Faramir Posted November 8, 2008 Author Share Posted November 8, 2008 9.2.13 East Fife (0) Inverness CT (0) East Fife- None Inverness CT- None MOM- Scott Mason, Inverness CT "One goal. That was all we needed, but we just didn't finish- again," sighed Grayling. "Good defense, but our offense isn't doing much at all," agreed Watson. "John Fleck is struggling. He is getting the chances, but not putting his shots on target." "Without Paul King, we haven't been getting much scoring help for John, I think he is feeling too much pressure to carry the club." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark wilson27 Posted November 10, 2008 Share Posted November 10, 2008 Haven't posted for awhile on your thread but always reading, great result against the Brazilians, keep it up mate Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted November 11, 2008 Author Share Posted November 11, 2008 mark- thanks much The Brazil match was a fun one to play *** 16.2.13 Gretna (3) East Fife (0) Gretna- John Sutton 14-OG Andrew Williams 48 Luke Varney 68 East Fife- None MOM- Andreas Aristidou, Gretna "Choose one thing and I can tell you it went wrong today," said Grayling through pursed lips. "Our bugaboo of finishing problems keeps coming back. Even when we had good chances today, Aristidou made the big save," answered Watson. "John Sutton scores a silly own-goal. I still have no idea why he was even trying to make a play on the ball there." "David Burtoft was upset about being subbed for." "What the hell did he expect?! He passed the ball directly across for Varney to easily put away in the open side of the goal. Burtoft showed a complete lack of intelligence on the play and it was inexcusable." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark wilson27 Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 I dont think I should comment anymore, because everytime I comment you seem to lose lol Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted November 14, 2008 Author Share Posted November 14, 2008 lol- no worries Mark *** 23.2.13 East Fife (0) Hearts (1) East Fife- None Hearts- Callum Elliott 47 MOM- Christophe Berra, Hearts "Our finishing was terrible today," grumbled Grayling. "Berra also made several saving tackles though," replied Watson. "He did, but Archie Campbell missed an open goal and John Fleck missed a great chance too." "You're right, a little better execution and we would have had a better result from the match." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted November 17, 2008 Author Share Posted November 17, 2008 2.3.13 Celtic (0) East Fife (1) Celtic- None East Fife- John Fleck 26 MOM- Joe Widdowson, East Fife "I am really proud of the boys. That was a terrific effort in a very hostile environemnt. They really showed their composure today," said a beaming Grayling. "It is really great that they find out their effort can give these kind of results. Craig Wardlaw showed excellent judgement in goal today," answered Watson. "John Fleck's goal was a thing of beauty- a 30 yarder past David Marshall who had already come up with several key saves in the early going- it was a wonderfully placed shot." "Don't forget Paul King's efforts. He made a wonderful flick on header to set up Fleck for the goal." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted November 19, 2008 Author Share Posted November 19, 2008 9.3.13 East Fife (1) Falkirk (1) East Fife- Dave Burtoft 78 Falkirk- Carl Finnigan 75 MOM- Joe Widdowson, East Fife "They get one shot on target the whole match- Finnigan's breakaway on the counter-attack- and we wind up with a 1-1 draw," fumed Grayling. "If we finished better, it would not have been close," stated Watson. "Tell me something I didn't know. Both John Fleck and Paul King missed open goals. Kevin Hay also missed a good chance late when on for King." "At least we got the equalizer on a great cross from Joe Widdowson for Dave Burtoft to deflect past Richard Wright." *** 15.3.13 "We received an invitation to apply for Euro Vase for next season," smiled Grayling. "I take it your smile is answer enough," chuckled Watson. "Yes, I put our application in." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted November 20, 2008 Author Share Posted November 20, 2008 16.3.13 East Fife (4) St.Mirren (1) East Fife- John Fleck 22,66 Paul King 54 Dave Burtoft 69 St.Mirren- Louis Castles 17 MOM- John Fleck, East Fife "Wonderful effort and a terrific fightback," said a pleased Grayling. "The boys showed how much determination they have after shaking off that early goal by St.Mirren," agreed Watson. "Great finishing from both John Fleck and Paul King today." "Good effort from our midfield too- they played well." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted November 22, 2008 Author Share Posted November 22, 2008 SCOTLAND 23.3.13 Turkey (2) Scotland (1) World Cup Qualifying Group 2 Turkey- Unal Gokhan 36 Tevfik Kose 68 Scotland- Steve Fletcher 63 MOM- Unal Gokhan, Turkey "That was an unfortunate loss," said a clearly disappointed Grayling. "I thought it was going to be a good match after our early pressure, but Craig Gordon should have saved Gokhan's goal," answered Watson. "Then we equalize with Steve Fletcher's 1st International goal and Carlo Monti misses intercepting a cross- which gives Kose the chance to rap home a rebound." "We came close to equalizing several times, but just could not get the goal." "With France's 5-0 win over Kazakhstan they move into first in Group 2 two points ahead of us." "At least we still lead Bulgaria by three points in 2nd." "Makes our match at Hampden Park an important one." "We will be without Steven Galbraith and Steven Lennon too." "Lennon's broken ribs are going to hurt our East Fife chances. I called up Charlie Grant to make his 1st Cap against Bulgaria in Lennon's place." "I can bet how excited he was to get the word." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted November 23, 2008 Author Share Posted November 23, 2008 SCOTLAND 27.3.13 Scotland (2) Bulgaria (0) World Cup Qualifying Group 2 Scotland- Steve Fletcher 12 Charlie Grant 82-P Bulgaria- None MOM- Charlie Grant, Scotland "How about that! A goal and MOM honors in his 1st Cap," grinned Grayling. "That worked out pretty well," agreed Watson. "We could have made this a lot easier- if Carlo Monti had not seen his penalty kick saved." "We were fortunate that we didn't pay for our backline mistakes today. Their shooting was pretty horrid." "France didn't play, so has a match in hand, but we are in front of them by a point. Turkey by three points in 3rd." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted November 26, 2008 Author Share Posted November 26, 2008 30.3.13 Hibernian (0) East Fife (1) Hibernian- None East Fife- John Fleck 83 MOM- Zander Diamond, East Fife "Talk about stealing a win," exclaimed Grayling. "After seeing Lee Sims redcarded at 12 minutes- I have to admit I just wanted to escape with a draw." "Craig Wardlaw played a stupendous match in goal. He really showed he can be a top keeper today," replied Watson. "John Fleck made a sensational move to score that goal. It was a nice play by Kevin Hay to find him with space." "I wanted to warn you again. John is thinking about asking to move to a bigger club. You should offer him and Dave Burtoft new contracts." "I wish I could Andy. I don't have the leverage to pay them what they want. I am hoping things change after the season." "Did you realize the win assures of playing in the Championship Group? We also moved past Hibernian into 4th place with the win." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted December 1, 2008 Author Share Posted December 1, 2008 6.4.13 Dunfermline (0) East Fife (0) Dunfermline- None East Fife- None MOM- Craig Wardlaw, East Fife "We were fortunate to take a point away from that match," said a weary Grayling. "Craig Wardlaw had another terrific match for us. He really earned the MOM honors with the three saves he made late in the match," answered Watson. "Don't forget how he challenged Juho Makela after Makela weaved through two missed tackles." "Makela came close, but you're right- the challenge made the difference." "If only we could have mustered some offense today." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted December 2, 2008 Author Share Posted December 2, 2008 13.4.13 Hearts (0) East Fife (0) Hearts- None East Fife- None MOM- Joe Widdowson, East Fife "You know, this might have been an even better match had the referee decided to play fair," snapped Grayling. "It was pretty ridiculous. 5 yellow cards in the first half and 7 plus a redcard on Zander Diamonds 2nd yellow. And they have none?!" fumed Watson. "I was impressed with our boys poise and Craig Wardlaw was terrific again in earning us a point from the League Champs at their home place." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted December 3, 2008 Author Share Posted December 3, 2008 20.4.13 East Fife (1) Rangers (0) East Fife- John Sutton 90 Rangers- None MOM- John Sutton, East Fife "I really didn't think we were going to get the goal we needed. All those great chances earlier in the match and every time Andrew Plummer was there to make the save," said a tired Grayling. "It was a great win for the boys, they really worked hard to get it," replied Watson. "It also was another match where we kept our composure all the way to the end. This club is maturing nicely." "That loss more or less doomed 'Gers to 3rd place behind Hearts and Celtic. That might make their board a wee bit unhappy." "Well, it keeps us 2 points ahead of Gretna for 4th and that is our goal at present." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted December 4, 2008 Author Share Posted December 4, 2008 27.4.13 "Great work Andy!" said a beaming Grayling. "The boys did all the work. I just turned them in the right direction," answered Watson modestly. "Come on Andy. Winning the Under-19s over Hearts, Celtic and 'Gers is something nice to add to your portfolio." *** 4.5.13 Hibernian (1) East Fife (0) Hibernian- Steven Davies 61 East Fife- None MOM- Steven Davies, Hibernian "Well, if we make a tackle on Davies- instead of letting him run with the ball all the way from midfield to score- we would have gotten a better result here," said Grayling sarcastically. "Don't forget Patrick Bantamoi in their goal. He had four saves on excellent chances for us," offered Watson. "We did have good chances, but I am still disappointed in the finishing of Archie Campbell. He wonders why he is on the transfer list and today is another good example- he just isn't doing the job up front." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spav Posted December 6, 2008 Share Posted December 6, 2008 There's been some excellent victories against quality opposition recently. KUTGW Mr Grayling Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted December 9, 2008 Author Share Posted December 9, 2008 *chuckle* Thanks Spav *** 11.5.13 East Fife (0) Gretna (1) East Fife- None Gretna- Andrew Williams 23 MOM- David Wheater, Gretna "One silly, stupid defensive mistake! Because of that we lose a match that we could have at least had a draw in!" railed a riled Grayling. "Lee Sims has played well for us, but I agree that his backpass directly to Williams was a bad mistake," sighed Watson. "It is frustrating to have played so well down the stretch and then lose back-to-back matches on a bad defensive mistake in both of them." "Well, our finishing is letting us down too. We had some good chances today, but they didn't wind up in the goal again." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted December 11, 2008 Author Share Posted December 11, 2008 19.5.13 East Fife (2) Celtic (0) East Fife- Charlie Grant 48 Michael Barnes 83 Celtic- None MOM- Craig Wardlaw, East Fife Grayling was all smiles, "The boys should want to get things done the hard way." "Great match. Well, actually a great second half. Nice halftime talk by the way," chuckled Watson. "When Charlie Grant got up to deflect David Worrall's corner past Artur Boruc, I knew we were in business for a chance to beat them- with how well Craig Wardlaw was playing." "Craig was brilliant, but our whole midfield and backline did a great job. We just didn't leave them room to make plays in our area." "Then Michael Barnes lofts a cross at the goal that Boruc misjudges and it goes in. Our fans were going nuts." "I think that was because they put the Gretna score up at the same time. A 3-0 loss for them and we are in for 4th in the EPL!" "Euro Cup here we come. I will let you know what happens during the summer on the transfer market- we might be forced into some changes." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted December 14, 2008 Author Share Posted December 14, 2008 20.5.13 "That's pretty good for the awards. John Fleck finished runner-up to Rolando Bianchi for Player of the Year," commented Watson. "Not to mention that Joe Widdowson and Dave Burtoft were named as starters on the Players Team of the Year," replied Grayling. "Don't forget that Craig Wardlaw made it as a reserve too. Is it true that you transfer listed Burtoft?" "Yes. He wants to move to a bigger club and the fact that he is the highest paid player on the club makes me think David Worrall is a fine alternative." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted December 16, 2008 Author Share Posted December 16, 2008 SCOTLAND 1.6.13 Armenia (1) Scotland (3) World Cup Qualifying Group 2 Armenia- Edgur Manucharyan 22 Scotland- Steven Fletcher 6,29 Darren Fletcher 58 MOM- Darren Fletcher, Scotland "A very workmanlike effort. I was happy with the focus the boys showed tonight," stated Grayling. "Good finishing from Steven Fletcher was the key to the win. He could easily have had another couple goals," replied Watson. "Solid play all over the pitch was the key to the win. They earned the only goal they had, because we pressured them in every corner of the pitch." "France beat Georgia 3-0, but Turkey only managed a 1-1 draw with Bulgaria to fall further back from us." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted December 20, 2008 Author Share Posted December 20, 2008 2.6.13 "That was a nice transfer," observed Watson. "Getting Craig Bryson as well as a small amount of money for Teddy Bjarnason from Livingston is a nice turn." "Teddy was so unhappy here and never fit into our attacking system- when I thought he would do well in it. Bryson has some bulldog in him and should help our center mid cover," answered Grayling. "Bryson did well starting for them this season." "I don't expect him to start for us though. He should provide cover for Rocco Quinn." "How are we sorting out the other center mids?" Grayling shrugged, "I haven't really done much yet. I am not sure about how we sort out Craig Connell and Ross Hepburn at this point." *** 3.6.13 "I am really happy that we found Archie Campbell a new home," stated Grayling. "How much did Aberdeen pay us for him?" asked Watson. "Not full worth, but 2 Million was a good sum to be able to move him. We did have to give 'Gers 300K of that because of the sell-on clause." "Still, Campbell's weekly wages are off our books- that was a key consideration." "Also found new homes for Tamika Mkwandawire and Nicky Smith." "Where are they off to?" "Dundee- who seem to be collecting our castoffs. They already had three former Fifers there. They are interested in Alan Nicholls and Andrew Considine as well- they will likely move to there too, once contracts are settled." "Building a backline around our castoffs?" "It isn't like none of them have talent, so there are worse ways of building." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted December 23, 2008 Author Share Posted December 23, 2008 4.6.13 "Another one? Is Aberdeen using the same approach as Dundee?" asked Watson quizically. "No idea Andy. I do know they were willing to pay the minimum fee release clause to get Charlie Grant. Maybe his fine effort against Armenia convinced them. There was nothing we could do about it- since they bid the minimum fee and I could not get Charlie to budge on a new contract," replied Grayling. *** 4.6.13 "Ok, the deals with Dundee to allow Alan Nicholls and Andrew Considine to move there are in place now," said Grayling. "No surprise there. I heard you actually swapped Considine?" asked Watson. "Yes. We got 24 year old Irish SC Cillian Shepherd in return." "He is a big one." "Pretty quick too- for his size. He may help us out at forward." *** 5.6.13 "How did you manage that?" asked Watson in disbelief. "I made them offers. Inverness accepted both offers and then we worked out contracts," said a smug Grayling. "Lee York and Nathan Fisher were their two leading scorers last season. They were *most* of their offense. I can't believe they would sell both of them to us." "It cost us 475K for the 23 year old York and 400K for the 24 year old Fisher. Their contracts are modest, but did have to include minimum fee release clauses- which are at least hefty." "Still... Well it is a big boost to our forwards." "Fisher, York, John Fleck, Kevin Hay, Fabio Ferreira and Cillian Shepherd are a good group of forwards going into next season." "What about Paul King?" Grayling smiled, "New plans for Paul. We are going to take a shot at making him an attacking leftwinger." "Huh?" "Look Andy, Paul gets shut down too easily inside the opponents area. He doesn't shed marking well and though he is agile as a cat- I just don't think he will be as effective as he can be if he is out on the wing. With him out on the wing- we have another creative attacking player to force the issue. With Michael Barnes contract up after this season, moving Paul there now- or at least giving it a good try- might help us more." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted December 28, 2008 Author Share Posted December 28, 2008 5.6.13 "Aberdeen took him too?" queried Watson. "Well, Eggert Jonsson had been on free transfer for most of a season now. I was just happy to have him move somewhere else- even if it was to Aberdeen," replied Grayling. "He was pretty unhappy on the Reserves, so I am sure it was for the best." "Also, Tony Ord is moving to Stranraer for 45K." "Ord would not have a chance to play much here. It is better for him to move." *** 8.6.13 "Michael Hall is moving to Brechin," commented Grayling. "I like Michael a lot, but he never really proved he could play either leftback or leftwing for us," observed Watson. "Brechin is moving up to League 1 next season and he could be an impact player for them." "How much did they pay us?" "65K. Good enough for allowing Michael to move." *** 11.6.13 "Am I going to be saying 'How did you manage that?' all summer?" asked a smiling Watson. Grayling laughed, "It isn't rocket science Andy. Just working out interest, money and contracts." "Still, I didn't think there was any way that Peter Oliseh would join us on a full-time basis." "He likes the club Andy. It cost us 2.2 Million up front, another 1.2 Million over 24 months and a 20% sell-on clause- but I think he was worth it. I didn't like giving him a minimum fee release, but it is hefty enough that if a major club comes calling- we will get a good return from the deal." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted December 30, 2008 Author Share Posted December 30, 2008 13.6.13 "John Fleck wasn't willing to back down this time?" inquired Watson. "No. He is back on the transfer list at his request. If a bigger side can meet my valuation of Fleck, I will let him move." *** 17.6.13 "It was great to get Stevie Beckett," said a happy Watson. "He is a real talent in center defense." "I was surprised that Celtic was willing to give up the talented 17 year old Northern Irishman," replied Grayling. "I am really happy to have him here as well. We will work him into the rotation as the season moves along." "He will help us in the long run." "I am working on a longer-term contract with his agent right now- for just that reason." *** 17.6.13 "Another new addition to report Andy," offered Grayling. "Ross Featherstone?" "Yes, how did you know?" "I know his agent and he called me to let me know that he was happy that Ross was joining us." "I think Ross will help our center midfield depth this season. For a 20 year old, he developed a lot while playing on loan in Italy last season." *** 20.6.13 "John Fleck was a deserving pick for Fans' Player of the Year," commented Watson. "He was most of our offense last season, so I agree with them," replied Grayling. "I just wish he was happier here, because I would prefer to keep him." "Maybe he will be- in time. What did the Board tell you?" "They want Europe again." "No surprise that. How does our bottom line look now?" "Ok. We are almost 8 Million in the black. The Board gave us a weekly wage budget of 211K, but our current wages are only 141K a week- so we have room for a few more additions. No more expensive ones though, as Oliseh's purchase cost most of the transfer budget." "He was worth it." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted January 5, 2009 Author Share Posted January 5, 2009 23.6.13 "Four new free transfer signings for us Andy," stated Grayling. "Who are they?" questioned Watson. "The two most likely to have Senior-side impact are 19 year old MC Scott Little and 19 year old DC Robbie Lappin. Little comes from the St.Johnstone program, while Lappin came from St.Mirren. We also added a pair of 19 year old forwards- Danny Gibbs and Billy Canning. Gibbs is from Motherwell and Canning was part of Celtic. I don't expect either of them to make an impact on the Senior side this season. *** 3.7.13 York (0) East Fife (1) Friendly York- None East Fife- Nathan Fisher 79 MOM- Nathan Fisher, East Fife *** 7.7.13 East Fife (7) Cambridge (0) Friendly East Fife- John Fleck 9,34 Dave Burtoft 11,22 Nathan Fisher 71,90 Cillian Sheridan 75 Cambridge- None MOM- John Fleck, East Fife *** 8.7.13 "That was another nice signing. I am not sure how we deal with all the bodies you are accumulating in center defense, but I am sure it will sort itself out," commented Watson. "When I saw Kris Patterson had been released by Sheffield United, I immediately called his agent. How many times do you get to add a solid 23 year old centerback on free transfer?" asked Grayling rhetorically. "Well, we should be much better there than last season." "I really liked that we were able to get 17 year old keeper Joe Rankin from Hearts for 35K as well. Rankin was prized in the Newcastle youth program and both Robert Baxter and Jim Lowing think he has a world of potential." "He has a pretty solid skill set for how young he is." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted January 7, 2009 Author Share Posted January 7, 2009 10.7.13 East Fife (1) Birmingham (0) Friendly East Fife- Nathan Fisher 90+3 Birmingham- None MOM- Nathan Fisher, East Fife *** 13.7.13 East Fife (1) Lille (1) Friendly East Fife- Dave Burtoft 38 Lille- Souleymane Youla 79 MOM- Dave Burtoft, East Fife *** 17.7.13 Hartlepool (2) East Fife (2) Friendly Hartlepool- David Foley 61,70 East Fife- Lee York 20 Steven Lennon 54 MOM- David Foley, Hartlepool *** 20.7.13 East Fife (4) MK Dons (0) Friendly East Fife- Peter Oliseh 23 John Fleck 37 Kris Patterson 55-P Simon McManus 82 MK Dons- None MOM- Jamie McCluskey, East Fife Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted January 9, 2009 Author Share Posted January 9, 2009 21.7.13 "Well, at least we know where we stand with them," sighed Grayling. "John Fleck is the most strident- obviously, since you transfer listed him at his request- but Rocco Quinn, Eddie Nolan and Dave Burtoft are all in the same boat on wanting to move to bigger sides," stated Watson. "If they ask, I will transfer list them at their request too. In the end, they aren't leaving until their contract is up- or a club is willing to bid our valuation on each of them." "I heard you backed off on pursuing Thomas McGowan?" "Sunderland will likely release him soon. I discussed contract with his agent, after getting glowing scouting reports on him- but in the end I am not convinced he will be that much of an improvement on Craig Wardlaw and if we did sign him- he would immediately become the highest paid player on the club- I am not sure I want that either. We do have room on the wage side, but I think it might adversely affect the club overall." "Otherwise, I think we are as ready as we can be for the new season." "I hope we have the right mix. We scraped through to get to 4th last season and I don't think we can depend on winning all the close matches we did- so we have to improve overall. Here is my quick summary of the club at present:" East Fife- 2013-14, 3rd season BSP GK (age) Craig Wardlaw (18) Chris Snow (23) Joe Rankin (17) DR Lee Sims (28) Jason Thomson (25) DL Joe Widdowson (24) Marc Twaddle (26) DC Eddie Nolan (24) Zander Diamond (28) Kris Patterson (23) Robbie Lappin (19) Stevie Beckett (17) David Hall (23) John Sutton (25) MR Dave Burtoft (23) David Worrall (23) Simon McManus (24) ML Paul King (21) Jamie McCluskey (25) Jim McAllister (27) Michael Barnes (25) MC Peter Oliseh (21) Rocco Quinn (26) Steven Lennon (25) Ross Featherstone (21) Craig Bryson (26) Craig Connell (23) Scott Little (19) SC John Fleck (21) Lee York (23) Nathan Fisher (24) Kevin Hay (22) Cillian Sheridan (24) Fabio Ferreira (24) Craig O'Reilly (25) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted January 11, 2009 Author Share Posted January 11, 2009 27.7.13 East Fife (1) Hearts (2) East Fife- John Fleck 5 Hearts- Branamire Kostadinov 37,45+2 MOM- Branamir Kostadinov, Hearts "If we just could have stopped Kostadinov in the first half, we would have won this match," grumbled Grayling. "We just gave away the opportunities that he scored on. If we finish better though, we at least could have had a draw today," observed Watson. "True. John Fleck made one shot, but missed three other better chances." "We did play even with Hearts all match, but the finishing of Kostadinov was the difference in the result." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted January 13, 2009 Author Share Posted January 13, 2009 3.8.13 Motherwell (2) East Fife (0) Motherwell- Lee Edge 35,38 East Fife- None MOM- Lee Edge, Motherwell "Two matches and two times we were done in by individual finishing," flatly stated Grayling. "We haven't shown the ability to generate goals on our part yet. Until we do that..." responded Watson. "Joe Rankin played pretty well in his debut. Too bad we didn't gave him more help." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted January 15, 2009 Author Share Posted January 15, 2009 10.8.13 East Fife (0) Celtic (1) East Fife- None Celtic- Tyrone Shepherd 3 MOM- Tyrone Shepherd, Celtic "We wasted a brilliant effort by Joe Rankin today. He deserved better- especially after saving the penalty kick to keep us close in the second half," commented Grayling. "Our lack of finishing was a problem again today- though Celtic didn't give us too many good chances," replied Watson. "I like the determination we showed, but our passing was abysmal in the first half and that is how we ended up giving away the goal." *** 12.8.13 "Nolan is out how long?" asked Watson. "Likely a couple months. His hamstring is bad," stated Grayling. "Kevin Hay got hurt lifting weights today, so he is also out for a few weeks." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
flipstyle Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 Haven't posted in any of your threads in a while but they still are a great read and break from the studying here at the university. Anyways, congrats on the superb finish to last season and tough luck with the start to this one. Best of luck mate! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted January 18, 2009 Author Share Posted January 18, 2009 flipstyle- Thanks much Always nice to have you drop by *** 15.8.13 "A poor start compounded by injuries. This season isn't starting well," sighed Grayling. "How long?" "Fisher tore his knee ligaments. He is expected to miss three months." "Ouch. Well, we do have forwards in depth on the roster at least." *** 17.8.13 Falkirk (1) East Fife (1) Falkirk- Carl Finnigan 83 East Fife- John Fleck 79 MOM- Joe Rankin, East Fife "Rankin was amazing and we let down to allow them to equalize," spat out a frustrated Grayling. "We could not even beat the last place club," snapped a equally frustrated Watson. "We should be playing much better than we are..." "It comes down to ball movement and we really have not shown any yet this season." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted January 20, 2009 Author Share Posted January 20, 2009 24.8.13 East Fife (2) Rangers (1) East Fife- Paul King 30 Cillian Sheridan 42 Rangers- Ryan Shotton 57 MOM- Kris Patterson, East Fife "We got our first win- against 'Gers," said Grayling shaking his head in slight disbelief. "It took a lot of hard work to get it. Good finishing by Cillian Sheridan was the key to the win- his 1st goal was a big one," replied Watson. "Rankin was human, and not superman, today- fortunately we overcame that." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonny c Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 amazing story so far, read it all, hope you win the Premiership soon! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted January 22, 2009 Author Share Posted January 22, 2009 jonny c- Thanks very much Hope is wonderful, but so far the talent seems lacking... *** SCOTLAND 31.8.13 Georgia (1) Scotland (2) World Cup Qualifying Group 2 Georgia- Georgi Shelia 32 Scotland- Steven Fletcher 69 Shaun Maloney 90+1 MOM- David Goodwillie, Scotland "Great effort for the fightback win," said a happy Grayling. "The subs were the key- especially James McCarthy- as they finally got our offense going," replied Watson. "Wonderful finishing on that last goal by Shaun Maloney- it was a great win for us." "Did you see that Turkey and France fought to a scoreless draw in Paris?" "France is still atop the Group, but at least we are even with them with 22 points." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted January 24, 2009 Author Share Posted January 24, 2009 SCOTLAND 4.9.13 Scotland (4) Kazakhstan (0) World Cup Qualifying Group 2 Scotland- Steven Naismith 5,34-P,55 Kris Boyd 17 Kazakhstan- None MOM- Steven Naismith, Scotland "An impressive effort. Our fans loved it," offered a pleased Grayling. "We never let them have an ounce of hope. They got after them from the opening whistle and never let up," replied Watson. "Did you see that Bulgaria stunned France? They beat them 1-0, so now we are 3 points ahead of them, 4 points ahead of Turkey and 5 points ahead of Bulgaria." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted January 24, 2009 Author Share Posted January 24, 2009 7.9.13 Hibernian (1) East Fife (0) Hibernian- Dag Alexander Olsen 68 East Fife- None MOM- Magnus Troest, Hibernian "Craig Wardlaw should have made the save. That was such a sharp angle and he should have played it better," muttered Watson. "True, but we also should have marked him out on the throw-in," answered Grayling. "We also failed to finish well again today." "I wish I knew the solution. We pass the ball well and get the chances, but don't finish." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted January 27, 2009 Author Share Posted January 27, 2009 12.9.13 Shakhtar (0) East Fife (1) Euro Cup 1st Round 1st Leg Shakhtar- None East Fife- Lee York 22 MOM- Joe Widdowson, East Fife "Nice to finally see some officials willing to call things," observed Grayling. "That certainly helped us as they waved off two goals- one on the push of Chris Snow and the other on the offsides," said Watson in agreement. "A good finish from Lee York, but John Fleck could have clinched the match for us if he had scored on either of those other excellent chances." "At least we got the win- and the away goal." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted January 28, 2009 Author Share Posted January 28, 2009 15.9.13 East Fife (0) Gretna (0) East Fife- None Gretna- None MOM- Eddie Nolan, East Fife "Another match that we should have won," grumped Watson. "Could have won for sure- if we had some finishing," agreed Grayling. "The chances were there. John Fleck had two excellent ones and Cillian Sheridan didn't pull the trigger on his best chance and got the ball tackled off his foot." "We were good defensively though and that helped us take a point in the match." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted January 29, 2009 Author Share Posted January 29, 2009 18.9.13 East Fife (3) Raith (0) League Cup 3rd Round East Fife- Kevin Hay 40 Fabio Ferrera 71 John Sutton 90+2 Raith- None MOM- Ross Featherstone, East Fife "That was a good solid match- once we shrugged off Stevie Beckett's penalty kick being saved," offered a thoughtful Grayling. "It could have been easier. We needed Craig Wardlaw to come up with some big saves in the first half," answered Watson. "A few more of the finishes in the first half would have helped- or if Hay's first shot hadn't clanged the crossbar. The bad news is that Zander Diamond suffered a torn calf muscle and will miss the next 4 months." "Ouch. We will miss him for sure." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted January 31, 2009 Author Share Posted January 31, 2009 21.9.13 Dunfermline (1) East Fife (0) Dunfermline- John Cunliffe 21 East Fife- None MOM- John Cunliffe, Dunfermline "If they ever decide to call the offsides consistently- we would have had at least a draw in this match. Leon Knight was several yards offside and when they didn't call it all he had to do was wait for Cunliffe to come into the play and cross to him for their goal. We could not get a man on Knight because he was so offside on the play," snarled Grayling as he snapped a pencil in frustration. "That's true, but if John Fleck ever remembers how to score like he did last year- we won't be losing these types of matches. John had four one-on-ones and Ross Kitteredge saved every one of them," observed Watson. "We just haven't been able to get the offense going- or at least the forwards- because we are certainly creating the chances for them. Lee York missed two sitters today as well- just completely frustrating to see us squander chance after chance." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted February 4, 2009 Author Share Posted February 4, 2009 26.9.13 East Fife (0) Shakhtar (1) TV Euro Cup 1st Round 2nd Leg (Shakhtar advances on penalties) East Fife- None Shakhtar- Alexey Kazakov 3 MOM- Artem Fedetskiy, Shakhtar "We should have won in regulation. Our finishing killed us again," sighed Grayling. "It wasn't any better in the penalties- when we miss our first 4," agreed Watson. "Disappointing doesn't seem the right word. We played a good match- other than the goal they scored- and I really thought we would win it." "We had plenty of chances, but if we can't find the net with some of our shots- we won't get any better results." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted February 6, 2009 Author Share Posted February 6, 2009 29.9.13 St.Mirren (1) East Fife (2) St.Mirren- Louis Castles 62 East Fife- John Fleck 17 Paul King 54 MOM- Louis Castles, St.Mirren "Joe Rankin really saved us today. He was brilliant and the reason we took three points for the close win," said a pleased Grayling. "We had this match under control- until Marc Twaddle decides to make that idiotic backpass directly to Castles in front of the goal," fumed Watson. "That's true. We looked well in for the win until that bad decision." "Bad decision? It was an idiot's choice because he never looked up to see that Castles was parked in front of our goal. Normally he would have been offside, but because it was Twaddle's pass..." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manxie_Ash Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 You have to use the line "Elimentary my dear Watson" at some point it's gotto happen =P Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted February 10, 2009 Author Share Posted February 10, 2009 Manxie Ash - *chuckle* awfully cliche, eh? *** SCOTLAND 5.10.13 France (3) Scotland (1) World Cup Qualifying Group 2 France- Henri Saivet 12 Florent Sinama-Pongolle 76,81 Scotland- Daniel Galbraith 63 MOM- Florent Sinama-Pongolle, France "The redcard to Derek McLean killed us at 54 minutes," sighed Grayling. "Really, not having Darren Fletcher available for this match was the thing that did us in. McLean's inexperience showed on his 2nd yellow card." "Still, we fought back to even the match with only 10 men," said Watson. "Yeah, but then they brought on Sinama-Pongolle and he found all that extra space available. We could not stay with him." "It was a tough loss, but we are still at 25 points already in Group play. If we can win our last match against Armenia at home on Wednesday, we should be a top 2nd place club." "That's exactly what we need to do at this point." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted February 14, 2009 Author Share Posted February 14, 2009 SCOTLAND 9.10.13 Scotland (5) Armenia (1) World Cup Qualifying Group 2 Scotland- Steven Naismith 4,36,61 Andy Webster 17 Craig Beattie 77 Armenia- Samvel Hovsepyan 90+1 MOM- Steven Naismith, Scotland "Great effort by the boys. They took control right away and carried it through," commented Grayling. "Not quite through the final whistle. We gave away the goal in the last moments because we lost our focus," replied Watson. "I am not worried about that. I was just happy with how well we executed on offense." "France only managed a 2-2 draw against Bulgaria, but we still finish 2nd in the Group to them." "Doesn't matter though, we are the top rated 2nd place club- so we have a ticket to the World Cup!" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted February 17, 2009 Author Share Posted February 17, 2009 16.10.13 East Fife (2) Aberdeen (0) East Fife- Cillian Sheridan 19 John Fleck 44 Aberdeen- None MOM- Joe Rankin, East Fife "Joe Rankin has been a delightful surprise," said a happy Grayling. "He really has stood up to some severe tests already this season and today was another good example." "Rankin was there every time we needed him today," agreed Watson. "We also got some good play out of our forwards and wingers in netting a couple goals to earn us the win." "It was a good all action effort for us." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldkohmew Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Congrats to your world cup ticket,without the playoffs =) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted February 19, 2009 Author Share Posted February 19, 2009 Thanks very much coldkohmew *** 19.10.13 Inverness CT (0) East Fife (1) Inverness- None East Fife- Steven Lennon 37 MOM- Eddie Nolan, East Fife "Nice to see we remember how to win close matches," dryly observed Watson. "It could have been an easier win, but any kind of win is good," chuckled Grayling. "That was a nice play by John Fleck to head the ball down for Steven Lennon- and then Steven just put his shot away past Wesley Foderingham." "It was good to see that even though both Eddie Nolan and Fleck are on the transfer list at their request- they are still giving everything for us to get good results." "Worth mentioning that Craig Wardlaw also played a huge role in today's win. That was a really good effort." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faramir Posted February 23, 2009 Author Share Posted February 23, 2009 25.10.13 Hearts (2) East Fife (2) Hearts- Calum Elliott 35 Michael Noone 89 East Fife- John Fleck 25,62 MOM- John Fleck, East Fife "We had them! We let them slip, but we should have beaten them!" said a tight-lipped Grayling. "It was a good effort- anytime you face the top club on their pitch and give them the kind of match we did- it is a worthy try," offered Watson. "Blowing the coverage on the corner to allow Elliott to score was the real mistake. Their last goal was just opportunistic when we didn't get a good enough clearance." "Great work by John Fleck though. His first goal was a thing of beauty." "We came close to getting more too." "So did they. Joe Rankin came up with big stops on Branamir Kostadinov and Elliott in the late stages." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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