David Raven

[Hearach]

But we all knew deep down Grant Munro was past his best. Not so David Raven

[Renegade]

I think through time people have mistakenly merged the performances of Munro, Duncan and Tokely into one.  Now Duncan and Tokely were coming to the end while McBain and Golabek were finished at this level, but Munro not so.  The season prior to him leaving us he wasn't in great form but the season after (when he was no longer captain) he was a lot better.  Munro could've been a big part of our squad for another couple of seasons, he didn't decline until his final season with Ross County.

This belief as well that we replaced him well initially needs nipped in the bud as well.  He was replaced by Tom Aldred....TOM ALDRED!  And even after his hissy fit that sent him home our defence was a mess.  It wasn't until signing Gary Warren a year later that Munro was truly replaced.

[Kingsmills]

I wonder who will get most vocal backing today, the Manager Of The Month or the right back deemed surplus to requirements.

[izzy]

52 minutes ago, Kingsmills said:

I wonder who will get most vocal backing today, the Manager Of The Month or the right back deemed surplus to requirements.

No contest !!

 

[+MrCaleyjag]

9 hours ago, caley100 said:

All a bit of over reaction, remember the huge outcry when Granty was released by Butcher? we moved on and Granty was mainly forgotten about in a playing sense, so i think the club will move on now as well without Dave the Rave.

He has been a great servant to our club and we thank him for his time and THAT goal!   best of luck Dave.

This decision is bigger than David Raven and the affinity that the fans hold for him and for what he has given the club, it's about the way the manager is running the team at the present moment and brings with it more questions than answers.

Yes eventually the club will move on, as clubs always do, however we currently have a manager who is clearly intent on pulling in one way while the board, fans and players want to pull in another. Someone has to be wrong and something will break.

I along with many others do not see this as an over reaction, it could well be the straw that breaks the camels back.

Progress is made gradually and built on, success comes from progress but sitting with 8 signed up players for next season is not progress, it's a sharp decline. Has JH got the ability to bring in and retain 10-12 players of equal or better calibre than we have currently or are letting go, I think not. Would someone else have the ability to do the same if the board lose their patience in a relatively short space of time, I think not.

My biggest fear is we'll end up with quantity and not quality ............................ we have to at all costs avoid becoming another St Mirren!

[rocky1]

Not sure the fat lady has sung on this yet. When a manager and board/ chairman are at loggerheads it is seldom the manager who wins.

whilst I would love the board to intervene and retain Raven I doubt that will be in the longer best interests of the club if Hughes is retained as manager .

[Kingsmills]

15 minutes ago, MrCaleyjag said:

This decision is bigger than David Raven and the affinity that the fans hold for him and for what he has given the club, it's about the way the manager is running the team at the present moment and brings with it more questions than answers.

Yes eventually the club will move on, as clubs always do, however we currently have a manager who is clearly intent on pulling in one way while the board, fans and players want to pull in another. Someone has to be wrong and something will break.

I along with many others do not see this as an over reaction, it could well be the straw that breaks the camels back.

Progress is made gradually and built on, success comes from progress but sitting with 8 signed up players for next season is not progress, it's a sharp decline. Has JH got the ability to bring in and retain 10-12 players of equal or better calibre than we have currently or are letting go, I think not. Would someone else have the ability to do the same if the board lose their patience in a relatively short space of time, I think not.

My biggest fear is we'll end up with quantity and not quality ............................ we have to at all costs avoid becoming another St Mirren!

Or another Falkirk who are only now beginning to recover from JH's mismanagement towards the end of his period in charge.

[Yngwie]

59 minutes ago, MrCaleyjag said:

My biggest fear is we'll end up with quantity and not quality ............................ we have to at all costs avoid becoming another St Mirren!

In fairness, the manager seems to have acknowledged in recent comments that "quantity not quality" has been part of the problem this season, and the aim now is to have a smaller squad of better players. I very much hope (rather than expect!) that he will be able to bring in the right players.

[Hearach]

He has shown he is no judge of quality. Quantity is another matter - having heard his numerous interviews over the years I believe he can count to ten.

[tm4tj]

Sadly, this is the tough part of football, saying goodbye to olde friends and great servants of the club. I was devastated when Bobby Mann left. Same when Rooney, Hayes, Shinnie, Shinnie, etc etc. However, we have replaced them and went on to have our best finish ever and won the Scottish Cup. 

Shoot me down here, but I believe that Meekings could offer more goal threat than Raven ever did. He is powerful, he is quick and can skelp the ball.That's not to say he is my preferred choice at right back, but unfortunately he is also a better central defender than some playing there. I'm not on the Danny Devine is rubbish train as I think he has something to offer and gets overly criticised on here just because he is playing and others are not. Not many are willing to credit him when he does something good.

Sadly, this is not really about one player, and about the team. If Yogi fails to better what he had, then that is the time for the long knives. Players move on for various reasons, I'm sure the truth will come out soon.

All the best Dave, you have been excellent for your club and you can leave with your head held high.

Others are leaving of their own choice. Get them to flip out of the side and let's look forward.

[Tichy_Blacks_Back]

I am not sure the majority believe Devine is a poor player but from what I have seen he does appear to be prone to making errors that have been costly - but then to be brutally honest he is not alone in that regard this season. I have no issue with Devine staying at the club as he is still young and can improve.

As for Raven hopefully he will get a good send-off today and maybe possibly a last appearance (and who knows a goal  ) from the bench as he deserves it.

I agree with you though - what we are currently seeing does appear to be a bigger issue than just one or two players and there is a lot of pressure now on Hughes to get these new 'quality' players in quickly who will improve the team. After the last few seasons I thought this type of situation had now gone but it looks like we may be heading back to the days of upheaval and last minute transfers to supplement our squad numbers.

Hopefully I am proved wrong as stability within the core of the squad has been our major strength over the last few seasons.

   

Edited May 14, 2016 by Tichy_Blacks_Back

[Charles Bannerman]

2 hours ago, tm4tj said:

Sadly, this is the tough part of football, saying goodbye to olde friends and great servants of the club. I was devastated when Bobby Mann left. Same when Rooney, Hayes, Shinnie, Shinnie, etc etc. However, we have replaced them and went on to have our best finish ever and won the Scottish Cup. 

Many will also remember the harbingers of doom who believed that there was no life possible beyond David Bingham. Football clubs are resilient things and, hydra like, tend to produce fresh heads in abundance if any are cut off.

[lightwelter]

2 hours ago, Charles Bannerman said:

Many will also remember the harbingers of doom who believed that there was no life possible beyond David Bingham. Football clubs are resilient things and, hydra like, tend to produce fresh heads in abundance if any are cut off.

I remember Bingham, Paul Ritchie and Bobby Mann all leaving and fearing the worst for our first season in the top-flight, especially considering we were playing home games at Pittodrie! Looking back, it was quite an achievement to stay in the SPL that year. Good ol' Juanjo was a bag of tricks. 

[Hearach]

Fantastic reception for David Raven. I wish him every success in the future. Hope he gets a team - he certainly deserves to. Whatever  is going on at the club - and there is a lot - they have two months to sort it out. Hope we see Raven back here again playing for another club. 

[AlexJones]

If he is to be released the least the club could do would be to organize a testimonial against Liverpool, or even a Liverpool "legends" team with Dave playing a half for each side. Plenty of ex teammates would be eager to take part I'm sure. 

[Oldken27]

It is sad to see a good player go, but if there is such a real disagreement with the manager then so be it!

I thought he had a good, but no more than that, performance today, given that he has not had a real run out for quite some time.

He is a very good player and will be a real asset wherever he goes.

 

[12th Man]

On 06/05/2016 at 10:08 PM, caleyboy said:

 

I wish him all the best, I will always remember his winning goal in our Cup semifinal and I don't think a player will get such a warm farewell for a good few seasons if that's any concellation.

The only way it could have gone any better was for him to score to make it   5-0. Just to kill off any chance of a comeback from Dundee.

Edited May 14, 2016 by 12th Man

[12th Man]

All the best David

[izzy]

David has left and will have no doubt as to what the fans feel for him .A very emotional send off .We can only wish him well for his future where ever it may be and Thanks for the memories ......

 Now it's time for John Hughes to put his money where his mouth is . Apparently if we ended in 7th place it would make a big difference to who he could get in . Well now it's time for actions rather than words !!!

 

 

 

[+jagster]

Got Dave the raves hat today it's got a little number 2 in the diamonds. Well chuffed thanks david and good luck for the future 

[IBM]

That will keep your head warm at the games next winter

[PerfICT]

Goodbye and our very best wishes, Dave - we'll never forget your goals - away to Ross County (1 yard) and the unforgettable semifinal winner (4 yards)! Sometimes, it's not the quantity that counts!

Delighted he was given the send-off he deserved. The victim of a manager who would prefer to play one of our class central defenders as a makeshift right back ahead of a class right back. Go figure...

You'll be missed and not forgotten.

[Robert]

Thanks David, your goal celebration at last year's semi was epic: the look of surprise on your face!!

[+jagster]

1 hour ago, IBM said:

That will keep your head warm at the games next winter

It's a wee bit tight the diet starts today or tomorrow or the day after  

[Alex MacLeod]

14 hours ago, Hearach said:

Fantastic reception for David Raven. I wish him every success in the future. Hope he gets a team - he certainly deserves to. Whatever  is going on at the club - and there is a lot - they have two months to sort it out. Hope we see Raven back here again playing for another club. 

Need to be sorted in a lot less than two months to get proper pre-season in readiness for Betfred Cup on 16th July