Who's Next For Raith Rovers?

It's Happened...Again!

Raith Rovers are looking for their fourth permanent manager since August 2024 after the Kirkcaldy club announced on Tuesday that they parted company with manager Barry Robson and assistant Andy Kirk.

Club Statement: Barry Robson

🔗 https://t.co/SzDxrkUFDk pic.twitter.com/S0cHa43wPh

— Raith Rovers Football Club (@RaithRovers) November 11, 2025

After an inconsistent start to his tenure, Robson eventually found some much-needed form and consistency, taking the Rovers away from a potential relegation playoff fight to finishing just outside of the top four at the end of the 2024/25 season.

However, after a good start to the current campaign, Raith's form fell off in a big way, winning just once in their last six games, and they have had a number of uninspiringly dreary performances over the course of the season. Robson was often reluctant to make changes to his team when it needed freshening up from week to week.

However, despite currently sitting in sixth place, Raith find themselves only a point outside of the promotion playoffs and have a squad capable of reaching the top four and staying there if they appoint the right manager.

So, who could be given the keys to the manager’s office at Stark’s Park?

Paul Hanlon

Raith’s experienced defender, and arguably their player of the season so far,

Paul Hanlon has been named as the club's interim player/manager with immediate effect, with technical director John Potter and first-team coach Mark McKenna assisting the former Hibernian centre back.

It's clear Hanlon has the backing of the current players, given their reactions from the photos on Raith's social media platforms on Wednesday

If Hanlon can get the players and staff behind him and turn poor performances into good performances and ultimately wins, then he could be considered for the full-time position at the club. Hanlon would be able to learn his managerial trade with experienced coach John Potter by his side, staying on as assistant manager (or perhaps remaining in his current role as technical director) whilst continuing to be a vital cog in the Rovers defence.

Ian Murray

Raith’s former manager was controversially sacked after only one league game last season. However, Rovers fans still have mostly happy memories of Murray’s tenure, which included a fantastic 2023/24 season where they pushed much-fancied Dundee United all the way in the title race and reached the promotion playoff final, where they missed out on promotion at the hands of a strong Ross County team.

However, in August 2024, Murray was sacked after a 1-0 defeat to Airdrieonians in the opening game of the Championship season, which came a week after being knocked out of the Premier Sports Cup group stages and just eight months after it was announced that he signed a three-year contract extension with the club.

Whether enough water has gone under the bridge for Murray to return to Stark’s Park remains to be seen, but he certainly would be amongst the fans’ and players’ favourites to come back for a second spell.

Rhys McCabe

The former Airdrieonians head coach departed the Diamonds in August, two games into the current season. McCabe is regarded as one of the best young managers in the Scottish game, playing good, attractive football at Airdrie despite not having the appropriate coaching badges for the Scottish Championship.

McCabe’s former player/assistant manager at Airdrieonians, Callum Fordyce, also McCabe’s cousin, signed for the Rovers in 2024, so there should be no problems in finding an assistant coach. Several players that McCabe either played alongside or managed at Airdrie also find themselves at Stark’s Park, including Fordyce, Josh Rae, Callum Smith, and Dylan Easton.

McCabe stood down as manager of Airdrieonians to spend more time with his family, but could he be persuaded to return to football management in Kirkcaldy?

John Kennedy

Celtic’s former long-term assistant manager to the likes of Neil Lennon, Ange Postecoglou and Brendan Rodgers. Kennedy’s long-term relationship with Celtic came to an end only recently when Rodgers departed the club in October, with the club opting for a shake-up in the management team.

It could be said that Kennedy’s apprenticeship is over and that he is finally ready to become his own boss, having previously been linked with the Hibernian job back in 2019.

With Raith Rovers, an ambitious football club who have desires of one day returning to the Premiership, maybe this could be a good place for Kennedy to start his managerial career at.

Craig Levein

Whether or not this would be a popular choice with the Rovers fans remains to be seen. Levein, who was a boyhood fan of the club and formerly had a short-term spell as manager back in 2006, has a number of factors for returning to Stark’s Park.

A local connection with the club, alongside being an experienced head to lead the group of players perhaps until the end of the current season.

However, Levein's stock is perhaps decreasing after unsuccessful spells in his last two managerial jobs at Hearts and St Johnstone.

Tim Clancy

Not the obvious choice, but when Raith Rovers were looking for Ian Murray’s replacement in August 2024, Clancy was one that was reportedly linked with the job.

At the time, Clancy, a former defender who played with the likes of Kilmarnock, Motherwell and Hibernian was manager of Cork City who were playing in Ireland’s second tier but since went on to win promotion to the Premier Division and won the league title to the Premier Division

Clancy is currently out of work after leaving Cork in May and has a winning record of 46.25% from spells at Drogheda United, St Patrick’s Athletic, and Cork. If Clancy is looking for a return to football management and a return to Scotland, perhaps Kirkcaldy could be the place for him.