Winter of '63

I went to the game out of habit rather than enthusiasm when I saw the team line-up - so many injuries that I was actually disappointed that Cammy Smith wasn't available...and the bench filled with youngsters fresh from a 5-1 midweek drubbing from Queen of the South. I was pleasantly surprised in the first half - we totally dominated Hamilton who played like the bottom side destined for relegation...lots of balls across the box but only one clear chance The second half was very predictable with our defence posted missing for a simple goal. Our midfield was lacking in ability to take on defenders, make an incisive pass or take a shot. Docherty was dreadful and Milne had another very poor game. Turner was wasted out left but there weren't many options. We never looked like scoring, Our full strength side would probably have won that game easily but without key players we are very ordinary...even then we should have been good enough to beat Hamilton...3 points would have put us in a strong position in a low standard League.

Well at least we were good at penalties. At the beginning of the season, I thought we had a strong squad but have long since realised that we don't...without key players we are quite ordinary. It was clear we would miss Graham, Lawless and Docherty...Tiffoney & Fitzpatrick went off then McMillan & Banzo...Milne has a poor game and Turner wasn't great either. Maybe it wasn't surprising that we never really looked like scoring. Dunfermline did well in denying us space and had more possession but fortunately didn't have a cutting edge. Sneddon was very alert, pulled off an outstanding save in the first half and again in the shoot-out. I guess in a Cup Game all that matters is going through. My biggest concern is that Sylvia by Focus seems to be dropped as the final pre-game tune...even worse it was replaced by some ear-bleeding racket by AC/DC. If that is a permanent switch, I will be turning up late for games.

That was the poorest I have seen us play at Firhill this season which made the late winner all the sweeter. It was a dour game...Morton had improved from their comically bad last visit to Firhill but they are just a team of spoilers...I believe this was their first defeat in 10 games which is surely another sign that a team wouldn't have to be very good to make the play-offs in this League. I would be appalled if ex Jags Crawford, Muirhead & Quitongo were anywhere near our first team. I was quite pleased that we were getting a corner from Fitzpatrick's shot...I was level with Aiden when he hit the shot and wasn't sure there was a deflection...it might have been outside the box...so clearly a stonewaller 😀. I am sure I have seen us lose their goal at least four times previously this season. I didn't realise the winner was a lucky deflection too...tremendous! That wee nyaff Imrie being red carded was a highlight...it was also good to shut up the Morton morons in Hospitality and the result will hopefully sicken the high proportion of Greenock tossers who post on Pie and Bovril...it might even stop the whingers on this Forum from repeating the same "McCall's rubbish" post 20 times in succession at least until the next game.

Archie signed some very good players in his time as Manager - Tomas Cerny, Callum Booth, Freddie Frans, Higgy and Lyle Taylor among others were part of the best Thistle team I have seen since Bertie Auld was manager. Osman, Adam Barton and Dumbuya were excellent too until their final season when they were a real disappointment. I would have thought Data Analysis and Sports Science should be an essential part of modern football but I seem to recall Ian McColl saying he wasn't that interested. However I always thought that Ryan Edwards and Myles Storey would rate highly under data analysis because they ran about a lot...maybe sometimes it's better to rely on judgement of footballing abilities. This season we have looked easily the best team in the Division and also quite awful...sometimes in the same game. After just about every game I have watched in the last season and a half, I have posted that we lack a competent defensive midfielder...I'm happy to give the current management team the chance to improve the team but I'm surprised they haven't addressed this long before now. A decent central defender is also essential...it's not a strong League this season and it's a good chance to go up.

I don't recognise him from that angle Stuthejag...I've seen a few arses playing for Thistle over the years. Thanks to EKJ II for the further details - I was at the friendly match against Rot-Weiss Essen in 1972 so I must have seen Alan Munro play. The game was preparation for our European Campaign😮 He actually scored 71 goals for Clydebank before we signed him...I'm sure the reported fee was £10,000 which was probably a club record at the time - 3 games and 1 goal in a friendly for Thistle. He definitely had injury issues and I am surprised he was still with us if only for the team photo in 1974.

Thanks EKJ II - I don't recognise any of the missing names! Was Munro the striker we bought from Clydebank to replace Jimmy Bone? I think he had injury problems...I am not sure he ever played for the first team and definitely never scored.

I can't add to any of the unknowns which suggests none of them became first-team regulars...though with Andy Anderson, Alan Hansen as well as Bobby Lawrie in reserve colours we clearly had strength in depth! I think the gent in the suit on the front row is Scot Symon rather than Chairman James Aitken. I didn't recognise Jim Holmes who had a good career as a left back in the decent Morton side in the Andy Ritchie era but don't think he played for the first team for Thistle. Ex Celts are Auld, Chalmers & Rooney. Rough, Glavin, Joe Craig and Gibson played for Celtic...but they were all great Jags. Hope someone can come up with the missing names...it's really annoying me!

Only disappointment is that we only scored five. When we get it right, we are a pretty good side, well capable of winning this League...it's makes that awful spell all the more frustrating. Inverness have had even more injuries than us - they looked a disheartened team -I felt a bit sorry for them particularly as they were a Club who supported us in the relegation voting fiasco. I've not been a big fan of Graham but that is the best I've seen him play...Milne, Turner & Bannigan were excellent too and good to see Fitzpatrick's improving form, Holt back and Mackenzie and Lyon getting a run out. The festive season, moving up the league and a convincing win - I guess only the most negative and miserable of Thistle fans would not enjoy that. It's a shame that Queens Park have made such a mess of the construction of their new stadium or the game could not be switched to Hampden - that would have been a New Year Glasgow Derby worth going to see.

A feisty game, great entertainment and a well-deserved win. In the first half, Ayr scored a phenomenal goal but otherwise it was a mystery how they were top of the League. They improved considerably in the second half and scored another brilliant goal but we defended pretty well and were much more incisive in attack. Harry Milne was excellent and I would like to credit him with the second goal though I am not sure the ball was over the line before Graham's unnecessary touch - I had no idea why the Ayr keeper in particular went mental but thanks to Mr Camallain's usual fine work, it does look as if BBG was offside. Turner did well with two more assists and Banzo played calm and clever passes as well as repeatedly stealing the ball from big Akenyemi. However our lack of a midfield ball-winner was again obvious - MacKinnon was touted as an outstanding talent but I'm struggling to see any particular assets and he may be added to a long line of ineffective Old Firm loanees. McGinty was a lucky boy to stay on with a clear foul, trying to wrestle and then aggressively thrusting his head at Graham - Docherty & Cardle saw red in the cup tie for far less. Highlights were Kingsley telling Bullen to gtf when they were on the pitch after the half-time whistle and a hirpling Fitzpatrick nutmegging Akinyemi. Bit of a disappointing crowd...maybe the New Kids on the Block should hire a PR Guru to publicise our games otherwise there will be more calls of Sack the Board.

In the end a comfortable and very welcome victory...but we weren't particularly good. Arbroath weren't the worst side I've seen at Firhill this season - that was Morton who are now second top - but although they had more possession they didn't threaten that often albeit they missed an absolute sitter early in the second half. Good to get a shut-out although I am far from convinced about Brownlie. Graham's goal came off his shin and went into the corner of the net, he missed three good chances and messed up a 4 on 1 breakaway...but he does still bring something to the team. Tiffoney was quite subdued but still made an impact...unfortunately Fitzpatrick failed to do so. Turner was our most creative player with a goal & two assists and Milne was good with a miraculous goal-line clearance. Banzo is too good to be just a sub. Good to get the win and to finish much the stronger team. Campbell getting booked was pleasing too...I listened to him being interviewed on my way home...the decision for our second goal was apparently the worst he had seen in 30 years of football management..what an absolute Dick! A team will not have to be exceptional to win this League...we still have a real chance. The chants of "Sack the Board" rounded off a much better day at Firhill.

McCall has a genuine feel for the Club, an attacking attitude as a manager and a relatively high media profile...these are all of real value. He has assembled a squad which from what I have seen this season is clearly the best in the League although with the reservation that we have decent Championship players who may not be good enough for the Premiership...there is a similar concern with regard to his managerial abilities. It's all gone wrong in the last month. We have been unfortunate with injuries to key players but the replacements have failed to make the grade. This has compounded existing flaws - over-reliance on Tiffoney to break though defences, failure to defend set pieces and the lack of a defensive midfielder - I don't particularly rate Docherty but we are even more vulnerable to being over-run in midfield in his absence. It's the Manager's job to identify and fix these issues. Throughout McCall's managerial career, there have been spells of both poor and good sequences of results not just with us but also with Ayr & Queen of South, He needs to turn things round quickly - we are short of confidence, spirit and fitness. I hope there is a decent goalkeeper, central defender or shielding midfielder in a cupboard at Firhill. I don't want to vote for any of the available options but we need to keep the manager and coaches' position under constant review. However, there are three things to bear in mind in replacing a manager:- 1) A new manager is not a guarantee of success - more often it makes little difference. 2) I don't see any obvious candidates - Danny Lennon, John Hughes and Jim McIntyre have been mentioned but surely only as comedy suggestions, I doubt that some of the other names would come to Firhill - Neil Lennon, for example but I wouldn't want him. Dougie Imrie's Morton side lost 5-1 at the beginning of October and were by a distance the worst side I've seen at Firhill this season but a month later some people are seriously suggesting he should be our manager. 3) The choice of manager would be made by the Queen of PR. I wouldn't necessarily criticise her appointment of Caldwell but he lasted about a year longer than he should - I think it might have been Beattie who sacked him. She doesn't have a track record and her lack of communication with the fans does not auger well for a good appointment.

Another game of two halves - two serious attacks in the first half and two good goals. Dundee had more of the ball but were very pedestrian. They committed substitutes at half time and stepped up the pace but we made it embarrassingly easy for them. I was at the City End of the JHS so I watched most of the second half at a distance but from my seat the first goal might have been a foul but should really have been an easy catch for the keeper...for the second, the ball pin-balled about from our box from yet another corner we failed to defend...and the third looked to go straight through Mitchell. I just saw a melee but assume that Muirhead got himself stupidly sent off, not for the first time. I can't recall a half when I had less expectation of Thistle scoring...a sclaffed shot from Milne was our only effort at goal in a very long 45 minutes. I thought we had a reasonably strong squad but the back ups have failed miserably since the game against Falkirk. I am no wiser about why we signed Mullen - he was so ineffective I actually thought he was Cammy Smith. We have given huge boosts to Inverness, Queens Park, Ayr, Raith & Dundee in successive games...none of them have had to be particularly good to beat us but they are all now above us in the League. The most frustrating thing is that with a full strength side and a vaguely competent defence we should be well clear at the top.

A game of two halves - both of them unsatisfactory. In the first half we had a lot of good possession and pinned Queens back for long spells. If we had scored the penalty, we might well have gone on to give them a thrashing...but throughout the game they were able to break through our defence with some ease as shown with their first goal. The second half started in a similar vein with yet another ball across their box not converted...and Tiffoney, who doesn't look fully fit, injuring himself in stretching for the ball. It was downhill from there - Queens could have scored 5 or 6 in the second half - their No10 scored 2 well-taken goals and hit the post. Embarrassingly, there was only one team in Glasgow today. It was a good day for them but I would be surprised if they end up title challengers. It is a worrying sign that rather than starting Akinola or Brownlie, we switched McMillan to Centre Back. Hodgson was poor in the first half and I was pleased that he was taken off at half time...but it didn't take long to work out why Brownlie isn't starting...he is mule slow. I was a big fan of Muirhead back in the day but he was hooked after 20 minutes on Wednesday and had a poor game today with a stupid passback leading to another free header set-piece goal. All the subs made us worse - MacKinnon hadn't been great but we were undermanned in midfield when he went off. Cammy Smith's sole contribution was to lose possession in our box to concede the fourth goal. I don't know why we signed Mullen when we are clearly short of a defensive midfielder and a decent central defender - we missed Holt badly. Only positive note today - Banzo was very good

There has been a certain edge to our home games so far this season...are we going to give the opposition a hammering or are we going to squander points? Good to see the former today although I still wasn't entirely sure by half time...fortunately Morton were more inept than we have been in defending cross balls and their Keeper was hopeless...we didn't have to be outstanding to win easily. Lawless is a clever player...I hope he can maintain this form when pitches get heavier...Banzo played well too...I would have liked to see Turner and Tiffoney starting but they are pretty good players to come off the bench...Dowds too. Cammy Smith was typically anonymous...I don't think it's going to happen for him with us. There are some difficult fixtures this month but this is a great opportunity to win this League.

We were pretty good in the first half - a goal, four absolute sitters missed and we worked our way into threatening positions on numerous occasions...we should have been out of sight by half-time. A goal from Banzo with his right foot and it looked like we were coasting to a routine victory. I was just thinking the second half was a bit dull and that Cove were not really making any effort to get back in the game...then we managed to concede two sloppy goals from set pieces. Top of the League and disappointed.

I saw a picture from another angle but you're right - Milne takes a step back but was offside when the ball was played

Good to get the three points but a bit of a strange game, Without being great, we were very comfortable at 2 - 0...and it should have been three as the disallowed goal doesn't look offside. A stupid pass back from Banzo cost a goal but also dented the team's confidence. We didn't do much in the second half and a fairly ordinary Raith side were far more in it...they failed to bury two clear chances and although the lack of a midfield ball-winner again put us under pressure, Mitchell didn't really have to make a save so I still don't know how good a keeper he is. McMillan had a good game and Lawson is a clever player. Tiffoney was strangely quiet and Fitzpatrick seemed strangely tired for a late sub. The referee made some strange decisions. I'm strangely optimistic about our prospects for the season.

I spend too much of my working day reading legal documents to do any more than skim through the Trust Proposals, I may be missing something but it looks like a cut and paste job of good intentions from a group of people who have agreed to take something on without having had the chance or foresight to assess the situation and formulate a coherent plan.

There was a good quiz question from a few years back about Thistle players who had also played in European Finals for other clubs. As well as Tommy Gibb, Alan Hansen & Steve Chalmers, I think Derek Johnstone and possibly Peter Cormack were winners - both played for us during their time as managers. Billy Thomson and very obscurely Billy Ritchie and Harold Davis were losing finalists - the latter two for Rangers in 1961. There are probably others... I didn't really get Fever Pitch - whining about the pain of Arsenal not winning a trophy for 5 seasons...try 50 mate!

Undoubtedly the best I have seen us play for several seasons...good to see a combination of commitment and invention with Tiff and Lawless outstanding particularly in the first half. Some very good individual performances...I was ready to dismiss MacKinnon as another over-rated Old Firm loanee after he missed that early chance but he looks like a player. I haven't been a big fan of Docherty but was concerned that our midfield trio might lack bite in the second half -they did an excellent job in nicking the ball and playing it forward. And it was good to bring on subs who could make a contribution...the fourth goal was a beauty. I remember posting several times last season that even when we were in contention I never really felt like we were a promotion winning team...we looked like one tonight...way better than Inverness who you would expect to be one of the stronger teams.

It's way too early to make a proper judgement but first impressions... I thought we were ok with a much better balance than last year particularly with an actual attacking intent down the right flank. We lost a bizarre goal but even with a makeshift defence I can't recall Accies threatening to score whereas their Keeper had several good saves. However while it's fine keeping possession there is not much point if it all ends up with a hopeful long diagonal punt up the park. The build up was too pedestrian with McMillan failing on several occasions to feed Turner in clear space. Accies were able to slow the game in the second half - we weren't able to control the game or up the tempo. I thought Turner did well as a makeshift right back and also in midfield...Fitzpatrick was lively...Milne looked nervy and short on stamina but has potential...Graham often seems clumsy but scored an important goal...Mullen seems an unnecessary signing. The main concern remains from last season...our midfield don't really influence the game enough...they don't win tackles or play through defences. I remember when Bannigan could completely run games in the top league but injury has taken its toll. Docherty is ok but not particularly good at anything and lacks composure on the ball. We seem to have lots of options in defence, wide players and strikers but only two for the midfield engine room. We have a few good footballers in the squad who would benefit from a strong ball-winner in midfield. Good to see grass making an appearance at Firhill again

I never liked Dick Campbell - I found his couthy Fife miner persona absolutely cringeworthy. I was appalled when he was appointed Manager at Firhill...he was awful with his only "achievement" fluking promotion at Peterhead. I was pleased and relieved when he was eventually dismissed...it was long overdue. Ross County realised they had made a mistake much sooner and sacked Campbell after 3 months when they were top of the League. In fairness, he has a good record over the years with the Angus Clubs and Arbroath's performance last season was remarkable...but any time I heard him interviewed, he came over more like a rambling half-wit than an engaging character. There was a tabloid story some years ago with Campbell joining in enthusiastically in a drunken rendition of the Sash with Rangers fans in a pub. One of the worst features of Scottish Culture is the Rangers/Celtic Punch & Judy Show...anyone who gets involved in that nonsense is just a Dick.

One of the clear flaws in the team this season has been the lack of physical presence in midfield - we have frequently been over-run there, When Mayo played there recently the balance looked better. I think that a midfielder with height, pace and strength would free up Bannigan and Turner to play to their own strengths,,,as would a decent playing surface, full backs who are good going forward, someone to play on the right side and forwards who can hold the ball up. We have several midfield players whose contributions this season have been very limited - Smith, Murray, Crawford, Gordon, Bell - and I am not a big fan of Docherty. I have only seen Sena on streamed games but he seems to be the best fit for the role. I am a bit disappointed that a young player has not been given the chance to see if he was good enough - to be honest he could not have been less effective than most of our midfielders.

I feared all season that this team were not good enough to win promotion...the standard isn't great but I fear we would take some drubbings if we somehow were promoted with this squad. My enthusiasm and belief this season has drained from about the time the pitch didn't - there's hardly been any fluent football played for months. Inverness were the better footballing side...we battled on but lacked creativity. I like Banzo but he was hardly in the game...Sean Welsh was far more influential. Sneddon has lost at least 4 quite dreadful goals this season; our full backs are ok in their own half; Akinola is indecisive; our midfield is unbalanced; Graham is running on empty; we rely too much on Tiffony...none of these are recent flaws,,,we need better players, a better team and a better playing surface for next season...there are not many in the squad I would miss. On the subject of misses...I don't warm to Old Firm loanees and Alegria is an absolute dud.

There was some grass on the pitch and we scored in the first half...but other than that it was the same old story....we ground out another dour 1-0 victory after 90 minutes of head tennis and hoofball, Dunfermline brought a good support but were a poor team...they never really looked like scoring. Tiffony looked off the pace in the first half but I groaned when Crawford was announced as sub and again he contributed almost nothing. Turner had a poor game apart from his assist - was that a mishit corner? Docherty has scored a few vital goals but he lacks composure on the ball and heads the ball on aimlessly far too often. I quite like Jakubiak but he's a hopeless finisher. We do have have a commendable team spirit though but despite us being within a handful of good performances from being promoted, it's difficult to get fully engaged.