beep0608

Speaking personally meant that I have my opinion and am not forcing it on you, but I'm part of a "we". We can disagree within ourselves, but that is how I see it, and us. If my folks hadn't objected to Rangers and Celtic way back then I might be somewhere else, though I rejected them myself, at a time when I might have ended up at Ibrox, because I reasoned, how can I support a club that rejects many of my best friends? Thistle, like Barca, more than a club to me. They were and still are my local team, but we all know that you don't automatically support your local team. I wish many more did. We'd all be much better off. If anybody wants to do something about this then count me in. If you don't fancy it then feel free to stay out of it. That's your equal right, and well respected.

Me too. I'm hoping that we've sorted ourselves out fairly well on and off the field, and some of our rivals next season may have some harder times coming. A wee thumbs up too for the Jagscast and what that's bringing us, including this. Pre-fanzine days seem like light years ago.

Came across this by accident, I'm not even sure how. Anyway.... http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partick_Thistle_FC

I like the idea. Call it opportunism if you like, I just think it's speaking up for what you think is right, and it IS part of why I follow Thistle. We're valid in our own right, and not just as an prinncess to the ugly sisters, but we are in Glasgow so that is part of it. Speaking personally.

Maybe I'm reading too much into this but I noticed that Ami has not introduced the recent match highlights films. Should I read anything into it? She is there on the promo clip of course so hopefully she's still very much around. She comes over well in my opinion so I hope she'll be around for years to come. Mind you, I still miss Molly Stallon.

I just read the same piece, in a shop over some lunch. Gawd forbid I'd ever actually buy the rag. Anyway, it just underlines that the only point of clubs like us to most of the media is as a place where former ugly sisters players go when they're surplus to reqirements. Sadly even the Sunday Herald is going down that route these days. No 1st Division match reports now, though I see that they backtracked on the "no sports pull out" policy so if we make enough fuss then....

I never saw this one myself but somebody once told me a story of how, on a very windy day, he hit a shot so badly that it blew back to him, and then he volleyed it into the top corner. Sounds imposible, but with Denis anything was possible. Can anybody verify this story? I had a look on youtube and probably the only film of him in in the 71 final, and the Danny Kellachan at Parkhead film, though neither show any of his magic. Not that his Hampden goal wasn't magic in it's own way.

Was just wondering about that myself. I just checked back and they emailed me on 14th January to say they were sourcing material then would present it to the board. Here's hoping that's still a goer.

I swear, that at Kilbowie, in a friendly (they were Division 2 and we were Division 1) I once saw Denis dribble past at least 6 or 7 Clydebank players around the edge of the area, and found himself through on the keeper, totally in the clear. The goalie seemed mesmerised. All Denis had to do was put it either side of him. He didn't even dive, or move, and Denis fluffed it tamely right into his arms. That's a true story. Maybe it was more than 7 that he beat. In fact it still has me beat and I remember it like it was yesterday. I think it ended 1-1 but that didn't matter. That's my abiding memory of Denis McQuade, along with Jackie Campbell my all time Jags fave.

I have a couple of ways if doing this too. Let me know if you have any problems with the earlier suggestions and I'll try to help. In short though, the easiest for me is WinX. It's free and available from: http://www.winxdvd.com/dvd-ripper/ DvdFab would also work, and can do encrypted but you probably don't need anything so powerful as that.

Almost certainly a Barca v Man U final. Both teams became European champions there for the first time. They're now 3-3, I think? Barca might pass them off the park but Man U can be dangerous and can't be written off. Could be a cracker, but I also remember many let down finals. One of the worst was Red Star Belgrade v Marseilles, but it's not the only one. Here's hoping this time though.

Totally agree. I have my own story but love reading others. Lots more please!

I kind of understand what you're saying but I also find Celtic's paranoia irritating so it's 50/50 overall for me. Anyway. Who cares? I don't. I'm a JAGS fan. First and only, aside from Scotland. Can we please drop this one? It's way too negative for me, but carry on if you must. Hope not though. Can we not talk about our team instead?

...and remember pointing out a few months ago, around the turn of the year, that we'd only had about one draw in several months. Typical Jags, one extreme to another.

If we keep this going and brush it up, maybe we could publish something? Or post something on a special web page? These memories are great, and I could certainly add to my own. Just a thought.

I think you got that right! Are we masochists or what? Whatever, we're a different breed to the glory hunters, and we know who they are.

October '71, and I'm sitting in a caravan in St Andrews, aware that there's a cup final on but not paying special attention, until Frank Bough, in the Grandstand studio, comes on and says something along the lines of "we have a remarkable latest score from Hampden in the Scottish League Cup Final. It says Partick Thistle 4 Celtic 0, but we'll check that one for you". A couple of minutes later he confirmed that really was the score, but he still seemed unconvinced. This must have been around quarter to 4. I sat up, suddenly interested. I knew this was something special, and that my local team (I lived in Scotstoun, so Thistle were my local team as far as I was concerned, the other side of the river was a distant land to me, and Mum and Dad were not keen on me going to Ibrox or Parkhead, bless 'em) were cuffing the best team in the uk. I probably became a Jags fan there and then. I got nervous, expecting a Celtic fightback. Every time Frank Bough read score updates I dreaded a Celtic goal, but time ticked by. We got the occasional update.....still 4-0 at Hampden. I started to relax a bit then.....4-1. Aw naw. Here it comes....more time ticked by, it got to half four. Still 4-1. I started to relax a bit and finally old Frank confirmed the final score. Yessss!! I'd been to Hampden for a Scotland v Wales 0-0, and a family friend took me to a Rangers v Bayern 1-1 but I wasn't grabbed. We left before Rangers late equaliser so maybe that did me a favour. I went to my first Thistle game a few weeks after the final, another 0-0 against Dundee. I remember a Denis McQuade run and shot, and a late Alan Rough save. Later that season I saw Jimmy Bone and Bobby Lawrie score in a 2-0 v Aberdeen. A shot from the edge of the box slammed into the net. The crowd roared and jumped about. My first live goal, aside from the Bayern goal which was met by silence, so that was me hooked, and a certified Jags fan. My favourites then were Denis McQuade, Badger, but especially Jackie Campbell. A true Jags legend.

I hear you. I don't see many Old Firm games actually, as most aren't on cooncil telly and I don't fancy going out to watch the ugly spectacles, but the last time one was one in the house, I did make a point of wearing my Jags fleece.

I think it's reasonable to ask why you would prefer one side or another, whether you dislike them or not. In a poisoned and twisted city like ours, twisted nation actually (don't believe this doesn't happen in other places) saying you prefer one or another leaves you open to question. "So you prefer Rangers then? Ok, you dislike Catholics then. Aha..." Even if you don't. Maybe you do, who knows, IF you do then that's your problem and your natural home is Ibrox, but either way it's a minefield. Preferring Celtic is maybe slightly different, but so what anyway? I'd rather discuss whether I prefer Raith Rovers to Falkirk, or Hamilton to Airdrie, or....enough please. If we all have to be blue or green then I'd rather emigrate. Sure, we're a team in our own right without defining ourselves only against Rangers and Celtic, but being NOT The Old Firm IS part of it for me, like it is for other Jags fans, and others like us, from Morton, Stenhousemuir, Alloa, Dunfermline, St Johnstone etc etc etc.

Anything to save money I suppose. One one hand it's not ideal having to share a stand, on the other hand it's a bit sad that we're living in times when we're not allowed to mingle with fellow human beings. It happened as a matter of course not so long ago, and I don't remember that many problems, though I've recently mentioned some unpleasant times when mingled with Rangers fans. Aside from these bad shed moments, there was another time in the main stand, with 2 empty seats beside me and most already taken, I saw Andy Cameron walking up the stairs, in our direction. Aw naw, please gawd..... I've never been more relieved to see somebody walk past..... Thanks for filling me in on what happened yesterday. I like to think that most supporters are reasonable people that can get on, but that excludes the "my team right or wrong" type on the post Old Firm phone in today. Nuff said.

A good friend, Morton regular, was at Firhill today and told me that they got a really hard time from the stewards, for no good reason. Sounds like typical stewards really, but you'd hope that your own would be better than some of the tw*ts you encounter at away grounds. It got me wondering though. Who are our stewards? Club employees? Hired security? Or...what? I've no idea. Anybody know?

That's one of my pet hates. Who do you REALLY support? NEITHER! I think we'd be a whole lot better off as a city and nation if they didn't exist. Most of the debate surrounding their match tomorrow doesn't even involve football. Sorry. I don't need that in my life.

Tricky one this. It could be argued that Ross County should have been awarded the points. I don't even know what the right call is here.

I wasn't there but that reminds me of one time I nearly left. Remember that game against Rangers at Firhill, where we took the lead through Geordie Shaw, then lost 4-1. The 4th goal (I think) was a shot from almost the halfway line, from Mark Hateley, which somehow bounced over Craig Nelson's dive and ended up in the net. I was pig sick by then and started walking round to leave, slowly, then stood behind some fat ugly Rangers fan (no segregation then) who said something like "this is like taking sweeties from weans" and that got me annoyed the other way, so I determined to stay, and went back towards the shed again, to tough out the rest of the game, and get away from that moron. Since then I've decided I'll never leave a game early. It couldn't get much worse than that day, but I don't blame anybody else if they do leave. I also remember McCoist's last gasp winner on the last night of the Shed, and how I saw some Rangers animal screaming triumphantly in a Jags fans face who was beside him. I'll never understand how he kept his dignity, and his fists in his pocket. Grr. Not pleasant memories but if you support teams like Thistle in a country like this then you need a thick skin.

I nearly voted 50/50 but opted for pleased. For me his heart's not been in it for a couple of seasons and managers always come and go, and we need some freshening. Get the wrong man or team in and it can get worse but on the other hand, it could get better too. As Bill Hicks said, it's just a ride. Jim Duffy may be from the area and have played for us for a couple of successful seasons, BUT, he's always seemed more interested in Dundee than us, for some reason. I lived there for a couple of years and can't abide Dundee FC, so that doesn't endear Duffy to me. I expect he'd do a good job but I'm not pining for the return of a prodigal son.