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

Leith Athletic with Albert Bungay

Please read below for my interview with Leith Athletic President Albert Bungay. It was published in the latest Football Focus magazine which can be viewed here for absolutely free.

The crest of Leith Athletic FC

 Leith Athletic

Leith Athletic are a club that pride themselves on the success of their youth system. Football Focus spoke to Albert Bungay, President of the Edinburgh club, last month and the names of players who have come through the youth system was very impressive. Former Dundee star Leigh Griffiths began his footballing career at Athletic and recently joined Premier League side Wolves for a fee believed to be around £150,000. Other big names are Dundee United's Danny Swanson, St. Mirren defender Darren McGregor and Hibernian's Sean Welch.

However, Leith Athletic are certainly not a club living in the past. The first team won promotion to the East of Scotland Premier League this season and Albert has high hopes that they can consolidate their position in the Division. “We will be looking for our first team to consolidate their position in the Premier League. We we will hold our own at this level and may even surprise a few teams as the season progresses. We soon hope to see our first team challenging the current league leaders in the Premier Division and to be one of the leading clubs in the East of Scotland league.”

Indeed, Athletic are very much focused on the future and Albert is very proud of the current youth set up, but he hopes to encourage more girls to take up the sport. “We have around 500 boys and girls from five years old to twenty-one learning and playing for the club. The most pleasing aspect of our current first team is that every player in the team had previously played for one of our youth teams. The clubs longest serving player Kevin Freedman aged twenty-six has been involved with the club for fifteen years and is currently a member of our first team. We have just recently established a girls section over the last year. At present it is a work in progress but now that the light nights are here and the girls can get back training outside we will attract more girls to the club over the next few months. ”

Youth development and community involvement is something Albert believes go hand in hand and is delighted to confirm this is the case in Leith. “We have built our reputation as a community club. The majority of the boys and girls live local. All the teams are sponsored by local firms and the local schools and sports halls benefit from our teams using their facilities. We have just recently received the Community Quality Mark award from the SFA in recognition of the standard the club has set and we are one of only three clubs in Edinburgh to receive it.”

Leith Athletic have done very well since they formed fifteen years ago, but Albert knows there is still a lot of hard work to be done, especially in tough financial times. “One of the biggest challenges facing our club has to be the lack of facilities for training and the changing room facilities. It is an old building and although it meets a certain requirement we would definitely look to expand or improve if we could. The problem for the club is that in the current economic climate changing facilities for football clubs is not high on the council’s agenda.”

Leith continue to excel in their teaching of football to youngsters, but Albert wants to go a step further than most football clubs go. He is keen to link the club with other sports so youngsters have a number of different sporting opportunities. “On the field we will be looking for our soccer schools and youth teams to continue the work we do in learning and teaching young boys and girls the basic soccer skills. We are keen to build relations with other sport clubs in the immediate area in a bid to allow youngsters in the community to experience and improve their skills in a variety of different sports. We believe having attended meetings with people from Edinburgh sports councils that the way forward for most clubs is to become part of a community based sports hub with all sports coming together giving the kids an opportunity to try different sports. Which may attract funding from local councils easier than all sports working individually.”

written by Will Lyon