I know its hardly an important issue overall, but does our new gaffer fit this category?

I think it is irrelevant and I would urge all supporters not to allow us to become sidetracked.
The problem is Mr Brown. We should be prepared to enter into dialogue with any other party in my opinion....

I think it's an opportunity to get at Derrick though. The papers might like the irony of it?

you have jumped to a hasty conclusion angus. you will find that it will become far more relevant than you realise right now

Im sure the papers will pick up on it.
I dont have a problem with the choice of manager in fact its a good choice,and he will be backed by the fans.
Its broon we are wanting out!

Have e-mailed my friend at Tyncastle with exactly that point

Sonny.
What I am saying is that it should not become the focus of our protest. That will only distract and ultimately divide...

you're right. it should not be the focus. but just like greg shaw's resignation, it will draw yet more attention to the situation

Whilst I am ok with the choice of manager it is very ironic that the very person who saw fit to raise a point at the SFA re Rix has appointed Baikie.

Team manager admits attack 02 August 2005

Cowdenbeath FC manager David Baikie butted and kicked another man with such force that the victim sustained the worst eye socket injury a consultant surgeon had seen in his life.

It was the sort of injury that could lead to irreversible blindness and victim David Evans had worn dark glasses and a hat for several months to stop people looking at him when he went out, Dundee Sheriff Court heard yesterday.

His right eye was now smaller and sunken and he was still receiving treatment at Ninewells Hospital.

The attack followed a contractual dispute involving the victim’s professional footballer son, also David Evans, when Baikie was manager at Tayport and Arbroath, the court heard.

Baikie (51), Gray Street, Tayport, admitted on indictment that on October 16 last year at Whitehall Crescent he assaulted David Evans, butting him, knocking him to the ground and kicking him on the head, all to his severe injury, permanent disfigurement and permanent impairment.

Depute fiscal Bill Kermode said that Baikie and Mr Evans knew each other. Mr Evans’s son, a professional footballer, had been involved in a contractual dispute when Baikie was manager at Arbroath and Tayport. The matter had gone to the SFA and the relationship between Mr Evans sen and accused had been poor thereafter.

The assault had taken place about 11 pm. Mr Evans and a friend had been in Sheridan’s pub in Whitehall Crescent and were approached by accused who spoke to Mr Evans and asked that they let bygones be bygones.

Mr Evans refused the offer and words were exchanged between the two men. Mr Evans was asked to leave the premises and did so without complaint. While he was waiting outside for friends to come out, accused left the premises and ran towards him, hitting him with full force on the head.

Mr Evans collapsed to the ground and thereafter was kicked on the head by accused. One of the door staff intervened to prevent accused from assaulting Mr Evans further. Accused ran off and was traced at his home about an hour later.

When charged with the assault, he replied, “I did not headbutt him”.

The fiscal said that Mr Evans had been taken to Ninewells Hospital and, on October 18, was operated on after the initial swelling had reduced.

He sustained a comminuted fracture to the right cheekbone, a fracture to the right eye socket and a fracture to the upper jaw where it was attached to the lower jaw.

Mr Evans received reconstructive surgery, which involved attaching plates to the fractures, and bone grafts, taking bone sections from the skull.

The first operation took eight hours, a second operation removed stitches and staples and a third operation was required to reposition his right eye.

Consultant maxillofacial surgeon Dr Kennedy said it was the worst eye socket injury he had ever seen. It was known as a “blow-out fracture” with a real risk of haemorrhage that could lead to irreversible blindness. The sheriff asked if this was still a possibility and the fiscal said Mr Evans was still undergoing treatment at Ninewells. His right eye was smaller, sunken and lower.

Mr Evans was the branch manager of an electrical wholesaler and had been off work for three and a half months. He was paid on performance and had missed out on a significant sum as a result. The fiscal said he was asked not to state how much in court but passed the sheriff a note.

He had suffered a significant reduction in income and claimed being off work resulted in a loss of profits which set his promotion prospects back two years. He was now back at work.

The fiscal said Mr Evans no longer went into town for a beer because he was afraid. People commented adversely on his appearance. He had to wear dark glasses and a hat because of people looking at him and even wore them at home when people came to visit.

Defence solicitor George Donnelly said he imagined the sheriff would require reports and he would reserve his position until then. Sheriff Grant McCulloch deferred sentence for reports until August 29.

Horifying this report! Is this the sort of person who should be associated with this club?

I don't know how good he is as a manager but this type of behaviour described in the press reports leads me to suspect this man's attitude along with the judgement of the board to appoint him. In my mind this is much more serious an offence as reported re the Rix affair. If it is questioned that the type offence by Rix would call into question about being a fit and proper person to manage a football club (where as I understand no violence was involved) then what can you say about this type of offence. I thought Scottish football was in the process of cleaning up it's act or is it as usual just lip service.

The comedy act continues and guess who is the biggest stand up comedian in this affair!

Would you rather someone like him came in or another drink of water like Moffat who let the board walk all over him.

Jim was decent hardworking manager for our club. Alright he had his faults and I for one critcised him for them. However if he had some support not necessarily financial to improve his man management and tactical sense then who knows what could have happened.

And yes I would rather have Jim than someone who is liable to cripple anyone who disagrees. I know some hope he will do it to Brown. Then we might get rid of two birds with one punch!

The players walked all over Moffat. Some of the substitutions he made were so bizarre I often had to wonder if it was reality. He would always take the best player off. I actually began to wonder if there was a bit of match fixing going on. Decent, hard-working guys don't often make it in football. Its people with a bit of character and ambition (neither of which Moffat had).

Right lets not get into managerial abilities. the question was raised indisputably? by DB re "fit and proper person" qualities. In this case I submit there could be questions raised re Balkie.

As far as Jim Moffatt was concerned as things stood it was right for him to go. I only suggested if there was a good support system in place at the club things could have been different.

Godd support would be where a proficient chairman would come in.

I would think that the criminal conviction this man has would disqualify from a Disclosure Scotland, and as such would be similar to Rix whose character Brown questioned. Although his questions were based on different crimes ie offences of a sexual nature,as opposed to violence.
Perhaps Brown will be able to clarify his position on this although I feel a 'no comment' coming on

I think Brown is now denying he had anything to do with the Rix thing.

I agree igor, he shifting the blame to the executive. I do not understand why he could not speak out before?.

My immediate response would be because he is a devious, dishonest little scumbag.

I very rarely contribute to this site because i have an intense dislike of the personal abuse which characterises so many comments.No one can defend Dave Baikie's actions - he went way too far.However he was subjected to the most extreme provocation.
For goodness sake give the man a chance.

Bob - "give the man a chance"? he's had a chance to show he has the ability to handle responsibility, and he smashed a man's face to a pulp. fine, give him a chance. but you are giving him a chance to do it again by putting him straight back into almost identical circumstances!

Well said Bob. I think the true problem here is that people are looking for anything to hit Derrick Brown with. The frustration levels have been cranked up after last nights press release, so it is understandable that this thread has come about.

Whatever Baikie did, he lost his job and was punished for it. I think we should just put this to bed and concentrate on being more focused in protesting aginst Brown. Let's give Baikie a chance. It is not his fault that his new chairman has made yet more contradicting statements.

here we go again ... let's pretend it never happened ... no-one mention it please ... in fact no-one mention anything bad ... lets just move on and fail to recognise what is going on ... lets just get on with the football ...

yes, lets get julian danskin back as well, more fantastic PR for the club. east fife, the family club. east fife the community club.

east fife have just hired a convicted thug. how many parents will encourage their kids to go to bayview? in fact how many parents will feel safe about accompanying their kids to bayview?????

everyone knows baikie's history. his violent assault was shocking, and it was all over the papers. he's now an East Fife thug

Chaps. Cut the infighting. Any war that was worth winning was won on a number of fronts. We all want the same outcome, we all have a part to play.
Here's a quote, origin unknown:
"Nothing of value was ever gained without a struggle"
Today's part of this struggle is to remain together and not be distracted by this latest development.
Together we will win...

I think many,if not most,East Fife supporters will judge Dave Baikie on his team performances.Rightly or wrongly his past will be "overlooked"" if we do well.
Perhaps,more importantly,the way in which the community at large judges him could affect the club most.If we wish to be a Community Club we need to be seen to be community friendly at all levels.

You may also wish to read the BBC (website) report on 29th August 2005 just search for David Baikie Assault and the date.
An interesting report where Mr Baikie appears to be expressing a great deal of regret for himself but no remorse for the victim of his rage. He complains that it has been a horrendous year and ends up by stating, "if anyone is looking for a manager, come and get me!"
I have to say that I would be all for giving a man another chance but I'd have some concern for the apparent attitude expressed in this report. If he felt it appropriate to resign from Cowdung because of this assault, he shows a remarkable degree of callousness by taking on the managers post at the nearest neighbours. I dare say he was provoked, we all get provoked and in football we get angry and frustrated as well but this assault was horrific.
I'm not sure if this 'model' manager is what the club need to project their image.......then again maybe it is another PR coup for Deek the Dim. Does he not pick up the irony in all this? It was him who raised the issues over Rix and I'd have to say that this conviction will surely attract a considerable debate in the press.....and rightly too. Whether Deek or anyone else likes it, if you are being serious about being a community club then you are answerable to that community in part.
I think there are some serious questions to be asked about how this appointment was made. Not sure I'd want my lad playing for him. Is he still doing hisCommunity Service hours? (Direct Alternative to custody)and has he paid the compensation to his victim?
He is certainly not a drink of water....whatever that is supposed to mean......in other words he will no doubt command the respect of the players and the victim probably deserved it.
What a f******** disaster!

tom you are right. baikie is a bad image for the club.

only the desperate and the unemployable would want to work under derrick brown. that is why we have ended up with a manager who no other self-respecting club would touch. and the club is just as desperate as he is

baikie's arrival sums up where east fife fc finds itself right now. in the gutter

That's it in a nutshell, guys. The Chairman no-one would work for and the manager no-one would employ.
A marriage made in heaven. At least they can't reproduce...can they? (Apologies for the mental image).

I smell Cowden fans stiring trouble in here..

Baikie's the best man for the job. Shut the f**k up and give the guy a chance. He's a man's man.
I back him 100%.I think you are all a bit too quick to judge. NOBODY knows the cicumstances behind this apart from him.


Who hasn't been provoked into a fight?
I have. Am I a scumbag? Better than being a wuss and having people walk all over you.
"sometimes you gotta fight to be a man" Kenny Rogers.

Just think of the useless tossers we COULD have had!

i am not a cowden fan i can assure you.

but i would have to question what team you support when you say "Baikie's the best man for the job" really? better than john connolly? better than alex smith? better than tom hendrie? better than iain wilson? better than an appointment like mixu paatelainen?

as for nobody knowing the 'real story', come on - baikie admitted it all in court. the details are appalling. if they were not true, he would not have confessed to the crime. and if there were any further mitigating factors, he has left it a bit late to reveal them. i would suggest that there aren't any. he used up all he could find in his plea for leniency

Sparkle motion
Oh dear! Only you can say if you are a scumbag or not!
Yes I'm sure many of us have been provoked into a fight but most of us grow out of this sort of behaviour in our teens. Mr Baikie is a 52 year old man and should, given his position in the public eye, manage to control himself.
'He's a man's man'......what on earth does this mean? Does it mean that he is a bully that want's, and gets, his own way all the time? Or simply that he is unable or unwilling to walk away from conflict or provocation....like yourself perhaps?
I'm rather glad that the real world exists, at least for the majority of us, somewhere between the psychopaths and the wuss's. Oh and by the way perhaps the victim, the court, the police, the hospital staff the others in the pub and the victims family would not agree with your ridiculous statement 'NOBODY knows the circumstances etc'. A really considered remark that one!
No doubt you'll be quoting 'Stand by your man' next and flying the confederate flag!
I'm still struggling to comprehend how this appointment can be defended by supposedly rational people, let alone country and western fans!
I guess that makes me a wuss!

What's a "wuss" and can you eat it?