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Delighted you’ve made it back along to Firhill Rob.

If both teams are disqualified, I will multiply your points total by 2.1699.

Women's Final A for Hearts Men's Final as there is no underdog I am going for Option X-both teams disqualified and cup not awarded. I have just invented a competition rule that Option X is rewarded with treble points (ie the contestant's whole score is trebled).

Thanks jaggy

H H

Standings after Semi Finals The lead has been cut to 3, a boost to BILL.H going into the finals. It also means that 3 other players still have a chance. The title is still in VBJs hands but after yesterday's slip up they now need 2 correct predictions to guarantee victory without relying on others. BILL.H will win by making 1 correct prediction more than VBJ. Those in third to fifth places must score maximum points and hope that everybody above them scores none. The textbook definition of 'a long shot'. Should Fawlty Towers achieve this feat, he will be tied at the top with VBJ A reminder of the posting rules: You can post predictions as normal or send them by PM. Any predictions sent by PM will be posted on the thread, after the deadline, for transparency. You can change your predictions at any time before the deadline. However, if you post predictions on the thread, you cannot subsequently change them by PM. Predictions received after the deadline will be invalid. Finals fixtures Men's Celtic v Rangers Tie to be played on 25 May 8 points for correct prediction Women's Rangers v Hearts Tie to be played on 26 May 7 points for correct prediction Deadline for submissions 1pm, Friday 24 May

Good crowd yesterday, just over 4,200 and a very good response from both sets of fans to the only one Gerry Collins chant on the 4th minute of the game.

Thistle 0 Ayr 0 → HUGE MILESTONE FOR BANNIGAN ● Jack McMillan registers his 100th appearance for Thistle in all competitions. ● It's huge congratulations to Stuart Bannigan who becomes just the 15th Jag in history to reach the 400 appearances mark in 'all competitions' (i.e. major and minor). The club will officially mark the 400 'major' appearances in 2 games time! ● It's just 1 goal conceded in 540 mins (a penalty!) and 3 consecutive clean-sheets for David Mitchell who is hunting down his personal best (4) set during the play-offs last term. ● In all competitions, Thistle go 8 home games without defeat versus Ayr United (2020 to date), matching the joint-club-record previously set from 1930-1937 and 1983-1989. ● Jags go two games without a booking for the first time since September 2022. ● Alas, an unprecedented two-in-one-season 'Grand Slam' is not-to-be for Brian Graham but, having scored in 3 of the 4 league games vs. Ayr United this term, he gets the consolation 'Hogan' joining Aidan Fitzpatrick who did likewise vs. Arbroath this season. ● Kris Doolan's Thistle remain unbeaten in 14 games played in the months of April and May. ongoing sequences: ● 7 competitive games without defeat, 16th Mar 2024 to date. (Longest run since: 11 games, 1st Apr 2023 to 1st Jun 2023. Joint club-record: 16 games, 15th Nov 1975 to 21st Feb 1976 & 30th Sep 2000 to 13th Jan 2001.) ● 29 games in 3rd place (30th Sep 2023 to date), an extension of the club-record for a position outwith outright top or bottom. Overall, it's the longest run since the club-record of 33 games in bottom pace (12th), set between 20th Sep 2003 and 15th May 2004. ● 34 consecutive competitive appearances for Lewis Neilson, 15th Sep 2023 to date, a new personal best. (Longest run since: Steven Lawless - 60 games, 18th Feb 2023 to 6th Apr 2024. Club-record: Johnny Jackson - 313 games, 28th Aug 1926 to 25th Mar 1933.)

well said that man. Glad you had a cracking day even if the football was a bit dreary.

I guess as you describe it should be a foul but there will be many which must be very close to a threshold which each ref will have - my liking for yesterday’s ref is that in the 4 matches he’s done of ours he’s been very consistent - that’s all you can ask for and that’s why I think he’s one of the best around

Agree completely about Mitchell. By far our best goalkeeper and deserves a contract extension

Ayr seemed particularly good with arms and hands, especially 14 & 23 (who both played very well outwith pushing & holding) Chalmers looked decent as always but I sometimes wonder about his lack of end product

Agree it's always been there but think over the years it's gone up a couple of notches.

Aye. Each week (mostly via VAR replays) we're hearing commentary along the lines of "not having much of his arms on the attacker", "hardly much of a tug on his shirt" and a kinda stock comment "if a foul was given for that then the game would be stopped every minute" often followed up with a "it is after all a contact sport". I guess the increase in level of permitted manhandling is something that's come into effect gradually and somehow refs are of the opinion it's part and parcel of the game. I could accept that to a degree if they weren't so pernickety about other decisions. It's more the latter that stops the game flowing.

It is so frustrating, as it doesn’t seem to work the other way round.

I might be wrong but I think we have 14 McCready Milne, Williams, OReilly, McBeth Bannigan, Stanway, McKenzie, Lyon Graham, Fitzpatrick, Robinson, Lawless, Diack Need at least one keeper (Mitchell deserves a contract extension IMO) but probably two since McCready doesn’t seem to have had any game time with Spartans. A right back assuming McMillan leaves, another centre forward and cover for our wingers. Then general cover/improvement! Something like Mitchell + 1 Milne, OReilly, McBeth, Williams + 2/3 Stanway, Bannigan + 2 Robinson, McKenzie, Lyon?, Fitzpatrick, Lawless + 2 Graham, Diack + 1 Doolan might offer extensions to others like Muirhead and might try to sign one of the loan players like McInroy But think this is for a new thread!

For as long as I’ve watched football certainly. Which is since the eighties. I did wonder when VAR was being introduced whether there would be a huge number of penalties given for this, forcing defenders to change their approach. It never happened though- probably for the best really.

Question regarding what is a foul. It happens week after week when a defender has his arms all over the attacker, manhandling with some force, but a foul is rarely given. When did that stop being a foul.

Currently just arrived in Trieste, Italy. We have been out of the UK for the past week and a half, with intermittent Internet coverage. I know that you have had a wonderful sports writing career, and your post (as well as finding out yesterday's result) has really given me a wonderful start to a sunny day. What you say still brings joy, & I wish you many sunny days for the future. I hope the team management and players read your entry, & understand why they need to see the season out in style! Up the Jags!👍

We need a massive recruitment whatever league we are in. I think that only 11 of the current squad are signed up for next season. 6 of yesterday’s starting 11 will be off.

He didn’t have many but did make a good save from Fitzy’s last contribution. Mitch never had much to do either

The most interesting part of the afternoon was a half-time conversation with a Frenchman, part of a party of around ten over in Scotland for some sort of celebration, possibly a wedding? They were staying in Edimbourg, but were keen for some football, and having heard of Partick Thistle, were eager to see us in action. They enjoyed the atmosphere in the John Lambie, and loved Kingsley. With help from Auld Jag's fluent French, I hope that I managed to explain the following: Partick is 3 miles from Maryhill. If you want to describe our team in one word, it is "Thistle", not "Partick". Games with Ayr are normally entertaining and high scoring. The Premier League play-off system. I think he got it!? That for people with intelligence, character and independent spirit, Thistle are the only football team in Glasgow worth supporting. Sadly I had to concede that yesterday was pauvre fare. I do not think that they will be abandoning their support of Olympique Marseille to be travelling over to Firhill on a regular basis.

Yes, at that point O'Reilly was rushed into readiness to come on. However, it would seem that the urgency dissipated, as O'Reilly was stood down and sent for a few more runs before coming on 5 minutes later. So there was perhaps an element of precaution, but not undue concern.

I noticed he was holding the back of his left leg about 5 minutes or so before he came off.

Couldn't have put it better myself. Glad you enjoyed your day and hope you have more to come. Once a Jag always a Jag.