Derby Jag

http://thistleweir.co.uk This could be one of the most significant moves in the history of our club.

Chris Jack has just tweeted we are starting a £750k youth academy with the Euromillion winning Weir family News to follow I guess but sounds rather exciting

I, and a round 5/6 others were told we couldn't get in NS with JH season tickets at around 1440 yesterday. I spoke with steward at turnstile who informed this is what the turnstile operators had been told. I then walked to JH saw the queues and asked a One Thistle rep about this who was incredibly helpful and after some assistance from club staff I was walked round to North Stand and allowed in. I was however told to phone office and change my ticket. My only concern about this is that I would like to change stand depending on who I am with. Apart from all ticket games surely the tickets must allow entry to both stands if over 16

Five or six people around me were told we couldn't get in. Managed to get in after talking with one thistle volunteer and club staff

Season tickets for JH are not allowed in North Stand despite being told otherwise when buying

See this electronic system is anyone positive that what it won't just be a man behind the turnstile who you show your card to?

Wow

The Lawless to South Africa rumour will surely not come to pass. I think had the Willem II offer been accepted he would have gone, however SA with a new born kid would be a massive amount of upheaval. It's also hardly going to a better standard of football where he would be noticed by big clubs in the same way Holland would have.

I see on the BBC gossip column the Daily Mail are linking us with a move for Kallum Higginbotham. Can't really remember much of him but he was highly rated at Falkirk and spent some time in loan at Morherwell last year

Impressive how they fit 3000 fans inside that stand... I would like Thistle to start breaking down crowds by home and away fans in the way St Mirren do

I think this has been the worst organised pre season in my history of supporting the club. The amount of indecisiveness, hypocrisy and lack of information has been incredible. Has the jump from First Division to Premiership really added so much strain that our infrastructure has completely fallen apart? From what I can see season tickets are up but not to the level that should require the amount of madness that is going round. To be on the eve of the season with people unclear on where they are sitting is surely unprecedented. This electronic entry surely must require some form of seating plan, else what is the point in adding it. I understand that some people may have left the back office but they have been able to do things like build a new dugout, do some sort of work on Main Stand, relay the pitch and replace a heap of seats. How they could have essentially failed as something as pivotal as selling season tickets boggles the mind; the club have been doing it for decades! This also ignores the equally maddening world of U16s, the North Stand, advertising and TAG I am genuinely buzzing about the game tomorrow and delighted with the footballing operation of the club at present; however the state of the off the field operations of the club is hugely disappointing. We should have been advertising season tickets, TAG and centenary club like crazy and and if so we could have had our most profitable close season in our history; instead it just feels like a missed opportunity that we may not get again for a number of years.

Silly thing but my letter was printed upside down in relation to the paper

Sunday Mail had us at 1500 which disappointed me a little at the time. Lowest amount in Premier League.

Willie Howie is due to return as well I heard

Bounding was very uninspiring. Kerr was OK although dispossessed a few times, Spaniard (Simon) was decent although probably wanted too long on ball. In all I wouldn't be overly enthused if we signed any of the trialists

That's the one. Think he only played a few games before injury ruined any chances he had. He looked rapid when he came on v Stirling in first game of season but didn't look to have much other than speed. According to Wikipedia he's currently playing in Wales for Airbus after dotting around other Welsh clubs

Who was that winger we had on loan from Everton a few years ago? He was tiny

Thanks for the clarification JJ. Few questions I would have 1) I signed up for TAG right after Morton game and have my TAG number. However I have never been asked for payment details, confirmation of being a season ticket holder e.g. I also noticed just there that the club have put a 30th June deadline for payment to be in line to win tickets to Barcelona. Am I missing something regarding this? 2) What are the procedures, if it has been decided, for starting up a new branch?

Regarding TAG branches I wonder if there is any desire to increase the number/range of these Right now they seem to be the buses, with North Stand, Nomads and kids but I would hazard a guess this leaves many gaps remaining in our group. It seems you will be 'assigned' to these groups based on your postcode but would imagine things like University branches and a South Side branch would be a good idea I really like the idea of what they are trying to do and hope it is a success. This may take a number of months but it potentially makes us unique in Scotland and could make a huge difference to way the club operates and how the fans view the club.

I think there is a fairly fine line between formations, and its more important how the players 'play the role' rather than where they are located on the park. I would say that Bannigan and Lawless are our most interesting players in how they performed last year (excluding Erskine) and its important we set up in a way that plays to their strengths. Bannigan is at his best in the middle where his energy and ability to collect the ball and spray it are best suited. I think when you move him about you limit his ability to take hold of a game. Its great he can play practically anywhere on the park but, unlike some similar versatile players, it is clear where he is most effective. Likewise Lawless isn't a winger in the traditional sense. He is at his best coming in to middle where he has good interplay with other players in the area and able to get into good shooting positions. I wouldn't want to see him hugging the touchline trying to beat a full back to the touchline as I think he could be brushed off pretty easily there. To be honest I think ideally we would line up something like the following initially. With the right couple of first team additions, and luck with injuries, I think we will give it a right good go in this league. Fox SOD Muirhead Balatoni Sinclair New Defensive CM (Kerr?) Bannigan Lawless Forbes New Att/Winger Doolan Baird made a big deal on his move about centre forward being his best position and how his poor form with Dundee was when played out wide by Smith. I would have thought Archie will have let him know that he will be played up top with us.

New keeper dropped a bit of a clanger

I'm not sure of Archie's thoughts but I would hope we start the season trying to play the same type of fluid, quick football, with the same loose 4231 type shape. With that I would say we have the following (first team) players capable of playing in the relevant positions. Ones in italics I've included as can play there but not ideal position. GK Fox Gallagher RB O'Donnell McMillan LB Sinclair Bannigan CB Muirhead Balatoni McMillan Archie CM Bannigan Welsh Forbes Murray McMillan Craigen Wide Attackers Lawless Craigen Elliot Baird Doolan Centre Forwards Doolan Baird McGuigan Elliot From that I would say we definitely require a defensive minded midfielder (presently only Murray is suited there), and at least one creative attacking wide player (need to replace Erskine for sure, and probably need to strengthen as well. Should Lawless go then even more urgent). I would also say we need at least another centre back, a left back and another striker. I hope this is what Archie has in mind for next year as it proved very successful as well as allowing some great, fluid football to be played. I shudder slightly at the thought of going back to a rigid 442 as it resulted in one of our worst performances of the season away at Airdrie before the great comeback and a 352 which I don't think suits our players at all.

Think the St Mirren v Killie crowd will be more down to it being the New Years game more than anything. Interesting that it was also St Mirren's largest home crowd. I would expect St Mirren and Killie to be the biggest away supports at Firhill next season (outside Celtic), with around 1500-2000 coming depending on how the season is going. Similarly I would imagine they would see the largest Thistle away crowds at those games as well, unless there is a particularly big game for us. Aberdeen, who look like assembling a very competitive team, would also be capable of bringing a similar support down the road with them and the Arabs would probably be over 1000 for the opening game. How much does the Main Stand hold again? I have in my head is around 2300 with North Stand just a touch over 2000?

When I bought mine from office and mentioned it was for North Stand I was told no need to reserve a seat.

That's a silly idea