partickthedog

Random thoughts to kick off thread for tonight's game which seems to be very low on the radar: 1) Could this be the lowest ever attendance at a competitive game involving Thistle? I will ensure that there is at least one spectator at the match. Long way to go in the middle of the week for a tournament lacking in prestige. Would have been a scenic drive and a good day out on a Saturday. We have of course travelled far into the Highlands for midweek games in recent years. But then there have been reasonable home supports, and I am not sure that Stranraer will muster that many. 2) Great memories of excellent wins at Stair Park during some of our promotion runs, and also Quinton Jacobs debut with the Namibian flags. 3) We obviously try to win, but defeat is not a disaster, as we will not miss out on any money spinning matches or the prestige of reaching Hampden. Therefore, I would say no need to play safe with our "strongest 11". Ideal opportunity to start Sneddon, Wilson, Fitzpatrick, McCarthy, Melbourne and of course Mbuyi-Mutombo. Perhaps Penrice could be given an experimental role while Melbourne slots in at left (wing) back.

Can see all sides of this argument. Let's see how he plays. Looks like a bit of a character, capable of occasional brilliance, but no doubt often inducing despair. Well-suited to Thistle. I am trying to draw some comfort from my general impression that for all his faults as a manager, John Hughes could be refreshingly honest and objective in recognising a good performance by another team. Maybe his judgment of a player falls into the same category. Hope so! Unrelated point. Getting a little tired of leading questions in JagZone interviews. There were two in particular to Andrea regarding Alan Archibald and about squad unity. Ask an open question rather than trying to draw out an answer to suit a particular agenda!

Your hope is fulfilled. This was a lighthearted observation. I think you are jealous because he has got more hair than your avatar (for the avoidance of doubt, that was lighthearted too!).

AFK. You are right. You can add this to your season ticket without a paper ticket for post and collection. However, as per my earlier post, as you found, this does not work online. I had to do it by phone.

Has played his football in Croatia, Belgium and England, three of the World Cup semi-finalists. Has to count for something!

Thanks FT By the way, what is a CRM? If it is a Competent Reliable Machine, then that is good enough for me. Just for the record and in support of AFK as original poster, I had exactly the same problem in adding the Celtic ticket to my season ticket. Tried Chrome and Internet Explorer without success, so ended up making the usual phone call. No problem for me phoning, but we should not have to, and it requires an ability to make a reasonably substantial phone call during office opening hours which for various reasons will not be available to and/or convenient for all supporters.

You can see the flag clearly on the Jagzone (Flagzone?) highlights. Another thing you also see is how good our second goal was, going all the way back to the middle of our own half and Spittal's crossfield pass which unleashes a rampaging Elliott.

I am sure that Archie was intending Wilson to enjoy his debut seeing out an easy 2 goal win and was not expecting Falkirk's immediate counter. Having said that the unexpected pressure and the need to take responsibility probably did Wilson the world of good. In the short time available, he won a tackle and combined with Fitzpatrick to keep the ball at the other end of the pitch. So there was some point in the substitution, but perhaps not in the way planned.

I thought I saw a Davie McParland flag today. It was part of the clapping ceremony in the middle of the pitch. It was then carried to the corner of the John Lambie Stand nearest to the entrance/exit and laid over the seats there. I presumed this was as a preparation for it being fully installed on the back wall of the JLS for the next home game.

Sorry AJ. Was too busy posting my half time thoughts on the forum and making sure I got the spelling right. In my defence, I was regarding it as like a second serve in tennis!

Half time guy hit the crossbar first shot. Maybe he is 1 of the 4 we need to sign?!

Very positive performance so far. Storey dynamic through the middle and using his body well to secure the ball and drive at the opposition. Penrice clever run into the box and deserved the luck with the deflection at the end. No luck about Erskine’s goal. Combined with Christie, beat X players in trademark run and brilliant finish. He has still got it! Christie an inspiring captain. Absolutely bossed his side of the pitch. Just hope we keep playing positively with well-timed subs and do not revert to a have and hold mentality.

Thank you for your respect, Mr Right, but somewhat surprised by the vehement reaction! I think that you were reading into my post an agenda that was not there. I was providing what I thought was some vaguely interesting historical recollection rather than making any present application. Going back to that Ross County game, I have always remembered the forum that night. Never has the team and its manager been so totally slated both for its performance and its attitude. The general conclusion was that the manager had lost it and should be replaced forthwith. My only real point is that the next Saturday I travelled with trepidation and was pleasantly surprised. I learned my lesson, so today I am here with my usual cheerful optimism. I think you said on a later post that you have come in the same spirit, hoping to cheer the team to victory. So we are united in that. I agree that the the last two games have been hugely concerning and that change is needed. The extent of that change will no doubt be something we can debate further after the game.

I give you Partick Thistle under Alan Archibald! Second season in the Premier League, but on a poor run of form taking us near to the relegation trap door. Facing close rivals Ross County at Firhill. Totally hopeless, heartless and gutless performance which we were lucky to lose only 1-3. Gary Fraser taking a wild fresh air kick at a player instead of tracking back, matching the run and trying to tackle. Dan Seaborne bringing a player down in the box and immediately heading for the touchline and having to be recalled, obviously disappointed not to have been sent off. Three Thistle players chasing the same opponent down the wing, but still failing to put in a tackle and secure possession to prevent a goal. Stevie Lawless tweeting about a change of scenery. Manager unable to turn the tide and having apparently lost the dressing room. Hands in pockets and not even an attempt to wave his arms. Forum in total meltdown. Archie has to go! Next week, we travel to Tannadice to face a then still reasonably strong Dundee United side. Thistle had not won there for decades. Fearing the worst. But under the direction of the selfsame Alan Archibald, Thistle play like Barcelona, including the "team goal of the century" finished off by Stephen O'Donnell. A convincing 2-0 victory moves on to a good spell of results securing safety with several games to spare. Have not quite ticked all your boxes and I am not trying to make any particular point in the current scenario, but it does show how the same personnel can sometimes turn things round.

Sandy I think that you will find that The Legend Blows' middle name is......Legend

Is that why we were short for the bench on Saturday?

For some reason my brain homed in on the result of crossing the Rhine with the Elbe, but all I could come up with was a long river in Germany with a big bend in it.

Wonderful stuff, TJR. I would have to check the detail, but I think I travelled just about all of the miles in the seasons you quoted. Here is a small ditty for those cheerful followers attending the first few games of this season (some past, some still to come). Feel free to replace him/he with her/she. "They seek him here, they seek him there. At Ochilview and down in Ayr. Cliftonhill and Stair Park. And the Energy Check at Firhill. He is a dedicated follower of Thistle." And before anyone says it. A last line of "He is a deludedly optimistic happy clapper" scans equally well.

Another drawback of JagZone is that to log in you have to click on a picture of Archie with his hands in his pockets.

Cannot find much positive to say apart from we still have half of the game left! Sometimes even when a team is playing badly, there is one player who is bucking the trend, still putting in a performance and acting as a catalyst to others. No evidence of such a player in the first half. Not sure where the second half inspiration will come from. Time for the management and players to really step up and show us what so far has been sadly lacking.

Suspended thankfully, ie not injured

I would characterise my default position as cheerful realism!

You have obviously seen some signs of improvement, as you predicted 12th last season.

Not quite sure about this being thrashed business. Last season our not very good team played Celtic 4 times and I think I am right in saying that the losing margins were 0-1, 0-2, 1-2 and 2-3. None of these are "thrashings". Only in the 0-2 game were we never really in sight of taking anything. In the 0-1 we should have been awarded a penalty which would have nicked us an admittedly undeserved point. In the 1-2 we led going into the second half. In the 2-3 we were within a brilliant tackle of securing an unlikely draw. I accept that the likelihood of a loss is high, but a thrashing is certainly not inevitable. Having said that, we should still be looking to win, however unlikely that might be. If Celtic have any potential weakness, it may be complacency in an early season League Cup tie when their team is still coming together and European survival is their top priority. We can but dream.

To be fair Christie put in a brilliant cross for Kris Doolan to score against Rangers towards the end of the 2016/2017 season. He provided something similar for Lyle Taylor v Ross County on the last game of the 2013/2014 season. And am I right in saying that it was Christie's super cross that Ade Azeez memorably converted at Parkhead?