Top of the Scottish Championship with an exciting brand of football, it is no surprise Raith Rovers have tied Ian Murray down to a longer deal.
A 4-4 draw at home to Ayr United probably wasn’t the result the Rovers boss wanted just ahead of the announcement, but it was yet another late show salvage job from this spirited side he has put together.
It maintains Raith’s unbeaten run, now at 14 in all competitions. They have lost just once at Stark’s Park since the bizarre 5-2 reverse versus Queen’s Park over a year ago and they are one away victory from equalling a club record set in 1995.
Home attendances are significantly higher than they were last season and the Raith fans can’t get enough of showing their support for the club at the moment.
Wee man’s buzzing with his @RaithRovers fleece! pic.twitter.com/FmD6pV3LKv
— Iain Latto (@iain_latto) December 25, 2023
Christmas Day was awash with Rovers supporters sharing their Rovers-themed gifts, from half-season tickets and replica kits to artwork and Christmas jumpers.
Will interest grow in Ian Murray?
How long the exciting results and performances last is anyone’s guess. What is more certain is that this run will have Murray on the radar of other clubs.
Dundee were impressed enough by what he was able to squeeze out of a reduced budget last season to interview him for their vacancy in the summer.
When Malky Mackay left Ross County more recently, Murray was never seriously considered despite appearing on a list of betting odds.
It was also not a position that would have interested the Raith boss at that stage.
But, if he and Raith are to continue on this trajectory, there will be more and more interest in the 42-year-old, and not just off the back of results, but also the entertaining way he likes his team to play.
The three-year extension, announced via a Love Actually parody on Christmas Eve, wards off any frivolous interest and means the club should be financially well-compensated should Murray be poached.
What he will leave behind if he eventually does move on is a club transformed from when he took over.
Much of this is down to the recent takeover and associated investment, but Murray deserves a lot of credit too.
Early signs of progress
Last year was a difficult transition season at times, lit up by cup runs and Murray’s eye for a player.
His three permanent signings just after he was appointed – Scott Brown, Ross Millen and Dylan Easton – are all now key members of the team.
In the more recent summer window, he and the board worked together to add proven Championship experience – and to make the club more attractive to those types of players.
Results have followed, in the most entertaining way imaginable, with Murray not afraid to sacrifice defenders when his team is trailing.
There are many factors behind their form. They have good players, for a start, and this is the fittest Rovers team for at least a decade, according to Lewis Vaughan, who currently leads the Scottish Championship scoring charts.
What gets them over the line though is that never-say-die attitude and a manager who, when behind, doesn’t care if he loses by two goals if there is a small chance he can still claw something back.
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