beep0608

I only met him once, if I even did, but he's a distant relation of mine. Son of my Gran's sister. Looks the dead spit of my late Dad actually, also called Jim, almost the same middle name too. I could go on but anyway, I was really sad to hear the news. I saw his last Scotland appearance, against Romania at a cold Hampden too many years ago. Like many others, he didn't get as many caps as he deserved, but of course he didn't play for the Old Firm. Good on him for that. RIP Jim.

Very disappointing. I hoped for an easier tie that we'd probably win, like home against a wee team, or a money spinner. This is neither. To take our mind off of this, does anybody remember the time we went to Brockville and lost 4-3 aet in midweek? I do, vividly, and there were tv highlights too. It was sad to lose, but I still remember it as a classic, especially when, a goal and a player down, we equalised then Declan Roche scored to put us into the lead. Jim Duffy scored a penalty if I recall correctly, firing high into the top corner at our end. Did I get all of that right? I also remember winning on penalties there. Winning easily too. They just kept missing and we kept scoring. Happy days. Anybody remember that? We should do a thread for this. Favourite memories. There are 2 Love Street classics, and Geordie Shaw at Parkhead, for starters.

Exactly what I was thinking. That was Stirling Albion tv and it looked like we were all over them. I almost sound like McCall here, but we dominated, until they scored. At least we came back again this time. Perhaps we're turning a corner. In the last couple of weeks we've had a draw, and conceded an equaliser then came back again to win. Still, Liam really really.....REALLY needs to start scoring again. I mean really.

Liam Buchanan is a major concern. We really miss his goals from previous seasons. Perhaps he deserves his own thread, as in, Is Liam finished?

I wasn't there today, but the difference from last week is that Buchanan and Grehan were our only two central forwards, and taking them both off left us going nowhere. With Doolan available this week, bringing Grehan on today at least meant we had somebody central forwardish, I assume. This is me supposing a lot about what the tactics were today, but last week I thought it was a crazy move. In fact everybody in our wee group, about 7 or 8 of us, were looking at each other, saying "what the feck is he doing?" and shaking our heads. Let's not get started on Erskine either. So delighted we won today. We could do with a wee cup run, and/or a money spinner at some point.

I'd have taken it but I think it's a bit desperate depending on that sort of handball for a goal. I'd certainly hate to concede one like that. If that happened to Celtic though we'd have another week of phone-in moan-in. That apart, Fox's save from the free kick looked even better than when I saw it live. I'd have been complaining if he'd let it in, but it d*mn near was in, so well done Foxey.

I'm not sure if this has been asked already, but what else does McCall do if Maxwell is doing the coaching now? Maybe I'm wrong, but have we not dipped since that happened? Maybe there's a good answer but I'm certainly curious.

Sorry. Taking them both off was crazy to me. How many balls after that ended up nowhere? It also meant we lost any prospect of scoring. First draw of the season though? Woo hoo. Well done Ian.

Pity that we look incapable of scoring at all. We could have played all day yesterday and not even forced their keeper to make a proper save. It's not just yesterday either. No cutting edge. Not helped by taking off our 2 central forwards and putting on midfielders. McCall, what were you doing?

Maybe they'll all be throwing themselves at Chris Erskine in January, when all their boyfriends are playing for Lochee United. Watch out Chris.

I'm going to email Ami and ask that Jackie Campbell be added. I thought that Doug Somner was great but for me Jackie Campbell deserves his own place in the Hall Of Fame. For me he IS Thistle. A one club hero.

The BBC site, and the official Thistle site haven't taken the points off either yet.

Really? I knew this season but hadn't worked that out for last, though I did wonder. That is damning.

I'm starting to think it does mean something. If it's purely coincidence then it's one helluva coincidence. At least we've won some this season, but the inability to come back when behind and get a point must be a worry. In fact, the lesson seems to be that if we go behind we lose, as we've not come from behind to win, at least not in the league. That's one draw in a year+. That was 0-0, against a knackered Raith, so it doesn't even work against that theory. Some teams don't know when they're beaten. We do. When we go behind....

It occurred to me that we've not had a single draw this season, none at all actually unless you count the Ross County 2-2, though we lost that on penalties. It wasn't the league, and I hardly count the Challenge Cup as a serious fixture.... Anyway, I remembered a long run last season too. So checked. 0-0 v Raith Rovers on Monday 19th April, a.k.a. Night of the Living Dead, which broke a depressing run of losses, but was our first draw since another 2-2 in Dingwall, on 24th October 2009. So, that makes one draw in more than a year. It gets sillier. Guess who the previous draw was against, 6 weeks earlier? Raith again. Previous to that? A month earlier....Ross County again. Weird. You get more points from losing one week then winning the next, compared to 2 draws, but it's surely remarkable. I'm not sure if it means anything....

Back to the administration issue though. Here's McCall. http://www.theharrywraggs.co.uk/c/?p=3&n=141 Is he doing a cover up, or just out of touch, or are we not in as bad a state as we're fearing?

Yep. But it's galling to consider that what could take us out of the red is such a drop in their ocean. Incidentally, re Firhill, we're already seeing crowds dwindle. Moving away could kill us off. One of the main reasons that I and friends go along is everything about that, the location, view, memories and so on, pubs nearby for a drink before and after. So much of what Thistle means to me, and a lot of us, most of us I guess, is bound up in Firhill. If we had to drive out of town for games.... How many folk would just chuck it? I have to be honest, a huge part of it would die for me if we ever moved. Maybe even the biggest part. It would never be the same. Cheery one this, innit?

I nearly created a new topic for this, but I'll post it here, not that it's exactly relevant, but it does make you think... From yesterday's Herald Business section: "Ignis records £1bn in net sales following strong performance". Our current sponsors. Can you spare a few dimes? You'd hardly notice.....

Are they even trying to squeeze us into a corner, to persuade us not to go, to make their own away support look better? Imagine we filled the section and had to overflow....

I've not been to many Thistle away games recently, but although I actually lived within earshot of Dens and Tannadice briefly a few years ago I never liked Dens. One especially bad day was in the Cup, when we were in the Premier and they were in the 1st. They won 2-1, last minute winner I think, and we were housed in that old wreck of a stand. Is that the same one we've been allocated this time? I imagine the atmosphere will be fiery anyway, but when we start up the taunts... For so many reasons I'm staying well away on Saturday. Ideally I wouldn't have wanted us to be the first visiting team, as they'll be well up for it. It's going to be a difficult one for us, fans and players. I hope the team and really up for it, and up to it. It could really kick off. I can just see one meaty tackle, then.... Feck it, I'd love to win soo much, but I'd grab a draw with both hands right now.

I was going to raise exactly the same point, largely because my two boyhood Jags heroes were Denis McQuade, but especially, and for longer, Jackie Campbell. Club captain for ages. He deserves a place in the Hall Of Fame in his own right and not just as a member of the 1971 team. It's almost an insult actually. He played his entire career for Thistle, 579 appearances.

You got it. This is like something out of Life Of Brian. "Are you the Judean People's Front?" "F*ck off! We're the People's Front Of Judea!". It's not like the 3 resigning are Dundee fans in disguise and those still on the Trust Board are....whatever else. Like union factions, and whatever else, they end up hating each other more than the real opposition. Sub-dividing, endlessly. No wonder we're going nowhere fast just now, apart from slowly but surely down.

Initially I had some sympathy for the supporters, but that's disappearing fast with some of the keech they're spouting. There are 2 or 3 on their forum that talk sense and say they had it coming but the rest seem to have the same paranoid mindset as Celtic fans, with their nonsensical conspiracy theories. Despite that, I always think of them as another Rangers reserves. I lived in Dundee for almost 4 years in the 90s, so know that many of them would just become Rangers fans. I had a Dundee supporting friend who said exactly that to me. They do like their Union Jacks and I guess that goes beyond the colour scheme. Tw*ts. It wasn't always fun. I remember the Monday at work after that 2-6 Firhill gubbing, Eddie Gallagher hat trick and all. I enjoyed the 6-3 revenge more than a lot.

I had a chicken curry pie on Saturday. It was hot and tasty. About as good as fitba food gets.

Apparently the talk amongst certain Premier clubs is not to worry about relegation this season. In other words there will be league reconstruction. That would, or could mean no relegation from the 1st. However, the SFL also said they will "reconsider the matter and deal with the club as it sees fit", if the Tayside club are still in administration by 31 March 2011. So....they could presumably then do what they did to Livvi. They're holding that back in reserve. By ra way, the administrator is trying to make the SFL feel guilty about putting them out of business. B*ll*cks. What difference would a season in the 2nd make if they're a viable investment at all?