Money's Too Tight To Mention

Click here or read below for my preview of the Scottish First Division for the 2011/12 season. It was published in the brand new Away End Magazine.

Money's Too Tight To Mention

If the First Division had a highlights package the opening credits would surely feature the song “Money's Too Tight To Mention”. The summer of 2011 has been a miserable period for many players in Scotland's second tier. Falkirk released eighteen players, Raith let fifteen go, twelve left Queen of the South, Morton saw off eleven and Dundee waved goodbye to nine.

However, there is one club bucking the trend. Highland outfit Ross County have been signing players like no tomorrow. Michael Fraser, Colin McMenamin, Grant Munro, Kurtis Byrne, Russell Duncan, Sam Morrow and Rocco Quinn have all made the journey to Dingwall forming what is expected to be a twenty-four man squad. It appears that Ross County are now finally prepared  to use the sizeable sum of money they gained when they reached the Scottish Cup final in 2010. Although it may take time for County's squad to gel they still have to be considered favourites for the title.

At the other end of the table it is expected that Ayr United will occupy tenth place for most, if not all of the season. United will remain a part-time club, despite Gareth Wardlaw joining from SPL side St. Mirren. In fact, they will be the only part-timers in the First Division and should find it harder to compete with the rest of the league.

Livingston are the other new arrivals from down below as they cruised to the Second Division title last season. Although they operate a full-time squad, the West Lothian side have yet to make a summer signing and may struggle to stay away from the dreaded relegation playoff spot.

Hamilton Academical are the other new side to join the First Division. They had a miserable campaign in the SPL last season, winning just one league game at home and scoring a measly twenty-four goals. Indeed, it looks like their goalscoring problems could continue for another season. The only striker Accies have on theirs books is Dougie Imrie. Therefore, it would be surprising if Hamilton were in a promotion battle come May 2012, especially considering the lack of experience they possess. A staggering nine of the twenty-one player squad are under the age of twenty.

The other six teams are much of a muchness. Having lost Gary Harkins, Craig Forsyth and Sean Higgins, Dundee are unlikely to be as strong as last season although they should be aiming for a top half finish.

As mentioned above, Raith Rovers made big summer cuts which included first team regulars Mark Campbell, Stephen Simmons and Gregory Tade. Therefore the Kirkcaldy side may struggle to go beyond mid-table this time around.

Greenock Morton have brought in a SPL strikeforce of Peter MacDonald and Andy Jackson along with four other players with similar experience and the Inverclyde club should be aiming for a promotion challenge. The loss of talisman Allan Jenkins however, will have been a significant blow for Allan Moore's men.

Falkirk's squad is still looking quite depleted despite the additions of Darren Dods and Bolton loanee Rhys Bennett. Important players such as Mark Stewart, Mark Twaddle and Robert Olejnik have left the Bairns recently and despite the departures, manager Steven Pressley is not sure if he can afford to bring in many more players to replace them.

Partick Thistle are in a transitional phase at the moment and should not be expected to be far above mid-table. They lost left back Paddy Boyle to SPL new boys Dunfermline Athletic, but have a decent squad who will be looking to make an impression on manager Jackie McNamara.

It is hard to predict how Queen of the South's season will transpire because the Doonhamers are still some way from having their squad completed. However, signings such as Simmons, Campbell and Kevin Smith are evidence of the club making a statement of intent to stay in the Division, despite their well known financial issues.

Ross County and Ayr United should, on paper, occupy first and tenth place, but depending on luck, injuries and tactical ingenuity the rest could almost be scattered in any of the remaining eight positions. The First Division has just become an even tighter league, who would have thought?

written by Will Lyon

Raith Rovers Preview, Season 2011-12

Click here or read below for my prediction of how Raith Rovers will compete during the 2011/12 season. It was published in Scotzine. The 64 page magazine can be purchased here for just £1.

1. Who do you think will win the league this season?

Once again, the First Division is likely to be a tightly contested league. Ross County however, have added a number of different options in the summer which should propel their underachieving team into the title race this season. Colin McMenamin will be a welcome addition up front, Rocco Quinn should add some increased trickery in midfield, while Russell Duncan and Grant Munro will bring an abundance of experience required for maintaining a promotion push late in the season.

2. Other than your side, what club will you be watching closely?

It shall be interesting to observe how Dundee perform this season. Despite their twenty-five point deduction last term, the Dens Park side finished sixth and although they have lost Gary Harkins, Craig Forsyth and Leigh Griffiths they could well be an outside bet for the title.

3. Who do you think will be bottom of the league/destined for the drop?

Ayr United will most probably have the tightest budget next season and will be the only part-time club in the First Division, so you would expect the Somerset Park side to prop up the table. The ninth placed play-off position could be held by a number of teams, but whoever occupies it should be able to come out of the play-offs victorious due to their full time status.

4. Where do you think your club will finish in the league?

It is hard to predict where Raith Rovers will finish this season, due to the similar quality of all teams in the league. However, fifteen players left the Kirkcaldy club in the summer and with a limited number of players replacing the departed, I would expect Rovers to finish around mid-table this time around.

5. Who is the club's key player?

There are no stand out players in the Raith squad although experienced defenders Grant Murray and Laurie Ellis will be an important component of Rovers backbone. However, as the phrase goes, goals win games and therefore top striker John Baird will be the go-to guy when the team is struggling.

6. Hopes for the coming season?

This may come across as very defeatist, but staying in business is my main hope for the season. The fairly significant recent budget cuts were an unwelcome surprise and financial stability is paramount if Raith are to be around for the long run. On the pitch, I would hope Raith can be competitive all season and keep away from the bottom half of the table.

7. Fears for the coming season?

As above, I do worry about the finances of the club, but in more pressing terms I do have a slight fear that Raith could find themselves in a relegation battle this season. Losing experienced campaigners such as Mark Campbell, Stephen Simmons and Craig Wilson may just prove a little too much upheaval.

8. Whose player was the biggest waste of money from last season? And where is he now?

Former Kilmarnock striker Gary Wales was brought to Starks Park in November 2010, but would only go on to make seven appearances all season with a measly sum of just sixty-four minutes on the pitch. Wales was never able to get into a rhythm due to persistent injuries and ended up being a burden on the club's tight budget. As far as I know, Wales has been on trial at Queen of the South recently, but it appears unlikely he will be offered a contract by manager Gus McPherson.

9. Other fans think our club is....

Most fans appeared to praise Raith for overachieving last season after finishing second in the First Division, but the unsavoury style of football on show (labelled “hoofball” or “punt it down the channels”) is widely criticised.

10. What opposition player would you want to play for your club?

Dundee centre half Rhys Weston always impresses me when I see him. He is a superb defender for First Division level and it surprises me that he did not move elsewhere in the summer.

11. What opposition player would you love to see fail miserably?

I have no qualms with any player in the First Division although I am sure a few Rovers fans who disliked Simmons would like to see him fail at his new club Queen of the South.

12. Your manager's popularity out of 10 with the fans?

Despite leading Raith within touching distance of the SPL – an unbelievable feat- a minority of Rovers fans still find themselves bewildered by John McGlynn's supposed favouritism towards certain players and stubborn tactics. Therefore his popularity would be somewhere around 9/10.

13. What team would you select for the opening season for your club?

A home game against Dundee or Falkirk would bring a big crowd to Starks Park and thankfully Falkirk will indeed be visiting Kirkcaldy on the opening day of the season.

written by Will Lyon

Raith Rovers 0 v 1 Queen of the South - Saturday 30th April 2011

Click here or read below for my match report of the fixture between Raith Rovers and Queen of the South this afternoon. It was published on the official Raith Rovers website.

 

Raith slump to sixth home defeat

An injury time Colin McMenamin strike was enough for Queen of the South to seal three points this afternoon at Starks Park.

The team sheet from the game

Rovers needed three points to give themselves a chance of remaining in the title race with Dunfermline Athletic, but with the Pars winning away at Greenock, a Rovers win would have been futile in any case.

The match at Kirkcaldy was a low-key affair, with the home side having most of the chances in the first half and the visitors controlling spells of the second. However, it was the Palmerston side that emerged victors, condemning Rovers to their sixth defeat at Starks Park in league business.

Rovers manager John McGlynn made five changes from last week’s defeat at East End Park, bringing David McGurn, Dougie Hill, Scott McBride, Iain Williamson and Graham Weir into the starting eleven.

Indeed, it was Weir and Williamson who were causing problems early on, both going close in the opening exchanges.

John Baird struck a shot wide for Rovers on the ninth minute, before Queens had their first real chance. A long ball was played to McMenamin who beat Hill and struck at goal, only for McGurn to divert onto the post. However, Main Stand Assistant Steve Pullar had spotted an infringement in the build up to the shot and play was brought back.

Nineteen minutes in, Raith should have taken the lead. John Baird latched onto a cross ball and smashed at goal, but Roddy McKenzie spread himself big and made a great save. The ball fell back at Baird’s feet but his second effort hit the bar and sailed away from danger.

The rest of the first half proceeded with little incident until McMenamin got the better of Hill once more and attempted an audacious lob over McGurn only for the ball to nestle on top of the Rovers goal.

Iain Davidson had a half chance at the start of the second half but his shot ended up comfortably over the bar.

Queens almost scored the opener on the 52nd minute when Mark Campbell slipped in the Raith box, followed by McGurn colliding with one of his own players, but somehow the Starks Park men managed to clear the ball to safety.

Seconds later, Queens broke quickly with Campbell again losing his footing, but a goal line block was made and once again Raith managed to sustain the pressure.

Raith hit back through McBride as he beat two men on the left and crossed a great ball to the front post with Weir connecting and sending his effort wide.

Raith kept up the offensive when Weir ran into the box, laying the ball to Williamson who saw his shot blocked and Baird’s follow up was also stopped in similar fashion.

Five minutes later Queens found themselves with a clear goal scoring opportunity. Davidson gave possession away from a short freekick and Ian McShane ran through on goal but after pulling the trigger, the ball bounced off the post and was cleared by the Raith defence.

Baird and substitute Craig Wilson both aimed efforts wide of the goal before fellow sub, Gregory Tade, tried an audacious scissor kick at goal.

The final fifteen minutes were played at a pace akin to a pre-season friendly but Queens were looking very dangerous on the break.

Two minutes into injury time, Grant Murray hauled down a Queens attacker, earning himself a yellow card but Bob Harris curled the free-kick inches wide of the post.

However, one minute later the Dumfries side claimed all three points as a vicious shot was swung across goal by Black, and McMenamin was all alone at the back post to force the ball over the line.

Falkirk suffered an injury time loss to Ross County and therefore Raith stay two points clear of the Bairns, but Rovers will be seeking to gain three points against Partick Thistle next week to cement second place.

written by Will Lyon