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Key point here is that, with cup games, there's gate splitting between the home and away side, and so pricing is in practice agreed between the Clubs or may be set in part by the organisation running the competition (be it the SFA or SPFL). With the play-offs, we're in the slightly different situation of having a two-legged fixture (as distinct from even replays which have now essentially been phased out) and therefore no gate splitting (the home side simply keeps the income, subject to an SPFL levy on the proceeds that is then earmarked for Parachute Payments). The SPFL sets a minimum ticket price of £12 Adults, £6 Concession/Child for a non-final play-off game and £18 Adults, £12 Concession/Child for a final play-off game. This is done to ensure that some funds are actually raised for the Parachute payments. It's also why the fixtures: can't be included in a season ticket can't have a kids-go-free incentive (or similar) Beyond that, Clubs often just set prices as they would for an equivalent home league game. In Thistle's case, £22/£16/£6 has been our standard pricing structure for PATG. Raith Rovers' standard pricing structure this season discriminated based on whether a game was against Dundee United/Dunfermline or against anyone else. The rationale presumably being that Starks Park often sells-out against them so they can get away with sticking another £2 on the ticket. I imagine for the play-offs, they've concluded that the fixture is equivalent in that respect, hence £24 for an adult instead of £22.

I suspect part of it here (may be wrong) is that each stand has a different capacity for safety certificate purposes based on whether the seating is allocated or unallocated. Hence, for example, the John Lambie (which wasn't literally full on Friday night) topped out at about 10% below its literal "how many seats" capacity.

It's not quite that simple. For example, if your gates for the play-off matches are 6500 rather than 3500 then, all other things being equal, you will make more money in income. But the fixed costs of hosting the play-offs (policing, stewarding, stadium, appearance/performance-related bonuses, latterly VAR) and the requirement for the SPFL to get a substantial cut of the gate receipts, means that, overall, it isn't a great money-spinner in the way that, for example, a sold-out away tie in the Cup at one of the Premier League's "Big Five" would be. There is no club-level prize-money for winning the play-offs. The reward is you get promoted. Depending on the bonus structure of a football club, that could actually mean getting promoted costs money, compared with losing the Final, Semi-Final or Quarter-Final. That often evens-out in terms of financial health, because the prize-money differential is massive the following season. But it's why teams hardly ever escape this league while breaking even.

We keep hearing that we make next to nothing out of the play offs. You'd think then that the pricing would be universal, set by SPFL.

Really? For a seat behind the goal. I haven’t travelled there this season but I wonder if that’s what they’ve previously charged?

Wow. That's a good stat actually. How come these tennis players look tired?

I see that the price for adults at Firhill is £22, but for the away game the adult price is £24.

On the subject of old tennis versus new tennis: The speed of the game nowadays is much quicker but the rallies are on the whole much shorter and the incessant bouncing of the ball and fiddling with clothing before serving is seemingly endless - players nowadays have umbrellas for shade and seats during the breaks and don't even get their own drinks. Innumerable "toilet breaks" are also a feature nowadays and I doubt any modern day player would dream of wielding a wooden racket! So yes the comparison is false but for me the days of Laver, Newcombe, Rosewall, Smith, Nastase, and even the year of Kodes and Metrovelli constituted a rather more enjoyable era in tennis than the wham, bam, thank you mam tennis that is on show these days. Anyhoo - back to football and enough of this strawberries and cream and barley sugar nonsense!!!

I looked up the stats. On average a professional footballer covers 7 miles per match. On average, a professional tennis player covers between 1-2 miles per match

Sorry if I came across as a grump about modern players. I am genuinely puzzled as to why they appear to tire at such a young age. I fully accept that djokovic's fitness guru must be a master of his craft. Rosewall was always one of my favourites but I don't remember him or Pancho and Lew had at craiglockhart, so deeply sorry I missed that one. I served as a ballboy for laver, hoad, gimeno and barthes at Paisley ice rink...

As a keen tennis player, I watched Ken Rosewell at Wimbledon and when he played at Craiglockhart in Edinburgh with Lew Hoad, Pancho Gonzales et al. The speed of play was far slower than today, so the comparison is false. PS Can't understand all these hate posts.

Fully agree. But ken Rosewall (who was four months short of his 40th birthday when he reached the Wimbledon final in 1974), enjoyed a beer and a cigarette, regularly played lengthy five set matches without visible signs of needing to be substituted...

I don't think Scotland will make the knockout stage of the Euros. Thistle winning promotion will be difficult but not impossible.

George Mackie, Hansen A., Rab Prentice?, Drew Busby

Novak Djokovic isn't your average 37-year old tennis player!

Which is more likely this year: Thistle winning promotion?; or Scotland making it to the knock out stage of the Euros?

The Colin Weir stand holds less than 2000, maybe 1800 iirc. Maybe we don’t want fans in the middle section for some reason hence the 1500

Imo hate is far to strong a word when it comes to football. When it comes to talking about football i would probably say dislike, but for me the main thing is that Thistle and Scotland are doing well.

Old enough to know better but young enough not to care!

How is this hate worked out in practice? Do you bear personal animosity towards players, management team, supporters, staff, directors or owners? Is it a general unfocused hatred of the club/team as an amorphous whole? Or do you hate what the club/team does, says or stands for? Is keeping up all this constant hating not a little bit tiring?

I have no insider knowledge, but is this 1500 possibly an initial allocation, which would fill one of the halves of the Main Stand and be more efficient for stewarding etc than away fans being scattered in both halves. If Raith get near to that 1500, consideration is perhaps then given to opening up both halves and offering a further allocation. Just a guess. For the Airdrie league game they just had half. For the play off game they brought more and were given the whole.

I thought the Colin weir stand held over 2000

Raith have posted that they have sold 700 of their 1500 allocation

I actually got that reference - how old does that make me!!??

Only plays for half an hour!