Dunfermline Jag

I really cannot see a way in which a legal challenge would be successful. The best we could do is a re-run of the vote and there is no reason to think the outcome would be any different. It would simply be a waste of money we can't afford to throw away, IMO. Also, be careful of drawing comparisons with any case in another country. A case in Scotland will be decided by interpreting the rules of the SPFL. The rules in the French set up may be very different, leading to a different outcome.

Two national leagues of 18, minimum 3 up/down. Put the bottom six clubs into the Highland/Lowland Leagues as appropriate. That is where they are going to end up in the next decade anyway. After that, automatic promotion and relegation into and out of the national leagues - 3 down each year. With 3 or European spots and 3 relegation places to fight over for top flight clubs there will be plenty of excitement and very few meaningless games. Same for the second tier with at least 6 promotion or relegation spots. Plenty of movement through the pyramid too.

You also have to take into account the "shock" of relegation. It easier to bounce back up from 16th in a 18 team league than to gain promotion. I also think that it's interesting that despite our yo-yo status since 1975 we have not, at any time since 1970-71, played in the bottom tier of the Scottish league while clubs such as Dunfermline, Kilmarnock, St. Johnstone and Morton have.

I wasn't asked to join the Interim Board and so I cannot answer your questions. I have been asked to join the working group tasked with putting a fans organisation into place to receive the shares in March 2020. I have agreed to do that. I think it's worth making the basic point that everything that happens with PTFC is down to the Interim Board who are responsible in turn to Three Black Cats as the majority shareholder. The working group has nothing to do with the running of the club and I don't expect to have access to any inside info in the future.

I have been asked to join the working group because I am a solicitor, as Javeajag suggested. This isn't my principal field of expertise but I can find my way around a legal document so I hope I will be of some use in making sure that whatever the final structure chosen it is robust and fit for purpose.

Having looked at their website, Twitter feed and Facebook page, I can't see them say that anywhere.

The descent from top six in the Premiership to our current position at the bottom of the Championship started under Beattie and Archie. The criticism of Jaqui Low for her part in this is way over the top compared to the criticism of Beattie and Archie. I don't know whether its misogyny or just Jags fans fondness for scapegoats but it is excessive. As for whether she is back at the club, she isn't an employee, she isn't a director and, as far as I know, she isn't a shareholder, so the answer must be no. One tweet from a friend who has no connection with PTFC (and who has since deleted it) is not evidence to the contrary, nor is one fan claiming to have been told by someone else that she is when we have no idea what actually was said or in what context. In short, there is no basis for harping on about this except to undermine what is currently happening at the club. If it turns out that she is indeed pulling some strings by virtue of being Colin Weirs adviser then, frankly, there is nothing we can do about that. David Beattie and the other shareholders were obviously more than happy to sell to him in these circumstances Colin Weir now owns the club and can have anyone advise him that he likes. No -one has any right to tell him what he can and can't do vis a vis Partick Thistle. Many Thistle fans may not want JL near the club and Thistle for Ever may have made it clear that they do not want her back either, but now that Colin Weir has the shares, and not them, that is irrelevant. Until he transfers the shares to some fan owned entity that will remain the case.

Despite our 160 pages of debate the bottom line is that no bidder requires to convince the fans of anything. We don't count unless we have shares. All either of the bidders has to do is convince the owners of 50%+1 of the shares to back their bid and it is a done deal. If we end up being sold to the mystery consortium that does not change and our opinions as fans remain irrelevant to the ownership of the club. If the TFE bid succeeds everything changes. As many fans as want to be involved get to be involved - not in the day to day running of the club - but in the oversight of whoever is doing the day to day running of the club. The fans become the shareholders - not the directors. Any fan that just wants to go on a Saturday to support the team gets to do just that. I agree that the history of the Jags Trust might cause some to have doubts but the bottom line is that the TFE model allows us all a shot at being involved. How it would proceed thereafter is entirely up to us.

As javeajag says the shareholders want their money out. On the basis that a sale WILL take place and the shareholders will get their money either way it comes down to which group offers the best future for Partick Thistle - assuming that the consortium actually get approval from the football authorities in Scotland and England. If approval is not given this new bid becomes the only show in town for the shareholders who want out. In the meantime, while we wait on a decision from the SFA and the EFL (or whoever is responsible down there)Thistle for Ever are offering to engage with the fans and the shareholders so any questions can be answered.

I think the inclusion of the Colts teams hasn't worked. It certainly seems to be popular for the Colts teams themselves and their coaches, but not the fans. I am a bit surprised at this as I would have thought fans of the Premiership clubs involved would like to see their youngsters in properly competitive action. I do like the inclusion of Irish and Welsh teams. Yes, it would be better if there was a proper cross border championship but I doubt that it would work financially. It would also be better to have larger English clubs involved although I doubt we could make it financially attractive to them. However, while you might question the inclusion of Tier 5 teams like Solihull Moors (and I did) their trip to Kelty Hearts was watched by 300 more than were at Links Park on Saturday!

I must confess that I can't understand fans looking through their noses at a competition that their team has never been good enough to win. For my part, this competition is the only one to have produced a national final for us since I started supporting the Jags in 1973. That alone is reason enough for me to like it.

This is getting silly - who am I kidding, its been silly for ages - but now we have calls for legal action against directors for blocking a takeover that no-one actually knows is happening and is predicated on some bloke on a facebook page saying "he heard that" and not very much else. None of the people who would be involved in such a share transfer have spoken out to confirm that anything at all is happening. In the meantime we have a board of directors in charge of the club whose positions have not been challenged by any of the club's shareholders. Until they are, or until an actual takeover is announced, we have to assume that these shareholders are happy with the way in which the club is being run, or at least not so unhappy that they are prepared to do anything about it.

I'm sure it is comfort to those losing their jobs that so many supporters think - and are prepared to say - that they should have been out of the door LAST year.

Snap (but in the JLS) - but we only have ourselves to blame - dragging the poor mites along to Firhill all these years!

This, plus I imagine, in general terms, they'd feel a lot better watching him being paid more than they are to actually play rather than watching him being paid more than they are to do nothing.

The Keown situation is ridiculous and entirely down to the club. If we don't get an offer for him then we either pay him Premiership wages to play for us or we pay him Premiership wages to train with us but don't play him. Given the numbers we have, and the relative quality of Keown versus McGinty, it is reckless & stupid not to be playing him every week. it would also put him in the shop window for a transfer.

This is effectively Hearts home game and the venue is their choice as Tynecastle isn't ready. Meadowbank is being refurbished so Edinburgh City are currently sharing with Spartans who have an artificial surface.

We simply haven't been able to recover from a combination of a bad set of fixtures and an unprecedented level of injuries in the defence/defensive midfield at the beginning of the season. Last season was good but we only won 10 games. So far, this season we have won 6. Margins are tight and the division, overall, is much improved from last year. You can blame Archie for the failure to recover after the winter break but there is really no way of knowing whether anyone else would have made a difference - and spouting cliches about "losing the dressing room" and suchlike does not make a convincing argument. For all we know, it was only having Archie at the helm that even kept us in touch up til now! Furthermore, to suggest, as the OP does, that this is one of our worst ever seasons is going way too far. Even in the days of the old 1st Division, when we went 70 years without relegation, we finished 11th or below regularly - 27 times out of 70, in fact. Whether you like it or not, this is historically our level and the current set up means we will get relegated every few years. It is OK to be ambitious for a better run at the top - we all are - but equally we shouldn't be throwing our toys out of the pram when we have been, over the last few years, at or near the top end of our historical position in the game.

The Gary Fraser thing is being blown out of all proportion. It was clearly frustration at mis-controlling a pass and nothing more. It WAS reckless but its the kind of flare up of temper that happens numerous times in a season at all clubs. It is just unfortunate - and no more - that a spectator was hit. I am led to believe that Gary tried to go over at the end to apologise but was (quite correctly) prevented from doing so by the stewards. As usual some fans, from both clubs, see it for what it was while others, also from both clubs, want to treat it like a capital crime. I think it says more about them than it does about the incident. Where i would take issue is with Archie's defence of Gary and specifically where Archie says he is not that type of lad. He HAS got form for outbursts of violence and while I am sure he is usually a pleasant enough character I think a bit of anger management wouldn't go amiss.

Every year we have been in the top flight we have adapted just a little bit more to being more stuffy and consequently less fun to watch. The stylish football we we all loved and saw every week in the First Division, as was, and in our first year up is now a bit of a treat when we get it. If that is what it takes to stay in this League - playing like Ross County or Saint Johnstone every week - I would rather we were relegated before we become just another boring, also ran, outfit.

That only tells you half the story. What happened to clubs over that period that didn't sack the manager in those circumstances? Other studies (which, unfortunately I don't have links to) have shown that whether or not managers are sacked does not affect the depth or length of the slump a club is in to any significant degree. All it does is get the fans off the Director's backs for a while but a financial cost to the club.

The average age of our starting 11 on Saturday was 26.51. The three oldest players were Cerny, Erskine and Doolan. Collectively they added more than 2 years to that average. Maybe we should drop them to bring the age down?

Not happy that this had to be said in public but in football terms it was pretty much stating the obvious. I would be very surprised if Archie wasn't already aware of this and wouldn't have said it himself if asked. Maybe Maxi felt it was necessary to remind the supporters that the the Board are not just blindly hoping it all works out given the number of knicker-wetters who appear regularly on this forum and other social media calling for Archie's head as soon as we drop points to anyone.

A couple of points on the cost of football. Firstly, no-one is getting rich at Partick thistle. We don't overpay and we don't make a huge profit. What we are charged reflects the cost of putting that team on the park. It is beyond doubt that cuts in the price do not pay for themselves - plenty have tried in the past - so if we pay less it is reasonable to assume that we will not be able to afford as good a team on the park. Secondly, football is live enrtainment. What would a decent concert cost? - and I don't necessarily mean for an international megastar! For example, next week you can see Kings of Leon at the Hydro for £60 and if you look at the SECC website for the next few months there is virtually nothing as cheap as a game at Firhill and prices go up to at least £55 for 1 event. Even Showaddywaddy - if you are old enough to remember them - will set you back £21 at the Dunfermline Alhambra next month. As for the cinema, taking my 14 year old son to the Odeon at Dunfermline on a Saturday afternoon is £18.50 for us to get in. Add popcorn and water to that and the cost goes up to £32! The equivalent afternoon at Firhill, including pies, drinks, programme and a half time draw ticket would be £35. (I appreciate that for a single adult that is not the case.) In other words, football costs what it costs and it compares reasonably well to other activities, IMO.