Ayo Obileye (24yo English DC/DM) – 38 apps, 4 goals, 2 assists, Ave Rating: 7.08

Paddy Barrett (25yo Irish DC/DR, DM) – 21 (5) apps, 2 goals, 1 assist, Ave Rating: 6.82

Midfielders/Wingers

We played a lot of 4132 this season which saw the wingers play more infield at MLC & MRC so I'll group everyone together here. At DM Thomas O'Brien dominated last season in the Championship but in the Premiership he found it much harder going and like Egan, Barrett & Laidlaw he is just a little short of the quality we need at this level. Backing him up home grown Liam McCroary again struggled and with no improvement for three years the coaches have finally come to the conclusion that he has reached his limit which means I'll probably have to move him on. Further forward Michael Doughty picked up a bad injury early in the season which took him a long time to come back from and when he did he really struggled to find any sort of form. In his absence Ross Callachan stepped up as playmaker and was the pick of the midfielders establishing himself as a solid player at this level. On the left Ryan Conroy had to learn to play more infield but further decline meant he looked out of his depth. The fans love him but unfortunately we can't give him the football he wants and he'll be released in the summer. Michael Duffy was our other left sided player and despite being able to play infield he clearly struggled more compared in the central position. The right side saw Scott Robinson have another steady season but like others he is a little short of the quality we need while new signing Jamie Masson was hugely disappointing and could well find himself moved on in the summer. I also promoted two youngsters at the beginning of the season with the intention of giving them some gametime. A broken ankle slowed down Steve McKenna's progress but he still impressed when on the field while Ross Holt managed just one sub appearance and a loan deal might be best for him next season.

Ross Callachan (25yo Scottish MC/AMC) – 34 (3) apps, 2 goals, 15 assists, Ave Rating: 7.05

Michael Doughty (26yo Welsh MC/MRL) – 20 (7) apps, 0 goals, 4 assists, Ave Rating: 6.72

Liam McCroary (22yo Scottish DM/MC, DR) – 17 (10) apps, 0 goals, 0 assists, Ave Rating: 6.65

Thomas O'Brien (27yo Scottish DM/DC, MC) – 31 (4) apps, 2 goals, 3 assists, Ave Rating: 6.81

Ryan Conroy (32yo Scottish ML/MC) – 12 (1) apps, 2 goals, 3 assists, Ave Rating: 6.75

Michael Duffy (24yo Northern Irish ML/MC) – 22 (6) apps, 3 goals, 3 assists, Ave Rating: 6.66

Scott Robinson (27yo Scottish MC/MR) – 22 (13) apps, 1 goal, 8 assists, Ave Rating: 6.79

Jamie Masson (26yo Scottish MRC) – 18 (7) apps, 1 goal, 0 assists, Ave Rating: 6.52

Steve McKenna (19yo Scottish MC/MR) – 6 (6) apps, 4 goals, 2 assists, Ave Rating: 7.02

Ross Holt (18yo Scottish MC/AMC) – 0 (1) apps, 0 goals, 0 assists, Ave Rating: 6.60

Strikers

Adeyemo & Murray were joined up front by Welsh International Callum Saunders and all three proved effective at this level with Murray the pick of them. Russell Dingwall backed them up and after starting poorly he got a further chance later in the season looking a lot better. Despite that we've seen next to no improvement in him for three seasons and there is a fair chance I'll have to look to move him on. Finally a bad injury to Murray early in the season encouraged me to seek a replacement and I brought in Steven Ross but he was largely disappointing even as cover.

Ola Adeyemo (24yo Irish ST/AMRL) – 34 (7) apps, 16 goals, 6 assists, Ave Rating: 6.99

Simon Murray (27yo Scottish ST/AMR) – 21 (2) apps, 16 goals, 1 assist, Ave Rating: 7.17

Callum Saunders (23yo Welsh ST) – 29 (11) apps, 16 goals, 2 assists, Ave Rating: 6.97

Russell Dingwall (21yo Scottish ST/AMR) – 7 (4) apps, 5 goals, 1 assist, Ave Rating: 6.91

Steven Ross (25yo Scottish ST) – 5 (5) apps, 2 goals, 0 assists, Ave Rating: 6.57

[deltablue]

4th is great but it's a shame you missed out on a top 3 finish by such a narrow margin.

[Cougar2010]

Scotland

Raith Rovers

Off-Season Report

FINANCES/CLUB NEWS

Income from season tickets & match day tickets tripled this year and when you add in £900k in TV money + £2.3m in prize money it means our total income more than tripled from last season. As expected our expenses also increased including repayments on a £2m loan to install the undersoil heating but overall they only doubled which means we made a massive £2.8m profit this season. With the overdraft wiped out the bank account is looking a lot healthier which means I can release the shackles a little next year.

The board set the initial budgets: Transfer budget £1.3m & Wage budget £148k a month. I didn't expect the transfer budget to be so big but I'll probably have to move some of it into the wage budget as better players will want more wages.

Our reputation has stayed relatively stable over the last twelve months and we are on a par with most of the established Premiership teams. In terms of turnover we ended up bottom despite a good season and a long way behind the rest but our value has improved as we sit a steady 8th. Its also no surprise that we saw our average attendance almost double to 6,591.

On a more personal side I complete my National C coaching licence and immediately request to start on a National B licence which the board agree to fund. Maybe with a C licence under my belt I might start getting linked with other jobs as so far I've never had a mention even for the St Mirren, Aberdeen, Partick Thistle, Motherwell, Rangers and Dundee Utd jobs which have all been available in the last six months.

The final piece of news relates to affiliate clubs. I've been asking for a parent club since we lost Celtic and the board always refused, then out of nowhere they set one up of their own:

PLAYER NEWS – OUTGOING

Establishing ourselves in the Premiership means my standards have gone up and players who I might have given a chance to at a lower level are now surplus to requirements. Eight players from the U20 squad are released at the end of their contracts including some that the coaches thought might have had a future as recently as last year like Lewis Hodge (DC), Craig Malpas (ML), Scott Law (GK) & Cameron McCann (ST). Two of the senior team were also released:

Jason Thomson (31yo Scottish DR/DL) – Released at end of contract

Time at Raith: 8 seasons (2 spells), Apps: 173, Goals: 3, Assists: 8

The club moved forward, the player moved backwards meaning there was no place for him despite being the captain.

Ryan Conroy (32yo Scottish ML/MC) – Released at end of contract

Time at Raith: 5 seasons, Apps: 135, Goals: 35, Assists: 30

Just like Thomson Ryan declined at the same time that the club was moving forwards. The fans love him but they'll need to get used to life without him.

As the transfer window opens a few of the squad are attracting interest – Hibernian are showing major interest in Ross Callachan while Championship winners Falkirk are showing interest in Ben Frempah, Paddy Barrett, Ayo Obileye & Scott Robinson. Motherwell are looking at Jamie Masson & Russell Dingwall while Ross Laidlaw is being scouted by Aberdeen, Hibernian & St Mirren.

Falkirk fire the first barrel as they make a low offer totalling around £25k for Paddy Barrett. He might only have a year on his contract and be on low wages but I have no intention of selling him to another club in the Premiership for such a low amount.

I thought that would be the start of a few bids but they don't materialise and despite interest the rest of pre-season is relatively quiet.

PLAYER NEWS – INCOMING

I didn't have the spare wage capacity to agree any bosmans but with prize money in and the bank balance healthier I can look to improve the squad. With 22 players already in the first team any signings made will likely be at the expense of moving on others. The main areas I'm looking to improve are:

DR – Replacing Oyebanjo

DC – Replacing Frempah

DM – Replacing McCroary

MR – Replacing Masson

ST – Replacing Ross &/or Dingwall

We also have potential space at ML if Doughty moves back infield.

Options aren't exactly abundant, wages are the biggest sticking point with many of the better players wanting virtually double our top earners. Unattached players are my first port of call and five arrive for a trial:

Darnell Fisher (25yo English DR/MRC) – Released by Hibernian

Isaac Hayden (24yo English DM/DC, MC) – Released by Arsenal (English Premier Division)

Robbie Crawford (24yo Scottish DM, MC) – Released by Ayr Utd (League 2)

Ryan Flynn (30yo Scottish MR/DR, ML) – Released by Hearts

Lewis Allan (22yo Scottish ST) – Released by Hibernian

While I'm reviewing the trialists I've thinned my other options down and send the scouts out to check them out.

Darnell Fisher is marginally better than Oyebanjo but wages might be an issue while Hayden lacks a little defensively and not really what I'm looking for. Crawford is a well rounded DM and can certainly play higher than League 2 but he has about reached his limit which isn't enough for us. Ryan Flynn also lacks quality and is probably a good signing for a Championship club as is Lewis Allan which means all five trialists leave the club.

I decide to wait until the 1st July which means English clubs amongst others will have also released players and may give us other options. I also feel like I need to prioritise, Frempah isn't the worst 4th choice DC, Oyebanjo does a decent job at DR while ML isn't so important. So my focus has to be on a DM to compete with O'Brien, a ST to support Adeyemo & Murray and a MRC to replace Masson who has set his sights on leaving.

DM is a problem with no-one on my shortlist really interesting me. I could probably find someone to fill in but I suspect it would only be a short term fix. Daryl Horgan (Dundalk) can play on either wing and looks like an option as does former loanee Joe Thomson (Dundee) but both are out & out wingers rather than the sort that can play more infield. The story is the same up front where few seem like good options. The pick of them is 25yo Liam McAlinden who is contracted to Luton Town, he has a year left on his contract and is unhappy about the club being relegated. His expected wage demands are ok and he seems like a decent ST but the sticking point is the transfer fee with Luton playing hardball asking for £1m + add ons which is well out of our price range. The other ST who is high on my want list is 24yo Tony Dingwall from relegated Ross County unfortunately with time on his contract the scouts are estimating a minimum transfer fee of £1.5m.

As I'm biding my time two more players arrive for trials – 29yo Lee Cox is a DM recently released by Plymouth Argyle while 22yo Alex Jakubiak is a ST who was on loan at Motherwell last season from Watford before being released.

Both come & go, Jakubiak just has so many weaknesses and could well be trouble while Cox could possibly do a job but then so could many others.

With the window being a massive failure so far I turn to the loan market and my AM deserves some credit as he identifies a potential ST for us. After a little scouting I decide to take a risk:

Anton Jorbrant (20yo Swedish AMC/ST) – On Loan from Tottenham (English Championship) for the season.

Started his career at Swedish 2nd Division side, Varmbol before quickly moving on to Kalmar FF (Swedish Premier Division). A couple of impressive loan spells saw Tottenham pay £700k for him last year before another good loan spell back in Sweden. Big, strong & athletic with good technical skills while his weakness is clearly on the mental side. A good attitude though with room to improve means he should make a good second striker for us in either a creative or target man capacity.

Its time to focus and with Jorbrant joining the next important position is a DM to compete with O'Brien. None of the options stand out but I need to make the best of it and the shortlist is as follows although the scouts are still looking:

Rudolph Austin (34yo Jamaican DM/DC, MC)

Is unattached with plenty of International experience but wage demands are very high.

Nadjim Abdou (35yo Comoran DM/MC)

Also unattached, wage demands are high but doable. The biggest issue apart from his age is perhaps that he is a small, hard working ball winner rather than the DC type I'm looking for to fit our halfback role.

El Hadji Ba (26yo French DM/MC) – Bolton Wanderers (English Championship)

Transfer fee is reasonable but wage demands are high which makes him more of a loan option. Aside from that he is more of a playmaker type rather than a defender which is far from ideal.

Samuel Piette (24yo Canadian DM/MC) – Dundee Utd (Premiership)

Canadian International with a good skill set & has struggled to break into the Dundee Utd first team. The downside is his wage demands are again very high.

Jamie Hamill (32yo Scottish DM/DR, MC) – Kilmarnock (Championship)

Not the biggest but a hard working solid defender. Transfer fee & wages are very reasonable but he hasn't played at Premiership level for over five years & there is a slight question mark over his ability to now.

Jamie is by far the cheapest temporary option and not a big investment even if it fails. After a rejected enquiry I use the media and make a move but Kilmarnock aren't giving in without a fight with discussions continuing as the season gets underway.

[Cougar2010]

Scotland

Raith Rovers

Pre-Season Friendlies (2019/20)

The AM sorts us out with five friendlies again this year. We start by welcoming a Serie A side to Scotland and finish playing host to the Greek champions. Inbetween we again visit Northern Ireland before playing two matches in England.

Raith Rovers (Premiership) 1-3 Sassuolo (Italian Serie A)

Goals: Barrett (82) ; Maxim (12), Larrivey (58), Poku (85)

MOTM: Ekdal (8.5) (Sassuolo)

First friendly and its a tough one with Sassuolo finishing 6th in Serie A for the last two seasons. I'm also not helped by fitness with a lot of players looking tired despite being back in training for nearly a week. Overall neither team really create much, a long shot see Maxim give them the lead from 30 yards while a snap shot from the edge of the box makes it two. Barrett gives us hope forcing in a wide freekick but Sassuolo add a third soon after. Not too bad, not too good, we struggled going forwards while despite the goals Sassuolo only created one clear chance & one half chance all match.

Loughgall (Northern Ireland Danske Bank Premiership) 0-1 Raith Rovers (Premiership)

Goals: Murray (20)

MOTM: Callachan (8.8)

Last year we scored six when we visited Northern Ireland, this year we didn't reach those heights but still managed a comfortable win. Loughgall defended deep and played aggressively which made for a tough start especially as most of the team were playing their first friendly of pre-season. When Murray found space in the box, Callachan picked him out to open the scoring and that seemed to take the sting out of Loughgall. We created several half chances and had plenty of shots but just never added to our lead as Loughgall managed just four shots in the match. The game served its purpose though as the squad gained fitness and I got a look at some trialists & youngsters in the second half.

Walsall (English League 1) 1-2 Raith Rovers (Premiership)

Goals: Humphrey (13) ; Adeyemo (11, 78)

MOTM: Adeyemo (8.8)

Walsall might be seen as the worse club but they probably pay similar wages to what we do so this should be a fairly even game. It ends up being a mix of some some good & some poor performances with complacency being an issue. Murray finds the run of Adeyemo to open the scoring before a mistake by Obileye sees Humphrey quickly equalise at the far post. Adeyemo wins the match late on but really its a long shot that should have been easily saved by the keeper. Overall possession was even, we had more shots and both sides create a few chances.

Salisbury (English Non-League) 0-5 Raith Rovers (Premiership)

Goals: Masson (26), O'Brien (30), Dingwall (45, 61), Duffy (71)

MOTM: O'Brien (9.3)

Really good performance from the second string as we record a confident win. We used a 352 formation which suited Oyebanjo on the right, McKenna looked good in the middle, Masson much better than last season, Jorbrant a solid first game in Raith colours and Dingwall proved to be a threat up front.

Raith Rovers (Premiership) 0-1 Olympiakos (Greek Superleague)

Goals: Agaliotis (76)

MOTM: Karisic (8.2) (Olympiakos)

Olympiakos are much the better team as you would expect. They have the better of possession and more shots but for much of the match create exactly the same as us – nothing. Late in a game a vicious shot is palmed away by Crowe into the path of Agaliotis to win the match. Overall they probably deserved the win but we gave them a game even if we didn't really ever threaten to score. The downside of the match was a broken toe for Adeyemo which will keep him out for a few months.

[Cougar2010]

Scotland

Raith Rovers

Preview 2019/20 Season

SUMMARY OF MAIN SQUAD

Its been a frustrating summer and the squad hasn't really changed since last season. We released Conroy & Thomson who were both surplus to requirements while swopping Saunders for Jorbrant on loan. I'm keeping the scouts busy and we may or may not make a breakthrough before this window shuts but at least we are in a position to move forward and look for bosmans later in the season.

No real change in the formations, last season we used 4132 a lot while I would like to make more use of the 352 leaving 442 as the 3rd option.

With Thomson leaving and Laidlaw also on the way out its time for a change of captain. John Egan is the clear choice while vice captain is between Danny Holmes & Scott Robinson, I opt for Danny Holmes.

Goalkeepers

Crowe had a solid first season for us last year and I'm looking for him to established himself as the preferred first choice this year. Home grown Ross Laidlaw continues as 2nd choice but he wants a new challenge which will probably see him leave when his contract ends next summer.

Ross Laidlaw (27yo Scottish GK)

Michael Crowe (23yo English GK)

Fullbacks

Virtually no change at fullback from the end of last season. McKeown & Kelleher compete on the left while its Holmes & Oyebanjo on the right. What we may see this season though is Kelleher play more on the right leaving Oyebanjo as 4th choice while McCroary can also cover DR now. Alternatively Robinson offers a more attacking threat if we play 352 while Barrett is a more defensive option.

Rory McKeown (26yo Northern Irish DL)

Fiacre Kelleher (23yo Irish DL/DR)

Danny Holmes (30yo English DR/DC) – Vice Captain

Lanre Oyebanjo (29yo Irish DR/DC)

Central Defence

Its as you were in defence with Egan, Barrett & Frempah competing to line up with Obileye.

Ben Frempah (24yo Ghanaian DC)

John Egan (26yo Irish DC) - Captain

Ayo Obileye (24yo English DC/DM)

Paddy Barrett (26yo Irish DC/DR, DM)

Central Midfield/Wingers

Again no change to last season. At DM its O'Brien backed up by McCroary but I'm still looking to add some more quality. Doughty & Duffy compete mainly for the MCL spot, Callachan is backed up by McKenna as the playmaker while Masson & Robinson compete for the MCR place. That leaves Ross Holt as a spare option although he may end up going out on loan.

Ross Callachan (25yo Scottish MC/MR)

Michael Doughty (26yo Welsh MC/MRL)

Thomas O'Brien (27yo Scottish DM/DC, MC)

Michael Duffy (25yo Northern Irish ML/MC)

Scott Robinson (27yo Scottish MC/MR)

Jamie Masson (26yo Scottish MRC)

Liam McCroary (22yo Scottish DM/MC, DR)

Steve McKenna (19yo Scottish MC/MR)

Ross Holt (18yo Scottish MC)

Forwards

Up front we swopped Saunders for another loan signing in the shape of Jorbant to compete with Adeyemo & Murray while Dingwall & Ross offer backup.

Simon Murray (27yo Scottish ST/AMR)

Ola Adeyemo (24yo Irish ST/AMRL)

Anton Jorbrant (20yo Swedish AMC/ST) – On Loan

Russell Dingwall (22yo Scottish ST/AMR)

Steven Ross (25yo Scottish ST)

The board announced their expectations for the season and I'm pleased to see they haven't let last seasons success go to their heads.

Scottish Premiership: Stay Clear of Automatic Relegation

Scottish Cup: 5th Round

Scottish League Cup: 3rd Round

EURO Cup: Be Competitive

Scottish Premiership Preview

Celtic are once again odds on favourites to retain the title while Dundee Utd & Rangers are seen as having the best hopes of causing an upset. St Mirren, Hibernian, Aberdeen & Hearts are expected to be stuck in mid-table with perhaps a European place on offer for one of them. At the bottom its Inverness CT who are expected to be battling with Motherwell against relegation while ourselves, Championship winners Falkirk & Partick Thistle could get dragged into it.

The media think we'll finish 10th which is a slight surprise given we claimed 4th last year. Overall I'm looking for a mid-table place but we should at least avoid relegation.

[BadManager]

Its been a long time since I've been on these boards. And I'm really enjoying this career. That first season in the top flight was pretty special considering what was expected.

Looking forward to how you go balancing the league and the unexpected foray into Europe.

[HeresdaKicker]

This has been a pleasure to follow. KUTGW, mate!

[Cougar2010]

Its been a long time since I've been on these boards. And I'm really enjoying this career. That first season in the top flight was pretty special considering what was expected.

Looking forward to how you go balancing the league and the unexpected foray into Europe.

This has been a pleasure to follow. KUTGW, mate!

Cheers for the comments guys, stay tuned plenty of interest to come

[Cougar2010]

Scotland

Raith Rovers

August 2019

Injury News

We start the season with two injuries:

Liam McCroary (DM/MC) – Recovering from strained knee ligaments, 3/5 weeks left.

Ola Adeyemo (ST) – Recovering from a broken toe, 2/3 months left.

Transfer News

I get the feeling I've overpaid but I finally agree terms with Kilmarnock:

Jamie Hamill (33yo Scottish DM/DR, MC) – Signed from Kilmarnock (Championship) for £40k

Started in the Kilmarnock youth academy and has been there his entire career aside for three years at Hearts. An experienced DM with over 350 league appearances at Premiership & Championship level. A hard working & determined team player who should be able to compete with O'Brien for the starting role.

Thursday 1st August 2019 – EURO Cup (Third Qualifying Round, 1st Leg)

Club Brugge (Belgium) 0-0 Raith Rovers (Scotland)

Goals:

MOTM: Tadic (7.6) (Club Brugge)

Milestone: Anton Jorbrant – Debut for Raith Rovers

Club Brugge are the bigger side but not by that much, probably on a par with the likes of Rangers or Dundee Utd so we have a chance. They set out with a very attacking 4231 formation but we look the more dangerous early on with new loan signing Jorbrant heavily involved. First he sees a good chance skim the bar before creating a better one for Duffy who pulls his shot past the near post. We seem to have missed our chance as Club Brugge come more into the match but a couple of half chances is the best they can muster until a scramble in our box sees Crowe pull off a top class double save. Late in the game Murray sees a good chance pushed wide as both sides have to settle for a no score draw. The team played fairly well but our lack of an away goal could really cost us, Duffy's effort in particular should have been put away.

Match Injury

Russell Dingwall (ST) – Out for 5 weeks with a twisted ankle

Club News

Our success last season has seen our season ticket sales again increase, this time from 2,503 to 2,754. This puts us 11th in the league with only Inverness CT selling less but we aren't too far behind St Mirren, Partick & Falkirk.

Sunday 4th August 2019 – Scottish Premiership (1/38)

Inverness CT 0-1 Raith Rovers

Goals: Murray (69)

MOTM: Kelleher (8.2)

Milestone: Jamie Hamill – Debut for Raith Rovers

Away to the team thats favourites to be relegated is not an ideal way to start the season when you've just come back from a European game in Belgium. Its virtually a second string team that takes to the field with several of them still building match fitness but they cope fairly well early on. We aren't great but we defend well and offer a threat coming forward. Kelleher stands out all match and provides the key pass when he cuts back onto his right foot, firing a cross to the far post which is met by Murray to direct in the only clear chance of the match. What started looking like a dodgy match worked out for us as we start with a win.

Thursday 8th August 2019 - EURO Cup (Third Qualifying Round, 2nd Leg)

Raith Rovers (Scotland) 2-2 agg 2-2 Club Brugge (Belgium)

Club Brugge win on away goals

Goals: Murray (39), Robinson (62) ; Perez (23), Spalvis (52)

MOTM: Perez (8.6) (Club Brugge)

Attendance: 5,597

We need to win but its clear from the off that the team are off their game as we spend far too much time chasing Brugge around. We defend fairly well but Perez gives them the lead when the ball is layed off to him on the edge of the box. I tweak the tactics and try to fire the team up, it partially works with Murray equalising. A kick up the butt at halftime doesn't help and a good passing move sees Spalvis free at the far post to restore the lead. The team respond with Holmes crossing for Robinson to direct in and we finish the stronger as we push for a winner. It doesn't come though as we crash out on away goals.

Wednesday 14th August 2019 – Scottish Premiership (2/38)

Partick Thistle (8th) 2-1 Raith Rovers (7th)

Goals: Doolan (26), Wylde (56) ; Doughty (32)

MOTM: Lawless (9.0) (Partick Thistle)

For the second game in a row the team look off their game as they let Partick Thistle take control. After hitting the woodwork a couple of times Doolan finally puts them in front before Doughty curls in a freekick to equalise. Wylde restores a deserved lead in the second half as we look second best all match. Really not happy with the performance as fines are handed out and I make a note to put more effort into transfers.

Saturday 17th August 2019 – Scottish Premiership (3/38)

Raith Rovers (8th) 2-0 Falkirk (3rd)

Goals: Jorbrant (78), Murray (84)

MOTM: Murray (9.0)

Attendance: 8,157

Milestone: Anton Jorbrant - 1st Goal for Raith Rovers

After two poor games the team look more up for this match and try to take the game to Falkirk. We struggle in the first half though, partly as a result of Falkirk's narrow attacking formation and partly because we only have two fit strikers one of which is Ross who partners Murray up front. For all their shots Falkirk just create one chance of note when a freekick hits the bar with the follow up put wide of the near post. We make inroads in the second half as Masson leads the fight with a vicious shot from the edge of the box before having a penalty shout turned down when he turns a defender. With players looking tired I freshen it up late on with Jorbrant returning from scoring twice for Sweden U21s and he shows why he is highly rated when Murray plays him in. Falkirk are reeling and when Holmes challenges their DL for a goal kick the ball falls loose. Murray is first to react driving into the box and slotting past the keeper to seal a good win.

Match Injury

Rory McKeown (DL) – Out for 2/3 weeks with a damaged elbow.

Wednesday 21st August 2019 – Scottish Premiership (4/38)

Raith Rovers (4th) 1-2 Dundee Utd (9th)

Goals: Murray (23) ; Morris (57), Telfer (pen 90)

MOTM: Holmes (7.5)

Attendance: 7,666

Dundee Utd seem to have abandoned their successful narrow diamond 442 for a wider 4141 which works for us in the first half as we match them. Da Silva is more than a handful for us up front but on his own we cope with a few vicious long shots the most Crowe has to deal with. Slightly against the run of play Holmes makes the goal when he steps past the fullback before sliding the ball into Murray who has dropped off his marker to fire in. Dundee Utd return to the narrow diamond in the second half and we get stretched at the back as we defend our lead. A long throw sees Da Silva flick on for Morris to score their only clear chance of the match and they keep the pressure on. They finish much the stronger without really creating anything of note until in injury time a near post cross is easily picked up by Crowe but off the ball Barrett is judged to have fouled a player which is a real kick in the teeth as Telfer buries the penalty to win the game.

Transfer News

The Partick game convinced me I needed to look further into transfers and cull those who are not good enough. Oyebanjo was one of those targets at DR and the scouts had been busy. I had missed out on a couple of decent looking players while a couple of others were out of my price range. Every time I looked though one name kept cropping up, he never really had anything about him that said sign me but I also struggled to find a reason not to. Age, wages, transfer fee, attributes and mentality are all good but not great. However he is better than Oyebanjo and after some back & forth I agree a deal which breaks the clubs transfer record:

Matthew Pennington (24yo English DRC) – Signed from Colchester Utd (English League 2) for £275k

A product of the Everton youth academy and although he had successful loan spells at both Tranmere & Port Vale they chose to let him go. Colchester picked him up for free and he has been virtually an ever present for the last four years. Plenty of experience, looks fairly consistent and more defensive than Oyebanjo. In fact he seems very similar to Holmes in that regard and should compete well with him for the DR role.

I don't stop there though and my next signing is a big one. Not initially in the free agent list he left his last club later into July and the scouts thought his wage demands would be very high. With no takers for him I offered him a trial after the Partick game and he accepted. We talked terms and his demands were fairly reasonable. It still makes him the highest paid player on the team but not by that much (£12.5k vs £10k) and the only bad concession was that I had to agree to a minimum fee release clause of £130k. Did I mention he was a Scottish international defender with 16 caps?

Grant Hanley (27yo Scottish DC/DR) – Unattached

Started his career at Blackburn Rovers and made 125 appearances for them before losing his place when they were promoted to the Premier League. A successful loan spell at Hearts followed before Derby County (English Championship) signed him for £160k two years ago. The first season went fairly well but last year was a disaster for him on the pitch before he eventually left. Big, strong, determined & hard working, just what I want from a DC and hopefully we can get his career back on track. Off the pitch he can be a bit volatile and you certainly wouldn't want to meet him down a dark alley.

Saturday 24th August 2019 – Scottish Premiership (5/38)

Raith Rovers (6th) 0-2 Rangers (1st)

Goals: Golla (32), McCabe (45)

MOTM: Golla (8.0)

Attendance: 7,431

Milestone: Grant Hanley – Debut for Raith Rovers

Milestone: Matthew Pennington – Debut for Raith Rovers

Its a fairly even game but Rangers produce the better quality and look the bigger threat. They create what looks like a certain goal only for Crowe to produce a good one handed save pushing the ball round the post. The danger hasn't past though as Grolla heads in the resulting corner to give Rangers the lead. Another set piece gives us a mountain to climb when a freekick comes back off the bar with McCabe tapping in just before the break. We push on in the second half and create a few chances. The best sees both Jorbrant & Murray both have good chances saved as we slip to defeat.

Match Injury

Anton Jorbrant (ST) – Out for about a week with whiplash.

Scottish League Cup 3rd Round Draw

All the teams left in are from the Championship or Premiership so no easy games. We get drawn away to Championship side, Dundee.

Saturday 31st August 2019 – Scottish Premiership (6/38)

Hearts (11th) 0-1 Raith Rovers (7th)

Goals: Ross (pen 29)

MOTM: Kelleher (7.6)

Two teams struggling for form and it shows on the pitch. Hearts try to work the ball around while we threaten from set pieces. Duffy & Kelleher look the most dangerous for us and they combine down the left with Duffy feeding the run of Kelleher, he goes down in the box winning a soft penalty which Ross converts. The second half sees Murray carried off which leaves us with a 5th choice ST and an out of position Duffy playing up front. Its no surprise we don't add to our lead but at the back we looked fairly solid seeing out the match to claim important points.

[Cougar2010]

Scotland

Raith Rovers

September 2019

Transfer News

Deadline day starts with an offer from Dundee for Liam McCroary. It isn't a great offer but he is really surplus to requirements now. He simply isn't good enough for this level and with no real improvement in the last two or three seasons my staff feel he has reached his limit. It makes sense all round to let him go with less than a year left on his contract:

Liam McCroary (22yo Scottish DM/DR, MC) – Sold to Dundee (Championship) for £7.5k

Time at Raith Rovers: 7 seasons, Appearances: 92, Goals: 0, Assists: 2

Transfer Window Roundup

There was slightly more money thrown around this season but notably every club brought in more than they spent except for two. We were one as we splashed out £275k on Matthew Pennington while Rangers were the other bringing in Dominik Livakovic (24yo Croatian GK from Legia Warsaw) for £1.8m & Wojciech Golla (27yo Polish DM, MC from Pogon) for £1.2m.

Its no surprise Celtic were involved in several big money transfers funded mainly by the sale of 27yo Bulgarian International DC Georgi Terziev to Shakhtar (Ukraine) for £9.5m but they also sold Leigh Griffiths (29yo Scottish ST) to St Mirren for £600k. Incoming were Mateusz Wieteska (22yo Polish DC from Legia Warsaw) for £3.5m, Jason Cummings (24yo Scottish ST from Hibernian) for £2.1m, Blair Spittal (23yo Scottish AMR from Dundee Utd) for £950k & Aissa Mandi (27yo Algerian DR from Juventus) for £800k.

Hibernian were also very active having already made £2.1m from Celtic they also sold Andrea Conti (25yo Italian DR) to Chievo for £1.1m. With money to burn they brought in Calum Ferguson (24yo Canadian ST) from Inverness CT for £875k before raiding St Mirren for three players – Scott Bain (27yo Scottish GK) for £850k, Jack Grimmer (25yo Scottish DR) for £425k & Jack Leitch (24yo Scottish DM, MC) for £275k.

Training Injury

Scott Robinson (MRC) – Out for about 10 days with a bruised thigh

Saturday 7th September 2019 – Friendly

Raith Rovers (Premiership) 1-1 KV Mechelen (Belgium Pro League)

Goals: Ross (80) ; Rits (86)

MOTM: Rits (8.3) (KV Mechelen)

Attendance: 1,741

With injuries clearing up and match fitness needed I arrange a friendly during the International break. Mechelen bring an odd 3232 formation which causes us some issues but we generally cope well with Mechelen creating very little despite edging possession and having more shots. The second half sees a good chance blocked for each side before Ross looks to have won the match when Pennington picks him out in the box. Rits grabs what is probably a deserved equaliser for them though when he finds a little space in the box to curl a shot in off the inside of the far post.

Saturday 14th September 2019 – Scottish Premiership (7/38)

Motherwell (12th) 1-5 Raith Rovers (6th)

Goals: Villar (24) ; Murray (7, 84), Doughty (19), Masson (34), Jorbrant (51)

MOTM: Murray (9.2)

We are virtually back to full strength with just Adeyemo missing as we travel to bottom of the table Motherwell. We get a good start when a Holmes cross sees Murray flick a header, it looks like the keeper should easily hold it but it clears his fingertips before dropping under the crossbar. McKeown then turns hero & villian first finding Doughty who drills in a second before a backpass sells Crowe short leaving Villar to pull one back. Jorbrant creates a third for us before the break when he drives into the channel before cutting back for Masson to fire in while after he gets on the end of a Holmes cross. We somehow have four goals despite not really creating any chances and Murray caps off a fine win when he directs in yet another Holmes cross.

Transfer News

With the arrival of Hanley & Pennington it means Frempah & Oyebanjo are surplus to requirements. I tried to palm them off during the transfer window but there were no takers and both are now starting to whine a little. With both of them having less than a year on their contracts I decide to cut my losses before they start causing trouble and release them.

Ben Frempah (24yo Ghanaian DC) – Released on a free (Cost £25k)

Time at Raith Rovers: 3 seasons, Appearances: 79, Goals: 3, Assists: 2

Lanre Oyebanjo (29yo Irish DR/DC) – Released on a free (Cost £30k)

Time at Raith Rovers: 2 seasons, Appearances: 48, Goals: 0, Assists: 10

U20 Match Injury

Russell Dingwall (ST) – Out for about 10 days with a stubbed toe.

Wednesday 25th September 2019 - Scottish League Cup (3rd Round)

Dundee (Championship) 0-1aet Raith Rovers (Premiership)

Goals: Jorbrant (96)

MOTM: Barrett (7.7)

Despite being at home Dundee line up in a defensive 4141 and play keep ball initially. This leads to a dull half as we cope easily with a lone striker while when we do get the ball they have 10 men behind the ball. It gets worse in the second half when Dundee change to a really defensive 3421 (3*DC, WBL, DM, DM, WBR, MC, MC, ST). We at least manage more shots but our only half chance is when a corner leads to Callachan trying to drill a shot through a crowd. With the match heading to extra time Dundee seem to be playing for penalties but we get rewarded when Kelleher cuts back onto his right foot before picking out Jorbrant who heads in which is enough to book a spot in the quarter finals.

League Cup Quarter Final Draw

Eight Premiership teams go into the hat and we could have done better as we get drawn away to Dundee Utd.

Monday 30th September 2019 – Scottish Premiership (8/38)

Raith Rovers (8th) 2-0 St Mirren (7th)

Goals: Callachan (45), Kelleher (77)

MOTM: Obileye (7.9)

Attendance: 6,363

Milestone: Ola Adeyemo - 150th Career League Appearance (100th for Raith Rovers)

Adeyemo is back from the broken toe he suffered in pre-season and despite being unfit he doesn't look out of place. A defensive St Mirren make it difficult for us with the best efforts coming from set pieces as Holmes sees a shot from a long throw blocked by the man on the post while O'Brien has a header from a corner saved. Just before the break Murray rescues an overhit cross before laying the ball off for Callachan to drill in a low shot. St Mirren open up in the second half as they look for the equaliser but this just gives us more space to work in and we look the more dangerous. A bad tackle sees Adeyemo carried off and he is replaced by Jorbrant who feeds a rampaging Kelleher down the left to seal the win.

Awards

A good month for us and that is shown in the awards. I come 2nd in the “Manager of the Month”, Jorbrant wins the “Young Player of the Month” while the “Player of the Month” sees Murray finish 2nd & Holmes 3rd.

[Nobby_McDonald]

Good effort coming fourth.

[Cougar2010]

Scotland

Raith Rovers

October 2019

Training Injuries

John Egan (DC) – Out for 3 weeks with a chest injury.

Steven Ross (ST) – Out for 2 months with a double hernia.

Matthew Pennington (DRC) – Sent home with flu for about a week.

Saturday 5th October 2019 – Scottish Premiership (9/38)

Hibernian (3rd) 4-2 Raith Rovers (5th)

Goals: McGregor (5), Ferguson (21, 37), Crea (81) ; Duffy (pen 29), McKeown (84)

MOTM: Ferguson (8.8) (Hibernian)

We are well outclassed early on as we struggle to get out of our own 18 yard box never mind our own half. Despite that we defend well and I'm disappointed to concede a low shot from just outside the box. It gets worse when a good through ball sees Ferguson slot inside the far post but at least this means they sit back a little more. We finally get some possession and we grab one back when Masson is bundled over protecting the ball in the box. Ferguson restores a comfortable lead though with another shot from outside the box. We switch to 352 in the second half which pays some dividends as the game opens up as we create a handful of chances but then so do Hibernian at the other end. Late in the game another long shot flies in from Crea before McKeown curls in a direct freekick. Tough to know what to say, on stats we matched Hibernian and deserved the draw but then neither side took the good chances they created. I also get the feeling Hibernian could have upped their game if needed to the level we saw in the first 20 mins.

Youth News

Despite several youth players showing potential we've not had much success in improving them. The likes of Hodge, Malpas & McCann all showed potential but ended up being released in the summer while Young, Holt, Crawford, Keenan & Watson seem to be going the same way. McKenna is the only youth player that has made the breakthrough and is on the fringe of the first team which is mainly due to his exceptional vision & passing ability.

I have to consider that my staff have done a poor job of rating the talent but its easy to see that the size of the youth team isn't helping. I would normally wait until the end of their contracts before releasing them but with 59 U20s contracted to the club I decide to be more proactive and release some now. Ten that have contracts ending next May are certainly no hopers and are released at a overall cost of £10k.

Saturday 12th October 2019 – Friendly

Aalst (Belgium Pro League) 2-1 Raith Rovers (Scottish Premiership)

Goals: Endlicher (12, pen 55) ; Dingwall (2)

MOTM: Endlicher (8.8) (Aalst)

Another international break and I again arrange a friendly to keep match fitness up. There are several fringe players in the team and we take an early lead when Dingwall finds the net from the edge of the box. Endlicher responds for Aalst with a similar shot and an even match is decided in the second half when Hanley bundles over a player on the edge of box.

Saturday 19th October 2019 - Scottish Premiership (10/38)

Raith Rovers (6th) 0-0 Celtic (1st)

Goals:

MOTM: Obileye (7.5)

Attendance: 7,122

With Celtic lining up 442 I decide to stick with the 352 I used in the friendly as I look to restrict them in the middle while the fullbacks try to push the wingers back. Early on it looks like we are in for a tough day at the office as Celtic dominate coming close when Crowe pushes a freekick wide with the follow up hitting the outside of the post from a narrow angle. I tweak the tactics to encourage the team to keep possession more and it works as we come into the game. Both sides have chances as a mix of goalkeepers and last ditch tackles keep the game scoreless. Celtic switch to a true 433 midway through the second half which again initially causes us problems as we look stretched but we soon adapt and see out the match for a good & well deserved point.

Staff News

I've been working with five scouts so far, three of them on non-contract terms but they all got full time contracts in the summer. A few months down the line I'm still struggling to get all the scouting done so two more join us. The first is ex Irish international Steve Staunton who only had a couple of months left on his contract with St Pats Athletic (Ireland) where he had been Chief Scout for the past four years. The second is 34yo Scotsman Ross Wallace who was in the last year of his contract with Championship side St Johnstone.

Tuesday 29th October 2019 – Scottish League Cup (Quarter Final)

Dundee Utd (Premiership) 2-1 Raith Rovers (Premiership)

Goals: Dow (64), Telfer (pen 83) ; Adeyemo (53)

MOTM: Dow (7.7) (Dundee Utd)

With Dundee Utd again starting with their wide 4141 I stick with the 352 which works to some extent in the first half with both defences on top. With just three shots each the match turns early in the second half as Hanley sees red as he chops down an opposition player and Dundee Utd switch to their narrow diamond. Despite being down to ten we grab a goal when Doughty picks out Adeyemo's run into the channel which sees him break his goal drought scoring his first of the season. The pressure of being a man down vs a narrow formation tells though as Dow equalises and as heads drop Dundee Utd take control of the match. I'm not really looking forward to extra time but I'm also not happy when the referee gives a controversial penalty as Hamill makes a tackle in the box

.

[Cougar2010]

Scotland

Raith Rovers

November 2019

Saturday 2nd November 2019 – Scottish Premiership (11/38)

Dundee Utd (5th) 0-0 Raith Rovers (6th)

Goals:

MOTM: Dixon (7.9) (Dundee Utd)

Four days later we are back in Dundee and both sides have rotated their lineups. Its still 4141 vs our 352 in the first half though but there is far more attacking than the cup game. Despite this both teams struggle to create chances. Once again Dundee Utd switch to their narrow diamond in the second half and this time I also switch to 4132. It doesn't work for us though as Dundee Utd are the better team in the second half and they create a couple of good chances. The first sees Crowe push away a freekick before getting up to save the rebound and the second he tips round the post as we hold on for a point.

Scottish Cup 4th Round Draw

The draw certainly could have been kinder as we are away to local rivals, Dunfermline Athletic (Championship).

Wednesday 6th November 2019 – Scottish Premiership (12/38)

Raith Rovers (6th) 1-3 Inverness CT (11th)

Goals: Jorbrant (49) ; Christie (12), McAusland (57), Lindsay (76)

MOTM: Lindsay (8.8) (Inverness CT)

Attendance: 5,698

This should be a match we are winning but we are on the backfoot early once Crowe palms a strong shot into the path of Christie. Complacency seems to be an issue as the team just don't look interested in closing down Inverness CT. I give them a kick at the break and they seem to respond when Holmes crosses for the late arriving Jorbrant but we soon end up behind again in similar circumstances. This time Crowe saves a freekick only to see McAusland slot in the rebound. I try to lift then again but Lindsay adds a third on the break as we slip to defeat with a terrible performance.

Saturday 9th November 2019 - Scottish Premiership (13/38)

Raith Rovers (6th) 1-0 Partick Thistle (8th)

Goals: Callachan (90)

MOTM: Callachan (7.2)

Attendance: 5,752

We've played some decent football recently but the truth is we haven't won for four games in the league. A team meeting followed by some tactical tweaks sees us lineup 352 with Doughty in a supporting playmaker role rather than the attacking one I normally use, this releases Robinson at MCR to be more attacking and drive forward which suits his style of play. The approach works to some degree as we dominate possession but we still struggle to create chances. While Partick don't manage a shot in the first half our only real chance falls to Adeyemo when he makes a run inside but his first time shot is comfortably saved. The second half sees Partick offer more threat as they switch to 442 and we end up defending a lot. A triple substitution with 20 mins to go shakes up the game and puts us back in control as Kelleher, Callachan & Jorbrant give us extra energy. Callachan isn't afraid to try a few long shots while Jorbrant gives us a spark up front. He turns his marker before seeing one good chance tipped wide while a run into the channel sees another saved from a narrow angle. With time running out its looking like another draw for us until a late throw sees Pennington & Robinson combine to lay the ball off to a late arriving Callachan on the edge of the box and with space in front of him he drills the ball wide of the keeper to seal a much needed win.

Saturday 16th November 2019 – Friendly

Old Boys (Swiss Promotion League) 1-1 Raith Rovers (Scottish Premiership)

Goals: Lemaire (67) ; Adeyemo (47)

MOTM: Lemaire (8.2) (Old Boys)

Another international break and I arrange another friendly with just three players away. I did hope to use a few of the U20s but it turns out they are still tired from their midweek game. It should be an easy win although both Adeyemo & Murray have been struggling up front the last couple of months. We dominate possession and create a few chances but it takes a long ball from Barrett to break the deadlock when Adeyemo beats the keeper to the ball stepping past him to slot into an empty net. That looks to be that but a direct freekick from Lemaire sees Laidlaw get a hand to it but can't keep it out as its another disappointing performance.

Saturday 23rd November 2019 – Scottish Premiership (14/38)

Falkirk (7th) 0-2 Raith Rovers (5th)

Goals: Adeyemo (34), Holmes (85)

MOTM: McKeown (8.3)

Milestone: Danny Holmes - 1st Goal for Raith Rovers

I'm not sure how to deal with Falkirk's 4321 narrow formation but in the end I choose to go 352 which seems to work to some extent. We limit Falkirk to a lot of long shots and eventually after some tweaks we look dangerous ourselves. We should have taken the lead when a McKeown freekick stings the GK's gloves but he manages to push it wide enough to make the follow up difficult for Robinson. We do open the scoring though when McKeown plays a ball into the near post, the defender looks favourite but Adeyemo stretches a leg out to force the ball in. Falkirk create virtually nothing all game as they have far too many long shots when they should have took more time but I'm not complaining. We seem to be heading for a steady win when Holmes mishits a cross which flies in to seal the points.

Saturday 30th November 2019 – Scottish Cup (4th Round)

Dunfermline Athletic (Championship) 1-4 Raith Rovers (Premiership)

Goals: Bryson (9) ; O'Brien (2), Callachan (7), Adeyemo (23), Rogers (og 29)

MOTM: O'Brien (8.8)

We make a great start to the derby when a corner is cleared only for O'Brien to hit the sweetest volley of his career from 25 yards. It really was a stunning strike and its soon two when Callachan arrives late in the box. Bryson pulls one back heading in a corner but thats as far as it goes as we take control. Adeyemo had already hit the post once before a Barrett header from a corner falls at his feet for him to stab in. He hits the woodwork again from a Kelleher cross and this time the ball rebounds in off the keeper. Holmes also rattles the woodwork with a header before the break as an all action half comes to an end. The second half is much quieter with Dunfermline rarely threatening as we book our spot in the 5th Round.

Awards

On loan Anton Jorbrant has had a decent month and is rewarded with 2nd in the “Young Player of the Month”.

[deltablue]

Looks pretty exciting near the top.

[Cougar2010]

Scotland

Raith Rovers

December 2019

Scottish Cup 5th Round Draw

Its another tough draw but at least we are at home as we get Rangers.

Wednesday 4th December 2019 – Scottish Premiership (15/38)

Raith Rovers (5th) 2-1 Aberdeen (10th)

Goals: McKeown (53), Murray (59) ; Fyvie (48)

MOTM: Doughty (7.9)

Attendance: 6,316

Aberdeen set out with a counter attacking 42121 with two DMs which proves hard to break down but we stifle their counter attacks with the wingbacks coping well with the wide threat. We create chances in the first half but these are mostly blocked by several last ditch tackles. Murray comes the closest with a volley that hits the post but its level at the break. Aberdeen switch to 442 in the second half which I think should suit us better as the match opens up but its Aberdeen that open the scoring when Crowe can only palm away a vicious shot on the angle with Fyvie slotting in the rebound. A good passing move sees us equalise as Doughty provides a reverse ball for the run of McKeown although I'm convinced its a heavy first touch and not a shot which takes the ball past the keeper. Soon after we have the lead with an old combo as Holmes crosses for Murray to finally break his goal drought which dates back to mid September. The final stages are end to end but we hold on for another win.

Saturday 7th December 2019 – Scottish Premiership (16/38)

Raith Rovers (4th) 1-1 Hearts (8th)

Goals: Obileye (82) ; Stokes (29)

MOTM: Crowe (8.3)

Attendance: 7,668

Hearts again bring their narrow 41311 formation and I again choose to stick with the wingbacks formation that has won us our last four matches. Barrett hasn't been great recently in a three man defence so I give Pennington a chance although the main issue is who plays at DCL with both Obileye & Hanley both preferring right or centre. We make a positive start and create a couple of half chances but as the match settles Hearts play keep ball which leads to frustration in the team. Their patience pays off though as the ball is slipped between Pennington & Obileye for Stokes to finish off what ends up being their only chance of the match. I tweak for the second half with Hanley & Pennington switching in defence as we go looking for the equaliser. Subs again prove to be the turning point as Robinson replacing the more defensive Holmes at WBR while Duffy replaces Doughty. Their more direct running puts Hearts under pressure which leads to several shots and set pieces. A corner gives us the equaliser when O'Brien heads back into the crowd for Obileye to force in. We push hard for a winner in the final stages with Duffy & Callachan coming the closest seeing angled shots saved. I'm a little surprised to see Crowe named MOTM, Hearts only had three shots on target and their chance went in. He didn't do anything particularly wrong but nothing really great either.

Saturday 14th December 2019 - Scottish Premiership (17/38)

Raith Rovers (4th) 3-0 Motherwell (12th)

Goals: Jorbrant (14), Adeyemo (42), Holmes (45)

MOTM: Adeyemo (8.0)

Attendance: 6,698

Milestone: Michael Duffy - 150th Career League Appearance

Motherwell set out the same as Hearts and I stick with the 352, possibly against my better judgement. Kelleher should have given us an early lead when a loose ball falls to him on the edge of the box, he steps inside the fullback and suddenly finds himself one-on-one with the keeper which seems to surprise him as his shot goes wide. Jorbrant rattles the bar with a shot before opening the scoring by volleying in an Adeyemo cross. Holmes also hits the woodwork before Adeyemo adds a second and there is still time for Holmes to head in a corner before the break. Its a steady second half as Motherwell threaten more but with just the one chance created we are comfortable winners.

Player News

Jamie Masson comes to me about his lack of first team football. He was disappointing last season and while I gave him a good chance at the start of this one he has rather lost his place since we switched to 352. A decent but unspectacular squad player, we can live without him and if he left it would offer more chances to the likes of McKenna who needs gametime.

Wednesday 18th December 2019 – Scottish Premiership (18/38)

Rangers (2nd) 0-1 Raith Rovers (4th)

Goals: Jorbrant (24)

MOTM: Pennington (7.5)

Rangers set out with a narrow diamond that I was used to seeing from Dundee Utd so its a switch to the 4132 although I do tweak it slightly to make it more attacking. Rangers control possession but its a midfield battle with chances hard to come by. One clear chance from each side is saved before a bit of individual magic from Jorbrant sees him turn his marker and drive into the box only to see his shot go wide. We do take the lead though when McKenna steps past a defender before drilling a cross come shot to the far post where he finds Jorbrant arriving late. Thats more or less the end of the chances as both teams return to the midfield battleground for possession. We win a soft penalty in the second half that Callachan puts wide but still hold on for a good win.

Monday 23rd December 2019 – Scottish Premiership (19/38)

Aberdeen (10th) 3-1 Raith Rovers (4th)

Goals: Fyvie (29), Rooney (48, 68) ; Murray (89)

MOTM: Rooney (9.0)

An even start sees Fyvie break the deadlock with a direct freekick. With no chances being created and the team looking half asleep I read the riot act during the break but it doesn't help as Aberdeen create two chances in the second half that Rooney clinically finishes before Murray grabs a consolation when Hanley flicks on a freekick. A really poor performance with several players not turning up.

Thursday 26th December 2019 – Scottish Premiership (20/38)

St Mirren (3rd) 3-2 Raith Rovers (4th)

Goals: Russell (49), Griffiths (pen 68, 73) ; Jorbrant (17), Murray (20)

MOTM: Griffiths (8.8) (St Mirren)

I'm expecting a tough match but we make a good start with two goals. First a long clearance from Robinson sees Jorbrant muscle the defender out of the way before slotting in and then a cross for Jorbrant falls to Murray whose shot flies in via a deflection. With the lead we look comfortable but there is a hint of complacency and I focus the players during the break. It doesn't help as Russell scores a deflected effort of him own early in the second half but the turning point is when Barrett gives away a soft penalty when he slips challenging for a cross. Griffiths tucks it away before a quick break shortly after sees Griffiths place into the far corner to steal the points. We really shouldn't have thrown a two goal lead away and deserved at least a draw from the match.

Awards

Fiacre Kelleher comes 2nd in the “Irish Young Player of the Year”

On loan Anton Jorbrant is named the “Young Player of the Month” while I'm 3rd in the “Manager of the Month”

[Cougar2010]

Scotland

Raith Rovers

January 2020

Manager News

I complete my National B Licence and immediately set about on my National A Licence.

Wednesday 1st January 2020 – Scottish Premiership (21/38)

Celtic (3rd) 2-1 Raith Rovers (4th)

Goals: Hemed (20, pen 80) ; Adeyemo (55)

MOTM: Hemed (8.6) (Celtic)

I know we are in for a tough game but the team seem to lack desire & motivation in the early stages as they let Celtic control the match. Even with some tweaks they are slow to close down and it costs us when McKeown is second best to a 50/50 ball which sees the winger step past him before picking out Hemed at the far post. I do my best to motivate them during the break and its Callachan who carries the fight creating the equaliser after a Jorbrant shot is blocked. The goal seems to motivate a few more and we match Celtic for much of the game. With both sides pushing for a winner Celtic get some luck when Obileye stretches to intercept a through ball bringing down the striker for a soft penalty. We press on and Jorbrant should have equalised late on when he bursts past his marker but in the end its three defeats in a row.

Transfer News

The mid season transfer window opens and I'm looking to be more active than last year. There isn't any real interest in any of our players but I'm trying to move Masson on. I've offered him out with both Motherwell & Falkirk showing interest but they haven't got the wage budget available at the moment. I'm also still trying to find a loan deal for young midfielder Ross Holt while our other young midfield star Steve McKenna wants to go on loan and I'm torn between letting him go or giving him more game time here.

In terms of purchases I'm looking to strengthen the defence, Egan & Barrett are struggling a bit at this level, Hanley has done ok since joining but nothing more while Pennington & Holmes are better at WBR rather than DCR when we play 352. Up front Adeyemo, Murray & Jorbrant have all struggled for goals a little so far but I'm hoping better form is just around the corner.

First stop is to look at players who have contracts expiring in the summer for possible bosman deals. There are one or two that might be ok but nothing that really excites me, by the time you discount the older players and those whose wage demands will be far too high it doesn't leave much. Wage demands are also a problem for transfers with plenty of good players on my shortlist but most want at least £25k+ a month which we simply can't afford.

With the scouts busy I do make an enquiry to Bradford City (English League 1) for 28yo English DC, Scott Wootton. They bought him from Plymouth last January and since then he has been very impressive. The scouts thought he might be available for around £400-£500k with reasonable wages but Bradford respond with £1.25m. I know they are trying to put me off and for now I bide my time as I look at others options.

Sunday 12th January 2020 – Friendly

Raith Rovers (Scottish Premiership) 3-1 Ludogorets (Bulgarian A Group)

Goals: Hamill (43), McCulloch (59, 61) ; Conneh (11)

MOTM: McCulloch (8.8)

Attendance: 1,705

For some reason we have a massive gap in our schedule so I book another friendly. This time it is a mix of fringe and U20 players as McKenna starts in midfield, Young at WBR and 17yo Ryan McCulloch up front with Ross. Given the team we put out its no surprise Ludogorets are the better team and take the lead through Conneh. Its not like we are constantly defending though and just before the break a game of head tennis from a corner ends with the ball falling to Hamill who puts his boot through it to equalise. The second half follows the same trend with Ludogorets being the better team without really creating much while young striker McCulloch scores a quickfire brace as he twice turns his marker before firing in.

Match Injury

Steve McKenna (MC) – Out for 4/5 weeks with a pulled hamstring.

Transfer News

Our GK Michael Crowe is attracting interest. English sides Man City, Newcastle Utd & Southampton are taking a look but the problem is Aberdeen who are showing major interest in him. We finished above them last season and look like doing the same this year but Crowe sees them as the bigger club. He has a buy out clause in his contract which is £675k which they may or may not offer but if they do its looking like I'll have to let him go.

Illness

Fiacre Kelleher (DRL) – Sent home with a cold for a few days.

Sunday 19th January 2020 - Scottish Premiership (22/38)

Raith Rovers (5th) 0-2 Hibernian (6th)

Goals: Garufi (pen 6), Ferguson (16)

MOTM: Ferguson (8.5) (Hibernian)

Attendance: 6,810

We get off to a terrible start when the referee gives a controversial penalty against Holmes and it gets worse when Ferguson slots in a second. We never look like getting back into the match as its now four defeats in a row.

U20 Match Injury

Russell Dingwall (ST) – Out for 3/4 weeks with a twisted knee.

Wednesday 22nd January 2020 – Scottish Premiership (23/38)

Inverness CT (11th) 2-2 Raith Rovers (6th)

Goals: Draper (1), Ryan (7) ; Murray (54), Jorbrant (90)

MOTM: Draper (9.0) (Inverness CT)

Usually I would be looking for a win here but after four defeats I'm not looking forward to an away trip to a team battling relegation. Just like the Hibs game we get zero luck early on as their first attack sees their first corner and from it a deflected Draper shot sees Crowe diving the wrong way. Its soon two when a nothing shot from Ryan somehow slips past Crowe as we once again find ourselves fighting an uphill battle despite playing fairly well. We have the better of possession in the first half but a more direct game from Inverness sees them have more shots but nothing of note. Frustration & the lack of motivation are again a problem which isn't a surprise being two behind again but I encourage them during the break. We pull one back early in the second half although I would have been annoyed if it was scored against us. A crunching tackle from O'Brien leaves a midfielder in agony and while he is rolling around a quick break sees Callachan & Jorbrant combine to leave Murray one-on-one with the keeper. This fires the team up as we put their defence under pressure although the referee doesn't help. Robinson has a freekick shout turned down just outside the box while Jorbrant gets nothing when he gets hacked down inside the box. Murray should have equalised from a Duffy cross while Callachan & Jorbrant both see shots tipped wide. Its looking like another defeat until deep into injury time Robinson bursts down the right and his drilled cross finds Jorbrant who strokes in for a much deserved point.

Match Injury

Simon Murray (ST) – Out for about 10 days with a bruised rib.

Transfer News

So far despite wanting to be more active I've struggled to find good targets. Age & wage demands are the main sticking points while further scout reports have indicated that several players simply aren't as good as we first thought. I've expanded my search to several of the Scandinavian countries now whilst also turning to the loan market. The only DCs who look to be worth loaning are Mads Fenger (29yo Danish DC/DR, MC) who been dropped to the U21s by Crystal Palace (English Championship) and Callum Morris (29yo Northern Irish DC) who has fallen out of favour at Dundee Utd. Callum doesn't look that much better than Egan & Barrett while Dundee Utd aren't keen on loaning him to us which isn't a surprise. Mads on the other hand sees wages again as a problem with Crystal Palace wanting us to pay his full salary of £43k which simply isn't going to happen.

Monday 27th January 2020 – Scottish Premiership (24/38)

Raith Rovers (6th) 0-0 Dundee Utd (4th)

Goals:

MOTM: Hanley (7.4)

Attendance: 6,818

Milestone: Grant Hanley - 200th Career League Appearance

Milestone: Thomas O'Brien - 250th Career League Appearance

Not a huge amount to say about this match. Dundee Utd lined up in a 4141 which made them solid defensively and hard to break down. I went with the 352 and we made a positive start without creating anything of note. Both sides had spells of pressure during the game but there was just the one chance of note created by either team. That fell to Adeyemo in the first half and his angled shot was blocked comfortably for a corner. We didn't lose but we didn't win again either but I should be content with a draw against a top six side.

Transfer News

Interest in GK, Crowe continues to build with St Mirren, Dundee Utd & Sunderland (English Championship) joining Aberdeen as those with major interest in him. So far so good though as no offers have arrived on the table just yet so we'll probably be keeping him until at least the summer.

We do lose a player though as I haven't offered a new deal to striker Russell Dingwall. He hasn't improved much in the last couple of seasons and I was going to release him in the summer anyway, he signs to join Dundee on a bosman in June.

As for other areas I'm still looking for a striker, not necessarily for now but we'll need one in the summer when Jorbrant's loan finishes. St Johnstone have a couple of possibilities I'm tracking in Michael O'Halloran (29yo Scottish AML, ST) & Craig Moore (25yo Scottish ST). Craig would probably be a good squad player for us and has performed well in the Premiership before with Hearts but I'm really looking for better while O'Halloran kinda suffers from not knowing if he is a winger or a striker resulting in him also being slightly short of quality. The place to go for strikers though is Ross County who have four good ones. Home grown Tony Dingwall (25yo Scottish ST/AMC) is the pick of them and I've been following him for a couple of years but he is well outside our price range as is his main strike partner Callum Gallagher (25yo Scottish ST/MR). Third choice striker Marc McNulty (27yo Scottish ST) might be an option but he just joined last summer and they want around £500k for him but on a positive note they are happy to let their 4th choice go for a reasonable price – Eamonn Brophy (23yo Irish ST).

I did start the transfer window looking for a DC but have struggled to find realistic targets. I do manage to bring in a loan DC though at the last minute when my persistence pays off as Dundee Utd finally agree to loan us Callum Morris.

Callum Morris (29yo Northern Irish DC) – On loan from Dundee Utd until the end of the season

Learned his trade at Newcastle Utd but failed to make the grade and after bouncing around a few non-league clubs he was picked up by our rivals, Dunfermline Athletic. Dundee Utd signed him in June 2014 and he has made over 150 appearances for them but found himself on the bench a lot for the last 18 months. Has been reasonably solid for them in the Premiership but I have some doubts if he has enough quality to take us forward. A loan deal is good for us as its gives us more depth for the rest of the season + an opportunity to evaluate him further.

Awards

Anton Jorbrant again gets a mention as he comes 2nd in the “Young Player of the Month”

[Cougar2010]

Scotland

Raith Rovers

February 2020

Transfer Window Roundup

The transfer window proved to be very quiet this year with very few players moving clubs. There were only three transfers of note for money and two of them were Celtic's. First they signed 28yo Algerian International striker Ishak Belfodil from Hertha Berlin (German First Division) for £5.5m and then followed it up by sending £3.1m to Dundee Utd for 22yo Welsh International DC/DM Liam O'Neil. The only other significant transfer was for Euan Spark (23yo Scottish DR/DL) who moved from St Mirren to Dundee Utd for £300k.

Aberdeen turned to the loan market signing 33yo Algerian International GK Rais M'Bolhi from Roma (Italian Serie A) for the rest of the season while the award for best business surely must go to Hearts who brought in two quality players for free. One was Ivorian International Mory Kone (25yo Ivorian DC) most recently with ESTAC Troyes (French Ligue 1) and the other is Slovenian International Tine Kavcic (25yo Slovenian DC) who was with Al-Nassr (Saudi Pro League).

Saturday 1st February 2020 – Scottish Premiership (25/38)

Raith Rovers (6th) 0-1 Falkirk (8th)

Goals: Reilly (32)

MOTM: Devlin (7.7) (Falkirk)

Attendance: 7,697

We make a decent start but its Falkirk that test the keeper more early on. A good passing move sees Crowe forced into a good save as the match settles but Falkirk do take the lead shortly after when a through ball sees Reilly hold off Egan and slot in. We aren't doing much wrong but just can't get a break at the moment as we lay siege to the Falkirk goal in the second half. Despite our dominance the Falkirk defence look reasonably comfortable with Jorbrant coming the closest when he chests down a cross before forcing a save from a narrow angle. Normally I wouldn't be too concerned by this result as we played well but its now seven games without a win in the league and the biggest issue seems to be up front where the strikers just aren't as clinical as they were last season.

Training Injuries

Paddy Barrett (DC) – Out for 4/5 weeks with a back strain.

Michael Doughty (MC) – Out for about 10 days with a stubbed toe.

Saturday 8th February 2020 – Scottish Cup (5th Round)

Raith Rovers (Premiership) 4-1 Rangers (Premiership)

Goals: Adeyemo (1, 36), Duffy (21), Murray (32) ; Boyle (35)

MOTM: Adeyemo (9.0)

Attendance: 8,866

Milestone: Callum Morris – Debut for Raith Rovers

Not sure if its a welcome break from league action or not but I'm expecting a tough match as new loan signing Morris makes his first start in defence while McKenna returns from injury to get a chance in midfield. A cold, sleety day does us an early favour as from kickoff a long ball skims off the head of the defender leaving Adeyemo one-on-one to put us in front inside the first minute. Rangers have packed the midfield and control much of the early possession without really taking any shots. I tweak our style given the conditions to encourage more balls to feet and it pays off when Kelleher feeds Duffy in the area who takes it past the defender with his first touch before slotting inside the far post. We also get a little lucky when Rangers have a goal ruled out for offside that looked marginal at best but I'm not complaining. A good patient passing move sees Murray confidently slot in a third but Rangers respond as Boyle somehow finds space in the box between four defenders to sneak a shot inside the post. Adeyemo soon restores the three goal lead though when Duffy loses the ball in midfield but the pass back to the defender sees Adeyemo step in, drift wide and fire a shot from the edge of the box into the top corner. The match turns into a midfield battle in the second half with the ref a bit card happy but at least they get shared out to both teams. We are rarely under pressure although Rangers do create a few half chances in the final stages as we ease to an impressive win.

Scottish Cup Quarter Final Draw

Ten teams go into the hat with two replays still to play and they include three Championship & one League 2 side. We get a decent draw as we are at home to fellow Premiership side Hearts.

Wednesday 12th February 2020 - Scottish Premiership (26/38)

Partick Thistle (7th) 1-0 Raith Rovers (6th)

Goals: Smith (75)

MOTM: Andres (7.8) (Partick Thistle)

I'm looking to build on our good win over Rangers in the cup but from the first whistle its clear this is going to be a battle between two teams struggling for form. We start & finish the first half fairly well while inbetween Partick have a spell of pressure themselves. The trend continues in the second half until the first real chance of the game is created by Partick when a good cross picks out the run of Smith. Murray comes off the bench and is the closest to an equaliser when Jorbrant creates a half chance for him and I can't help thinking those are the chances he was putting away with ease last season. Another battling performance where we played fairly well but the rub of the green again went against us making it eight games without a win in the league as we drop out of the top six.

Saturday 15th February 2020 – Scottish Premiership (27/38)

Hearts (10th) 1-1 Raith Rovers (7th)

Goals: Laidlaw (og 75) ; Murray (73)

MOTM: Murray (8.3)

Milestone: Simon Murray - 150th Career League Appearance

Another match against a team struggling for form and yet again it looks it on the pitch. The main talking point of the first half is when Grant Hanley sees red for an off the ball professional foul while the ball is being passed around in midfield??? I rearrange into a 432 formation although I make a mistake with the orders which sees Hearts create two good chances before the break, one saved, one blasted wide. I realise my mistake during the break and make a better start to the second half. Murray fires one chance wide while Jorbrant sees another turned round the post. We look much more settled in the second half as we more than match Hearts and are finally rewarded when a cleared corner comes out to Murray on the edge of the box who drills in. Luck once again isn't shining on us though as Hearts immediately go up the other end with a long shot bouncing down off the bar, hitting Laidlaw and bouncing in. Another decent performance, another point but again we fail to win.

Training Injury/Illness

Scott Robinson (MRC) – Out for 5/7 weeks with a hernia.

Steven Ross (ST) – Sent home with a cold.

Monday 24th February 2020 – Scottish Premiership (28/38)

Raith Rovers (7th) 0-2 Rangers (1st)

Goals: White (48), Sow (64)

MOTM: White (7.7) (Rangers)

Attendance: 6,489

Milestone: Callum Morris - 200th Career League Appearance

Milestone: Ross Callachan - 200th Career League Appearance (All for Raith)

We might have beaten them in the cup but I'm expecting a response in this match. The first half is a defensive affair as Rangers manage just three shots which includes a half chance that is easily blocked while we only have two but one is a good opportunity when confusion in the defence sees Duffy burst through but the keeper is out quick to save. Rangers take the lead early in the second half, a direct freekick is blocked but it falls back to the taker and a couple of quick passes sees White put away a half chance. The turning point in the match soon follows as loan signing Callum Morris dives in to a tackle two footed for absolutely no reason which sees us down to 10 again. I rearrange but heads have already dropped and the team have given up. Sow adds a second before subs see us improve in the last 20 minutes. Callachan & Jorbrant both waste good chances in the final stages as we make it 10 games without a win in the league.

Youth Intake

16 youngsters again join the club and there is clearly one standout candidate. 16yo Mark Kerr is already a League 1 standard defender and my staff think he could be a future star. A natural DC who can also play on the left which is a good thing as he is relatively short and poor in the air.

Saturday 29th February 2020 - Scottish Premiership (29/38)

Raith Rovers (7th) 0-1 Aberdeen (9th)

Goals: West (54)

MOTM: Shinnie (7.8) (Aberdeen)

Attendance: 5,885

Surely we have to win sometime but the signs are there early it won't be today. Aberdeen play a defensive counter attacking game that we struggle to break down while Adeyemo & Murray up front continue to underperform. We create a couple of chances that aren't taken, Aberdeen create a couple of chances and West buries one. Not a good performance and yet again no points. If this carries on it won't be a case of missing out on the top six we'll be lucky not to be relegated.

[deltablue]

Is it a little underwhelming being some way off last season's pace or are you still happy to consolidate for now?

[Cougar2010]

Scotland

Raith Rovers

March 2020

Wednesday 4th March 2020 – Scottish Premiership (30/38)

Motherwell (12th) 1-3 Raith Rovers (7th)

Goals: Erwin (pen 42) ; Adeyemo (50, 58), Duffy (80)

MOTM: Adeyemo (8.8)

We've had mixed performances recently with the 352 but after a poor performance against Aberdeen I change to the 4132. Motherwell pack the midfield but we do a better job of controlling it which gives the fullbacks time to get forward as we play the better football in the first half. We only create the one good chance though when a low cross from Holmes finds Adeyemo on the edge of the six yard box but his half volley is saved. Callachan also comes close from distance when a drilled shot clips the post but we again shoot ourselves in the foot just before the break when Obileye sticks his foot in when there really ws no reason to. I try to encourage the team to keep playing and we get an early equaliser when Murray breaks down the right picking out Adeyemo in the middle who fires in. With motivation flowing through the team we soon have the lead when Murray chases a ball into the channel before cutting back for Adeyemo to tap in. Murray should have had a hattrick but he wastes three clear chances before Duffy comes off the bench to wrap up a long overdue win.

Sunday 8th March 2020 – Scottish Cup (Quarter Final)

Raith Rovers (Premiership) 2-2 Hearts (Premiership)

Goals: Adeyemo (26), Morris (44) ; Buaben (pen 81), Alston (90)

MOTM: Alston (7.3) (Hearts)

Attendance: 8,912

With Hearts moving away from their usual 352 and bringing a 4141 I stick with the 4132. Hearts have a number of shots from distance in the first half as they have the better of possession but we make more use of it with Adeyemo heading in a Kelleher cross to give us the lead. Just before the break a corner is headed out to Adeyemo and when his drilled long shot through the crowd is heading wide of the far post Morris forces it in at the second attempt. A couple of half chances go begging in the second half from Duffy & Jorbrant but we seem to be cruising until McKeown comes off the bench and hacks down a player in the box. Hearts put us under pressure in the final stages as they push for a draw and we seem to have survived until Alston puts a half chance away deep into injury time to earn a replay. Really annoyed to have given up a two goal lead so late, we were so comfortable for 81mins and then gifted them a way back into the match.

Scottish Cup Semi Final Draw

Championship side Dumbarton are the shock name in the semi finals but tough draws seem to be our thing this season as we get Celtic.

Sunday 15th March 2020 - Scottish Premiership (31/38)

Raith Rovers (7th) 3-0 St Mirren (5th)

Goals: Murray (46), Adeyemo (75), Callachan (80)

MOTM: McKeown (9.0).

Attendance: 6,119

I would say we need a win to have a chance of making the top six but honestly we just need a win to build on the Motherwell one. 451 from St Mirren means its another midfield battle and they do a better job of controlling possession as our passing is poor. They edge the first half without anything of note happening but its clear that a lot of our problems result from Jorbrant having a poor game. He consistently lost possession in the first half either directly or indirectly which stunted our attacks and resulted in me swopping him for Adeyemo during the break. A bit of encouragement and a tweak to the tactics to up the tempo along with an early goal when Murray gets inbetween the two DCs to volley in a McKeown cross see us on our way. The goal gives the team confidence and the attacks are led by McKeown's driving runs down the left as we take control of the match. From a wide freekick Hanley sees a good chance saved when the ball seems to get stuck under his foot but we eventually grab a second when Doughty bursts between two defenders before cutting the ball back for Adeyemo to slot in. Callachan wraps up the win when a cleared cross falls to him on the edge of the box and he strikes a sweet volley to seal a good win.

Wednesday 18th March 2020 – Scottish Cup (Quarter Final Replay)

Hearts (Premiership) 2-3 Raith Rovers (Premiership)

Goals: Etock (3), Stokes (35) ; Adeyemo (50), Murray (82), Doughty (90)

MOTM: Duffy (8.3)

A replay we could & should have done without and we get off to a bad start when a cleared corner sees Hearts break forward with Etock slotting inside the far post. We are again playing the better football without creating much in the way of chances while Hearts look dangerous on the break. We find ourselves two down when a cross deflects off McKeown falling to the unmarked Stokes on the penalty spot. Its difficult to know what to say at the break when you've been the better side but I encourage the players and they respond. McKeown makes up for the deflection when he finds Adeyemo with a cross and we have numerous chances to equalise before another McKeown cross finds Murray at the far post who powers a header in late on. With a tired squad I don't want extra time so we press hard for a winner and it comes in injury time when Holmes cuts a ball back to Duffy and he draws defenders before squaring for Doughty who squeezes a shot past the keeper. We got the win, it should have been more comfortable but its pleasing to take revenge after the first match.

Sunday 22nd March 2020 – Scottish Premiership (32/38)

Raith Rovers (7th) 0-0 Celtic (2nd)

Goals:

MOTM: Gordon (7.6) (Celtic)

Attendance: 6,891

Milestone: Ayo Obileye - 150th Career League Appearance

I've more or less resigned myself to not making the top six this year as we'll need to beat Celtic here and then Hibernian in our last match to have any hope. On a more positive note though we are virtually safe from relegation as well so the last few matches will give me a chance to play around with the team. As you would expect Celtic have more possession and more shots but we aren't out of it by any means creating the only real chance of the half when Masson & Duffy combine to play in Murray but his shot is saved. Its more of the same in the second half but we defend well with Celtic creating just the one half chance from a corner. A red card for a bad tackle late on sees Celtic down to ten but before we can take advantage Morris takes a bad knock which sees him struggle to finish the match. With Morris hampered Celtic create a late chance for Miller but Crowe makes a good save to keep a clean sheet.

Match Injury

Callum Morris (DC) – Out for about two weeks with a strained neck.

Awards

A good month sees me come 2nd in the “Manager of the Month”

[Cougar2010]

Is it a little underwhelming being some way off last season's pace or are you still happy to consolidate for now?

Its certainly disappointing but even after the bad run (We seem to have turned the corner) we aren't that far off the others.

European football is certainly what we should be aiming for as there isn't much between any of the clubs after Celtic & Rangers. Looks like we'll miss out this year but overall finances are getting better all the time which should lead to better players and onwards to next season.

[Cougar2010]

Scotland

Raith Rovers

April 2020

Saturday 4th April 2020 – Scottish Premiership (33/38)

Hibernian (6th) 2-0 Raith Rovers (7th)

Goals: Ferguson (56, 71)

MOTM: Ferguson (8.8) (Hibernian)

Last match before the split and its a head to head battle, a win sees us overtake Hibs for 6th spot, a draw or defeat sees Hibernian in 6th. Hibs use an attacking 4231 which puts us under pressure early but with some tweaks we work our way into the match. Both teams see half chances saved before Ferguson breaks the deadlock by volleying in a right wing cross in the second half. By the time he heads in a left wing cross later in the half the match is over. Hibernian seemed to have the edge in the match but the stats show a fairly even game where we simply didn't take our chances while they took theirs.

Saturday 11th April 2020 – Scottish Premiership, Relegation Group (34/38)

Motherwell (12th) 2-2 Raith Rovers (7th)

Goals: Erwin (27, 45) ; Jorbrant (39), Pennington (90)

MOTM: Erwin (8.8) (Motherwell)

Milestone: Matthew Pennington - 1st Goal for Raith Rovers

Milestone: Simon Murray - 100th League Appearance for Raith Rovers

I switch back to 352 as Motherwell lineup with a 451 and we play the better football early on but fall behind when a loose ball back to the defence by Duffy is intercepted by Erwin. He makes up for it though with several dangerous balls forward including one for Jorbrant which brings the equaliser. With the break on us a left wing cross sees Erwin head in with virtually the last touch of the half. We press on in the second half creating several chances but we have to wait until injury time for Pennington to force in a corner. Its been the story of our season, not clinical enough in front of goal and mistakes costing us at the back.

Saturday 18th April 2020 - Scottish Cup (Semi Final)

Celtic (Premiership) 4-2 Raith Rovers (Premiership)

Goals: Hinteregger (30), Miller (72), Armstrong (80), Belfodil (84) ; Jorbrant (16, 19)

MOTM: Armstrong (9.0) (Celtic)

We've made the semi finals for the second year in a row but this time its a lot tougher. It looks like a bad start when Hanley gives up a soft penalty but Laidlaw saves diving to his left and it gets better for us as Jorbrant slots in a quick brace. We seem to be coping reasonably well with the Celtic attacks but Hinteregger pulls a goal back from a half cleared corner. We have chances to restore our cushion and Jorbrant misses a golden chance for a hattrick when Murray plays him in. It all falls apart in the final stages though starting with Miller finally scoring the equaliser. Armstrong puts them in front, Hanley sees red for a second yellow and Belfodil wraps up the win. A tough game, we did well going forward and got the goals, maybe it would have been different if Jorbrant had slotted in his third but the defence fell apart in the second half.

Player News

Several of the defenders get warned for poor performance while I fine Hanley for his red card. He takes offence at the fine and suddenly I have the squad at my throat. I exert my authority but morale has taken a hit while Holmes, Adeyemo & Barrett are still unhappy along with Hanley.

Saturday 25th April 2020 – Scottish Premiership, Relegation Group (35/38)

Falkirk (10th) 1-3 Raith Rovers (7th)

Goals: Naismith (pen 45) ; Murray (15), Jorbrant (45), Obileye (52)

MOTM: Jorbrant (9.0)

Falkirk have their odd attacking 4321 formation so I go with the 4132 which as expected leads to a battle in the middle of the pitch. With Falkirk pressing high we struggle early on to get meaningful possession in their half but when we do Jorbrant plays in Murray who slots in to give us the lead. Aside from a lot of the game being played in our half we defend well and look threatening when we do get forward with Pennington rattling the post from a quick break. We seem to be cruising when a neat turn & shot sees Jorbrant put us two up just before the break but deep into injury time Kelleher gives up a soft & controversial penalty. Falkirk switch to 433 in the second half which should give us problems and I would normally move to the 352 but I just don't have the personnel on the pitch to do that without subs. With the lead we are able to sit back and play narrower though which takes most of the sting out of the 433. Obileye heads in a corner to restore our cushion and that more or less signals the end of the match as Falkirk's heads drop. Murray hits the woodwork & a couple of half chances go begging as we see out the match while Laidlaw makes a good save in injury time to deny Falkirk a consolation. After the Celtic match this is a good win for us which secures us finishing in 7th or 8th position.

Awards

Matthew Pennington comes 2nd in the “Player of the Month” while Anton Jorbrant's goal vs Motherwell is named “Goal of the Month”

[Cougar2010]

Scotland

Raith Rovers

May 2020

Saturday 2nd May 2020 – Scottish Premiership, Relegation Group (36/38)

Aberdeen (8th) 0-5 Raith Rovers (7th)

Goals: Jorbrant (41, 63), Adeyemo (71), Egan (85), Callachan (pen 90)

MOTM: Obileye (9.2)

Milestone: Anton Jorbrant - 100th Career League Appearance

The match is a dead rubber but both teams play with freedom as they look to attack. Aberdeen nearly draw first blood when a good chance is created for West but Crowe makes himself big as the shot clips the post. Jorbrant puts one good chance wide but he doesn't miss again when Obileye nods a wide freekick down for him just before the break. 1-0 is probably a fair reflection as we are edging the match but from an Aberdeen corner we break quickly with Robinson & Callachan combining to play in Jorbrant for his second. The Aberdeen defence fall apart in the final stages, Adeyemo forces in a corner after they fail to clear, Egan heads in another after Obileye flicked on at the near post and finally in injury time Robinson drives into the box winning a penalty to wrap up an impressive win.

Transfer News

I've had the scouts working overtime as I try to improve the squad. What I've come to realise this season is that in order to improve we need to pay more wages to attract better players but we also don't have money to burn with the finances stable but fragile. This makes bosman deals much more viable, especially if they improve the squad and I've recently agreed two deals with the players joining when their contracts end in the summer.

First is former Danish U21 International striker Daniel Stuckler (23yo). A fringe player at Brondby (Danish Superliga) who on paper doesn't look great but a closer look at his form shows he has performed well when he started games. Skill wise he seems on a par with Adeyemo & Murray while the scouts feel he has plenty of room to improve.

Second is Matthew Willock (23yo English MC/DM) who is a fringe player at Brighton & Hove Albion (English League 1). Just like Stuckler Matthew has spent a lot of time on the bench the last couple of seasons but when he starts games he has played well.

Wednesday 6th May 2020 – Scottish Premiership, Relegation Group (37/38)

Raith Rovers (7th) 1-5 Hearts (9th)

Goals: Duffy (90) ; Alston (38), Starzynski (pen 42, 75, 90), Carroll (55)

MOTM: Starzynski (9.7) (Hearts)

Attendance: 7,507

Lost for words. Honestly the worst referee I've ever seen. He gives a penalty for nothing, we end up with 13 fouls, six yellow cards & 2 red compared to 5 fouls for Hearts as we play most of the second half with nine men. The match itself wasn't even close to what you would call dirty, it wasn't even combative, more like a pre-season friendly. The only positive note is that it makes no difference in terms of the league.

Saturday 9th May 2020 - Scottish Premiership, Relegation Group (38/38)

Raith Rovers (7th) 0-1 Inverness CT (11th)

Goals: Watkins (1)

MOTM: Henderson (7.5) (Inverness CT)

Milestone: Mark Kerr – Career Debut

Attendance: 5,649

The last match of a season I kinda want to see the back of and like recent matches its a dead rubber. We'll be finishing 7th & Inverness CT 11th whatever happens although this means Inverness CT will have a relegation playoff match to come. I did consider using some of the U20s for a second but with most of the better ones leaving in the summer the only one I include is the star pick from this years youth intake DLC, Mark Kerr who is on the bench. Holidays seem to be on the players mind as they allow Inverness to walk through them with Watkins scoring in the first minute. A bit of focus though and we dominate much of the match but create little of note. A half chance for Adeyemo just before the break & another for Callachan after is the best we can muster. We have plenty of shots, put plenty of crosses in but Inverness defend deep & in numbers as we fail to break them down. 16yo DLC Mark Kerr came on for the second half, he didn't have much to do but its clear his lack of height is going to be an issue which means his future may be either at fullback or someone elses problem.

Manager News

After five years at Raith Rovers I finally get linked with another job. Aberdeen finished one place below us in the league which saw the manager sacked and I'm amongst the three favourites to be offered the job. I don't get an offer but at least I'm starting to get linked with other teams.

[deltablue]

How long do you feel you'll be at Raith judging by the level of interest?

[Cougar2010]

How long do you feel you'll be at Raith judging by the level of interest?

Not sure, I guess as long as we are moving forward I'll stick around for a while unless a better offer arrives.

I'm not sure if that would come from a Scottish team though. Hearts/Hibs/Aberdeen/Dundee Utd have bigger grounds and look like bigger clubs but another couple of seasons earning money means we'll be matching them. That just leaves Rangers & Celtic which would offer a significant step forward. I'll probably see offers from English clubs as well as I have English nationality, maybe Championship clubs but I'm not sure if thats what I'm looking for. An international team might be an option and maybe a stepping stone to a different country.

Just have to see what turns up.

[Cougar2010]

Scotland

Raith Rovers

2019/20 Season Review

Scottish Premiership

Last year I said the old firm stranglehold was returning and it did as Rangers ended Celtic's eight year dominance at the top lifting their 55th league title. Behind them there were no surprises as St Mirren, Dundee Utd & Hibernian claimed European places leaving Partick Thistle rounding out the top six.

Down at the bottom Inverness CT & Motherwell were expected to struggle the most and it was Motherwell who were adrift at the bottom for much of the season. Inverness CT also seemed stuck in the playoff place most of the year leaving Falkirk, Aberdeen, Hearts & ourselves in no-mans land. Our fierce rivals, Dunfermline Athletic were Inverness CT's opponents in the relegation playoff and Dunfermline won to book a place in the Premiership next season.

The media prediction for us was 10th while the board wanted us to avoid relegation. A good first half of the season saw us in the top six but a poor run saw us dropping out to finish 7th. The board were delighted we finished in mid table and secured another season in the Premiership.

Scottish Cup

We made the semi-finals for the second year in a row taking the scalp of Rangers enroute but we came up against Celtic who overturned our early lead to make the final. Championship side Dumbarton made a good run to the other semi but were brought back down to earth by Hibernian. Celtic were 2-0 winners in the final though to lift the Cup for the 38th time.

The boards target was the 5th round and they were delighted we went two rounds further and reached the semi finals.

Scottish League Cup

The Premiership teams again dominated the League Cup with all eight quarter finalists. Celtic comfortably beat Dundee Utd in one while Rangers needed penalties to beat St Mirren in the other to set up an old firm final. Rangers defeated Celtic 3-1 to lift the cup for the 28th time.

The board expectation was the 3rd Round and they were once again delighted that we matched last seasons run to the Quarter Finals.

Scottish League Challenge Cup

Non-league Peterhead were the surprise name in the semi-finals but they eventually fell to Ross County. The other semi saw two top Championship sides lock horns with Hamilton edging out Dunfermline on penalties. They went on to beat Ross County in the final to win their 3rd Challenge Cup.

Awards

Player's Manager of the Year:

1st Billy Davies (Rangers)

2nd Alex Dewitt (Raith Rovers)

3rd Tommy Wright (Celtic)

Writer's Manager of the Year:

1st Billy Davies (Rangers)

2nd Jackie McNamara (Hibernian)

3rd Tommy Wright (Celtic)

Scottish Premiership Football Writers' Player of the Year:

1st Calum Ferguson (25yo Canadian ST) (Hibernian)

2nd Leigh Griffiths (29yo Scottish ST) (St Mirren)

3rd Gavin Reilly (27yo Scottish ST) (Falkirk)

Scottish Premiership Players' Player of the Year: Tomer Hemed (33yo Israeli ST) (Celtic)

Scottish Premiership Football Writers' Young Player of the Year: Anton Jorbrant (21yo Swedish ST) (Raith Rovers)

Scottish Premiership Players' Young Player of the Year: Kevin O'Hara (21yo Scottish ST) (Aberdeen)

Scottish Premiership Top Goalscorer:

1st Leigh Griffiths (29yo Scottish ST) (St Mirren) – 22 goals from 37 apps

2nd Calum Ferguson (25yo Canadian ST) (Hibernian) – 18 goals from 34 apps

3rd Gavin Reilly (27yo Scottish ST) (Falkirk) – 17 goals from 34 apps

Scottish Premiership Goal of the Season:

1st John Fleck (28yo Scottish MC) (Hibernian) vs Celtic

2nd Danny Stoney (24yo Scottish AMC) (Falkirk) vs Hibernian

3rd John Fleck (28yo Scottish MC) (Hibernian) vs Motherwell

Scottish Premiership Team of the Year:

GK – Craig Gordon (37yo Scottish GK) (Celtic)

DR – Ryan McGowan (30yo Australian DR/DC, DM) (Dundee Utd)

DL – Rory McKeown (27yo Northern Irish DL) (Raith Rovers)

DC – Marius Amundsen (27yo Norwegian DC/DR) (Rangers)

DC – Liam O'Neil (26yo Welsh DC, DM) (Celtic)

MR – Lewis Vaughan (24yo Scottish MR, ST) (Partick Thistle)

ML – Gregg Wylde (29yo Scottish ML/DL) (Partick Thistle)

MC – Rhys McCabe (27yo Scottish MC) (Rangers)

MC – Lewis Milne (26yo Scottish MC) (Rangers)

ST – Tomer Hemed (33yo Israeli ST/AMR) (Celtic)

ST – Calum Ferguson (25yo Canadian ST/AMR) (Hibernian)

Raith Rovers Fans' Player of the Year: Simon Murray (50%) ahead of Ola Adeyemo (21%) & Michael Doughty (18%)

Squad Review

Goalkeepers

Michael Crowe continued to establish himself as my preferred option but I made sure Ross Laidlaw got plenty of matches to keep him happy. Overall there didn't seem to be much between them but there are some question marks hanging around. The staff expected Michael to improve but we really haven't seen much of it over the last couple of seasons and its looking like he might be getting close to his limit. With several clubs sniffing around him it might be a good time to cash in if we can find a cheap replacement. Ross on the other hand was wanting a new challenge at the beginning of the season but once we got underway he seemed to forget about it and I hope it stays that way.

Ross Laidlaw (27yo Scottish GK) – 15 apps, 22 conceded, 3 clean sheets, Ave Rating: 6.81

Michael Crowe (24yo English GK) – 32 apps, 38 conceded, 13 clean sheets, Ave Rating: 6.88

Fullbacks

The left has been very stable the last few years and this season was no different. McKeown blew hot & cold as normal but there was more hot than cold as he was named in the “Team of the Year”. I was looking for Kelleher to really step up and challenge for a starting spot this year but he seemed slightly short of form for spells during the season. On the right Matthew Pennington joined us at the start of the season to challenge Danny Holmes for the starting spot. Danny showed good form early on to keep Matthew out of the team but I managed to share the workload and both haad pretty good seasons.

Rory McKeown (27yo Northern Irish DL) – 27 (6) apps, 2 goals, 6 assists, Ave Rating: 6.95

Fiacre Kelleher (24yo Irish DL/DR) – 20 (18) apps, 1 goals, 5 assists, Ave Rating: 6.86

Danny Holmes (31yo English DR/DC) – 25 (2) apps, 2 goals, 7 assists, Ave Rating: 7.03

Matthew Pennington (25yo English DRC) – 21 (4) apps, 1 goal, 2 assists, Ave Rating: 6.98

Central Defenders

Obileye was again the constant & stand out DC as the rest competed to join him on the pitch. John Egan while still a little short of quality raised his game to show he can just about do a job at this level. Paddy Barrett on the other hand continued to struggle and fell out of favour after Xmas which means I'll be looking to replace him. Scottish international Grant Hanley joined at the start of the season and I expected big things but his performances didn't quite live up to his reputation while his aggression was an issue as he got sent off four times. I looked to strenghen the defence in January and Callum Morris joined on loan from Dundee Utd. He hadn't been that impressive for them but he found better form with us, two red cards the only downside and now I need to decide whether to make an offer for him or not.

Ayo Obileye (25yo English DC/DM) – 42 apps, 2 goals, 2 assists, Ave Rating: 6.93

John Egan (27yo Irish DC) – 26 (2) apps, 1 goal, 0 assists, Ave Rating: 6.88

Paddy Barrett (26yo Irish DC/DR, DM) – 12 (3) apps, 0 goals, 0 assists, Ave Rating: 6.70

Grant Hanley (28yo Scottish DC/DR) – 25 apps, 0 goals, 1 assist, Ave Rating: 6.84

Callum Morris (30yo Northern Irish DC) – 10 apps, 1 goal, 0 assists, Ave Rating: 7.00

Midfielders/Wingers

At DM Thomas O'Brien was again steady but is really a squad player at this level while Jamie Hamill joined at the beginning of the season to add depth. Unfortunately he was fairly disappointing and with age catching up with him he looks like being a short term fix at best. Further forward Doughty & Callachan seem to have alternating good & bad seasons with this year being Doughty's turn to play well. Duffy settled better this season while I figured out how to best use him which led to a good season and regular callups to the Northern Ireland squad. Robinson didn't get much gametime this year with injuries at bad times but when he was on the field he did ok. Masson on the other hand was fairly disappointing while I gave 20yo McKenna some gametime as I look for him to improve.

Ross Callachan (26yo Scottish MC/AMC, MR) – 25 (10) apps, 5 goals, 3 assists, Ave Rating: 6.87

Michael Doughty (27yo Welsh MC/MRL) – 28 (7) apps, 3 goals, 4 assists, Ave Rating: 6.95

Thomas O'Brien (28yo Scottish DM/DC, MC) – 27 (4) apps, 1 goal, 0 assists, Ave Rating: 6.79

Jamie Hamill (33yo Scottish DM/MC, DR) – 20 (6) apps, 0 goals, 0 assists, Ave Rating: 6.70

Michael Duffy (25yo Northern Irish ML/MC) – 25 (10) apps, 4 goals, 8 assists, Ave Rating: 6.95

Scott Robinson (28yo Scottish MC/MR) – 14 (7) apps, 1 goal, 3 assists, Ave Rating: 6.85

Jamie Masson (27yo Scottish MRC) – 14 (4) apps, 1 goal, 1 assist, Ave Rating: 6.66

Steve McKenna (20yo Scottish MC/MR) – 12 (5) apps, 0 goals, 1 assist, Ave Rating: 6.68

Strikers

Anton Jorbrant joined on loan to provide competition for Murray & Adeyemo. Jorbrant was arguably the pick of the three as Murray & Adeyemo didn't quite live up to the form we've seen from them in the last few seasons. Ross & Dingwall provided backup in the last year of their contracts before they get released.

Ola Adeyemo (25yo Irish ST/AMRL) – 27 (7) apps, 13 goals, 2 assists, Ave Rating: 6.87

Simon Murray (28yo Scottish ST/AMR) – 35 (8) apps, 15 goals, 6 assists, Ave Rating: 6.92

Anton Jorbrant (21yo Swedish AMC/ST, MC) – 28 (12) apps, 14 goals, 6 assists, Ave Rating: 7.02

Russell Dingwall (22yo Scottish ST/AMR) – 0 (1) apps, 0 goals, 0 assists, Ave Rating: -

Steven Ross (26yo Scottish ST) – 4 (2) apps, 1 goal, 0 assists, Ave Rating: 6.46

[Cougar2010]

Scotland

Raith Rovers

Off-Season Report

FINANCES/CLUB NEWS

Ticket income increased by a third this season while sponsorship more than doubled but prize money was down from finishing lower in the league while fund raising stopped altogether. Overall this meant a 12% increase in income but expenses also grew by a massive 45%. Wages were a big part of it as both staff & player wage bills increased significantly while our tax bill also doubled (after making a profit last season) as did our youth costs + we spent £275k on Matthew Pennington. We still made a healthy profit overall but it was down from last years £2.8m to £1.2m this year. With £3.5m sitting in the bank the clubs financial situation is much better than it was a couple of years ago but its clear I can't go crazy and have to be careful with wages & transfer fees.

The board set the initial budgets: Transfer budget £568k & Wage budget £238k a month. They seem to have realised I would rather use the wages so have cut the transfer budget down and given me a 50% increase to the wage budget.

Our reputation hasn't altered in the last year and is on a par with most Premiership clubs while Celtic, Rangers & Dundee Utd are slightly ahead of the pack. In terms of turnover we climbed to 8th in the league while we sit 7th in value which I think is a fair reflection of where we are. Finally our average attendance climbed slightly from 6,591 to 6,914.

Staff wise I released assistant manager Mark Kerr as I thought I could do better. With applications in it was between two for the job. I was really close to offering it to 46yo former German International Dietmar Hamann but in the end I went with Kilmarnock coach Gary Locke who seems better in the areas I want him for.

On a personal level I complete my National A licence and immediately approach the board to start a continental C licence. Unfortunately they reject my request saying they can't let me have the time off training at present.

PLAYER NEWS – OUTGOING

Eight players are released from the U20 squad at the end of their contracts including Andrew Young (DR), Ross Holt (MC), Andy Keenan (MC), Andrew Crawford (MR) & Ryan Watson (ST) who all harboured first team hopes. Maybe if we had still been in the Championship they would have been knocking on the door but they just don't have enough ability for the Premiership. That still leaves us with a massive 57 players in the U20s which is far too many so I release a further 13 players who have contracts ending next summer for a cost of £21k.

As for the first team Anton Jorbrant (Tottenham) & Callum Morris (Dundee Utd) return to their clubs as their loan deals end while two of our strikers move on:

Russell Dingwall (22yo Scottish ST/AMRL) – Joins Dundee (Premiership) on a bosman

Time at Raith: 4 seasons, Apps: 57, Goals: 14, Assists: 7

Brought in as an 18yo with hope of pushing on and breaking into the first team. Unfortunately didn't improve enough and moves on to newly promoted Dundee.

Steven Ross (26yo Scottish ST) – Released at end of contract

Time at Raith: 2 seasons, Apps: 16, Goals: 3, Assists: 0

Brought in as backup when Murray sustained a bad injury and ended up being not quite as good as I thought he was. Struggled to make an impression on the pitch and should move back to a lower level.

With the transfer window opening it seems like goalkeepers are in demand. Michael Crowe continues to attract interest with Aberdeen, Dundee Utd & Hearts looking at him. Celtic on the other hand seem to be after a backup keeper with passing interest in Crowe but more seriously considering Laidlaw.

Elsewhere Hanley is still unhappy about being fined and is considering his options while to make space for new signings I would like to move on Masson, Barrett & Robinson.

I offer Masson out and I get an offer from his previous club which is very similar to what I bought him for two years ago:

Jamie Masson (27yo Scottish MRC) – Sold to Falkirk (Premiership) for £40k

Time at Raith: 2 seasons, Apps: 43, Goals: 2, Assists: 1

Out of the blue newly promoted Dundee make a loan offer for Scott Robinson (MRC). He was a player I was looking to move on, a loan isn't ideal but it gets him off our books for a season which will give more game time to the other midfielders, mainly McKenna.

Scott Robinson (28yo Scottish MC/MR) – On loan at Dundee for the season

As pre-season comes to an end a couple of other players are attracting interest: Matthew Pennington (DRC) is being watched by QPR (English Championship) while Michael Doughty has Dundee keeping an eye on him.

PLAYER NEWS – INCOMING

I agreed two bosman deals a couple of months ago and both join us when their contracts expire:

Matthew Willock (23yo English MC/DM) – Signed on a bosman from Brighton & Hove Albion (English League 1)

Started his career at Reading but quickly moved to the Man Utd academy. Never made the grade and was picked up by Brighton. A good loan spell at Carlisle Utd followed before becoming something of a bench player for Brighton. He made over 100 appearances for them but around 70 of them were from the bench. His average doesn't look great but when he has started games he has played well. A two footed athletic player who is at his best running at the opposition defence.

Daniel Stuckler (23yo Danish ST/AMC) – Signed on a bosman from Brondby IF (Danish Superliga)

Started his career at Lyngby but was quickly signed up by Brondby IF for £170k. Over 100 appearances to his name (including one loan spell) but like Willock mostly from the bench. The scouts don't rate him that highly but he isn't quite the finished article and I think they are underestimating his ability a little. He should slot in well and rotate up front with Adeyemo & Murray.

In terms of improvements I would like to strengthen DC & DM while we need another striker.

Looking at DCs there are none unattached that interest me but there are some that could be signed on bosmans. 24yo Norwegian Simen Olafsen plays for relegated Kalmar FF in Sweden while 25yo Finn Sauli Vaisanen is something of a fringe player at AIK in Sweden, both could join later in the year. Closer to home 23yo Belgian Mathias Bossaerts hasn't been offered a new deal by Man City and looks like he'll be released. If I want to spend money Sweden again seems to be the place to go with 28yo Norwegians Martin Bjornbak (Elfsborg) & Lars Saetra (Helsingborg) possible options while more locally 24yo Dominic Hyam was one of the better players for Motherwell last season but they won't be keen to sell.

Moving onto DM there are again no unattached players of interest or potential bosmans. In fact even if spend money I'm struggling to find good options. At a push 20yo Danish/Brazilian Leandro & 22yo Nigerian/Italian Tony Shuaibu might be options but I have some doubts over them.

Up front there are no interesting unattached players but in terms of bosmans I've been watching 26yo Scot Tony Watt (Charlton Athletic) although wages might be a sticking point for him. 20yo Englishman Bill Costello also looks handy but unless Huddersfield release him we would have to pay a fee. We are priced out of many of the better strikers but 21yo Scot Danny Malone might be an option with just a year left on his West Ham contract while I've been watching 21yo Irish U21 International Daniel Hanlon (Shamrock Rovers). 24yo Scot Jack Harper has also been impressing for Dumbarton in the Championship but they won't be keen to sell.

I decide not to wait for a bosman deal and approach AIK to sign Vaisanen, they prove to be very reasonably:

Sauli Vaisanen (26yo Finnish DC/DL) – Signed from AIK (Swedish Premier Division) for £25k

Started his career at Honka (Finland) before moving to AIK in 2014. He has made over 150 appearances for them since then but in the last couple of years more of a fringe player. He isn't that much better than Barrett but he is strong in the air and fairly consistent + more comfortable on the left. He should make a solid squad player for us.

With Vaisanen joining the plan was to sell Barrett but with the lack of good DMs available he may well be the answer.

I also make an offer for 21yo striker Bill Costello which Huddersfield accept but unfortunately his agent proves to be a problem and breaks off negotiations. With that I decide to bide my time until 1st July when other clubs around Europe release players.

With clubs releasing players I scan the freebies for options. 26yo Tony Watt (ST) has been released by Charlton but his wage demands are too high at the moment while 33yo Kris Doolan (ST) might be a cheap backup option after leaving Partick Thistle. As expected 23yo Mathias Bossaerts (DC) has been released by Man City but I'm not sure we need another DC now while I'm keeping an eye on a couple of GKs in case we lose Crowe.

I've also missed out on Ross County's two best strikers that I've been following. Tony Dingwall moved to Hibernian for an initial fee of £450k but with add ons it'll be closer to £1m while Falkirk broke their transfer record to sign Calum Gallagher for £375k + add ons.

We also seem to have missed the boat with 21yo Bill Costello as Huddersfield take up the option of an extra year on his contract and aren't prepared to listen to offers at the moment. Former loanee Callum Saunders is another striker that we miss out on as three English Championship clubs table bids for him close to £1m.

The squad is more or less there I think and we only really need another striker, ideally an up & coming one that can do a job with room to improve. Having missed out on a few its a good time to re-evaluate my options:

Danny Malone (21yo Scottish ST) – West Ham (1 year left on contract)

Cost: £170-£450k, Wages: £8k-£21k

Although Scottish he isn't homegrown having come through the West Ham Utd academy. Good in the air but lacks intelligence, average personality, average loan spells and doesn't seem to have an eye for goal.

Tony Watt (26yo Scottish ST) – Unattached

Wages: £7.5-£17k

His wage demands have dropped since his release but like Malone lacks intelligence on the pitch and has been average at best for Charlton.

Jack Harper (24yo Scottish ST/AMC) – Dumbarton (Contracted until 2022)

Cost: £80-£140k, Wages: £6-£10k

Seems like a decent target and has done well in the Championship but isn't home grown, doesn't like big matches & is selfish which isn't great for a DLF.

Craig Moore (25yo Scottish ST) – St Johnstone (1 year left on contract)

Cost: £300-£425k, Wages: £10-£14k

A proven good performer in the Premiership with Hearts previously and has been impressive in the Championship. No real weaknesses but he is probably as good as he is going to be which is maybe a little short of what we are looking for.

Just as I'm trying to decide who to approach my scouts inform me Huddersfield might be open to offers for Costello again and the on/off/on/off deal is suddenly back on again. After being blocked once by the agent & once by the club I'm determined not to fail a third time. I soon come to a deal with Huddersfield and this time I'm ready for his agent. I possibly slightly overpaid in both transfer fee & wages but I think its still a good deal:

Bill Costello (21yo English ST/AMRC) – Signed from Huddersfield Town (English Championship) for £250k

A product of the Hudderfield youth academy with over 100 appearances to his name but these were mostly on loan at Hartlepool Utd & Chesterfield. Solid performances in both English League 1 & 2 and has a proven eye for goal. Far from the finished article but good enough to challenge Adeyemo, Stuckler & Murray for a starting role. Intelligent, consistent and more the type of striker who plays off the last man. The scouts think his only real weakness is that he isn't keen on big matches but I'm hoping we can work through that.

With pre-season coming to an end one of the scouts spots that Northern Irish U21 International DM Chris Garrett is still looking for a club and I offer him a trial to have a closer look.

[Nobby_McDonald]

A bit of a slip from last season.

[BadManager]

After tying a few times, hope Costello pays off. Will he partner Murray up forward now?

I'm guessing Europe will be the aom this season, good luck with it.

[HeresdaKicker]

Best of luck on the new season, Cougar. Hope your signings bag up some goals!

[Cougar2010]

After tying a few times, hope Costello pays off. Will he partner Murray up forward now?

I'm guessing Europe will be the aom this season, good luck with it.

Plan is for Adeyemo & Stuckler to share the deeper link role while Murray & Costello share the advanced role but we'll see what happens.

[Cougar2010]

Scotland

Raith Rovers

Pre-Season Friendlies (2020/21)

My new AM has sorted out six friendlies and we seem to be starting a little earlier this season which might annoy a few players. We start with away trips to other Scottish clubs before playing host to a top German side. An away trip to England then follows before we visit another lower league Scottish club. Finally another big home game as a French Ligue 1 side visits. The AM ends up leaving a two week gap between the last friendly and our first league match which sees me booking a 7th friendly at fairly short notice while the AM adds another one of his own later on.

Inverness CT (Championship) 0-3 Raith Rovers (Premiership)

Goals: Stuckler (15, 26, 37)

MOTM: Stuckler (9.6)

A tough start to pre-season just a few days after returning from holidays as we travel to a relegated Premiership team. Vaisanen & Stuckler both start as its a case of the 11 fittest players taking to the field. Holmes & McKeown were outstanding out wide but it was new signing Stuckler that took the credit with a magnificent first half hattrick. Playing as the advanced forward his movement was excellent with all three goals coming from crosses. I switched him to a deeper role in the second half as 17yo Ryan McCulloch joined him. There were signs that it might be worthwhile using McCulloch as a 4th striking option this season as he forced two good saves out of their keeper as well as hitting the bar with a header. At the back our other new signing Vaisanen looked very solid and if I get these sorts of performances out the new signings during the season I'll be very happy.

East Fife (League 1) 1-4 Raith Rovers (Premiership)

Goals: Ross (41) ; Willock (18, 75), Murray (35), Duffy (77)

MOTM: Willock (9.3)

The 3rd of the new signings starts as the CM (attack) as I start to work out how to best use him while there is plenty of rotation elsewhere as I look to build fitness. Much like Stuckler in the previous friendly the fans get to see a great performance from Willock as he scores twice, sets up a goal for Duffy and is a constant thorn for East Fife with his movement in front of the defence. I'm pleased not just with his running but his vision & passing as well as he spreads the ball intelligently when we attack. McCullough also got another chance to impress up front and was once again unlucky not to get on the scoresheet but I suspect a loan move would be best for him this season.

Raith Rovers (Premiership) 3-2 Borussia Dortmund (German First Division)

Goals: Duffy (54), Callachan (58), Hummels (og 84) ; Hummels (33), Kemmerling (76)

MOTM: Callachan (8.3)

Attendance: 8,809

A big crowd for a big friendly as Dortmund put out a strong team. As expected they are the better team in the first half but not by much as we give them a good game. A wide freekick sees the ball skim off the boot of McKeown falling to Hummels at the far post to give them the lead at the break although Murray should have equalised from a quick break. A blocked shot from Murray falls to Duffy who doesn't hesitiate to slot in to equalise and we have a shock lead when Callachan fires in from 30 yards. Dortmund press forward and equalise when Kemmerling fires in from the edge of the box although I feel Crowe should have done better. It looks like its going to end in a draw until Hummels deflects a late McKeown cross past his keeper with Murray putting him under pressure. It might only be a friendly but its still a massive result.

Coventry City (English League 1) 1-2 Raith Rovers (Premiership)

Goals: Crammond (42) ; Hamill (pen 41), Stuckler (84)

MOTM: Pennington (7.6)

We are probably the slightly better team but seem to lack some understanding with several passes going adrift which makes the job harder. Hanley recovers from an early yellow card to have a good game winning a penalty before the break while a missed header from Egan gifts Crammond Coventry's only chance of the match. Stuckler did pretty well in the deeper role creating one chance & seeing another saved before volleying in Pennington's late cross to win the game. If it hadn't been a friendly I would have tweaked the tactics more to improve our play but as it was just about fitness I wasn't that bothered. Costello signed on the day of the match and went straight into the team, his first half was very average but he improved after the break showing signs of his ability.

Stenhousemuir (League 1) 0-2 Raith Rovers (Premiership)

Goals: Adeyemo (3), Costello (33)

MOTM: Holmes (8.1)

A solid, straight forward win against lower league opposition. The closest Stenhousemuir came was a shot from outside the box that rattled the bar while for us an early goal from Adeyemo was followed by Costello getting on the scoresheet when he headed in a Holmes cross. Holmes played really well down the right while I took the opportunity to have a look at one of our brightest U20 stars in the second half – 17yo MC Alan Cameron.

Raith Rovers (Premiership) 1-1 Montpellier HSC (French Ligue 1)

Goals: Stuckler (73) ; Lasne (43)

MOTM: Lasne (8.4)

Attendance: 1,876

I thought this was a fairly big friendly but the fans seemingly thought otherwise as we have a much smaller crowd. Montpellier edge most of the match with Lasne giving them the lead just before the break. The team seem complacent and lack a bit of fire but we finish strongly with Stuckler firing in a deserved equaliser.

Nordhausen (German Non-League) 0-2 Raith Rovers (Premiership)

Goals: Doughty (44), Costello (85)

MOTM: O'Brien (8.0)

I wanted a stronger test for the team but there was a lack of teams available to play a friendly so we'll have to make do. We dominate the match from start to finish, create a few chances and put a couple away. We seemed to lack a bit of zip in attack but eventually got the job done.

Bangor City (Welsh Premier League) 1-2 Raith Rovers (Premiership)

Goals: Tilbury (54) ; McKeown (10), Callachan (pen 45)

MOTM: McKeown (8.3)

Turns out Bangor aren't as good as I thought they might be which means we dominate much of the match. A freekick by McKeown gives us an early lead before Costello wins a penalty which Callachan despatches just before the break. A long clearance sees Tilbury score a good goal when he gets behind the defence but thats as good as it gets for Bangor. We create several chances including a Costello shot that hits the post but just can't add to the lead. Triallist Garrett got a chance at DM and did a solid job but maybe isn't any better than what we have.

[Cougar2010]

Scotland

Raith Rovers

Preview 2020/21 Season

SUMMARY OF MAIN SQUAD

Three left, Robinson is out on loan while four joined the club. There are currently 22 players in the first team squad and I'm fairly happy with the balance although we could always use some more quality. My main concern at the moment is the lack of Scottish players in the team (8) although I have concentrated mainly on the home nations (6 English, 3 Northern Irish, 4 Irish & 1 Welsh). New signings Stuckler (Danish) & Vaisanen (Finnish) are the first foreign players I've brought in.

No change in the formations with 4132, 352 (Wingbacks) & 442 the options.

Although there seems to be options for Captain I decide to stick with John Egan with Danny Holmes staying as vice captain.

Goalkeepers

No change in goal with Crowe & Laidlaw both competing for the starting spot. The staff feel Laidlaw is a clear backup now while opinion is divided on how good Crowe actually is. Both GKs also have concerns at the moment with continued interest in Crowe while Celtic watching Laidlaw has turned his head.

Michael Crowe (24yo English GK)

Ross Laidlaw (28yo Scottish GK)

Fullbacks

Consistency continues on the left where its McKeown & Kelleher competing for the 5th successive year. On the right Pennington joined last season and provides good competition for Holmes although QPR are taking an interest in him.

Rory McKeown (27yo Northern Irish DL) – 13 Caps, 0 Goals

Fiacre Kelleher (24yo Irish DL/DR)

Danny Holmes (31yo English DR/DC) – Vice Captain

Matthew Pennington (25yo English DRC)

Central Defence

New signing Vaisanen is expected to challenge Obileye & Hanley for a starting spot while John Egan provides solid backup. That leaves Paddy Barrett providing something of a utility role this season covering at DC, DR & DM.

Sauli Vaisanen (26yo Finnish DC/DL)

Grant Hanley (28yo Scottish DC/DR) – 16 Caps, 1 Goal

John Egan (27yo Irish DC) - Captain

Ayo Obileye (25yo English DC/DM)

Paddy Barrett (27yo Irish DC/DR, DM)

Central Midfield/Wingers

No change at DM where its O'Brien backed up by Hamill who is in his last year of his contract. Further forward new signing Willock joins Duffy, Callachan & Doughty while I'm looking to give 20yo McKenna plenty of game time this season to give him the best chance of improving.

Ross Callachan (26yo Scottish MC/MR)

Michael Doughty (27yo Welsh MC/MRL)

Thomas O'Brien (28yo Scottish DM/DC, MC)

Michael Duffy (26yo Northern Irish MLC) – 6 Caps, 1 Goal

Matthew Willock (23yo English MC/DM)

Steve McKenna (20yo Scottish MC/MR)

Jamie Hamill (34yo Scottish DM/DR, MC)

Forwards

Adeyemo & Murray have competition this season from two new signings – Costello & Stuckler

Simon Murray (28yo Scottish ST/AMR)

Ola Adeyemo (25yo Irish ST/AMRL)

Daniel Stuckler (23yo Danish ST/AMC)

Bill Costello (21yo English ST/AMRC)

The board announced their expectations for the season and as expected they have been reasonable with just a slight improvement expected in the league.

Scottish Premiership: Mid-table

Scottish Cup: 5th Round

Scottish League Cup: 3rd Round

Scottish Premiership Preview

Rangers broke Celtic's grip on the title last season and the media think its a much more open race this year with Dundee Utd, Hibernian & St Mirren all pushing hard. Personally though I think its going to take something special to stop one of the old firm winning again. Down at the bottom its also expected to be much closer with Championship winners Dundee in a strong position having just missed out on promotion three years running while playoff winners Dunfermline Athletic are always expected to be in with a shout of surviving.

The media think we will finish 9th which seems like a fair shout although I'm looking for a top 6 place.

[Cougar2010]

Scotland

Raith Rovers

August 2020

Manager News

Its the last season of my contract and I'm considering moving on at the end of it. I feel like I've stabilised Raith in the Premiership but will struggle to take them further without serious investment in the stadium & facilities which will take a long time to achieve.

Injury News

We start the season with a clean bill of health as Hamill & McKenna recover from pre-season knocks. Bans on the other hand is a different story as Jamie Hamill misses the first league game while Grant Hanley is banned for one league match, one Scottish Cup match & one League Cup match.

League Cup 2nd Round Draw

We get a good draw as we are at home to local rivals Cowdenbeath (League 1)

Saturday 8th August 2020 – Scottish Premiership (1/38)

Raith Rovers 1-1 Dunfermline Athletic

Goals: Willock (67) ; West (35)

MOTM: Willock (7.7)

Attendance: 9,031

Milestone: Sauli Vaisanen – Debut for Raith Rovers

Milestone: Matthew Willock – Debut & 1st Goal for Raith Rovers

Milestone: Daniel Stuckler – Debut for Raith Rovers

Milestone: Bill Costello – Debut for Raith Rovers

Our pre-season has been excellent in terms of results but that breeds complacency although it doesn't seem to affect our opening game against our fierce rivals. There is a lot of competition for places this year with Stuckler starting alongside Murray up front while Willock and Doughty get the nod in front of O'Brien. We get put under pressure early but once the match settles we are are in control. Murray & Stuckler both see good chances saved at full stretch before Vaisanen wins a soft penalty from a long throw but the keeper saves from Murray. Its really looking like a frustrating day as West gets in front of a defender to slot in Dunfermline's only real chance of the match. Murray has been terrible and gets dragged off in the second half which gives Costello a chance but its a freekick that pulls us level. O'Brien hits the wall with the ball falling to Willock whose shot hits the underside of the bar from the edge of the box for a deserved equaliser. We push for a winner with Callachan, Stuckler & Willock all seeing shots saved and by the end I'm surprised to see their keeper hasn't been named MOTM.

Club News

Season ticket sales increase but only slightly from 2,754 to 2,771. This puts us firmly at the bottom of the league selling around 1,000 less than the likes of Partick Thistle & St Mirren.

Transfer News

We've had 19yo Chris Garrett on trial and he has done ok. Normally I wouldn't sign him as I think we could do better and he has a few cons but given the lack of good DMs around I have to consider him. He does have some good points as in he is fairly professional, has plenty of room to improve and has pretty good defensive attributes for his age. He is also an established Northern Irish U21 International and other clubs such as Dundee Utd, Falkirk & Motherwell are interested in him. Despite not being fully scouted I decide he is worth the gamble, especially as he is unattached. Unfortunately both Dundee Utd & Motherwell also make offers and he chooses to join Dundee Utd for a similar wage to what I offered.

Wednesday 12th August 2020 – Scottish Premiership (2/38)

Falkirk (6th) 0-2 Raith Rovers (8th)

Goals: Willock (23), Stuckler (42)

MOTM: Adeyemo (7.8)

Milestone: Daniel Stuckler - 1st Goal for Raith Rovers

Rotation for the midweek game as Adeyemo replaces the disappointing Murray, Hanley is back from his ban in defence while Callachan comes in for Doughty. Falkirk look much tougher going forward this year having picked up experienced Scottish Internationals Steven Naismith & Robert Snodgrass for free, signing Calum Gallagher from Ross County for a record fee and agreeing a loan deal with Aston Villa for Scottish U21 ST Robbie Rooney. My concern for their strength in attack proves to be fair as Crowe is forced into early saves as we struggle to get out of our half. Despite this the first real chance falls our way when a long clearance sees Adeyemo behind the defence but the keeper is out quick to close him down getting fingertips to his chip. He makes up for the miss a couple of minutes later though when he plays Willock in to give us the lead and its two before the break when Callachan plays a ball to Stuckler in the channel, he doesn't hesitate firing a first time shot in off the underside of the bar. With a fairly comfortable lead its more a case of going through the motions in the second half and staying tight at the back. Falkirk have a half chance blocked late on but thats the closest they come as we secure a morale boosting win. Adeyemo was superb and he seems a much better foil for Stuckler than Murray is while Willock & Hanley also impressed.

Sunday 16th August 2020 - Scottish Premiership (3/38)

Raith Rovers (4th) 2-0 Rangers (2nd)

Goals: Costello (69), Duffy (pen 73)

MOTM: Hanley (8.1)

Attendance: 7,347

Milestone: Matthew Pennington - 200th Career League Appearance

Milestone: Bill Costello - 1st Goal for Raith Rovers

Rangers bring a narrow diamond which means I switch to the 4132. Egan gets his first start of the season as does Pennington while with O'Brien a little tired & Hamill only just recovered from injury Barrett gets a chance at DM. Our passing is terrible in the first half as we just can't get out of our half. For all Rangers' possession & shots we look comfortable in defence and late in the half we create the only real chance when a quick break sees Adeyemo play in Doughty but his shot is saved. A kick up the arse and a tweak to the tactics sees a much more even second half. The catalyst for the win is 21yo Bill Costello who comes off the bench and with his first touch slots in after a good passing move from Duffy & Adeyemo. He doesn't stop there either chasing the ball into the channel before turning the defender and winning a penalty which Duffy drills in. Rangers create their only real chance of the game late on which Crowe saves. Its a massive win in front of the TV cameras and there is no doubt who the heros are – Hanley & Egan were immense at DC.

Transfer News

I'm a little disappointed to have missed out on Garrett and the first week of the season has shown we are maybe a player short in midfield. That said Barrett played well at DM against Rangers while McKenna & Hamill haven't started yet this season so its maybe all in my mind. There is one decent DM available and thats 25yo Canadian International Samuel Piette who has been a fringe player at Dundee Utd the last couple of seasons. He isn't ideal, there are a couple of questions marks surrounding him and wages have been a sticking point in the past but he has now dropped his demands a little while our finances have improved. He is a hard working team player who can tackle and is a bit more creative than most DMs but I'm not convinced he is much better than what we have. The scouts continue to monitor him and he may be a decent target to sign on a bosman to replace Hamill next year.

Saturday 22nd August 2020 – Scottish Premiership (4/38)

Raith Rovers (2nd) 2-0 Dundee Utd (5th)

Goals: Adeyemo (48), Obileye (74)

MOTM: Callachan (9.0)

Attendance: 8,517

Milestone: Fiacre Kelleher - 100th Career League Appearance

We normally struggle against Dundee Utd but this time we are in control from the first whistle. A steady first half sees us with plenty of possession & shots but only a couple of half chances as Hanley & Pennington sees shots turned away. We make the breakthrough early in the second half when Adeyemo puts a defender under pressure chasing a long ball, the header back to the keeper is short with Adeyemo nipping in and beating the keeper. Dundee Utd respond pressing forward but we are fairly comfortable at the back while Obileye heads in a corner to wrap up another good win.

Tuesday 25th August 2020 – Scottish League Cup (2nd Round)

Raith Rovers (Premiership) 2-0 Cowdenbeath (League 1)

Goals: Armstrong (og 19), Costello (53)

MOTM: Costello (8.8)

Attendance: 4,759

They might be our rivals but home against a League 1 side means a chance to rest several first teamers. Laidlaw is in goal, Egan & Barrett in defence, McKenna & Hamill in midfield while Costello gets his first start alongside Murray. Its 352 as Cowdenbeath pack the midfield (451) but we control the match. We nearly shoot ourselves in the foot when Barrett misses a long ball but we have a spare DC for a reason and Egan gets across to make a fairly standard block. Breaking them down looks like its going to be difficult but we get the goal when Costello makes a run into the channel drilling a square ball to the far post which deflects in off Armstrong. Murray is in poor form as he snatches at a few half chances before Costello shows him how its done heading in a right wing cross early in the second half. Cowdenbeath never push forward keeping 10 men behind the ball all game as we see the game out for a steady win. McKenna & Costello both played well while Willock never stops running and I'm starting to think a BTB role might be his thing.

Scottish League Cup, 3rd Round Draw

As a seeded team we get one of the tougher draws – away to Falkirk (Premiership)

Saturday 29th August 2020 – Scottish Premiership (5/38)

Hibernian (6th) 1-1 Raith Rovers (2nd)

Goals: Isgrove (63) ; Hanley (32)

MOTM: Fraser (9.0)

Milestone: Grant Hanley - 1st Goal for Raith Rovers

Hibernian use an attacking tactic which is hard to deal with while poor passing makes it that much harder for us. We defend well though with their only chances coming from a scramble in the box which is eventually cleared. McKeown is the one player who is looking like a threat for us down the left as he provides a cross for Costello who heads against the bar before a long throw comes back out to him and this time he picks out Hanley who heads in. With the lead we settle a bit more and push Hibernian back. We force them to switch to 442 in the second half but chances are hard to come by for both sides. A mishit cross provides the equaliser but I can't really begrudge them as they have played the better football. Stuckler comes off the bench and is the closest to winning the game when he heads a right wing cross against the bar but we'll take the draw.

Transfer News

As the end of the transfer window approaches I'm pretty happy with the squad. There is always room for improvement but as it stands I think we are doing ok. I'm pleased with the four new signings who have all had an impact already. Vaisanen looks solid in defence, Willock has added a lot of energy to midfield + a couple of goals while Costello & Stuckler are giving Murray & Adeyemo competition up front.

Awards

A good start to the season sees me come 2nd in the “Manager of the Month” as the awards are dominated by Celtic.

[Lenzar]

You've done a great job at Raith. I'd agree that it's time to move on.

Got anywhere in mind? Perhaps an English Championship side?

[Cougar2010]

You've done a great job at Raith. I'd agree that it's time to move on.

Got anywhere in mind? Perhaps an English Championship side?

Don't really fancy England although I might not have an option.

Was kinda thinking that I might stand a chance of getting a big club in the likes of Holland, Belgium or one of the Nordic countries. A club like what Celtic or Rangers are to Scotland, someone like Anderlecht, AaB, Malmo etc.

[deltablue]

That sounds a little ambitious at this stage, but we'll see.

[HeresdaKicker]

If you apply to one of the bigger clubs and get the job, it's likely you'll be given less time to achieve success than a manager with a bigger reputation. Still, I think you should be ambitious when looking for a new club.

[Cougar2010]

Scotland

Raith Rovers

September 2020

Transfer News

Stranraer give me a dilemma on deadline day as they make a loan offer for 20yo Steve McKenna. Normally this wouldn't be an issue and I would reject it as he is breaking into the first team. However I promised him a loan back in January but he got injured extending the promise and when he returned he got some time on the pitch while I also sold/loaned both Masson & Robinson with the intention of using McKenna more. I'm also not convinced League 1 football is the right thing for him but it would give him regular games and keep him happy so in the end I let him go:

Steve McKenna (20yo Scottish MC/MR) – Loaned to Stranraer (League 1) for 5 months

This leaves us short in midfield and I need to move quickly to secure cover. I draw up a quick shortlist:

Samuel Piette (25yo Canadian DM/MC) – Dundee Utd (Transfer Listed)

I had been considering making a move for him anyway although is he more of a DM than a playmaker.

Matthew Lund (29yo Northern Irish DM, MC) – Unattached

I think he has been on trial with us in the past although I might be confusing him with someone else but I've certainly had him scouted a lot. A current international but would want first team football and a big wage which isn't really what I'm looking for.

Scott Allardice (22yo Scottish MC/DM) – Unattached

Recently released by Hearts he is the right age and would be happy with backup status. Would be a bit of a gamble as I haven't scouted him much and signs are he isn't what we are looking for long term but he could possibly do a job.

Angus Beith (24yo Scottish MC/DL) – Unattached

Virtually the same as Allardice, released by Hearts and could do a job but thats about it.

Christopher Verlaque (19yo Scottish MC) – Dumbarton (Championship)

Has been impressing for Dumbarton the last couple of seasons and is now a key player for them. Already capped at U21 level while Rangers were taking an interest in him last season. Doesn't look great to me & lacks physically but everyone seems to rate him and he keeps turning in consistent performances. Scouts reckon he will cost £275k-£575k which is a little outside what we can afford at the moment.

I make a move for Piette quickly agreeing a fee with Dundee Utd and after some haggling we agree terms albeit fairly expensive. Just as I think we have him the transfer gets cancelled as the window shuts before his work permit gets sorted. It hasn't been all bad though as at least I have an idea of what he is after and I'm still looking at him as a replacement for Hamill next year.

With Piette on the back burner I turn to a cheaper option and with no transfer fee and minimal wages I offer contracts to both Beith & Allardice as backups to add depth to the midfield. It really hasn't been my week though as Allardice fails the medical despite having no obvious injuries which means the offer is cancelled but at least Beith joins us:

Angus Beith (24yo Scottish MC/DL) – Unattached

A product of the Hearts youth academy with a fair bit of experience to his name albeit mostly on loan at lower league clubs. Last season was his best to date at East Fife (League 1) where he looked pretty good. Marking & defending in general are a weakness but he is composed on the ball and has good skills for a playmaker. Clearly not first team material for us but should provide decent backup.

Transfer Window Roundup

There didn't seem to be as much money thrown around as the past couple of seasons and what was spent was mostly recouped. The only club to spend significantly was Champions Rangers who spent £6.75m on seven players without selling anyone (19yo DR got part exchanged).

Celtic had the biggest sale as their 28yo Algerian international DR moved to Valencia for £3m and they replaced him with a 28yo Comoran international DRL from FC Nantes (£2.6m) while they also signed an experienced 26yo Ecuadorian fullback/winger from Mexican side America for £1.5m.

Hibernian invested the money Rangers gave them for Calum Ferguson and a little more to beef up their front line as Leigh Griffiths arrived from St Mirren (£800k), Our former youth prodigy Lewis Vaughan from Partick Thistle (£675k) & Tony Dingwall from Ross County (£450k) as well as bringing in winger Lloyd Isgrove from Hamilton (£500k).

Saturday 5th September 2020 – Friendly

Shamrock Rovers (Irish Premier Division) 0-1 Raith Rovers (Premiership)

Goals: Egan (74)

MOTM: Egan (8.1)

With only a couple of players on International duty we take a quick trip to Ireland to keep fitness up. Beith goes straight into the midfield, Hamill continues his comeback from injury while I use the match to have a look at Doughty in the more attacking role. We are expected to win and we eventually take control of the match after Shamrock matched us for much of the first half. Just the two chances of note, Doughty should have scored when Murray played him through but his sidefoot shot hit the post while Vaisanen flicked on a corner which saw Egan volley in at the back post to win the game. Beith did fairly well as the playmaker while Pennington shook off his poor start to the season but Stuckler & Murray continued to struggle up front.

Monday 14th September 2020 – Scottish Premiership (6/38)

St Mirren (10th) 1-0 Raith Rovers (2nd)

Goals: Russell (15)

MOTM: Russell (8.3)

Milestone: Angus Beith – Debut for Raith Rovers

One of those games where there is no desire or motivation in the team. We let St Mirren run the first half and if it wasn't for Crowe we could have easily been a few behind at the break. I read the riot act during half time which improves things slightly as we match them in the second half but when the chances come they fall to an out of form Murray. Callachan comes off the bench to win a late penalty but it really isn't our day as O'Brien sees it saved. I'm really fuming at the team and they know it after the game.

Saturday 19th September 2020 - Scottish Premiership (7/38)

Aberdeen (10th) 1-1 Raith Rovers (7th)

Goals: Haugen (90) ; Duffy (29)

MOTM: Fyvie (8.7) (Aberdeen)

We have a little bit more zip about us this match but both teams look a little out of sync as a number of passes go adrift. Aberdeen do very with their share of possession while at least we create a few half chances before Duffy's sublime shot from the edge of the box breaks the deadlock. Its much the same in the second half with both teams getting into good positions then the attacks breakdown. We look to have nicked the points until deep into injury time when Haugen fires in an equaliser from 30 yards. A draw was probably a fair reflection of the match although its disappointing it came so late.

Tuesday 22nd September 2020 – Scottish League Cup (3rd Round)

Falkirk (Premiership) 0-3 Raith Rovers (Premiership)

Goals: Lindsay (og 12), Callachan (32), Hamill (pen 84)

MOTM: Costello (8.5)

Both teams rotate and include several fringe players for this match. We start well and take the game to Falkirk testing their defence. We have the lead when Costello heads a cross against the bar and as it drops Lindsay tries to clear but only succeeds in putting through his own net. Costello is also involved in the second as he shows some craft holding the ball up on the edge of the box waiting for the run of Callachan who sidesteps the keeper to tap in. Falkirk only manage three shots in the whole match but one is a scramble in our box that Laidlaw is well placed to save. A steady second half sees a few half chances before Kelleher wins a late penalty which Hamill powers in to send us through.

Scottish League Cup, Quarter Final Draw

Eight Premiership teams in the quarter finals and I'm pleased to avoid a big name but we are away to Hearts.

Saturday 26th September 2020 – Scottish Premiership (8/38)

Raith Rovers (2nd) 4-1 Partick Thistle (5th)

Goals: Costello (15, 31), Murray (19, 65) ; Balde (61)

MOTM: Costello (9.4)

Attendance: 7,108

The spark is back and there is no doubt who is leading the charge. Of our four strikers Costello is the one in form and he is involved in everything. It looks like Murray's poor form might continue when Costello plays him in early on but when the roles are reversed Costello confidently fires in. Minutes later he squares the ball and this time Murray can't miss to make it two. There is a real understanding up front as Murray provides the third for Costello and its role reversal for the fourth in the second half. Inbetween a long ball into the channel sees Balde take an early shot to claim a consolation but thats as good as it gets for Partick as we see out the match for an impressive win.

Awards

Simon Murray is somehow 2nd in the “Player of the Month” ahead of Bill Costello 3rd but Costello does claim the “Young Player of the Month”

[deltablue]

Much better so far.

[Cougar2010]

Scotland

Raith Rovers

October 2020

Sunday 4th October 2020 – Scottish Premiership (9/38)

Celtic (1st) 0-1 Raith Rovers (2nd)

Goals: Murray (31)

MOTM: Hanley (7.6)

Milestone: Rory McKeown - 200th Career League Appearance

Celtic lost the title last season and the whole league have felt the backlash so far this year. We have nothing to lose and I send the team out to play with freedom. Celtic as expected dominate possession but we have a tough, organised defence that tends to do well against the bigger clubs. We frustrate them and limit their chances while testing their defence from time to time in the first half. Crowe saves an early half chance while O'Brien sees a freekick tipped over the bar before a bit of magic happens. Duffy plays a direct ball up to Murray who plays a one-two with Adeyemo, shrugs off his marker and slots in to give us a shock lead. Celtic ramp up the pressure in the second half and its backs against the wall in the last 20 minutes but for all their shots they only create two half chances while a looped header comes back off the bar as we hold on for a massive win.

Illness

Paddy Barrett (DRC/DM) – Out for about a week with food poisoning.

Saturday 17th October 2020 – Scottish Premiership (10/38)

Raith Rovers (2nd) 1-0 Hearts (9th)

Goals: Holmes (76)

MOTM: Willock (7.4)

Attendance: 8,628

With fitness good I didn't organise a friendly during the international break but the gap didn't do us any favours. I rotate the team to keep match fitness up and with Murray's form improving I include Stuckler alongside him in an attempt to do the same. An even first half sees just the one half chance when a shot from Stuckler is blocked by a sliding defender. We try to pressure them more in the second and the match swings in our favour. The first clear chance comes when a vicious Willock shot is blocked with the rebound falling to Stuckler unfortunately his poor form continues as the keeper saves again. With the two forwards struggling Costello replaces Murray and this gives us an edge while Willock's driving runs are causing Hearts problems. Half chances for Callachan & Costello follow before a long throw breaks the deadlock, Willock arrives late to volley towards goal and when its blocked on the line Holmes forces the ball in. Hearts create nothing of note all match and we see out the game with relative ease to claim the points.

Saturday 24th October 2020 - Scottish Premiership (11/38)

Dundee (12th) 0-1 Raith Rovers (2nd)

Goals: Obileye (90)

MOTM: Obileye (8.0)

Dundee might be at home but their setup is the most defensive formation I've ever seen (see below). You've never seen 10 men behind the ball until you see this one as they camp on the edge of their own box. We prod & poke for 90 minutes putting crosses & through balls in winning many corners and even more throw ins but all we manage is one half chance. This is one less than Dundee who have two half chances, one from a counter attack & one from a set piece. The game has 0-0 written all over it but with 30 seconds left in injury time Obileye rises at the far post to head in a Duffy corner and win the match.

Wednesday 28th October 2020 – Scottish League Cup (Quarter Final)

Hearts (Premiership) 1-1aet pens 3-5 Raith Rovers (Premiership)

Goals: Starzynski (18) ; Murray (8)

MOTM: Starzynski (8.3) (Hearts)

The likes of Laidlaw, Barrett, Hamill and an out of form Stuckler get a chance in the League Cup but that maybe proves to be a mistake as Hearts put out a full strength team. I still feel we can do well but we are under pressure early as Crowe is forced into a couple of saves. A quick break sees us take the lead against the run of play when Duffy chases a long ball into the channel squaring for Murray to drill in. Hearts are soon level when Starzynski finds the net from outside the box. I try keeping possession, closing them down, being more aggressive, standing off but nothing works as Hearts are much the better team. We limit their chances while creating a couple of our own but the longer the game goes the less likely it is we'll score. Tackles have been flying in and the referee has been busy with cards and eventually they stack up as Hamill is shown a second yellow. Its not all bad though as Hearts suffer the same minutes later. With 10 tired men on the field I'm not looking forward to extra time but Hearts seem just as tired as the match peters out into a dull draw. Starzynski turns from hero to villain as Laidlaw saves his penalty while Egan fires in our 5th to send us into the semi finals.

Match Injury

Rory McKeown (DL) – Out for 3/4 weeks with a twisted knee

Scottish League Cup, Semi Final Draw

No easy games in the semi final as we get Celtic, the other semi sees Partick Thistle take on Dundee Utd.

Awards

Three 1-0 wins see me named “Manager of the Month”

[Cougar2010]

Scotland

Raith Rovers

November 2020

Scottish Cup, 4th Round Draw

We get a home draw but its not an easy one as our opponents are fellow Premiership side, St Mirren.

Manager News

The board must be pleased with our start to the season as they offer me a new contract much early than previously. This leaves me with a tough decision as I was considering moving on. After giving it some thought I decide to sign the new deal as I feel we have made progress this season and Europe is achievable.

Saturday 7th November 2020 – Scottish Premiership (12/38)

Raith Rovers (2nd) 2-1 Falkirk (8th)

Goals: Willock (6), Adeyemo (45) ; Rooney (32)

MOTM: Willock (8.3)

Attendance: 9,031

The team are definitely fired up for this match as they take the game to Falkirk. With the pressure on a clearance by the keeper is blocked by Murray with the ball dropping to Adeyemo who should have scored only to see his shot tipped wide. It doesn't matter though as from the corner the ball comes out to Willock who drives in from 25 yards. Falkirk work their way into the match and whatever Willock can do so can Rooney as he cuts in from the right before letting fly into the top corner. Adeyemo has a chance to restore the lead from a narrow angle when he chases the ball into the channel only to hit the post but he makes up for it before the break with a smart turn & shot. The second half sees Doughty rattle the bar with a freekick before Murray gets carried off with a knock. Costello replaces him and should have scored when Adeyemo played him through but his shooting boots have been left at home as he hits the woodwork as well from the edge of the box. It doesn't matter though as we see out the match for a solid win.

Saturday 21st November 2020 – Scottish Premiership (13/38)

Dunfermline Athletic (10th) 0-3 Raith Rovers (2nd)

Goals: Costello (16), Obileye (29), O'Brien (pen 49)

MOTM: Obileye (8.4)

This time the International break didn't affect our form as the team turn it on in the derby. We are in control from the start as we pressure the Dunfermline defence but I'm unaware at this stage that we have a 12th man in the shape of the referee. Good chances are hard to come by and it takes a low drilled shot from outside the box to open the scoring as Costello slips it inside the post. While my players get warnings as the tackles fly in Dunfermline get cards and they soon pick up a second yellow to reduce them to 10 men. Obileye heads in a long throw to give us a cushion and its needed as Dunfermline cause us problems with a narrow formation. Crowe saves well to keep them out as I try to adjust to limit their chances. Costello wins a soft penalty early in the second half to kill off the game while Callachan wins another late in the game, this time the keeper saves from O'Brien. Overall the match was quite embarrassing two pens, a red card, several other yellows I would have been fuming if I was the Dunfermline manager, it wasn't even a dirty game.

Sunday 29th November 2020 - Scottish Cup (4th Round)

Raith Rovers (Premiership) 3-2 St Mirren (Premiership)

Goals: Murray (24), Duffy (79), Adeyemo (88) ; Teixeira (77), Murray (86)

MOTM: Duffy (8.3)

Attendance: 6,103

Our good form continues as the team look confident & in control against a fellow Premiership side. St Mirren have their fair share of possession and shots but our defence look comfortable for much of the match. Murray opens the scoring midway through the first half when he gets a foot to a Kelleher cross although the keeper probably should have done better. We go on to create no less than seven clear chances and should have been well out of sight by the time a mishit cross from Teixeira creeps in. Duffy quickly restores the lead with a shot from outside the box but Murray equalises in much the same manner. With time running out Adeyemo puts all the missed chances behind him heading in a wide freekick to seal the win.

Scottish Cup, 5th Round Draw

Its an away draw but it could easily have been worse as we'll be visiting either East Fife or Inverness CT depending on the replay.

Awards

Two solid wins sees me named “Manager of the Month” for the second month in a row. A couple of players are also amongst the awards as Matthew Willock is runner-up in the “Player of the Month” & Bill Costello runner-up in both the “Young Player of the Month” & “Goal of the Month”.

[Cougar2010]

Scotland

Raith Rovers

December 2020

Transfer News

Time to look for potential bosman signings with six months left on contracts in Scotland. There are approx 1,900 players on my shortlist but only 50 of them are Scottish with contracts ending next May. Most of those are 30yo+ which means I'm not really interested in them unless they are significantly better than our starters. A few catch my interest though:

Grant Gillespie (29yo Scottish MC/DRL, DM) – Hamilton (Championship)

The scouts feel he is significantly better than any of our current midfielders and when you add in he is consistent & a proven performer at Premiership level I have to consider him. Age is a factor as he will be 30yo by the time he joins us while he has played for Hamilton his entire career and may not be keen to leave. That said he could well be a good replacement for Jamie Hamill.

Chris Emslie (20yo Scottish AMC) – Celtic (Premiership)

28 caps & 9 goals for the Scottish U21 team point to him being one of Scotland's brightest young talents. Seems to have the ability but at club level he is still finding his feet and hasn't exactly been impressive when out on loan. With huge sums of compensation due if I make an offer we'll have to wait & see if Celtic release him but that seems unlikely.

Ryan MacFarlane (20yo Scottish DR) – Celtic (Premiership)

Another Scottish U21 International that I've been following for a while. He was unhappy last season and wanted first team football but this season has been given a chance. Again we'll have to play the waiting game and see if Celtic keep him on.

Samuel Piette (26yo Canadian DM/MC) – Dundee Utd (Premiership)

I just missed out on signing him last summer due to his work permit not being processed in time and I could resurrect that deal. It seems like its between Piette & Gillespie to replace Hamill at DM.

Illness

Ross Callachan (MC) – Out for a few days with a cold.

Saturday 5th December 2020 – Scottish Premiership (14/38)

Rangers (4th) 1-0 Raith Rovers (1st)

Goals: Oliver (3)

MOTM: Pennington (7.2)

With Rangers using a narrow diamond I give Barrett a chance at DM man marking their AMC while Costello joins Murray up front. Rangers make the better start and have the lead when a turn & shot from Oliver goes through Crowe's legs before hitting the inside of the post. We spend a lot of time defending without Rangers creating anything before we finally settle into the match. Just before the break we create the only real chance of the half when Vaisanen nods a corner down to Obileye unfortunately he sees his shot cleared off the line by the man on the post. We press on in the second half as Rangers sit back on their lead. A penalty shout from Costello is turned down when he was held back before a diagonal ball from Pennington sees Duffy bring it down & turn finding himself one-on-one with the keeper only to place wide as Rangers hold on.

Saturday 12th December 2020 – Scottish Premiership (15/38)

Raith Rovers (1st) 0-2 Hibernian (4th)

Goals: Fleck (57), Griffiths (66)

MOTM: Fleck (9.0) (Hibernian)

Attendance: 8,427

Old issues return early on as poor passing sees us gift possession back to Hibernian. This leads to us defending a lot until we take a more aggressive approach winning the ball further up the pitch. We turn the tables as we we take control of midfield but half chances are the best we can create as both Costello & Adeyemo sees shots saved when they make a little space for themselves in the box. Duffy sees a third half chance saved before Fleck gives Hibernian the lead from a freekick. We get another kick in the teeth when Griffiths lets fly from 30 yards with the ball creeping inside the near post. Murray comes off the bench and wastes a fourth half chance as we lose our second game on the trot without giving up any real chances.

Tuesday 15th December 2020 - Scottish Premiership (16/38)

Dundee Utd (9th) 2-2 Raith Rovers (2nd)

Goals: Goodwillie (11, 64) ; Costello (59), Murray (70)

MOTM: Goodwillie (8.8) (Dundee Utd)

We start well and look the better side but gift Dundee Utd the lead when Crowe fumbles a cross dropping it into the path of Goodwillie who taps in. Despite the set back we dominate possession and create a couple of half chances which are saved. We keep the pressure on and are rewarded when a defender misses a long ball which sees Murray free to drive into the box drawing the cover before laying off for Costello to drill in. Back in the match but only for minutes when Crowe palms a vicious shot wide and with a Dundee Utd first to the rebound its centred for Goodwillie to slot in. Heads don't drop though as we keep probing and we are level when Murray's run into the channel is picked out. We push for the winner but it doesn't come as its now three games without a win despite playing well.

Saturday 19th December 2020 – Scottish Premiership (17/38)

Raith Rovers (3rd) 2-1 St Mirren (6th)

Goals: Costello (29), Willock (32) ; Archibald (84)

MOTM: Costello (8.3)

Attendance: 6,500

St Mirren seem to have learned from the cup match and tighten up at the back. We edge the early possession but St Mirren defend well in the final third as we struggle to create chances. On the break they come close when Russell stretches for a cross with his shot clipping the bar. We make the breakthrough though when Hanley intercepts a diagonal ball as St Mirren push forward and delivers a long ball over the top for Costello to race onto before calmly places past the keeper. Willock's driving runs are causing St Mirren the most concern and he arrives late to get on the end of a Holmes cross, he rattles the bar but from the scramble he forces in the second to give us a cushion. St Mirren hit the woodwork again in the second half from a narrow angle but in general we look comfortable until a late diagonal ball into the near post sees Archibald flick a header past Laidlaw. Its a nervy finish but we hold on for a deserved win.

Player News

Grant Hanley comes to me to express an interest in moving clubs which is a problem as he has always demanded a relatively low minimum fee release clause (Currently £130k). I try to put him off but he is a pain in the arse to deal with and I'm eventually forced to stamp down telling him if he wants to leave he'll have to wait until his contract expires. As you would expect it doesn't go down well and I may be forced to move him on in January.

Wednesday 23rd December 2020 – Scottish Premiership (18/38)

Raith Rovers (2nd) 0-1 Aberdeen (7th)

Goals: Urquhart (47)

MOTM: Kelleher (7.2)

Attendance: 6,942

Milestone: Ross Laidlaw - 150th Career League Appearance

Aberdeen bring a narrow formation which forces me to switch to the 4132 and away from the 352 that the team have been playing well with recently. Formation isn't the problem though, complacency is as the team aren't on their game this match. This means Aberdeen dominating both possession and shots in the first half but we are fairly solid defensively as they create little. I read the riot act during halftime and we improve in the second half but not before Aberdeen catch us out with a change in formation. A quick break with a long ball into the channel sees the striker free and I didn't notice they brought a second striker on during the break as he crosses for Urquhart who is free in the middle. We press for an equalise and finish strongly but with Aberdeen defending in numbers its very hard to break them down as we slip to defeat. I'm furious with the complacency given we've only won once in our last four games.

Saturday 26th December 2020 – Scottish Premiership (19/38)

Partick Thistle (12th) 0-0 Raith Rovers (2nd)

Goals:

MOTM: MacDonald (8.5) (Partick Thistle)

I demand a performance from the team but just like the Aberdeen match they look lethargic and seem to lack motivation. Partick manage just the one half chance in the first half while the team improves as the game goes on but we never look on the same page. Its a disjointed performance where we have the better of possession and plenty of shots but create just one good chance as Costello sees it pushed wide. I guess at least we didn't lose but we need to get a spring in our step sooner rather than later or we'll be slipping down the table like last season.

Awards

Bill Costello goes one better than last month as he is named “Young Player of the Month”

[Cougar2010]

Scotland

Raith Rovers

January 2021

Transfer News

The transfer window opens and our hand is forced immediately as St Mirren & Dundee Utd both make bosman offers for DM target Grant Gillespie. I join the race but I really wish I'd made an offer last month for him as he chooses to join St Mirren at the end of the season.

In terms of our own players there is a little interest. St Mirren continue to follow Grant Hanley, Motherwell are thinking about offering our backup utility defender Paddy Barrett a bosman deal while a number of clubs are looking at 31yo DR, Danny Holmes who has six months left on his contract. Paddy is nothing more than a backup for us so I'm happy for him to move on at the end of the season. Danny I'm torn on, he'll be 32yo by the end of the season and he has already declined a little. Another year and he may well be nothing more than a backup player for us. The proactive approach would be to let him go at the end of the season and find a young up & coming DR to backup Pennington but he has been a solid, dependable player for us. Finally although interest has waned on Crowe he is still looking to move on and wants to play continental football.

Its also time to look at potential bosmans for contracts ending 30th June and one player catches my eye – 25yo Australian/Scot Cameron Burgess who is out of favour at Fulham (English Premiership). He is a little on the slow side but really strong in the air and has proven ability at the top level. I offer him a deal which will push our wage budget to the limit but I face competition from Khimki (Russian Premier Division) & Brentford (English Championship). I might have missed out on Gillespie but the news is better on Burgess as he puts pen to paper joining us in the summer.

Sunday 3rd January 2021 – Scottish Premiership (20/38)

Raith Rovers (4th) 0-1 Celtic (1st)

Goals: Zyro (75)

MOTM: Hanley (7.7)

Attendance: 6,889

Celtic make the better start but after some adjustments we turn it round and put them under pressure. Again we play well against stronger opposition and create the only good chance of the half when Kelleher crosses for Costello but the keeper is well placed to make the save. Celtic switch to 433 in the second half which causes us more problems but we are still a match for them with both teams struggling to create good chances. Late in the game Miller bursts down the right and when he crosses for Zyro the chance is buried. Really nothing in it, one good chance for each team, Celtic took theirs we didn't take ours.

Saturday 16th January 2021 – Scottish Premiership (21/38)

Raith Rovers (4th) 2-0 Dundee (11th)

Goals: Adam (og 24), Duffy (50)

MOTM: Hanley (7.7)

Attendance: 6,243

With no goals in the last three matches I decide to shake it up with Stuckler coming in for his first start in a couple of months. Dundee once again bring a very defensive formation that is difficult to break down which means set pieces look our biggest threat early on. We look dangerous in particular from long throws and its a half cleared one that sees Murray drill a shot through the crowd to open the scoring when the ball flies in off Adam. With the lead we can be more patient and draw Dundee out but they switch from defence to attack in the second half as we face a 433. A quick break sees Pennington pick out the late run of Duffy to make it two and that wraps the match up as we sit back soaking up the attacks. A solid, controlled performance with Hanley standing out in both boxes.

Player/Transfer News

St Mirren make their move for Grant Hanley and I'm concerned given he has a minimum fee clause of £130k that I might be losing him but their offer doesn't trigger the clause. I reject it and wait for the backlash from Hanley after our disagreement last month but it doesn't come. With St Mirren not making the knockout stages of the EURO Cup he seems to recognise that they aren't in Europe anymore and that we are doing well in the league. I look to capitalise on that and agree a new contract with him which sees increased wages but importantly no minimum fee clause.

Saturday 23rd January 2021 - Scottish Premiership (22/38)

Hearts (5th) 0-1 Raith Rovers (2nd)

Goals: O'Brien (pen 68)

MOTM: Kelleher (7.9)

The first half quickly settles into a pattern with us looking more like the home side. While we work possession and look for space Hearts play a direct counter attacking game. Both defences are solid but we come the closest in the early stages hitting the woodwork no less than three times with shots from the edge of the box. Hanley is once again the rock at the back breaking up the Hearts attacks while Kelleher's driving runs down the left are a feature for much of the game. First goal was always going to be vital and we get the break when Kelleher drives into the box before going down. Its a controversial penalty but hardly our fault as O'Brien drills in what proves to be the winning goal.

Player News

Jamie Hamill has been declining faster than I expected and he announces he'll retire at the end of the season. I was hoping to make use of him until then but its looking like I'll need to source a replacement sooner rather than later. For the 4132 formation both Barrett & Obileye offer cover for O'Brien but I'm short of a player who can fill in the BWM role in the wingbacks formation.

Wednesday 27th January 2021 – Scottish Premiership (23/38)

Raith Rovers (3rd) 3-2 Dunfermline Athletic (10th)

Goals: Adeyemo (18), Costello (24, 42) ; Murdoch (14), Ptacek (56)

MOTM: Costello (8.8)

Attendance: 9,031

We make a good start to the derby but Dunfermline score first against the run of play when we fail to clear a corner. We are soon level when Costello drives into the box drawing a tackle, with Costello claiming a penalty Adeyemo runs onto the loose ball and drills in. Minutes later we have the lead when McKeown picks out Costello with a cross and he makes it three before the break when he has time to bring down a Holmes cross before sliding in. The second half should have been a formality but Dunfermline mount a fightback pulling a goal back when a freekick comes back off the bar with Ptacek tapping in. With the defence looking shaky and under pressure I bring Hanley off the bench which seems to do the trick as we hold on for the win.

Saturday 30th January 2021 – Scottish League Cup (Semi Final) (Neutral Ground)

Raith Rovers (Premiership) 0-1 Celtic (Premiership)

Goals: Cummings (pen 66)

MOTM: Williamson (7.5) (Celtic)

Celtic make another quick start and nearly have the lead inside the first minute as Laidlaw tips a long shot onto the post. Just like the last league match between us though we work our way into the match creating the only chance of the first half that Murray sees saved. Again like the league match the match seems to swing Celtic's way when a loose touch by Obileye sees Cummings steal the ball but this time the shot goes wide. Its only a temporary reprieve though as minutes later Zyro drives into the box with Hanley giving up a penalty. We push for an equaliser but never really come close as Celtic go through to the final.

Transfer News

With the decision made that we need another BWM I approach Dundee Utd for Samuel Piette again. We soon have an agreement with plenty of time to sort a work permit but this time it gets turned down as does the appeal forcing me to cancel the transfer. He has had regular appearances for Canada so I can only presume his lack of appearances for Dundee Utd are the cause.

This leaves me short of time to find an alternative and a real lack of more defensive midfielders available. One player the scouts have been watching is a 22yo Australian/Greek DM Pavlos Mouroutis who hasn't made the breakthrough at FC Midtjylland (Danish Superliga). His contract ends in the summer and although not a top target he was on my radar as a possible bosman signing. As he is listed for loan I make an offer which will see us have plenty of time to evaluate him:

Pavlos Mouroutis (22yo Australian/Greek DM) – On loan from FC Midtjylland (Danish Superliga) until the end of the season

Started his career at Sydney Olympic FC (Australia) and was soon a key member of the first team with a string of impressive performances. FC Midtjylland brought him to Europe for just £2.3k in 2018 but he has struggled to break into the first team. A consistent, hard working team player which is just what you look for in a DM/BWM but he seems to have stagnated the last couple of years. Has the potential to be a top player for us but he needs to improve quickly to earn a bosman move in the summer.

Player News

In other news I've offered new one year deals to both Ross Laidlaw (GK) & Danny Holmes (DR) which have been accepted. I was thinking about letting them both go but there isn't exactly a lot of good replacements available that we can afford, especially ones that offer consistent backup at such cheap wages. One player that will be leaving though is Paddy Barrett (DC/DR/DM), our backup utility player has signed to join St Johnstone (Championship) on a bosman which should be a good move for him.

Finally 20yo MC Steve McKenna is back from a successful loan spell at Stranraer. The aim was to give him plenty of gametime but with 352 becoming my favoured formation there will be less opportunities which could well be an issue.

Awards

For the 3rd time this season I'm named “Manager of the Month”

[deltablue]

Woah that's tight! It appeared that it was starting slip away from you but clearly not for long.

[Cougar2010]

Scotland

Raith Rovers

February 2021

Transfer Window Roundup

Although there was a lot going on between clubs not that many players moved. A handful of loan deals, a few freebies & low value players moved but there were only three real transfers of note. Celtic spent money as they paid Ludogorets (Bulgarian A Group) £1.4m for 22yo Algerian International DM/MC Zineddine Cheraitia. St Mirren also dug deep as they persuaded Aberdeen to sell them 22yo, former Scottish U21 International ST Kevin O'Hara for £850k. The third transfer wasn't as big but it involved another international as 29yo Slovakian GK, Michal Sulla joined Hearts from Lillestrom (Norwegian Premier Division) for £250k.

Tuesday 2nd February 2021 – Scottish Premiership (24/38)

Hibernian (4th) 3-1 Raith Rovers (3rd)

Goals: Isgrove (6), Polworth (38), Skalak (45) ; Hanley (26)

MOTM: Isgrove (7.8) (Hibernian)

Milestone: Pavlos Mouroutis – Debut for Raith Rovers

We don't have a good record against Hibernian and the trend continues as a good passing move sees us sliced open early on. The team responds and a long throw finds Hanley whose header creeps in off the inside of the post. We just can't deal with Hibernian's attacking formation though and are behind again when a shot from the edge of the box drops to Polworth. Its three when another passing move finds the unmarked Skalak at the far post and heads drop. I switch to 352 in the second half and we improve creating a couple of half chances but just can't get back into the match as our bad run versus Hibernian continues.

Saturday 6th February 2021 – Scottish Cup (5th Round)

Inverness CT (Championship) 1-2 Raith Rovers (Premiership)

Goals: Malone (3) ; Murray (67), Willock (79)

MOTM: Malone (8.3) (Inverness CT)

Inverness bring a true 433 which I'm concerned will test us at the back but the bigger problem is just a total lack of effort on the pitch. Malone gives Inverness CT the lead with a shot from the edge of the box that I feel Laidlaw should have done better with while they could have easily had a couple more on another day. I try to tweak and read the riot act at halftime as I attempt to motivate them but it only has a limited affect. Its not looking like our day when half chances go begging but we finally get the break when a long clearance sees Stuckler shake off his marker driving at the keeper before squaring for Murray to tap in. The goal along with some subs see the pace pick up and as the game opens up the chances come. Willock arrives late in the box to force in a McKeown cross as we take the lead and we could have had more if Costello had a bit more composure. We get the win but overall its a frustrating performance where the team didn't look bothered for much of the match.

Scottish Cup Quarter Final Draw

Nine teams go into the draw including Motherwell (Championship) & Stranraer (League 1). We get a fairly good draw home to Hearts.

Tuesday 9th February 2021 - Scottish Premiership (25/38)

Falkirk (9th) 0-2 Raith Rovers (4th)

Goals: Hanley (43), Costello (55)

MOTM: Vaisanen (8.6)

A much better performance from the team as they look to have more desire & motivation. An even first half where Falkirk have more shots but mainly from distance while we try to work better chances. The first good chance falls to Costello as he finds room in the box but his shot is pushed wide. We get another just before the break when Vaisanen flicks on a corner with Hanley heading in at the far post to give us the lead. Costello makes it two in the second half when he gets between defenders to head in Kelleher's cross. With the lead we look comfortable and cruise to a solid win.

Injury News

Pavlos Mouroutis (DM) – Out for about 10 days with a bruised rib.

Saturday 13th February 2021 – Scottish Premiership (26/38)

Raith Rovers (3rd) 3-6 Rangers (1st)

Goals: O'Brien (13), Kelleher (32), Costello (78) ; Robertson (2), Muirhead (26, 45, 65), Walker (62), Oliver (87)

MOTM: Muirhead (9.6) (Rangers)

Attendance: 7,784

Milestone: John Egan - 200th Career League Appearance

Its clear we have a problem in defence from the start as soon as Robertson gives Rangers the early lead. Going forward we play fairly well with the midfield looking good but the three DCs are terrible as Rangers score six despite several not really being chances at all. Egan, Vaisanen & Obileye all receive warnings after really bad performances as all I can do is move on.

Saturday 20th February 2021 – Scottish Premiership (27/38)

Raith Rovers (3rd) 1-1 Dundee Utd (6th)

Goals: Stuckler (87) ; Dow (64)

MOTM: Pennington (7.4)

Attendance: 8,274

Milestone: Michael Doughty - 200th Career League Appearance

Seven games to go to the league splits and we are looking good to be top side this year, especially with a good result in this match. Its a very even match from start to finish as both sides look to attack and have solid defence. Dundee Utd take a number of shots from distance in the first half while both Stuckler & Costello see a good chance each saved as we take more time. The second half sees Dundee Utd create a couple of half chances before a Crowe save sees the ball pulled back for Dow to drill in. With the first goal being vital its looking hard for us to get back in the match but subs make the difference with McKeown crossing for Stuckler to head in a late equaliser.

Tuesday 23rd February 2021 – Scottish Premiership (28/38)

Aberdeen (8th) 2-3 Raith Rovers (3rd)

Goals: Henderson (37, 48) ; Vaisanen (9), Duffy (pen 19), Murray (70)

MOTM: Henderson (8.9) (Aberdeen)

Milestone: Sauli Vaisanen - 1st Goal for Raith Rovers

We make a good start and have the lead when a half cleared corner is returned back in to Vaisanen who turns placing a shot through the crowd into the far corner. He also earns a cheap penalty as he gets bundled over protecting a throw in on the edge of the 18 yard box with Duffy drilling in. We seem to have a comfortable lead with Aberdeen creating little but a goal from the edge of the box either side of half time sees Henderson level the match. Having come from behind Aberdeen seem the more likely to get a winner until subs turn the match round with Murray volleying in a Holmes cross to seal the points.

Youth Intake

16 youngsters again join the club and after a lean couple of years this one looks a little stronger. Several will harbour first team hopes but there are two standout players. 15yo DR Frazer Williamson looks very good for his age while the coaches pick out 15yo AMC Chris Evans as a potential star.

Frazer Williamson

Chris Evans

Awards

For the 3rd time this season Bill Costello is named “Young Player of the Month”

[Maw74]

I have been a lurker on this thread so it's about time I posted, really enjoying following this update.

It's the sort of thread that inspires me to get playing again if I'm going through a bit of an FM lull.