How Dunfermline Athletic’s season has gone so far is a subject that has split the fans.
While we are far from a crisis point, some have been unhappy with the transfer dealings.
Others have put their trust in the management team and recruitment structure that refreshed the club last season.
For some, there are mitigating circumstances for the current run of three games without a point or a goal.
Others read more into the recent results and fear the worst.
As is usually the case, the truth appears to lie somewhere in the middle, with a lot of football still to be played.
Courier Sport looks at the first quarter of Dunfermline’s season.
Transfer window
As alluded to above, this has been a point of much debate.
A patient approach didn’t always go down well last season, but once it brought results, everyone bought in.
Three of the loanees from last season were always the target of permanent deals and Sam Fisher, Kane Ritchie-Hosler and Ewan Otoo were added on three-year deals.
This didn’t satiate the appetite of all the fans and some focused on the lack of ‘new’ new signings.
Now the squad has filled out after James McPake added Alex Jakubiak and Michael O’Halloran and brought in another two young loanees in Ben Summers and Owen Moffat.
A long-term, considered approach – based on looking beyond short-term gains – to replace what went before has worked so far.
There have been selection issues this season due to injury, but not down to who has been signed.
Grade: B+
Form
The table doesn’t look great right now, but then a win over Morton on Friday night could lift Dunfermline into fourth.
They also have another game in hand over most of the other teams in the Championship and winning both would have them above Partick Thistle in third.
That’s all ifs and buts and the main objective right now is to get out of this run after a more encouraging performance at Raith Rovers.
And to finish some of the chances they’ve been creating – an issue they overcame at the start of last season.
This time, the weekly opposition is more ruthless than what they were up against in League One, predictably leading to more defeats.
Grade: B
Manager
The Dunfermline Athletic boss finds himself on a poor run of results for the first time at East End Park.
After a decent showing in a competitive Viaplay Cup group, McPake went into the league season without three key players.
Matty Todd, Ritchie-Hosler and Deniz Mehmet all picked up ankle injuries and are only just getting back to full fitness now.
On top of that, skipper Kyle Benedictus has been missing for all but 45 minutes of the last eight weeks and Rhys Breen is out injured again, after returning from a lengthy injury.
Injuries are part of the game and something every manager has to deal with but the three ahead of the league season were a particularly cruel blow.
The goalkeeper and every position in the back three has been disrupted this season.
Despite that, until recently, McPake continued to get results and is a game-in-hand win away from having the side in the top half of the Championship.
Grade: B+
Star man: Lewis McCann
Lewis McCann is the club’s top scorer with six.
In the Championship, his double won all three points versus Queen’s Park at Hampden.
The week after, he was part of a devastating attack against Morton and should have had more than the solitary goal he scored that afternoon.
That’s on top of a man-of-the-match performance versus Raith Rovers in the Viaplay Cup.
Like the team, McCann has shown some inconsistency, but when he is on it he is one of the most dangerous forwards in the division.
Grade: A
Conclusion
Again, it could come down to perspective and what you believe this Dunfermline team should be aiming for this season.
The games in hand make it difficult to fully judge their return to the Championship so far, but there are enough signs that the top four is achievable.
Much will depend on players returning to fitness and others staying fit but there are enough ingredients to be looking up the table at this stage, rather than down.
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