Leaderboard

I'm going to stick my head above the parapit here. There's nothing wrong with half-time entertainment. Whether it's a guy with a guitar singing his latest THISTLE song, the Texstyle World Pipe Band, fans involved in a Crossbar Challenge or a short theatre production. They are all entertainment. They are all culture. We have a very poor relationship with culture in the UK. It's seen as something that some people go somewhere to watch. But culture is all around us. Culture is us. Kids pulling tricks at Kingston DIY, a magician at a barbecue, telling your mates a joke in the pub. Every performance enriches our lives and adds another thread to the tapestry. There aren't many football clubs that could attempt to include theatre as half-time culture. That Thistle are prepared to try is something we should be proud of. Of course, the [NTS] drama about the '71 Cup Final was poor. Under-rehearsed and badly executed. The main problem though was the timing. In the middle of one of the most abject performances by a Thistle team many of us will ever have witnessed. The team were a very poor warm up act that day. Shrug it off. Life's rich tapestry and all that. Have an open mind and don't dismiss it before you've seen it. Don't give in to the Tory Govt cultural elitism. Culture belongs to you.

Stick that in your spam folder.

Reading that well presented and eloquently put document by TJF it is apparent, many have suspected this all along, that Lowe, Shand et Al on the board at Firhill had absolutely no intention of letting fans near the club. We are only there to part with our hard earned cash and shut up and do as they tell us. Of course I have no evidence of and would never accuse of any impropriety going on, but you do question the motives of the present board as to why they have been utmostly belligerent in all of this.. What have they to gain from holding onto a ,quite frankly, impoverished football club. Aside being on a power trip. I fear that with mounting fan discontent, financial pressures on individual incomes increasing, and a long road ahead before we see the sunny uplands, that tge club will fall into severe financial difficulties and be faced with a Save the Jags fund 2. I despair for the future of the club I have loved since 1969. I may be an old curmudgeon, but I will love Thistle until the day either one of us dies. May I take this opportunity to praise the efforts of all TJF board for their professionalism, hard work, endurance, pragmatism and fortitude in dealing with such a steadfastly stubborn and arrogant stance from the Partick Thistle board.

Update We now have more than 700 members. I've been to Thistle games with a lower turnout than that.

McCall has been talking about us playing free-flowing attacking football this season. If we can't do that at the start of the season when the stakes are lower, the weather is good and the pitch is in good condition, then when will we? Will be interesting for sure. As for the half-time entertainment, I'm cool with it - the work they are supporting in Malawi is important and so we should be happy to give them an opportunity to rehearse in a football environment before they go on tour. Might not be my/your thing, but please cut them some slack.

I've just seen this thread. How you wish to express displeasure at the current situation, and to whom, is ultimately a matter for each individual. As far as I am concerned, the primary responsibility for the current situation rests with (a) the Directors of Three Black Cats (b) the Club Board and (c) the anonymous third party group that is now the preferred recipient. Club sponsors are not responsible for the way my colleagues were treated. They are put in a very difficult position by governance-related wrangling of this kind and many of them just want to support the Club in whatever way they can. Sponsors absolutely do have power and influence, through their own wallets, but if you are of a mind to engage with them on this issue, please do so in a civil and polite way, and do not conduct yourselves in ways that might be construed (whether rightly or wrongly) as attempting to intimidate them or their businesses. Quite besides the fact that we need not to be dragged down to the lowest common denominator, nuisance tactics probably won't work, will antagonise rather than win-over those sponsors, and that does nothing to advance the case we are making. By all means, raise concerns, state your point of view, show your passion for our Club. But do it the right way.

Partick Thistle FC promote the club as a family club which is part of the community. I think the club demonstrated these values, for example, during lockdown. I welcome and applauded this initiative and suggestions that we should , as an inclusive club, expand this initiative to include other languages that are prevalent in the community. Those on twitter who see this iniative as some sort of political conspiracy ought to get a touch of reality. I suppose the gentleman who said he has lost all sympathy for PTFC and will never watch another game will: - if in need of medical attention decline to use the ambulance service and make his own way to hospital, - decline police help when a squad car arrives at his door, - if on holiday in Ireland stop at the Galway border as the County is an Irish Gaelic Language protected area - not bother ever visiting the Western Isles or Wales. As far as coming to Firhill is concerned it would be good if he stayed away as he won't be missed and his values are clearly not compatible with those of a family, community and all inclusive club of which I for one am very proud to call myself a supporter!

There was a gentleman sitting behind me talking Gibberish for 90 minutes. Given his fluency, I'd say it may well be his primary language. Any ideas how his matchday experience could be enhanced? Perhaps a sectioned off area where other Gibberish speakers could congregate?

Partick Thistle is in the area with the biggest concentration of Gaelic speakers on the planet, and was the club of the late Johnny MacKenzie - AFAIK the only Scottish internationalist who was a native Gaelic speaker.

Wee tribute to Adam from EK. Worth a look https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Llnz3mwMqIQ

Good evening everyone Update on talks with Three Black Cats on fan ownership As promised, here is our update on talks with Three Black Cats. https://thejagsfoundation.co.uk/update-on-progress-with-three-black-cats/ As alluded to before, please be mindful of the fact that we cannot offer a running commentary of live discussions. We are keen that this process continues to be undertaken in a professional manner and with mutual respect between the parties. We hope that, for now at least, this update gives you a sense of where things are and how far things have progressed.

You know what: in a sense you are right. We are no closer to a deal on proper authentic fan ownership being agreed to by 3BC than we were four months ago when 3BC unceremoniously terminated the process with our predecessors. But a lot has changed. At that point, TJF membership was languishing below 450 members. Now it is 730 and rising. Of those, less than 100 are on the £1 rate, and a significant number of those who signed up this week opted for general or concessionary memberships. We've gone from raising about £4.5k per month in pledges in April to over £6k per month in pledges. We've got the governance sorted out. We've got a proper vision statement. We've got a motivated group of leaders with a democratic mandate. We've got genuine and expansive engagement with the fanbase. A buzz of excitement through social events and initiatives like the McParland Pin. We have set the standard, very publicly, for what Thistle fans should demand from fan ownership. And we have people willing to hold the feet of our custodians to the fire to deliver on what was promised to fans back in 2019. It's not where we all wanted to be, but as and when 3BC realise that what they're proposing to do isn't going to fly, we will have a best of class fan ownership vehicle waiting and ready provide them a way out of the hole that they have dug for themselves.

TJF have been a breath of fresh air. Lots of fan engagement has been attempted in the past, but the current TJF ‘nine’ have energy, professionalism and are committed to the Jags. We need to work with them to bring about meaningful change.

Sorry to selectively quote, but just to comment on these two points: 1. The person gifting the shares has sadly passed away. The executor has a duty to deal with the estate's assets in accordance with that person's wishes. We don't (and probably never will have) complete visibility on what Mr Weir instructed should be done. 2. I may be wrong, but my take is that TJF chose to engage with supporters, rather than it being forced on them to drum up numbers. Given that we are talking about fan ownership, it seems odd to represent a body of people without trying to engage with them. Woodstock made the point several times that they wanted to try to keep supporters as informed as possible, while respecting the process that they were undertaking with 3BC. I guess it's for individuals to decide whether they made a fair job of walking that line, but I saw enough to suggest to me that they tried very hard to navigate that.

I'm led to believe I am a member of the PTFC Trust due to being a season ticket holder for a good long while. I, and I believe I am not alone in this, have had zero communication from them either to say I am a member or update of any kind. Should they be the party gifted the shares is there anything as members we can do? Do we have power to call EGM, force elections, anything at all? If not, why not?

Appreciate putting this together. Still trying to come to terms with all the revelations in there but can only express sympathy with all the board members, particularly Sandy and Andrew, for clearly being taken for a ride these past months. The "final meeting" section not only upset me from a professional perspective but from a human being one. I look forward to reading more discussion on here through the day

We have prepared a document, which more fully sets out how the discussions with Three Black Cats played out between our election in late May and the rejection meeting last night. It's a long read, but it's a necessary read. And it's part of our promise to you for transparency and accountability. https://thejagsfoundation.co.uk/fan-ownership-or-sham-ownership-you-decide/

For some reason 3BC's disappointing but unsurprising statement has led me back to 1984 by George Orwell, which I last read when I was at school (before 1984!). War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength. Doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them. The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested in power, pure power. What pure power means you will understand presently. We are different from the oligarchies of the past in that we know what we are doing......We know that no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it. Power is not a means; it is an end. Presumably the PTFC Trust (or possibly some sub-variant of this) will now have to emerge from the shadows. I am not an expert in these matters, but a key may lie with people like me (and no doubt some other forum posters), ie those who have held season tickets for at least 3 years, in whose interests I understand this Trust is supposed to be acting, though as far as I can see it has been inactive and uncommunicative (with no electability or accountability) for well over 2 years.

But that's just not accurate. Just because of the aforementioned stats, that does not mean that those people have the technical literacy to purchase things online. I have parents who have smartphone and access to the internet, but cannot purchase things online without help - nor do they feel comfortable doing it (safety concerns with card numbers, etc). Only around 55% of those 65+ purchase goods and services online (despite >75% having access to smartphones and the internet). There are a huge number of factors that extend beyond mere access to technology that impact someone's ability to purchase e-tickets to matches. Even on a pragmatic level, it becomes difficult to spontaneously attend a match in Scotland anymore. It has to be pre-planned, pre-arrange, pre-booked. Otherwise, you run the risk of not being able to get a ticket.

To be honest of all of the things in all of the world to get upset aboutI don’t see why anyone would be that bothered by this. Unless, you have decided to hate Gaelic for some strange reason it’s a language for God’s sake it’s makes no more sense to get upset over Gaelic than it would to get upset about English, Chinese, French or German.

My understanding that this whole initiative was put in motion by some of our Gaelic speaking fans, they engaged with the the other party to see if this could be funded etc prior to it going to the club merely for approval. Football is meant to be for all and if this helps some of our fan base feel more at home then it’s a success, on a basic program of changing signage it’s hardly going to eat up much time at the club, I’ve been involved in doing this in factories with a footprint massively in excess of Firhill where every exit, fire point & emergency station signage had to be changed to comply with HSE legislation and it’s not a large task for anyone to coordinate or to swap signs, especially as under regs signage needs checking on a routinely basis as per your risk assessments, insurance and QMS.

I honestly wonder how some people cope as Thistle fans if they think that was a dreadful performance today. Hamilton are a decent side at this level and made the game difficult but we were well on top when they scored. While it is a freak goal Mitchell should have a) waited for the ball and collected it b) not booted it 2 yards off the ground into his own player. Second half I thought we picked up well considering and could have won the game in the end. We have real depth in the squad from an attacking point of view and also the ability to change the shape which we lacked last season. Thought McMillan was excellent again although it's obvious he feels more at home as a full back, Lawless is already proving doubters wrong and Brian Graham continues to look as good as he ever has at 34. Always room for improvement but it feels like there's plenty to be positive about there.

Hi Derby - I've had a very quick skim myself, and it looks as though this is a whole new set of Articles. So it's a bit like asking to summarise the differences between a carrot and a chair! They're both things, but they're not the same. I see from the emailed notification of the meeting that I got that TJF have helpfully included a note on the website about why this is being done. In short, I think that the old Articles were an off the peg job, designed for use by a different kind of organisation. So this is TJF's endeavour to fix that. It's a pretty dry set of procedures and mission statements, but it's an important technical document that will govern how TJF operates and what it's purposes are. Those that are interested in such things should definitely take time to read it. Articles can be changed in the future- it's not set in stone, but if the new TJF board want to step forward into the future with confidence and good governance, it's important to get the structure right. (I don't mean to criticise the old board - every organisation has to prioritise things - but it feels positive that TJF are looking to move forward with the next step of its evolution. )

I

Yesterday was our 5th competitive match and Cole McKinnon became the 9th Jags player to get on the scoresheet. In comparison after our first 5 games last season only 3 different Jags players had scored. It took 20 matches before our 9th got on the scoresheet. That's not far off half way thru the season. I know it's a bit early for statistics but I believe this diversity in goal scorers reflects a vastly increased fluidity about the team. Even tho' we weren't that bad over those first 20 games last season we relied almost entirely on two strikers (Graham & Rudden) plus one single creative player (Tiffoney). Our only deadball player was played out of position. I only know too well our regular propensity for shooting ourselves in the foot, but I strongly believe we've considerably more grounds for optimism for this season than last.

Just got my ticket earlier today. Heard Dundee have allocated us 500 tickets. Look like they weren't expecting much of a support anyways.

The Thistle ‘jigsaw’ assembled by the manager looks to be almost complete with perhaps just one more player (defender?) the only remaining possible pending addition. We have a highly-winnable match to win v Montrose at home on Saturday, which would take us into the next round of the League Cup. Then the ‘big one’ v Dundee away from home in the League, to get the season properly underway. All the fans, PT management (particularly Ian McCall I am certain ) are hoping the players from 2021/22 added to the new recruits from the close season signings will give us the right balance and mix, to be able to challenge once again at the top end of the Championship. This will be revealed in the coming matches and it’s certainly going to be both exciting and fun finding out. Good luck to all of them!

Don't think he's a prolific goal scorer but he is most definitely a striker with decent experience and a different option to Graham or Dowds. When you look at the amount of clubs in our league looking for a striker and the complete lack of the names getting banded about Mullen does look at the top end of what we could reasonably expect. When you compare last season (Graham, Rudden and McIver) with this season (Graham, Dowds, Mullen and Weston) we have definitely added depth and increased the average quality of our striker options.

Very good points m’lady. Overwhelmingly the main reasons people have cited for not joining are: (a) scepticism about fan ownership as an idea (b) scepticism about whether it is a financially viable way forward for Thistle (c) uncertainty about what it means for the governance of the Club (d) a desire only to join when it’s clear that the Foundation will in fact be the chosen entity to receive the shares and/or it has actually assumed them You’ll have seen that we’ve made conscious efforts to address the positive case for fan ownership as an idea (creating a fan and community centred club that listens and responds to fan priorities). On sustainability, I would simply point out that the Foundation has a solid and growing base of paying members, and raises more than The Well Society did on a monthly basis around the time Motherwell became fan owned (off an admittedly slightly smaller but rapidly growing membership). On governance, this is exactly why we’ve been seeking to educate fans about the other fan ownership models: showing that business experience and fan representation aren’t incompatible and actually mutually reenforcing. And on the fourth limb, the “wait and see” contingent, we’ve been looking at ways to make the Foundation a coming together of the fans that is more than just about the shares, but also a belonging to a special community. That’s what underpins the McParland Pin, the social events and other things we have in the pipeline. There is no silver bullet on this, and I know there are also a non-trivial group of fans for whom they want to join but in the current economic climate feel unable to. That is something we have been working on and we want to get that balance right. But our message to fans is clear: if not now, when? This is an opportunity to build a fan ownership model to be proud of and the Foundation is bigger than any other Thistle fan group has ever been. This is our chance.

I blame the pitch

Is it perfect ? .... No. But it is no where near as bad as you make out. I could have added Stanway, Lyon and the lad we just sold to Rangers last week to the list of players who have developed. I guess it depends on how you measure the success. If you are expecting a stream of kids developing into 1st team regulars at Thistle then you are always going to be disappointed. We have already seen with Fitzpatrick and the lad sold to Rangers that young players good enough for us are worth far more to the junior teams of bigger clubs and nothing is going to change that. What it is doing well is that (we are told) it is not a financial burden on the club. It gives some of these kids a purpose (god know what they might be getting upto if they were not at our junior games. It is creating a fan base as many of the young players and/or their parents will become season ticket holders (*) and it takes the Partick Thistle brand to a different audience, much like the women's team. (*) Building the fan base is a key factor in most academies. I have 2 nephews, one at Man Utd and one at Everton under 12s. I was talking to one of the coaches and asking him how many he expected to make it and his reply was none, but if 2 parents from George's team became season ticket holders for 5 years, it would have paid for that team.

Can you ask me one on quantum physics as I may have a better guess

We specifically held off on the holding of the EGM because we wanted to provide Three Black Cats with the opportunity to provide feedback on the draft Articles of Association. We gave them a generous window within which to comment, after they said there were "practical challenges" to third party rights that they would want to consider before agreeing to. They offered no further substantive comment. It is also important that our members have the proper notice to digest, make sense of and can properly respond to the documents. As Supporters Direct and others have always pointed out, the best examples of members organisations are ones that are properly transparent and engaged with their members. We are content to rest on demonstrating those values in practice with regard to our governance.

Numbers 12, 13

Peter Shand isn’t a passenger in this, as I hope our document makes abundantly clear.

Aw naw. No another UEFA cup tournament!

Season ticket money banked.

Nice touch and for anybody upset what harm does it do to anyone and anything to raise our profile and that of Gaelic can’t be bad.

Anyone else feeling those first home game anxieties? Have the holes in the pitch been repaired? Will my seat have a reserved sticker on it? Will my season ticket work? Always glad when this first one is by!

I would personally like to see us go for it and try blow accies away. With doch sitting deeper and McKinnon/Turner playing more attacking from box to box. If we could get a centre back fit for this, move McMillan back out to right back. I think with him and Milne overlapping lawless and fitzy with the creativity of turner/ McKinnon we should be able to blow accies away while they are still a bit short. With Weston, dowds, mullin and tiff all to come on if we can’t break them down. We should really be winning this game if we’re serious about a title challenge and hopefully convincingly at that. So with all that said as previously mentioned I’m predicting a 0-0.

We're hoping to get the first batch of pins "for delivery" out some point in the next week or so. We'll send an email confirmation out to each who opted for this when we've done that. One trip to the Post Office instead of 80!

Time to renew the Season Ticket on Saturday. This could be our year and might need a ST to secure a Cup Final ticket.

Historian Joe Kelly has been making great contributions for the best part of a year now, finding all-sorts of genealogy snips and first-time player images and we're delighted that he's now officially the latest signing to the Thistle Archive team. Joe has a soft spot for the Bankies, but he's an honorary Jag now, such is his passion for the cause: “the thrill of the chase and some of your boys stories are just amazing. I never tire of looking and uncovering and there is so much to dig up, just wonderful.” Joe's latest gift to Thistle history was to discover yet another new game for our records, a holiday Thursday game found lurking in the obscurity of the Edinburgh Daily Review, remarkable in a number of ways. Our first-ever game with St Bernard's, more than 3 years earlier than first thought. Our first-ever game in Edinburgh, several months earlier than first thought. Our first visit to "the Gymmie" before there was even a ground there. The first known instance of brothers - Edward & Jerry Suter - turning out in the same game for Thistle. Thu-06-Apr-1882 St Bernard's 5 Partick Thistle 2 →

Our European away kit … .… for when we play Welsh or Irish teams in the “whatever it’s called this year” cup

Now I can see why I dumped geography in school at the first opportunity!

I've carried out a forensic examination of both offside decisions and the report is that they were both as tight as a duck's arse. Honestly can't reach a definite conclusion after multiple freeze frames on both decisions. When it's that tight think you have to cut the linesmen some slack and just accept what they decide. Although not sure if I'd be saying that if we'd lost 2-1. The linesman for their disallowed goal took a fair time thinking about it.