In the 1930s a crowd of 25,500 packed Stark's Park on a Wednesday afternoon for a Scottish Cup quarter-final replay between Raith Rovers and East Fife.
The first match had been watched by 19,000 at the old Bayview.
The treasurers of those two clubs, or indeed most others in Scotland, are unlikely to ever again witness crowds of that magnitude.
But at Rovers, things are looking brighter than they have done for some time.
John McGlynn has made steady progress with Raith Rovers since joining in November 2006. Photo: SNS.
Jimmy Nicholl won the manager of the year award in season 1994/95 for his remarkable achievements at the club, which included a League Cup win over Celtic, qualification for the Uefa Cup and a never-to-be-forgotten match against Bayern Munich.
The man who now occupies his old office at Stark's Park can't quite match those feats yet, but in anyone's book John McGlynn has done a terrific job.
With a five-point lead at the top of the First Division, promotion now looks a good bet.
Since replacing Scotland manager Craig Levein at Stark's Park in November 2006, the former Hearts caretaker has worked miracles.
With the kind of budget a city banker splashes out on champagne on a Friday night, McGlynn has propelled Rovers from the Second Division to their current richly deserved spot at the top of the league above.
Operating with the bare bones of a full-time squad and without a full-time goalkeeper on the books, Raith have prospered under his workaholic style.
As the only full-time coach at the club, McGlynn's duties run the full gamut, through running the first team, involvement in the youth set-up, scouting and driving the minibus.
First in, last to leave sums up his commitment to the Kirkcaldy cause.
His time at the club has been marked by steady progress.
The heartbreak of two play-off defeats has been followed by subsequent promotion to the First Division culminating in what looks like title-winning form.
While some managers regularly bemoan the lack of money to spend, McGlynn has simply done what managers used to do. Manage.
Getting the best out of a hard-working squad of players is an art, and while some might not think Raith the prettiest team to watch, a picture has emerged of a side playing to their strengths and doing what they are good at.
Winning the First Division would be a well-deserved reward for their hard-working manager.
The rise of the Rovers has been remarkable and John McGlynn deserves huge praise for that.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/jimspence/2011/03/mcglynn_leads_the_rise_of_the.html
No comments:
Post a Comment