Raith Rovers boss Ian Murray reckons this season is helping restore Scottish football clubs' 'natural order'

Ian Murray's Raith Rovers will finish second at worst this season after a fine campaign in the Scottish Championship (Pic Roddy Scott/SNS Group)Ian Murray's Raith Rovers will finish second at worst this season after a fine campaign in the Scottish Championship (Pic Roddy Scott/SNS Group)
Ian Murray's Raith Rovers will finish second at worst this season after a fine campaign in the Scottish Championship (Pic Roddy Scott/SNS Group)
Raith Rovers boss Ian Murray reckons this season could help restore the overall ‘natural order’ of clubs’ traditional status within Scottish football.

Murray was speaking as Livingston look certainties to go down from the Scottish Premiership and replaced by big guns Dundee United, while fellow clubs with similarly low fanbases to Livi - Ross County and St Johnstone – vie to avoid ending second bottom and facing strong former top flight outfits Raith, Partick Thistle or Airdrieonians in the play-offs.

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Murray told the Fife Free Press: "In recent years we've had Hibs, Hearts, Rangers, Dundee United and Dundee out the top flight. But you don't really look at Hibs and Hearts now and think they're in any real big danger. You look at Aberdeen and you always think they'll be OK.

"I always am a firm believer of teams like Livingston and St Johnstone, who have done remarkably, but when you avoid relegation as many times as they have, eventually you're going to get it.

"They have deserved to be in the Premier League because that's what they've managed to achieve, but I think maybe other teams have taken their eye off the ball at times. Bigger fish like Dundee United yo-yoing a wee bit.

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"Falkirk are going really well, they're coming back, Airdrie again a kind of older, traditional Scottish team coming back from being down in League 2, League 1 for a while but now they're back in the Championship.

"So it's starting to look like bigger teams moving up the pyramid but it can change quickly."

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