Dunfermline Jag

Whether WE like him or not this crappy team he manages were BOTTOM of the 3rd Division when he took over and are now on the verge of the 1st division.

Did David Craig not just about start and and his career with us? Not a bad way to do it, for aThistle fan.

I must be mad or sad or both but I really like that idea! Charge everyone a fiver to place their gnome with all proceeds to Youth Development.

I was speaking to a Steward before the game who told me Facebook and Twitter had been monitored by the Police in the run up to the game and they knew there would be an invasion. He also told me they were under instructions not to stop it as, "After all, its not as if we don't know where they're going!" I personally enjoyed watching a whole lot of middle aged men and women run the length of the pitch only to turn round and walk back again almost immediately when Michael Max asked them to - quite the most civilised pitch invasion I've ever seen!

I've watched the replay 2 or 3 times and I agree. I think it is harsh to sit and watch replays of tight decisions a number of times then criticise officials who have to make split second decisions - whilst on the run.

Enough said.

Snow off. Sun out ...and if you look on the Cowdenbeath webcam you can see the groundsman sweeping snow off the pitch! Will anyone help him or will he struggle on alone? Will he succeed? Oh, the suspense!

Indeed, and it may be interesting to speculate as to how M feels about D playing games that get M dragged into Court and make him look (more) mercenary. I wouldn't take any pleasure in M and D falling out about it - no, really I wouldn't - if, of course, it were not an entirely hypothetical example.

In general terms, If a club - lets call them "club P" - has a contract is with its manager - lets call him "M" - and in it there is a compensation clause then it will be M that is due to pay club P if he terminates the contract early. Therefore, if M chooses to move to another club - lets call them "club D" for the hell of it -club D is not liable to club P for anything. Club D may choose to negotiate the compensation payment with club P but will be acting as agent for M, not on its own account. If agreement is not reached and the matter requires Court action club P can only sue M although M may have his own agreement with club D to cover the liability. That explains the difference between what PTFC are saying and the quite separate question DUFC's lawyers seem to have answered in the Sun report.

I don't know about costs but Thistle pay £2.83 in VAT for every adult through the turnstiles so I imagine that will be taken off the top before any money is donated. Dunfermline fans are delighted at this - particularly the chance tro get the money back before the game - and we've already sold our first ticket!

Snow started in Dunfermline, now. I agree that a delay might be a good thing. If the pitch is playable tomorrow it is likely to be very heavy going.

Yes, but I can't believe Morton took anywhere near the numbers we did today. If I'm right we just made up for the missing Dunfermline fans.

Well, I got that one wrong! I can't believe how many Dunfermline fans must have deserted their team since the Morton game. It's hard to see them surviving much longer with crowds like that.

What do other folk think our support will be today? I thought we took a good number to Cowdenbeath for a cold, February Tuesday so I am guessing at around 1,000 today.

There is a lot of anger locally about the situation Dunfermline are in. Yesterday it was even suggested to me that we could outnumber the Pars' support today. I don't think that is likely and I would make a wild stab at about 3,700.

Only Elgin and New St Mirren Park to go for me. There are many places in Scotland where my first - or only - visit has been to see Thistle play so it really does get you out and about! Now, as my son follows on I am getting to do it all again and he has reached 16, including Firhill.

Most of them will already be out of the woodwork. That 3100 average will not be the same 3100 each week. Some go to all, or nearly all, the games but there are many on here who can only make it to a proportion of the games - be it 20%, 40% 60%, 80% or whatever. They are all regulars, they all count towards the 3100 average but they will account for more than 3100 Ramsdens cup final tickets.

I agree. No doubt he has the right to check out the situation but the fact that he was willing to talk to the Arabs, not once but twice, tells me that Jackie may well see a job at a club such as Dundee Utd as a better option than the prospect of a Championship AND a Cup with Thistle. That bothers me.

I would assume likewise because, firstly, there is no way that guys like Murray are playing for £250 per week, full time and, secondly, otherwise the figures just don't add up. We were told by the club, recently, that we had CUT the wage bill last year to just over £700,000. 24 players on £250 per week average is £312,000. There is surely no way our first team squad is less than half of the annual wage bill?

Oh Yes... and to add some icing to the cake I work beside John Potter's wife! BTW, I am reliably informed that Joe Cardle got a roasting from his team mates, after the game, for his antics.

You know how to pick a winner, then. The Dalek just edged out the Clown (my personal favourite) and the Honey Monster.

The 2nd link is interesting as it shows the Scottish First Division in the top 50! In terms of %population on a match day just behind the Dutch 2nd tier and way ahead of Serie B and some other Top tiers. It is not, as some would have us believe, just the OF skewing the stats that gives Scotland such high figures.

Surely, if deal wa swoth £18M to the SPL WITH Rangers and only £3M without Newco, the SFL should be getting £15M? Even if we split the difference with the SPL it would be worth £7.5M a year to the SFL. £1M from an organisation with no bargaining chips is rubbish!

The point about a retraction that has been missed on this thread, but I think was mentioned elsewhere, is that most Thistle fans do not come on to internet forums or websites and won't have seen the latest statement. They are likely to be getting their information for the newspapers and, as things stand, will believe we voted "Yes" on the back of the story run by the paper.

Why, Oh why, Oh why, Oh why was that so hard?