Winter of '63
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Posts posted by Winter of '63
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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1 hour ago, Camallain said:
I think it was actually offiside
I saw a picture from another angle but you're right - Milne takes a step back but was offside when the ball was played
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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
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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.
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32 minutes ago, jlsarmy said:
Got to disagree with a lot of supporters about Sena , the guy is 21 years of age and some of the supporters are slaughtering him .
With good coaching at our level he could easily be a good defensive midfielder with the attributes he’s got ( physicality, speed and fitness)
Too many times this season our lightweight midfield have been bullied by Arbroath, Inverness etc , no doubt Bannigan etc are technically more gifted than Sena but at Championship level he would be a good asset to have .
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.
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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.
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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.
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Going to games at Firhill has been Groundhog Day for months now - grim wars of attrition on a dreadful playing surface on which quality football is near impossible. The games have had tension but can't disguise we're not really very good. We thrashed some poor sides earlier in the season but I can't remember when I saw us score more than 1 goal in a game...or played fluent passing football.
Sneddon is an improved keeper...Mayo and Holt are solid defenders...Bannigan and Tiffony's talent is restricted by the pitch. That's about it for positives. McKenna is a decent defender but doesn't have the skill set going forward...Jakubiak holds the ball up quite well but is up with Azeez & Storey in the unlikely to score category...Graham has scored a lot of goals but is a bit of a plodder...Docherty doesn't contribute enough...Crawfurd always seems to get to where the ball has just been.
I'm sure I have said all this numerous times before this season...and with the ball in the air half the time, it would help to have height and strength in midfield...we looked better with Mayo in there.
We might still get the play-off spot...but I have always thought that a team finishing fourth in the Championship is nowhere near promotion standard.
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The Club's first priority for next season is to have a playing surface which is fit for purpose - I have never really felt like we are good enough to be promoted but the condition of the pitch has effectively killed our chances...and it would be good to see some proper football rather than hoof and head tennis.
It's getting difficult to find something new to say other than I thought Mayo strength and height gave a better balance in midfield. Bannigan's ability to play in tight space spaces is impressive; Turner hits a mean dead ball; Smith again ineffective; Murray too lightweight; Crawford must surely be better than he has shown. Maybe allowances should be made for the dreadful state of the pitch before damning the team and individual players.
I have definitely not been in the school of thought that it would be great if Arbroath got promoted...that's mainly because I have always thought that that Campbell was a total Dick rather than a "character" - one of our worst ever managers. Arbroath were ok -I thought O'Brien (No.5) looked a decent player - but today just left me frustrated as we wouldn't have had to be that much better than we are to be comfortably in the top two this season.
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We continued where we left off on Saturday...a completely drained and disheartened team with nothing to offer. Usually I retain an often nonsensical belief that Thistle will get back in a game but the last two games I have known I was watching inevitable defeats...the players seemed to have the same attitude. We haven't looked remotely like scoring but likely to concede against every attack.
Our back four have defended very well all season but they are now uncertain and devoid of confidence with Foster looking like he has shot his bolt. The midfield has been unbalanced and too often outmuscled and overrun - I don't think Docherty does anything particularly well...I have only seen Sena on streamed games but at least he has strength, height and pace although he is not going to improve playing with Alloa. I had not been impressed with Crawford but he was utterly hopeless tonight...despite real competition he was our worst player but astonishingly stayed on for 90 minutes. Bannigan deserves to be playing with better players.
Jacubiak's can hold up the ball and it is unfortunate that he and Graham have been out injured...and also poor recruitment Alegria has shown nothing and Murray as sole striker was ludicrous...Smith=ineffective. We have less than nothing coming off the bench - Hendrie again poor and Bell predictably way off the pace.
McCall has done well enough to get us in a play-off position but I have never felt this was a promotion winning team. There have been obvious flaws in the team which have not been addressed. Hastie and McAllister seemed good signings but have made zero contribution. However I don't think there is a vast pool of talented players (or managers) out there.
There is a worrying lack of direction about the club which two weeks ago was in a strong challenging League position. Our PR Guru Chairwoman has apparently got nothing to say - has she lost interest?
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This was one of the most embarrassing days in all the many years I have been going to games at Firhill. Hamilton didn't have to be particularly capable but they had a game plan and determination and won easily. The powderpuff header late on by Docherty from about 20 yards out that bounced gently into the keeper's arms was our only effort on target - I joined in the ironic cheers.
I had real concerns when I saw the line-up but I wasn't expecting the catastrophic error from Sneddon or Mayo having a shocker. Akinola's confidence seems to have been shattered since his sending off...Smith and Crawford were again anonymous...Turner lightweight...Docherty poor.
However, even worse than the limitations of the players and the recruitment and tactics of the management is the quite deplorable state of the playing surface. It looked like they were playing with a trick weighted football that bounced at strange angles. The attritional games on the mudheap did not make for quality football but I feared that when the pitch dried out it would be bare and rutted and even worse for games as a spectacle. The players can't enjoy playing on that surface and I don't really want to watch games like we saw today.
We can't be far away from an official censure for having a pitch which isn't fit for purpose. The Club owe us an explanation...this may cost us the chance of promotion although that might be a blessing as we are nowhere near the standard required for the top League.
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I almost expect us now to grind out a 1-0 victory with a late goal. The first half was uninspiring but we stepped up the pace in the second half and deserved the win.
Jakubiak is the ideal player for our pitch and team...he has the strength to hold up ball and link up with team-mates...though like Ade Azeez I don't really expect to see him score. Murray has a few decent touches but always seems a bit peripheral to the action...Crawford and Docherty were again not very influential...Turner was a clear improvement when he came on.
It was a dreich night - gusty wind, rain and a deplorable playing surface which is not conducive to good football...but this team has a real spirit and determination which still makes it worth going to Firhill
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We were marginally the better side in the first half...definitely not in the second. Inverness had several decent chances but we defended well enough to keep yet another clean sheet...and once again we scored a late winner...that's a real credit to the team spirit.
I thought Murray offered a bit more than Smith usually does but McKenna was our main attacking threat in the first half which says quite a bit about some of our other players. Docherty had a poor game and I am not sure that Crawford brings much to the side. I was not that impressed with Alegria but thought that Jakubiak's ability to hold on to the ball is a real asset on that pitch.
I always thought that Sean Welsh was under-appreciated when he played for us...he still looks an accomplished player particularly in contrast with the endless exchanges of head tennis tonight...just bring the ball down!
We are not great but we are determined...failure to make the playoffs would now be a real disappointment
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The two glaring concerns this season have been the total absence of a cutting edge apart from Tiffony and the extent we would be hampered by the state of the pitch. Tonight confirmed these concerns. Morton had improved a little from the truly awful side we beat comfortably earlier in the season but were still a poor outfit. The scrambled goal they scored was very much in character as they didn't look remotely likely of crafting a decent chance.
McKenna is a decent defender and a willing runner but doesn't carry any threat...he isn't helped by the slow passing and lack of support on the right wing. Crawford did very little; Smith had his usual occasional good touches but again pretty ineffective; Jakubniak held up the ball quite well but isn't a goalscorer; none of the subs impressed - McAllister was disappointing and Turner looked like he was playing in roller skates.
I had no great confidence in Graham's just smash it penalty technique. I thought we might have ground out another 1-0 victory but we fell away after that miss.
Banzo at least tried to open up their defence but isn't helped by the poor surface and the lack of options in front of him.
Maybe we are being too harsh on the players for failing to play good quality football on a mudheap but we are nowhere near the standard of our last promotion-winning side...and I would still be disappointed if we couldn't make a play-off spot.
Inverness Match - 23rd December
in Main Jags forum
Posted · Edited by Winter of '63
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.