Raith Rovers sack manager Ian Murray 24 hours after first league game of season

The shock move came on the back of a 1-0 loss on the road to Airdrie on Saturday, but the board said results and performances since the turn of the year “have fallen short of expectations” as they terminated his three-year contract which was only signed in December.

Just two months ago, Murray steered the Kirkcaldy side to the championship play-off final. He is the first Scottish manager to lose his job with the season barely started. Assistant manager, Colin Cameron, and technical director John Potter have been put in charge until a new appointment is made.

The sacking marked the end of Murray’s two-years in charge at Stark’s Park. The former Hibs and Rangers player joined the club, ironically, from Airdrie. He led them to a seventh placed finish and the Scottish Cup quarter-finals in his first season, and then oversaw a thrilling run to the play-offs only to fall at the final hurdle.

This season, Rovers failed to progress from their League Cup group, and Saturday’s opening day league loss appears to have been the last straw for the new owners who took control last summer.

In a brief statement, the club said: “Raith Rovers Football Club can confirm it has parted company with first team Manager Ian Murray. The board expresses its gratitude to Ian for his contributions since joining the club in May 2022.

“Despite finishing second last season, results and performances since the turn of the year have fallen short of expectations. The board has therefore decided to terminate the manager’s contract. The process of appointing a new manager has begun. In the interim, Colin Cameron and John Potter will take on First Team duties until a successor is appointed.”

Murray was far from happy with Saturday’s defeat against the Diamonds, saying he could have played in goal due to the Kirkcaldy’s team’s lack of creativity and attacking flair.

"It was frantic but it wasn’t a good game,” he said. “We were poor, both teams were actually poor.“The first game of the season is about winning and we didn’t do that. We probably didn’t deserve to lose the game on the balance of play. The quality is not there. We didn’t give our forward players enough ammunition."