Winter of '63

I wasn't exactly feeling positive but we were reasonably good in the first half today and though we fell out of things in the second half, we probably deserved at least a draw - a penalty miss and unfortunately young Fitzpatrick made a mess of a great late chance set up by Doolan. Spittal was very good in the first half with a tremendous run and pass,,,but reverted to his more usual form in the second half. Likewise Storey fired in a couple of decent crosses early on but did little after the break - his scoring record is pathetic and I don't remember him ever having an assist. It was disappointing that in the second half, we seemed edgy in possession and hit too many aimless long balls to our small front men but the team and individual performances were ok - we didn't look like a relegation team but we have just got into the habit of losing. With Storey & Spittal both playing wide, Inverness had a lot of space to play through the midfield but it least we weren't the absolute shambles we looked from the highlights from Cappielow. We have a core of decent players and the jury is very much out on Caldwell...played 4 - lost 4 and in the relegation play-off position - if we had won these four, which shouldn't have been beyond us, we would have been in the play-off spot for promotion. It wasn't a big turn-out of Thistle fans but they were admirably supportive. I'm not sure that will last if we don't get a win very soon.

I criticised posters last year who were making judgements on players and the manager when they weren't at the game...and I thought that Gary Caldwell was a reasonable choice as manager if only because I didn't want McIntyre or Hughes. However, I did fear he might be like Derek Whyte - a top level playing career despite never looking particularly great and a well-scrubbed but bland media persona who talked a good game but totally failed to deliver as Thistle manager. I wasn't at Cappielow, but the early signs are worrying - I have shaken my head at each of Caldwell's three team selections and the results and performances have been awful. I thought any manager would almost immediately have identified the obvious flaws - that Storey has started all 3 games makes me wonder. McGinty is a mediocre player but like the rest of our back four there isn't another option. If the reports that his substitution was tactical, this looks like an appalling managerial decision...then playing the hapless Elliot at centre back seems absurd. The apparent threats of a clear out in January are hardly conducive to building confidence and a team-spirit. The recruitment for this season was very poor and we have an unbalanced squad. Penrice was highly regarded on loan at East Fife and Livingston but has looked uncertain, the rest of the back four needs upgrading. I wouldn't be disappointed to see Mutombo, Storer and Storey move on. However, Bannigan, Slater, Erskine & Doolan are certainly good Championship Players, McCarthy and Fitzpatrick have looked well worth their places and Quitongo and Coulibally if fit are surely good enough at this level I don't go along with the idea that we are somehow going to find a whole team of better quality players in January - Mark Ridgers, Danny Devine, James Craigen, Mark Kerr & Declan McDaid are all regulars in teams higher up the League than us but I don't think they would improve our team - Ian McCall is getting the most out of his players...there is no sign that Caldwell is on the right course to get the best out of our squad despite having far superior resources. We may of course be looking back in May on the Morton result as a low point as we celebrate the great turnaround which brought us a spectacular promotion...but somehow I doubt it.

As against Alloa, Gary Caldwell's team selection raised an eyebrow...and I can't say it's worked out well for him so far. It's early days but there was little to be positive about today's performance...already it looks likely to be at best a season when we finish among the also-rans in the Division when it shouldn't be that difficult to reach a play-off spot - Ayr were pretty ordinary today but are almost out of sight. It was an even and uninspiring game but there was no danger of us equalising after they scored. Of the players I like, Banzo had perhaps his poorest game , Penrice was uncertain and Erskine didn't do much when he came on...of the rest, Elliot & Storey had better games but I actually thought Storey had been subbed in the second half because he completely disappeared. Quitongo looked completely isolated in the 4-3-3 formation and Mtumbo, Spittal and Storer did not contribute nearly enough. There is no sign of a brave new era yet...the only thing on the up at Firhill just now is a sense of apathy.

This appointment ticks a lot of boxes so credit to the Board. Gary Caldwell had a distinguished playing career and has management experience - he comes over as a man with a plan who puts a degree of thought and planning into his role. I don't know anything about his assistant Brian Kerr but it looks a shrewd move to bring in someone with local knowledge. Partick Thistle are a club with a sound financial base, a Board who are not trigger happy with managers, there will be a new Training Facility and there is an untapped fan base - it's a fantastic opportunity for a manager to make his name. We also have some good players in the squad - Bannigan, Erskine, Doolan, Slater and Bell are decent professionals and Penrice, McCarthy, Quitongo and Fitzpatrick have talent which can be developed. The defence badly needs sorting but a former Scotland central defender should be able to improve this although he will need a transfer window. A play-off place with a team which has a realistic chance of going up is an achievable target - anything less will be something of a disappointment. Thistle should always be a top flight club or at least seriously challenging to get there...we can't afford to slip back to the mediocrity of every manager except Lambie from Benny Rooney to Dick Campbell. Gary talks the talk...let's hope he can walk the walk...good luck to him!

Unfortunately, Archie's legacy of an unbalanced squad will hamstring the club at least until the next transfer window regardless of who the new manager is. Dundee Utd looked a very slick outfit for the first hour - by a distance the best team I've seen at Firhill this season and I suspect they will win the League comfortably. The last half hour was encouraging though, with the eleven who finished the game possibly our strongest side...though there were two decent crosses from the right which Doolan might have finished...he's hardly had a decent pass or cross all season. Banzo didn't have a great day and culpable for their second goal. We need a better option at right back...and I hope never to see Storey play for Thistle again - his failure to play a simple pass to put either Slater or Bannigan clean through was a particular low point. I enjoyed booing Adam Barton. There is real potential both at the Club and in some of our players but it is vital to get the right choice for the new manager to get a positive reaction. The turnout from Thistle fans for what should have been the most attractive home fixture of the season is worrying - personally, I think we need someone fresher and more inspiring than Jim McIntyre or any of the Usual Suspects.

It was an absolutely unequivocal no from Ian McCall on Radio Scotland - he wanted to return to Firhill in some capacity in the future but he would not take over from Archie. He had some other interesting things to say:- He wished he had told Archie to walk away at the end of last season He thought Jim McIntyre, John Hughes or Jim Duffy would make good choices as manager but more than most clubs the manager had to be the right fit for Thistle. He didn't understand how anyone living in Glasgow could support any team other than Thistle. My own preferences were Neilson, McCall or Jim Goodwin...so that's two down. I'd be completely underwhelmed by any of McCall's 3 suggestions or most of the other names being bandied about.

A sad day but the appropriate decision. I commented after the Queen of the South game that our home performances last season and this had saved Archie as the really awful displays had been away - the lacklustre show today was the end. I thought that Archie's record merited giving him to the end of last season and really hoped that he would turn it round this season after his reprieve. However, his failure to field an effective midfield last season and the poor quality of defenders this season was just poor management. Archie is a real Thistle man and always acted with dignity. Unfortunately he eventually came up a bit short but the top 6 finish was a fine achievement and the wins against Morton to clinch promotion and against Hearts at Tynecastle to stay up are two of my best memories of supporting Thistle.

An insipid performance from a team lacking in direction. County didn't have to be particularly good to trouble our defence - they scored from yet another defensive blunder and a soft penalty and defended efficiently for a comfortable victory - I haven't been so bored at a game since St Johnstone were last at Firhill. Bannigan, Erskine, Slater & Spittal are all good footballers with the ability to be challenging at the top of the league but the balance of the side is not right. Elliot has always lacked the guile to beat a defender or make an incisive pass or cross and now repeatedly passes the ball backwards to kill the momentum of attacks. Storey annoys me more than any Thistle player since Leigh Hinds - he received the ball in good positions on three occasions and failed to even get the ball into the box...his only other contribution was to get in Penrice's way. We make space on the wings but carry no threat. Losing O'Wear was s blow but the defensive recruitment has been appalling - Elliot, Keown and McGinty aren't very good but we have no alternatives. My thoughts when leaving the game were that it was the end of the road for Archie...while typing this, I found out that it is.

Entertaining first half, tense second half. Banzo and Slater ran the game early on and we passed the ball well but still contrived to lose 2 slack goals. Pleased for Spittal - he has taken a lot of criticism but there is a decent player there - thumping goal and great pass at end for Storey's horrible miss. Back 4 picks itself - there's nobody else which is a worry. Elliot was very poor again - not good in defence and not a threat going forward - our style of play needs good crosses from the wings - he and Storey don't deliver. Home performances have saved Archie - the really awful results have been away - good 3 points but we don't have promotion look

Kris Doolan came over very well in an interview on BBC Sportsound this evening - articulate, measured and with a sense of humour - "It's the first time I've scored a Goal and won a throw-in." He also made the point that we were relegated last season by one goal. He is a real credit to himself and the club - a good player and a very good guy. Ian McColl was one of the studio pundits - he mentioned that he had never seen Chris Erskine so angry. I get more agitated when officials bottle decisions against big clubs but this was just bizarre incompetence. I can't say I'm surprised at the absence of a gracious apology from Neil Doncaster and the SPFL - the suggestion that the match officials donate their match fees to the Beatson is a good one. With Christie Elliot's mazy dribble along the bye line against Ayr a few weeks ago, it does make you wonder if there is a force field at that end of the ground which scrambles people's brains.

A decent performance and a welcome victory after the unsettling transfer window. Some good quick incisive passing from Penrice and Slater and a good finish by Erskine - I think we will have some good attacking options if everyone is ever fit. McGinty may turn out to be a better player than he initially looked but in what looks likely to be a very tight division, the lack of real quality and cover for injuries and suspensions at the back could be the fatal flaw although we don't yet have the look of a title winning or even promotion side. Big Brice after a rusty start came on to a strong game and played like a less musclebound version of Osman; Slater is a good footballer and it was great to see Bannigan remind us that he is a class act...particularly after some appalling and stupid comments on this forum this week. I was never a fan of Elliot but I was surprised by how well he had done at full back despite his inability to take on defender but he has been poor defensively this season - and we don't have another right back. Spittal is increasingly frustrating - he has ability but has to take on more responsibility - he keeps calling for the ball only to play it straight back again. Storey can't see a pass and has no end product. Every Thistle Fan will remember this game for the Goal That Never Was - the linesman must be feeling a proper fud after seeing the replay but the Ref was standing within a few feet from Doolan when he hit the shot - how could they not see the ball go in or even realise from the reaction of the players that it was a goal? I felt sorry for Doolan - it was a thumping shot. A second goal would have made it a more comfortable afternoon...and given that we were relegated by one goal last season let's hope it just remains nothing more that one of Firhill's more bizarre episodes.

I think the Thistle Player in the top photograph is Donnie McDowall - I don't remember seeing him play but he was a youngster who was in team photos around 1970/71 - he was a 5ft 5inch striker which was probably why he never made the grade. This must have been a reserve game.

I wasn't listening particularly closely but I think it was Alan Preston who mentioned on Radio Scotland yesterday that Ryan Edwards was sitting nearby in the stand at Tynecastle - he commented that there were other Hearts midfielders returning from injury who would be preferred to him and that Edwards would be no more than a squad player. Edwards always tried but I was surprised when Hearts signed him...he and Barton were a midfield combination of relegation calibre.

I was at that game - it was a Cup Replay played on a Wednesday afternoon during the Miners'Strike/3 day week - no floodlight games permitted because of the fuel shortage. I don't recognise any of the Hearts players in the photo but do remember Donald Ford was brilliant in that game - probably the best individual performance I've seen from an opposition player at Firhill - a goal and three assists, setting up a tap-in hat-trick for Willie Gibson who I think subsequently played (not very well ) for Thistle as did his son. Tommy Rae scored a lot of goals for Thistle in his first spell...and hardly any for Aberdeen when he was transferred. I just remember him from his second spell at Firhill - he wasn't very good but he was in the category of "faithful club servant".

Much better performance and a deserved win although Falkirk were a poor side - we are short of players but I prefer giving our youngsters a chance than their job lot of anonymous English Lower League Plodders. O'Ware and Slater are decent signings who are an upgrade on Devine and Edwards...Penrice and Gordon stepped up their games...Spittal and Storer threatened a few times but didn't quite open up their defence. I'm not convinced that Elliot is good enough at right back nor that Storey is a sole striker...his pace did stretch their defence but he fired in crosses to no one and was caught offside umpteen times. Erskine had an excellent game...I'm sure Denis McQuade would have enjoyed seeing the goal...reminiscent of one of his specials. A moving tribute to the Partick Thistle Legend, David McParland and great to see most of the 1971 team back at Firhill...it brought back some wonderful memories...and reminded me that supporting your team is far more than just about a game. Jury still out about the prospects for the season.

We were 6th at New Year.

My first look at the team this season was a real shock to the system. I thought we had the core of a side which would at least make the play-off position which is the minimum acceptable for a Thistle Side and with a fit Bannigan and some more depth to the squad, would be genuine promotion prospects. However today's performance showed the same faults as last season but worse. Lots of possession, ponderous build-up , few clear chances, easy to defend against - in his post-match interview Archie correctly identified that we moved the ball too slowly - when is he going to do something about it? Craig Slater looked a good player - strange substitution; Erskine tried very hard and showed a few flashes; young Fitzpatrick wanted to go forward...that was about all the positives. I never expected I would see Elliot dribble along the bye-line and lay on a goal - a catastrophic error; Keown was rusty/not very good; McGinty was a really bad version of Dan Seaborne; Penrice was awful and lacking confidence; Gordon's sole contribution was one good tackle - McCarthy did far more in his short spell - why are we playing an inferior loan player?; Spittal has ability but didn't show it; Storer can make an incisive pass but is an atrocity waiting to happen. I was baffled at the almost universal acclaim for re-signing Storey on this Forum and Pie & Bovril. He was desperately poor last season - he can run quickly but can't pick out a pass or cross and is a dreadful finisher...a sclaffed shot and heading wide with the goal gaping today with repeated failures to look up and find a team-mate from good positions. Last season I kept posting that although we hadn't played well the opposition didn't look a better team - that wasn't the case today. Fantastic Strike from Shankland - I almost applauded.

Although Davie McParland played in all the games my father took me to at Firhill back in the 60's, I was too young then to appreciate how good a player he was, I do remember how highly he was thought off both for his ability but also the manner he conducted himself and not only by Thistle fans. 587 Games and 110 Goals speaks for itself. I has just started to go to games regularly on my own when he took over as Manager in 1970 - he transformed a team which had just been relegated into an exciting side of home-grown youngsters which surged to promotion...and then the best time ever to be a Thistle fan within the space of a few months in 1971 the John Gibson inspired win against Rangers, the astonishing 8-3 game against Motherwell, the dramatic 5-1 Quarter-final victory against St Johnstone and of course that glorious day at Hampden , winning a trophy in the most sensational game in Scottish Football History. I don't really get greatly affected by the death of people I have never met but I was genuinely sad to read of Davie McParland's passing. He gave me my best ever memories as a Thistle Supporter. He is the Partick Thistle Legend...but sadly I always had the feeling that he was never fully recognised by the Club. Let's hope that the new Training Ground is a fitting legacy for him.

Cerny was a very competent Keeper. I commented previously that he, Erskine, Doolan & a fit Bannigan were undoubtedly players of Top League calibre so I can hardly blame him for moving on. Unfortunately, the combined efforts of players and management last season did not reach even the low bar which would have avoided relegation. He does have a reputation as an ace time-waster which is not a quality I admire but I always thought he was just slow and laborious in taking goal kicks, even when we were losing. I was more concerned about his failure to release the ball quickly - he always waited until all outfield players were congested in a small area of the pitch before launching a hopeful punt towards the head of the tallest opposition defender. I didn't know whether to be pleased or annoyed when he actually had a few quick throw outs in the game against Livingston. Last season was not his best but considering that the two worst goalkeeping blunders I saw at Firhill were by McLaughlin of Hearts and Bain of Dundee - they were Scotland's Keepers against Mexico - it adds to my bewilderment that we managed to get relegated.

The injured players, or at least the midfielders, didn't return. Banzo played a few games at the beginning of the season and there were indications that he would be back after the Winter Break; Fraser finally recovered from injury but almost literally didn't kick a ball for us...apart from the one that whacked that Celtic Fan; and Osman did come back but chose to lie down "injured" while Dundee equalised. Around this time last year when Sean Welsh was released, several posted on here to the effect that we had plenty midfielders but I had reservations about the fitness history of Bannigan, Fraser & Osman, the capabilities of Barton & Edwards and the inexperience of McCarthy. There's no doubt we suffered from injuries but that doesn't absolve Archie from responsibility for not foreseeing and solving the problems.

Last night I watched the video of our 5-0 victory against St Mirren in the League Cup at the beginning of the Season. Erskine, Lawless, Doolan & Spittal were superb. I don't know if that's the Partick Thistle way...but it's definitely the way I would like Partick Thistle to play. Stuart Bannigan was in the side...the only warning sign for the season which unfolded was Abdul Osman stupidly getting himself sent off. Somehow we ended up getting relegated - St Mirren were promoted...I'm still trying to get my head round this and don't have even the remotest idea of what might happen next year.

I got a bit riled by the "Archie Out" Parrots who were on here every time we lost a game...or even when we lost a goal. The most vociferous and repetitive seldom seemed to go to games and their suggestions for replacements were pretty ludicrous. Sacking a manager is not a guarantee of a improved fortunes - I think the statistics show it usually doesn't make much difference. Ross County sacked two managers and went down, Hamilton held on to Canning and survived. West Brom, Stoke & Swansea all sacked their managers and were relegated. My view was that Archie deserved the full season - sadly he failed. I was however a regular critic of many of the obvious flaws in the Team which were clearly down to management failings. They have been raised on here over and over again. I would add that on Sunday, Cerny for the first time had been told to release the ball quickly to our back four whereas for the rest of the season he waited until all 20 outfield congregated in a small area of the pitch before punting the ball upfield for us to lose possession. However, building from the back only works if you have quick full backs or wingers who can commit defenders rather than whole-hearted but limited players like McGinn & Elliot. There is no reasonable argument in the harsh world of professional sport to keep Archie on after his failings this season. In any event, whoever takes over is likely to face a very tough task. I suspect that almost all the current squad will not be at Firhill - Cerny, Erskine, Doolan and a fit Bannigan deserve to be playing in the top league but if they are here with McCarthy & Penrice (and maybe Spittal) we have the basis of a team which might actually challenge for promotion. However, the thought of watching Storey, Edwards and Elliot again is not inspiring and I'm not sure that it will be easy to recruit players who are actually better than Devine, Woods & Sammon far less of the quality of Osman, Dumbuya or Barton (before this season.) Of the suggested candidates, Jim Goodwin has done quite well at Alloa and comes over as a determined and focused guy. I actually warmed to him a bit when I heard him as co-.commentator when we played Airdrie in the League Cup at the beginning of last season - he knew a huge amount about every one of our players. I'm not very enthused about any of the other candidates but who knows. Giving Archie the chance to put things right is not the worst option. I am still coming to terms with how avoidable relegation was, even considering how poor we were. I think surviving this season was far easier than getting promoted next year will be.

We have sleep-walked into a desperately disappointing and potentially disastrous relegation. The most galling thing is that we wouldn't have had to have been very much better to have avoided this but we spurned so many opportunities to escape that we deserved to go down. I don't necessarily go with the line that our players didn't try...they just don't have the right mix of ability and nerve. Other than the full backs, I reckoned that the side selected was our best line-up, we tried to pass the ball and switch play but the fundamental flaws in this side were still there...we just don't make many clear cut chances. Neither McGinn or Elliot can beat their man or put in a decent cross and that makes it relatively easy to defend against us. When we started shelling high balls into the box, I knew the game was up. It feels like the end of an era. I'm sure Doolan and Eskine will be far more gutted at what happened than any supporter but they both had poor games today....Lawless had probably his best game ever and no doubt will find a club in the top League. McCarthy did not have a good game but he should have played more particularly in the first half of the season - it might be best for him to move on. Cerny is a good keeper - why wasn't he told before today to release the ball early instead of punting it up the park? Of the rest, Booth is a decent left back, Barton has shown only glimpses of his ability on the ball but been very poor in midfield, Spittal has potential and had an excellent game today...I wouldn't miss any of the others if they didn't play for Thistle again. Presumably, there were off-field issues but I am mystified why Gary Fraser was given an extension to his contract and then sent on loan while a journeyman in Woods played every game?...and why did Dumbuya not play either when he is better than McGinn and Elliot?...and what happened to Abdul Osman? In the Season's defining moment he lay on the ground supposedly injured and left the space for Dundee to score their equaliser which sent us on the downward spiral to the Championship. Archie is a real Thistle man and I hoped it would turn out differently but unfortunately there have been too many faults that can only be put down to managerial errors.

This was the first game I saw at Firhill...we were on a long unbeaten run and as I have mentioned on here before there was uproar when the half-time results went up on the old scoreboard as we were top of the League...and then came the Winter of '63

It's a draining experience supporting Patrick Thistle. Tonight was the season in miniature - we started reasonably well, the opposition didn't look a better team, we didn't make many clear chances, we lost a soft goal and we didn't get the break that might have got us a point.. I haven't been to any away games and I miss out on Old Firm games but only Dundee in the first game at Firhill have outplayed us...and we won that game. I haven't actually seen us play well or embarrassingly badly this season, just a whole series of frustratingly ordinary performances. Barton looked classy then disappeared, not for the first time this season Erskine's substitution lessened the prospect of us creating chances, Doolan is more likely to score than Sammon, Storey has not been a good signing, we missed McCarthy & Booth...and how was Edwards voted Man of the Match? He runs about like a terrier after the ball but seldom wins it, he lacks composure on the ball, he seldom plays an incisive pass or runs past defenders...he has been a regular in the side for most of the season which has frequently been over-run in midfield. We have beaten a poor Hamilton side twice at Firhill, they have lost a fortune and their best players , they have stuck with their uninsp[ring manager and they have lost 8 of their last 9 games...and they are safe from relegation. Even with the flaws in the team, we should have done better...our League position reflects the failure of the management and players to step up to show the character and ability to win matches when it matters. We haven't been good enough this season but we can still stay up...if we do, the Club will have some tough decisions to make to improve the performance of the team.