Raith are fighting for their very survival in the Championship this afternoon.
However, the build-up to the must-win game against Ayr continues to be completely overshadowed by boss John Hughes’ verbal volley at his players following last week’s humiliating 5-0 defeat at St Mirren.
The manager’s views had not mellowed by Thursday at the club’s Glenrothes training base with the 53-year-old insisting he is looking for a response to his withering words and that he is not there to “change the players’ diapers”.
He also weighed in again claiming players are given too much too young while back in his day, they had to work harder.
He even said that he would be getting the club kit-man to do his team-talk for him in a bid to fire the players up.
However, one of the current Rovers squad, 33-year-old Iain Davidson, insists that despite what the manager says, the players do care about the club and the predicament they find themselves in with Rovers needing to beat Ayr and hope champions Hibs do them a favour against St Mirren at Easter Road.
Davidson, who still lives in Kirkcaldy and is in his second spell at Stark’s Park, said: “I didn’t need the lads to tell me about it (manager’s outburst), I think social media put that out there.
“That’s the way the gaffer is – straight to the point.
“He is right in some of what he says. It is the way society is these days, there is no getting away from that.
“The boys know they haven’t been good enough and we are second bottom for a reason – we haven’t performed.
“You have to be big enough and man enough to take that criticism.
“You can’t agree with everything the gaffer says but a lot of the problem nowadays is that young people do talk back.
“It just seems to be the way it is now, they always have an answer.
“When I was younger and a senior boy was trying to get his points over, I would always make sure, even if I didn’t agree with him, that I would never answer back.
“It is not just our boys, though – I just think it is a common thing with society in general nowadays.
“There seems to be that wee chip on the shoulder or whatever that may be.”
He added: “But I think the boys do care.
“At the end of the day, we do want Saturday to be our last game of this season.
“We do care and hopefully the gaffer might get a reaction after what he said on Saturday.
“Hopefully there is a positive response and Saturday can take care of itself.”
Davidson returns to the squad for the Ayr game after missing the two previous matches against Hibs and St Mirren because of a virus.
He is eager to play his part against Ayr and admits he does not even want to contemplate the doomsday scenario of the club going down to League 1.
Davidson said: “I was obviously disappointed to miss the two games but it is what it is.
“I don’t even want to think about that (relegation) but obviously it would be a sore one.
“With the greatest of respect, you do not want to go back down to play in League 1.
“We have had the derby back this year and Dunfermline will be in the Championship again while Dundee United might also stay.
“It is the second best league in Scotland, there are bigger and better teams and larger attendances.
“So it would not be ideal for the town at all.”
Raith have slashed admission prices to a fiver for this afternoon’s game in the hope that a bumper crowd will turn out in their side’s hour of need.
And Davidson insists he and his team-mates just have to focus on their job against Ayr and not worry about what is going on elsewhere.
He said: “Hopefully it is a big incentive for the punters to come out.
“It would be good if they can stay patient and get right behind us as we need them on Saturday. We have to stick together.
“Hopefully we can take care of ourselves. Fingers crossed we can get the three points but we need Hibs to do us a turn.
“That is what I have been saying to the boys all week – we have to take care of ourselves first and foremost.
“Hopefully come 10 to five on Saturday, the job will be done for us.”
