ChiThistle

Unfortunately, you can expect it to continue. As of late, the business side to sport has been exposed more than any time I can recall. And businesses always demand measurable, quantifiable statistics. Instead of this kind of data going away, it's only going to continue to be more refined and "perfected." That Leon Britton statistic will eventually turn into a "passes completed under pressure" where "pressure" is defined as any instance where an opponent is within 5 yards of the passer. One example in American football is that we've had a stat called "QB Rating" that has been around for years. It's a numerical value that is supposed to explain how well a quarterback performs, but it's come under fire for being incomplete and having awkward scoring (a "perfect" score is 158.3). Instead of scrapping it, it's still being used while another new statistic, "Total QB Rating", is starting to take hold. So these statisticians aren't going to give up trying to quantify what goes on in the human brain.

Noooooooo! Who else will I contact about sponsorship opportunities???!? Thanks for helping me connect with PTFC from such a distance and congrats on your new opportunity! -Len

Throw my wife in the swap, and I will think about it!

Count me in for at least one game. I'll be visiting Glasgow and attending the Accies game 3rd March, which means it would be almost 5 years since my first Thistle game (also against Accies). I tried to make one a year or so ago, but it got canceled because of bad weather, a cup tie, and a referee's strike. Even though the product on the pitch sounds like it won't be the greatest, I'm still really excited. I know this probably sounds bonkers, but I would much rather be able to watch Thistle all the time and complain about this-and-that than to not get to see them at all.

Benefits: Rangers go bust. Negatives: Eventually, I will stop being so amused by the above. The End.

If being young and hungry is the problem, perhaps we should play some of the lads on the youth team like Burns/MacBeth/Fraser. I bet with all the on-loan players who get chosen for first team ahead of them, they would be right hungry for a game. Can Jackie and Sid name themselves for the starting 11? If I were manager, I would strongly consider telling the players, "Watch me, and I'll teach you how to play like you give a f***."

This should be cleared up tomorrow. I understand HMRC were given the wrong address.

As atrocious as the shirts look right now, having any logo on the front for the remainder of the season is worlds better than having "This Space for Hire - Call David Beattie!" on the front. Anyway, it's already too late in the season to redo the shirts and it's not even a certainty that Just Management Law will remain the sponsor for next season anyway. If they stick around, I'm sure the shirts will be suitably restyled for next season.

Alea Casino. Management finally decided it's best to get in with the gambling community.

To be fair, our production through our first 19 league games this year is slightly better than last year. If I counted right, in 2010-11 we had 23 goals for and 25 goals against in league competition at this point in the season. This season it's 24 for and 18 against. Assuming he's operating on a smaller budget than last season and considering he's in his first season as manager, that's not terrible. Unless we find ourselves in a relegation battle in the coming months, I think I'd stop short of calling for his head. Yes, the cup results are awfully disappointing, but barring the aforementioned relegation battle, I'd rather wait to see what he takes away from this season (hopefully he examines his tactics and understands the need to sign a guy who can be a vocal leader both on the pitch and in the dressing room - especially with all the youngsters) and whether or not he can show some tangible improvement next season.

Awwww, congrats to Chris and his lady, and welcome to Baby Erskine! Now stand down, all of youse that have been saying that Thistle strikers have been having difficulty finishing inside the box. Now which one is the emoticon for shame? Ahhh, here it is.

From most of the posts in this thread, it seems that it's 30% the losing and 70% the lack of effort in losing (note: not statistically accurate) that has everyone calling for Jackie's head. Forgive me if the answer to this question is obvious, but I don't get to see Thistle up close: Does Thistle have a "heart and soul" player or captain who inspires the rest of the squad? I know the manager is supposed to be the engine, but it's certainly helpful to have a field general type who makes the tackles, gives it his all every game and has the mixture of experience and talent to be able to hold his teammates accountable if they start playing like they no longer give a sh*t. Do we absolutely have that guy?

Dear SFA, I'm writing to complain about Ryan Scully's "shot-stopping theatrics". Such a "performance" should not be allowed in the "First Division"? Sicerely, Dundee Joe PS. Please let me know the deadline for turning in the Irn-Bru caps. I have several.

I didn't know that idiot drunken behaviour was limited to one team. The last time I was at a pub, an older gentleman was served a pint, which he dropped on the floor. No worries, they gave him another. Then he drops that one. Then he was escorted out. He wasn't violent in any way. But it was clear that his drink was going to become an issue if allowed to stay. That's the kind of decision the police had to make on the spot. I'm not condoning the match ban, mind you. That's entirely too excessive. But if his "gait" was enough to cause alarm and closer inspection confirmed it wasn't exactly the result of a physical condition, then tossing him out was probably the right call. Maybe my error is assuming events happened as the police said they did.

I don't know that it's a good idea for the Club to weigh in on matters of law, so I doubt anything would come of that. I certainly don't envy the job that police have to do. If this guy was drunk, and police did nothing about it, then in the 2nd half he does something stupid like throw a roll of coins at a child, the conversation would be about why they didn't act SOONER. That said, if the policy is as they say, then it needs to be applied evenly and that includes the OF. If you're going to arrest every drunk at an OF game, you might have enough for 5-a-side with a few concessions staff to watch.

Is this guy any relation to Archie Gemmill?

Good results from around the league, too. 4 points from top, a new striker injecting some livelihood into the squad, and we've shown that we can go toe-to-toe with the top teams in the division even on our worst day. Good time to be a Thistle fan! The best part about this win is that we normally don't pull these games out when we've gone up a goal and then allowed an equaliser. Too often, it seems that equaliser is enough to demoralize the whole squad for the remainder of the game.

Hopefully I'm not missing a joke here, because the idea that there is an Irish guy named Tom English has made my day to no end. I only hope he meets an English gentleman named Paddy McIrish and that they get a late night talk show. As for Celtic, at the risk of sounding too American: What. The. F**k. How many chances do you get? Next thing you know,they'll determine that one of Sion's strikers has six toes, which is one more than is allowed by UEFA standards. Then Celtic will get a free pass by way of this egregious abuse of fair play. Look, some people can change based on suggestion. They can look at themselves and say, "This is what people think of me. Maybe I need to do something about it." Others just need a swift kick in the head. Maybe the Europa result will be that kick.

How many Young Jags members are there? They should do one of those events where they put a Thistle XI on the pitch against a gaggle of kids. I think Inter did this recently against a couple hundred Chinese kids? It makes for a fun spectacle an is a neat way to drum up some good press.

He didn't necessarily say in what capacity he'd be returning. Maybe he's joining Propco and will become a board member? Nahhhhhhhhhhhh.....

Only one player aged 25-30, when most players are hitting their prime. Tells you all you need to know about finances.

It's good policy to not besmirch a player who couldn't hack it at this level. If for no other reason than he may go on to be the guy who fixes your plumbing - in which case you'll be glad you never spoke ill of him.

Yeah, I wonder if the new management team has discussed this kind of scenario already and started looking at contingency plans. Wouldn't be surprised if they had their eye on some new targets in case someone comes round to snap up guys like Erskine. But it helps when you have a scout team who has been so good lately, they could probably find truffles if they tried hard enough.

I would have just called it Project TOFFEES - The Old Firm F**king Embarrasses Everyone in Scotland

Perhaps the shirt material makes it more 'breathable' than before? Either way, I hope Jackie institutes a moustache policy. These shirts were designed to be worn with moustaches.