says the rovers are ready to approach dave baikie about the managers job.

i hope wullie gray can put him off.

Is he any good?

Mr Baikie would be insane to go to Pratt Street.

Why?

Because he has a chairman and board who are backing him, and a good squad at Bayview who are settled, doing well and should be capable of winning the league, whilst along the road at Kirkcaldy they have a terrible squad, no money and will probably be relegated this year.

There have been pretty big changes over the last few months at Stark's Park.

The board would be behind him 100%. There is money to be spent when the window re-opens. The Raith squad is pretty good just now. I would have said the best in the bottom two divisions. Raith will not be relegated this season, not even close AND if they don't go up this season, they will be favourites to go up the next with Morton out of the league.

It would be a good and sensible move for any manager in the bottom two divisions.

Don't talk pish

If your squad was the best in the bottom two divisions you'd be at the other end of the table, not getting humped by Stirling and drawing with Forfar.

Can't see Wullie Gray giving you the time of day.

Jonathan,get your head out of the clouds and accept that Raith Rovers are where they are on merit and judging by current form,they are relegation candidates.
You guys seem to think that you have the devine right to poach any Manager from the lower leagues.
Tell me,what do Rovers have to offer that East Fife don`t?

That's not true.

No team has the right to poach any player on manager, but it happens. We lose Levein to a bigger team and then we do the same thing. It is a sickner when it happens, but it does all the same.

Raith's injury problems have been pretty bad for the last month.

You guys don't rate players such as Michael Brown, Marvin Andrews, Paul McManus, Ian Harty, Kevin Fotheringham, Mark Campbell, Armand One, Chris Silvestro, Craig Wilson and Hjalmar Thorarinsson? They are among the best individual players in Divison 2 and combined they are the best squad in the both lower divisions.

They may not be doing the business yet, but they will soon.

Anyway, there's no proof we're going for him anyway, but if Baikie's not on a contract, like Levein, then it doesn't look good if someone comes in for him.

I'll get pelters for this but for me, Paul McManus was the best all-round naturally-gifted player we've had in 15 years.

I spoke to Willie Gray today, he'd been talking on the phone to Baikie who says he hasn't been approached by anyone and he's not interested in moving to Raith Rovers. Not much more to say on the matter.

"The Raith squad is pretty good just now. I would have said the best in the bottom two divisions."

The league table is a pretty accurate method of establishing who has the best squad and who has the worst, are you not 9th or something?

So, Igor, that means that Scotland has a better squad than Italy or France?

You can have a great squad of players that for different reasons has a bad few games or season. (injuries, poor manager) Just as a great manager can sometimes get the best out of a poor squad

The league is still young.

Anyway, it looks like your manager is super safe...

"We lose Levein to a bigger team and then we do the same thing. It is a sickner when it happens, but it does all the same".

Are you serious? If R**th were to lure Baikie to Stark's Park, how the f*!k is that a move to a bigger team? As things stand, even saying it would be a sideways move is being kind to R***rs!!

What colour is the sky in your world? Wake up and smell the coffee, Jonny boy!!

Raith Rovers are a big team – A big pile of stinking Crap!!!

You honestly don't think that a move to Raith would be a step up?

Amazing.

Having more empty seats doesn't make you a bigger team.

Nope because ur all cnuts

Stay with EF

Remember how you felt getting promotion last time into Division 2? Remember how good that felt and your one season up with the 'big boys'?

That defines how big a team you lot are.

On the other hand... This is our worst season in 20 years.

9 points clear and you can't even break 1000?

Can anyone on this website remind me why Raith and The F*fe haven't played a league derby since 1988?

I thought "our crowd is bigger than yours" chat was reserved for Old Firm supporting tossers

You've managed to ignore everything else I have said so far apart from that?

I hadn't stated, quite correctly, that our support is bigger than yours.

Under 1000 though is very poor though, wouldn't you agree? People in Methil must be off watching bigger teams...

Anyway, back to my last question in my last post. Any idea why you haven't played us in a league derby since 1988? I'll give you a clue. It's because one of us has been in a higher division for the last 20 years!

difference this time fat boy is that Brown is no longer at the helm, we would have stayed up (or had a chance) if he wasnt there. This time (when we get promotion) we will not have a dickhead trying to be an accountant when he should have stayed a wages clerk

Any case we will not be playing u next year because u will be in the 3rd and we will be in the 2nd. U will be in such debt because of ur 'big' buys that no manager will touch u. Basically u r fucked enjoy playing the Shipyard or Recreation or whatever place u die to - bye bye

Oh and incidentaly - BOO - happy halloween

Both clubs have been around far longer than 20 years, take a look at the full statistics and you will see who is the real kings of Fife and the BIGGER club.

You had a purple patch after the war that lasted about seven years. Before that nothing. After that nothing. The chances of it happening again - guaranteed nil. But on the basis of those seven years you're the biggest club in Fife who attract attendances of about 500 on a good day. Bit of an oxymoron.
There's no big team in Fife.

dear jack shit,

"purple patch after the war"?

"and before then nothing"?

right...

so the scottish cup final in 1927 must have only happened because two teams entered the competition, east fife and celtic. and then going on to win the trophy in 1938 must be a mistake on the engraving on the trophy.

if it had not been for the war, east fife would have had a 30-year period as one of the top clubs of scottish football. never one of the biggest clubs in scotland, but far more successful than 90 per cent of the rest.

if those times never return, not to worry too much. they happened, in the name of East Fife Football Club. most clubs - hello raith - will only ever be able to dream about that level of success

Sorry about missing the cup win before the war. I was under the impression that all four cups were won after the war. My mistake. However, before the war East Fife were in the top league once in their history. That was in season 1930-31, when they came last and were relegated. After the heady days of 48 to 54, when you finished 6th, it was a steady decline until you were relegated in 1958. There is no 30 year history to speak of.

We have been through this before regarding who is the bigger club. History or size of support. Jonathan. You should know better as you were part of the debate over a year ago. York City get average 6000. Are they bigger than Kilmarnock Motherwell and Dundee Utd, who have all played recently in Europe?

The main thing is, that telling someone what you did 50 years ago will not convince them to attend a game today. I have to agree with Jonathan regarding attendances. When we had Archibald and were going well, the crowds were not great. We just carried on, asuming that the crowds would increase as the team improved. I remember when we had a diehard support of around 1500, that was early 1960's when i was at school [maybe a bit of nostalgia] The diehard support now is around 500, now that the cancer has gone. The difference i think this time is the the work that is starting to be done by a section of supporters. No more just waiting on people turning up. These people are working hard behind the scenes to try and get people to attend games. In this day and age of many choices, a lot of clubs have seen attendences drop. We have to work hard to reverse that and i think that East Fife fans are doing just that and here's hoping for success.

Boab, we did have this chat a year ago and that's why I have tried to avoid going over it again. I'm not sure if people are reading the posts carefully?

I am trying to say that in my opinion going from the F*fe to Raith would be a step up for a manager or a player just now.

Just as I would sadly admit that going from Raith to the Pars would be a step up too.

It's not rocket science.

As for you lonefifer, enjoy the X26 to Hampden from now on you fud.

jack, away and study a few more train timetables. you didn't know east fife won the cup just before the war. ergo you do not know what you are talking about.

just write-off everything before the war, great idea. so no cup final in 1927, no jock wood of east fife and manchester united, no player capped for scotland in 1931, no cup win in 1938, no poaching of davie mclean by hearts during the war, the three post-war league cup wins were someone's imagination running wild, the scottish cup final defeat to rangers (i think that's three scottish cup finals now, i hope you're still counting) didn't actually happen, the cup semi-final against rangers was a typing error, the league cup semi-final in 54/55 can be put down to wishful thinking, scot symon was a pieman, henry morris was barnum himself, and just who are duncan, fleming, aitken and brown? a firm of methil stockbrokers i believe

show us your medals jack

Scottish Cup Final v Rangers 1950. Attendance 120,015.
Say no more.

Unfortunately we couldn't getting anything in this week's EFM but a story will be on the website shortly.
www.fifetoday.co.uk

In terms of achievement East Fife are, undisputably the most successful club in Fife. Only Dunfermline run us close.
Raith scraped a lucky League Cup win by virtue of both the semi-final and final going to penalties.
And yes, going to Raith would be a backward step, to a club in decline.
I think we need to draw the Linolickers in the Scottish Cup again, to remind them of their status in the scheme of things...

This thread is getting quite interesting and lively. But there is one point of note that seems to have been missed from the debate. And it's that all Raith Rovers Fans are fannies.

nuff said.

They do have a nasty habit of acting like Old Firm fans and going on about how huge a club they are.

BAYVIEW BOSS SCOTCHES RAITH RUMOURS
EAST Fife boss Dave Baikie has dismissed rumours linking him with the Raith Rovers job but admits he would prefer to have a contract.
Under the arrangement thrashed out by former chairman Derrick Brown, there is no contract to speak of, which means Baikie could leave without any compensation for the club.
But Baikie insists he has had no contact with the Kirkcaldy club, as reported in a national newspaper on Tuesday, and is happy at Bayview.
He said: "There is nothing to respond to because there has been no contact with Raith Rovers.
"I am happy in my job at East Fife. I am pleased to be here and I am enjoying it."
But without a contract, and if Baikie continues to be successful, East Fife could have trouble keeping him.
Baikie said: "I am operating without a contract. Obviously, I would prefer to have one but it's something the board, at the time felt it could not do.
"But I am ambitious and I'm flattered to be linked with other jobs as it shows I am doing well."
Chairman Willie Gray has confirmed that the board are in discussions with Baikie over a written contract.
He said: "When a manager is successful he is always going to be in the frame for other jobs.
"We are in discussions with Dave Baikie. We have a good working relationship and a contract is something the board also wants andwe want to do things professionally.
"Dave is a man of his word and would have spoken to us first if he had been approached."


James Campbell
01 November 2006

Have to disagree Jonathan. Only difference at the moment between Fife and rovers is 3 or 4 league positions and rovers stadium. Your stadium with the 2 stands is good [getting a wee bit tardy last time i passed though]

Raith dozers big team MY ARSE!

Willie Gray is more impressive every time he talks.

Davie dont go to the loathed ones they will just arse you about like they have all their managers, promise you the earth and then rely on their fan(nie)s to dig them out of the mire.

It says on here that East Fife's cup win in 1938 was a lucky fluke due in part to the fortunate draw. Also, it states that the club's halcyon days were in the immediate post war years only. Must be true if it's in black and white.

http://www.scottishleague.net/east%20fife/scottish%20football%20clubpage.htm

i dont know who you lot think you are coming out and slagging us of like that.we dont want baikie anyway as it would be a step backwards for us and anyway what is said is all rumour and counter rumour.we have never said we are a big team and dont need to poach anyone least of all a 3rd div manager.we have had a lot of problems mainly caused by mismanagement by directors so you better watch out who sits in your stand.FORZA RAITH

Jonathan - you've completely forgotten about the R*ith home league match back in the late 1980's when there were more club officials, players wives and comps in Stark's Park than paying customers. R*ith recorded the lowest ever crowd for a senior competitive match in Fife that day. If my memory serves me well the official attendance was 37.
If you don't believe me, then you obviously weren't at the R*ith exhibition at Kirkcaldy Museum a few years ago when they had an extract from the club's books on display. The purpose of the exhibition was to display how R*ith had, in a very short space of time, gone from being a wee club to the dizzy heights of winning the League Cup in a matter of only a few years. Wouldn't it be fitting if they now had an exhibition on how R*ith have plummeted in the opposite direction?
Mark my words, another couple of seasons like R*ith have suffered recently and the eternal optimists who are still hanging on will have deserted the club as well.
The big turn-around is well and truly on - you'd better believe it!!
Over to you, 'Big Club' supporter!

Jason Dair.

Jim, are you sure that wasn't Cowdengelly?

I've been going since 1984 and that was around the crowds being at their very lowest, but not the late 80's?

The 86/87 season, when we came up from the Second, we never had a crowd over or under 1000 and then after that we were in the First or Premier and I don't remember there ever being a crowd under 1000, let alone under 100? Maybe I am wrong.

The bad old days were 84/85 and 85/86 when our crowds were similar to the F*fe. Need a statto to help me out here.

You're missing the point Jonathan, It doesn't matter if there are 100 rovers fans, or 1000 rovers fans - you're still fannies.

Raith v Stranraer 1984 lowest gate receipts for a Raith match only 247 people through the gates.
As JC says the above info was shown on the Raith exhibition at Kirkcaldy museum.
Glad you made that one JC, must be nice to see colour footage of a Fife side winning a major cup final

Definitely a 1000 raith fans but at least we can get that much of a support no like you little teams.we dinnae want baikie you can keep him

we're really a smaller team than EF now! Enjoy the 3rd next season...again.