We were awarded a D on 'tell him he's Pele' - seems generous.

http://www.tellhimhespele.com/the-league-1-mid-term-report-card-2/

East Fife (10th)

D

Pre-season expectations: an unknown quantity – with a new chairman, manager and playing squad, putting last year’s torpor behind them and climbing up the league was key; a wildcard shout for fourth place.

The season so far: strugglin’ (again).

The revolution will not be televised, and it’s probably just as well – it’s been a dire campaign for East Fife. Despite a complete overhaul in every department over the summer, the club are actually in a worse position than they were at this stage last year. Perhaps most worrying of all, the team look no better than they did under Billy Brown’s dismal tenure.

Local businessman Lee Murray completed a takeover of the club in June and installed former Heart of Midlothian academy coach Willie Aitchison as manager. Aitchison, in his first senior role, assembled a curious group of players, bringing in exotic talents from French football alongside discarded journeymen from the lower leagues. Sometime later, the squad was augmented by former Scotland full-backs Gary Naysmith and Robbie Neilson. Last week, former Rangers and Norwich midfielder Stephen Hughes was also recruited on a short-term basis.

Murray has claimed the high profile transfers, signed with relative inexpense, were brought in to raise the stature of the club and increase the levels of professionalism within the squad. It is difficult to tell whether or not they have improved East Fife in the way Murray had hoped, but they have made little difference to their league position.

On occasion, the Fifers have played with purpose and cohesion (Craig Johnstone’s goal in the 1-1 draw with Stenhousemuir was quite delightful) but all too often their performances have been scrappy and uninspiring. Of their foreign imports, much was expected from Alexis Dutot but injury has badly hampered his assimilation into Scottish football – in four league appearances, he is yet to complete 90 minutes. Elsewhere, Cederic Tuta and Cyrus Moosari have only performed in fits and starts. Naysmith and Neilson have played soundly in spells, but it would be unrealistic to expect ageing full-backs to have a major influence in the team’s approach.

Goals have been a major concern and the team have only scored six times in the league, two of which came via the penalty spot. Liam Buchanan and Pat Clarke are proven strikers in the third tier but the two have failed to strike up any sort of rapport. When fit, Hughes should provide them with better service but it would incorrect to expect his presence to immediately lift the side to victory. It says a lot that Gary Thom, an unfashionable centre-back brought in from Stirling Albion, has been the best player so far.

Away from the pitch, Murray is doing his best to promote the club and comes across as a loquacious character on social media, but his garrulousness has been unhelpful at times. Before their match with Forfar Athletic – their fifth of the season – Murray naively described the match as a “six pointer”, heaping unnecessary pressure on his players. It would be interesting to know the rationale behind Aitchison’s appointment. Beyond working with Csaba Laszlo at Hearts for a brief spell, the manager has had no previous involvement in football – how can experienced players such as Naysmith and Hughes be expected to follow his instructions?

Murray has stated his long-term ambitions for the club, but he must keep an eye on their present condition. After last season’s toils and the upheaval over the summer, another relegation scrap would be most unwelcome. Unless there is improvement over the coming weeks and the team rise from their stupor, then Aitchison might well be the league’s first managerial casualty. CGT