What I am saying is our problems are not up front. If we had missed a hatload of chances today or last week I might agree with you. What we need is a solid backbone to the team. That starts with the goalie (sorted), the central defensive duo (not sorted) and the midfield engine room (not sorted). We have options in all the other areas. We definitely lack a couple of older heids to come in as well.

the day wullie gray left our fate was sealed.3rd div im afraid.

No positives at all from today. An utter shambles against a very mediocre Alloa who should have won by more.

So in other words SPF it was a fluke. if they hadn't gotten that goal then things may have been different. I thought it was quite an entertaining game and I for one was pleased to be back at NBV even though my flight is delayed to 20:30.

A few things, it could easily have been 5 or 6 nil, totally dominated all over the park at home against a mid table team. If Alloa hadn't played well it would have been the worst game ever so your 'entertaining game' theory must be that you enjoyed Alloa's performance??
On a side note NBV??? It's the New Bayview so therefore would be NB as Bayview is one word but I'm just being picky.
Safe Journey!!

In my opinion there are to many individual errors which are costing us goals. We can start games resonably well sometimes and then an individual error leads to a goal and the heads go down. We need to get a settled defence and some support for Lloyd Young in midfield. Bayview Boy is right about our strikers, or lack of them, Paul McManus tried on a few occasions today to link up with young Sludden but he wasn't in tune with what was happening. Over the last few seasons wewe have five or six goals each from Smarty and Greig McDonald, and goals from midfield, these have all dried up. I was disappointed by the lack of commitment today, hanging back from 50/50's and a general acceptance when we were losing, we need winners in the team.
On the bright side despite our poor run of form we are still only 11 points behind the leaders, which shows what a poor league this is, a good run of form could easily see us back in a play-off position.

Paul Mortimers don't come around very often. Nor do Ross Grahams.

Stevie Crawford ought to go find us the next Brian Blair - someone who wants to battle in midfield, someone who will win all the key battles.

All going well, next week Id start with a no-nonsense 4-4-2.

Ridgers

Watson
Smart
Muir
Ovenstone

Cargill
Fagan
Young
Linn

McManus
Sludden

I like Stevie Crawford for the reasons St Pauli lists, but that was an utter joke. Why was Conway playing at full back? Was that John Ovenstone on the left wing second half?
The team need to take their part of the blame as well. The boy we got from Dundee United better hope that there was no-one from his Club there, because that was P45 stuff. No thought and no pride from just about everyone. Too many folk hid today, leaving the ones who were looking to pass, playing it long.

You've been too long in that sun.

We need fagan back in centre midfield. We all know he has his problems but at least he gave 100% and would never pull out of a challange. He had a good pass on him and was a decent leader.

Trying to understand the team's performance over the past few years is difficult.

We have had good managers, bad? managers, Good players, bad? players, Good chairmen, very bad chairmen. Yet the results all seem to be along the same lines. But on the whole pretty poor except for the two promotion years.

The one thing that has been noticed and not just by me is that the away performances are much better than home. Playing at home is reckoned to be an advantage but it definately is not for us!

The one constant in the equation is the fans' treatment of the team or at least a fair proportion of them. I am ashamed to be called a fan when I hear the vile abuse that comes from the terraces and not at the opposing teams but our own whom we should be supporting. No wonder most players give up probably saying "what's the point no matter how hard I try I get abused". Alright there are some who can get over this and shut it out and put their hearts into the game. But it's hard and not many can survive being put down week in week out.

If you are a true fan ask yourself

1 Do I want my team to win?

2 Will I do my utmost to help them win?

3 How can I motivate them to play above themselves when their backs are against the wall?

Now get out there and think posively and not negatively.

What pish blaming the fans, are you trying to tell me opposition fans don't shout at their players.Putting on the Black and Gold should be motivation enough if not these players are not worthy

Firing blanks makes a good point. The only players that week in week out give 100% for the shirt is paul mcmanus, lloyd young and smarty.

you can add John Ovenstone to those three. plenty of commitment there.

Completely agree with that!!!

And that!!!

This is desperate, desperate stuff. When people start calling for Fagan's return, we are truly fucked. Fagan hasn't been overlooked, he hasn't been injured. He has not been in the team simply because he has a temper that means he cannot play by the rules of the game.

Great, let's get him back, bit of bite for maybe as much as a whole hour ... then down to ten men and see you in another month, Sean. He is the very last player a team needs in a relegation fight. He could be the most talented player in the league (in fact he's nowhere near it), but he will let us down time after time after time.

I can see the resemblance between Claude Crawford and Steve Anelka. They are both remarkably consistent with results.
You now have the the 3rd division well within your sights. Will it be 20 years before we meet again.

You are quite obviously also ashamed to post with your normal handle too for some reason.

I can't remember any 'vile abuse' today, care to elaborate on the vile abuse you heard today, and any examples ?

SPF, on Monday night you posted on the 3 Cups thread:- 'We won't go down. No way.'

Now tonight after only another 90 minutes of football, you have said here that we are 'serious prospects for relegation'

What happened?

Erm...no. He smashed the ball at the keeper/goals to try and score - he scored. It was no fluke. A fluke is something that is not meant. He tried to score (alveit with a specualitve shot/cross), and he scored. How is that a fluke ? He thought if he hit it with pace, on target, our keeper might have probelems and it might end up going in or falling at the feet of a striker - and it went in (reasonably early in the game when we still could've changed the game regardless of losing the goal).

What's entertaining about 'your' team having one shot on target ?

What ? Did you not read my post up there. Oh well, here it is again...

Where are we going to get a win from those ?
In short, after the last two weeks, I think we are in real trouble now and relegation is now a serious prospect.

ZERO football today and no excuses - no ice rink park etc. No one trying to take the ball forward, too much passing the ball sidways and backwards. Ballwatching. Sitting back when they've got the ball, sitting back when we've got the ball. Thanks to Ridgers (including a saved pen) it could've been going on 7-0. We never troubled their keeper. One 'effort' on target I think.

I'm a Crawford fan but he has to get the players to react.

If you need that translated, it means that I've always seen the players being committed and attempting to play to our strengths (playing football) in spells at least, but not today. It's also vomit-enducing that we performed like that today after last week's reault/performance/Cup ramifications.

Hope that covers it for you.

What does 'Never Again' mean ? You not going back ?

Stephen!!!!! - quote -
"The only players that week in week out give 100% for the shirt is paul mcmanus, lloyd young and smarty."
Smarty!!!???
Sid added Ovenstone - fair enough - Do you REALLY not consider Div Muir in that group?
Played Right Back, Center Midfield and now Sweeper but not giving 100%?
Cargill shouldn't be far away too!

So after four months of the season, you go from 'no way will we get relegated' to 'we are serious relegation prospects' on the strength of a single match.
Do you expect to be taken seriously with such wildly different opinions in the space of a week?

Yes, i include smarty in that group. He might be having a tough time of it just now but you can't question his commitment to the jersey.

also, Is it not time to put muir back in the middle of the park?

Can somebody explain to me why sludden remains on the pitch for the whole game.Since he has come here he has disappeared late on in games and never gets subbed.If only we could get an experienced centre forward to replace him when we are looking for a goal somebody prepared to take a wee bit responsibility stevie.Yet again we lost another late goal.I agree with previous posts we need experience ie robbie raeside not young boys from other clubs use our own players. jordyn sheerin has disappeared he should be getting playing experience with the team..

I've explained why this particular space of a week with what happened the previous week, could mean we're in trouble. And why, I always thought we could play out of trouble but explained that this key game, and the manner we played it, and the reaction of the players - the lack of passion they showed, taking this into account, together with the upcoming fixtures - we're maybe not as good as what I potentially thought we were. I still think we'll stay up but, yes, we're probably now going to be fighting relagation until May, and it's realistic that we could go down if we play like that every week. We are now relegstion candidates. Following being dumped out of the Cup by Scotland's worst senior team, what's to say we won't play any better than that any other week ? A must-win home game performance against a run-of-the-mill team after last week's aforementioned embarrassment has changed my opinion. There was no glimmer of hope today. Nothing to take from the game. I expected us, after last week, to bounce back, or at least show some fight, promise and create chances.

Not arsed if I'm not taken seriously, it's of no consequence. I'm just a fan posting an opinion like everyone else.

Why are you called 'Never again' ?

Robbie Raeside is playing at St Andrews wanting back into the SFL.

Motivator, claims the away performances are better than at home.I`m pretty sure we have won only one away game since may!The term "slavering bastard" springs to mind.

SPF looks like you have come round to my way of thinking.Ihate the situation we are in but there is no point in denaying the fact that we are in serious trouble although ? might disagree and call for our heads .

That would be more bite than the 14 who played today could provide in an hour and a half!!!

We need scouts around the high schools in fife.
There is loads of superb youngsters in schools in fife and East Fife are missing out on the talent year after year.
Jimmy bone went to schools to help them so why cant craw???
We need to have players that can graft for the shirt and that are pissed off when they dont get picked.(not cunts that are no giving a shit whom are having a good night win lose or draw)

The first goal was purely speculative, we are talking Scottish Second Division not a game at the Maracana, there is no way he meant to do that. In normal circumstances a goalkeeper would've stopped the shot, hence a fluke goal. Do you argue wi yersel' FFS?

Up until then, the game was evenly balanced with EF playing with composure and matching Alloa. A substitution was made early on when it was realised that we were looking vulnerable. After the goal, we fell apart a wee bit; gave a penalty away, looked a bit rattled.

As I said earlier, for £13 it was good entertainment (shame about the result though) as opposed to spending it in the pub on four pints, going Christmas shopping or whatever blokes in Leven do on a Saturday afternoon other than donder down to New Bayview.

Back at 02:05 this morning, flight delayed until 22:00 and accident on the M25; it would have been bearable if we had won.....

Was Conway's substitution tactical or was he injured?
Muir took a sore one and guess he may added to the long injury list?

Yesterday was shocking,passing from the bck was mince.big smart was not even playing and still we punt the ball out the park.the boy gourley was shocking,sludden shouldnt put a east fife top on again,mcmanus looked so pissed off with him time and time again,and for good reasons.lost count of how many times he has flicked balls on to him and he is away over other side of the park.hope crawford makes changes next week.alot of player's need punted in january.the only ones I would keep out that team are smart,young.mcmanus,muir,linn,ovenstone,cargill.get the rest out and bring boys in who want to do well for the club.hope crawford brings a big striker come jan.

Correct, you've hit the nail on the head, it was speculative. It wasn't a fluke. Was he intending for the keeper to stop his shot when he hit it, or was he hoping that it might go in ? A fluke has no intention whatsoever.

I find it hard to understand that any East Fife fan would find that an "entertaining game" or "good entertainment" as you put it - in the slightest. Whatever floats your boat. I highly doubt any of the management team will refer to yesterday as 'entertaining' over the next few days.

Until the howler for the goal there was little between the sides.After that any confidence we had collapsed and we stopped playing as a team.
We really are a soft touch - summed up by Bobby Linn{!!} being about the only player to win a50/50 ball in the second half.

The goal was scored on 30 minutes. It wasn't like it was near the end to deflate the players. There was still an hour left of the game, that's the worrying thing.

Intent is irrelevant in the context of whether the goal was a fluke.

The fact that I personally found the match entertaining has nothing to do with the management.

Thank God you weren't at the Clyde game if you thought that was entertaining, you'd have jizzed your pants causing pain, suffering and embarrassment for you and your family!

He doesn't need to go to East Fife matches for that to happen Fat Doug...

Folks would just like to say ,due to work commitments abroad this was my first game of the season previous to that my last visit was against Forfar in the cup which I thought we were ,could I say crap but benefit of the doubt new manager and some new players jelling and that maybe it would get better , all I can say after saturday's very poor performance is that now until the end of the season every game that eastfife play will have to be like a cup final, I know I will get pelters here but I thought we played better football under Baikie and yes we still play the big punt up the park with crawford , all the hype with crawford stating all football will played on the ground ,fitness etc which I felt Alloa played most of there football and were fitter , it was like when we where in front of goal the ball was like a hot potatoe , 2 shots from outside the box from ovenstone which were skyed ,at least the guy was giving it a go and shagger run about after everything but got no where. Agree with fellow posters we need a proven target man to play alongside shagger and why not go for Robbie Raeside he could do a job for eastfife at the back and get the team fired up.

The club are in talks with Raeside. I heard it from the horses mouth (so to speak) at the weekend. I also heard that Stanic is not for budging and has refused all offers from the club to go. He will sit it out until his contract expires - arsehole or what.

Thats harsh. He was offered a contract, with presumably pretty big wages and he signed it. His football career is probably over now, and although he was an international I doubt he's financially set up for life. He's entitled to sit it out (unfortunately for the club) but its not his fault he was offered this deal and got injured.

I agree with the russian. it's just one of those things.
if anyone is an arsehole, it's the person who offered stanic the terms he's on.

That would be the same WG that some people think so highly of!! You have to wonder though how the Board (props. S Collumbine and N Rankine) could have allowed him to get us into this fine mess.

Pish.



Utter pish. You clearly don't know what you're talking about or you're watching games with your eyes shut.

Crawford's East Fife, albeit with a few crap performances have punted less and created more chances that Baikie's East Fife did in a whole season nearly. Do you not remember the continual Baikie punt and going whole 90 minutes, time after time, only having 1-3 (half) chances? Not forgetting the one-up front nightmare. He's managed to get the team (up until the lat two games) playing for him and made a player of Nugent who was half the player under Baikie.



The team is totally lacking confidence and missing key players at the moment. There are also too many young, loan players who are using East Fife like a kickabout to get fit for their SPL employers.