Fearchar

The strange thing about our colours is that they are designed to appeal to an ethnic Chinese section of the population - and where do most of Glasgow's ethnic Chinese population live? Practically on Firhill's doorstep! I have mentioned it before, but the club really is passing up a golden opportunity to capitalise on this feature; in fact, their faces should redden at the thought of omitting to do so. 沒有中文廣告的PTFC,為什麼?

From watching the text report as it came in, I got the impression that Accies capitalised on the few set pieces given to them, while we, as usual, rarely score from them, nor do we defend them well. I noticed great praise above for Paton's corner kicks, but where was the end product? Set pieces really are a very serious weakness in our game, and until they're sorted out we'll never be able to challenge at the top - not at this level.

Not at all! I think that at least one work colleague came to the game because I was in the final, while another congratulated me on Facebook. Ryan Scully must hate me now! After all, I've put 4 past him in about 20 minutes - although the Dundee mob couldn't put 1 past him in 90. By the way, a colleague did suggest that being half-German would win it for me. Maybe there is something in that.....

Here's some more food for thought: does the manager really matter? It may be that the throughput from scouts and/or youth teams means more to eventual success than whoever happens to be taking the training and sitting in the dugout.

The biggest need isn't for a particular player or position to be filled - it's for someone on the park that won't accept defeat and will keep the others trying. That could be a new team captain (although, in the past, Boab, who wasn't the captain, fulfilled that role), and Archie is the obvious one to be dropped from playing because he's too slow now. Even if he doesn't hang up his boots, next season will see him spending more time off the park due to injuries and bookings. It may be that Robertson takes his place as leader of the defence (neither Fox nor Scully does this), and even of the whole team. It would be unwise to rely too much on Rowson either, for the same reason: age will tell in the end. Yesterday's game showed just how soft-centred our midfield can be. It's extremely unlikely that MacNamara will leave, and although he has some learning to do the alternatives in Scotland look dire. He and Donnelly deserve credit for raising the standard of football, but as long as the bench is occupied by quiet men, then someone more abrasive and dominant is needed on the park.

No smeddum. Bannigan should be first choice at left wing back.

We're not direct enough in the box - there's no 'slightly' about it. Whenever you see Doolan moving away from the penalty box to support the midfield, you know we're in trouble. Even if he wins the ball back in midfield through sheer persistence (as he does from time to time), there's then no-one in the box to pass it to (and McGuigan is too slow to get into position). Why is our midfield apparently incapable of dispossessing the opposition (except for Cairney - but he then usually loses it immediately to an opponent)? Whether we like it or not, that's the way the game is going. If you look at how other countries cope with it (and I'm thinking in particular of Germany here), they substitute fluid play with excellent ball-control and admirable passing for the kick-and-rush approach favoured by so many in this country. Just watch how the German national side retains possession, passes into space ahead of the receiving player - and weep, because this is totally beyond the comprehension, let alone the abilities, of Scottish managers. And yes, it filters through to very minor leagues there, to the extent that the football there is played to a higher standard than in our top professional flight. In many ways that's down to referees being very pernickety and disallowing virtually all contact. Sadly, it's unlikely that referees here will ever be consistently strict to the point where the standard of football is raised. The background to this inconsistency is not just an old pals' act among referees, but kowtowing to the various footballing authorities, the sacrifice of the welfare of Scottish football on the altar of those deities we know as the Old S**m and the tolerance for the witterings and semi-literate comments of ignorant pundits in the media - themselves usually former altar-boys to those false gods. Not bad enough: Lucas Aikens - 'nuff said.

The stats don't lie. This team didn't deserve a goal because they (or their manager) can't figure out how to break down a team like Morton. After Fox failed to hold the ball, resulting in a goal for Morton, the Morton players were told to look out for similar opportunities, and chanced the odd ball directly at him. They were told to do this by an experienced manager. There needs to be a more decisive approach either on the field of play or in the changing-room. As matters stand, the players do well but there's no-one there to direct them how to bring about change in a game, and they just keep plugging away at the same thing, hoping that this time it will be different. A savvy opposing team or manager will figure this out and let them exhaust themselves going up a blind alley.

So that's why US television is infamous for being such crap! If the club (or anyone else for that matter) wants to hire broadcasting students, that's fine, but working for nothing for a commercial organisation is illegal under the minimum wage legislation. There are plenty of freelance broadcasters out there in need of work.

We're very fortunate to have another goalkeeper in Fox that can kick with either foot. What Tuffey also did, that I'd like to see more of, is throw the ball out to a waiting player: it retains possession, whereas a kick up the park is often just a lottery, since there's so much time for all the players to see where the ball will land and to position themselves accordingly. Scully seems to be a better shot-stopper than any other keeper we've had for a while. In a perfect world we'd have Kenny Arthur's penalty-saving abilities, Scully's shot-stopping and Tuffey's distribution (most of the time - although some of his long, low kicks out ended up going out of touch)! In the event, Fox offers the best combination of skills at the moment, while Scully is a good replacement. We're actually doing very well in cover for that position.

That's really cute! Trust me - you'll have your own child/ren (or even nieces and nephews) in a few years' time and then you'll really regret giving it away.

Doolan came to the club as a left-footed striker; since then, he has become very competent in the air (although he isn't so tall as many of this division's centre-back giants) and recently he has begun banging in goals with his weaker (right) foot. Obviousy, he doesn't just rely on the club's training, but concentrates on improving where he sees his own weaknesses too. I think he's a real find, and one that's worth investing in - to the point of getting his contract lengthened asap.

I used to live near there, and my late father and I both preferred Lesser Hampden: the seating was perfectly adequate (benches with no backs), and when the referee had to climb up the stairs to the pavilion between rows of spectators, they could make observations on his need to remember his specs when he came back out, or on how he'd got over the shock of not knowing his parents. The same went for the players, of course, and that may not have made them play better, but they weren't going to shirk on effort either.

Surely it's much easier than all that! 1) Rangers wound up and a shopping mall built in Ibrox to give local employment (as well as the boost of no payments made for tickets that can't be afforded there). 2) Celtic banned from playing in Scotland, and their ground compulsorily purchased, to be rented out to Clyde FC. Any further restructuring, etc, can safely be left to the other clubs to sort out among themselves.

He tackled Erskine instead of the ball (which was well ahead of Erskine by then) with two feet, as you say: a straight red was justified. Many of the scuffed shots seemed to be from left-footed players forced to use a right foot. However, it is good to see players shooting once more.

It certainly looks, from that angle, that the red card was justified. I wasn't so sure from the away supporters' stand. The penalty for a foul on Cairney still doesn't look justified, and the video doesn't clarify the incident that led to the other penalty. (The still pics seem to make it likely that it wasn't justified either.)

So for that reason you'd rather have Erskine on the park than, say, Simon Donnelly? So would I.

Sorry - you're right about the numbers - it should have been 11 - but 11 is from the second half. (My son joined my friend and me for the second half, but sat lower down in the first.) The "enjoyment" was, of course, the reaction to dire head tennis. I doubt if my friend will accompany me to a football game again.

Naughty! Pic 10 is from the second half, Tommy.

This team has no heart. The players just accept the style of play dictated by the opposition - even the pitiful apology for headers offered by Raith Rovers - and then follow on, playing to their own weaknesses. That display was not the worst from McNamara's teams this season, but it was rank - big punts and headers being the order of the day. I've seen much classier play from local amateur teams. Scott Fox has lost confidence again (as you could see from his hesitance about positioning, and his lack of shouts to his defenders), but after being exposed repeatedly against poor opposition, perhaps that's natural. The Raith Rovers goals came from players being allowed room to run about where they pleased in the box without being picked up, and then Fox not being sure whether to come out or to stay on his line. Raith Rovers failed to capitalise on a few other similar opportunities too. The problems begin with losing or giving away possession and then not closing down the opposition - really basic errors. Scott Fox's kicks out are as good as giving the ball away - certainly when it's a kick-and-rush side like Raith Rovers, because they're used to winning the ball in the air. He did throw the ball to a Jags player once: more, please! The team desperately needs a leader - someone to give it backbone. Fox should be dropped for Scully next week so that he can review what has gone wrong. Archie should be dropped. Some thought needs to be given to who is going to direct the midfield. Pass marks today - Doolan, Erskine and Naismith.

That has been true of Partick Thistle teams for many years now: if you want pearls, you need to start with grit. The team's performance was adequate in the second half because they were in possession most of the time, against tired opposition. However, when there's a challenge for the ball, it takes 2 or even 3 Jags players to gain possession from 1 opposition player - and even then, sometimes, they lose it. Any opposing player in possession is allowed to run unchallenged with the ball at his feet - no challenge, and no marking! Most Jags player left in the wake of an opponent in possession then give up and decide that there's no point in doing any more. A player in a team with a will to win would track back and get in another challenge - if not the next one, then after another of his teammates had challenged and slowed down the opposition player even more. Any opposing player in possession should be given as little time and space a possible to pass or to shoot. Contrast that with the open invitation to goal offered up to Ayr United so many times last night. It would be nice to be in a position to tell these players that when they're toying with minor-league opposition in a European competition, they can slack off and let the opposition see the ball from time to time - but until they reach that level, the players' job is to hinder the opposition in every way allowed by the rules until possession is regained. The coaching team should be instilling that attitude in players at every opportunity, but that's not what we're seeing on the park. Instead, we get hard-luck stories: "It was frustrating not to get the win that we feel that we deserved". No, you don't deserve a win if your players won't work for it, Jackie. That's the way the world (not just football) works. Let's be frank: Paul Cairney is one of the more limited players we field - he's easily outrun (no pace) and he doesn't have the physique to challenge in the air or even shoulder-to-shoulder on the ground - but he makes up for it with determination. That's why he's an automatic inclusion and why he's the top scorer - from midfield. He also tracks back, so that if he loses the ball, he often gets a second chance to challenge for it. It's not talent, but attitude. Doolan is another player worth mentioning for his attitude - tracking back on the field of play and working on his own to improve his weak points. (He scored with his weaker foot and with his head last night.) A team that puts 4 past the opposition has trounced them; if it gives away 2 in the process, then it's proof that there are serious shortcomings in defensive play (i.e. when not in possession). Sadly, there is no sign that the message is getting through to Messrs McNamara and Donnelly. If they don't become a bit 'nastier' and get the players to approach football the same way, then they won't make the impact that later on, in hindsight, they'd have wanted to make.

You can't borrow a blanket off your bed? (Great for cutting down echo.) Or buy a few cheap directional mikes? (http://www.maplin.co.uk/3-microphone-pack-4564) Apologies for hijacking the thread. If we keep playing the way that the coaching team wants, we'll look great, especially in good weather, but we'll sink out of sight in this division. We've seen it before with Simon Donnelly's loveely layoffs up front, but with no end result. Cairney seems to be the only player prepared to ignore the advice he's being given and take a more direct approach; no suprise, then, that he has the highest goal tally. It's time for Messrs McNamara and Donnelly to stop reinforcing each other's ideas and to take some advice from outside. Advice from the King of Spain, perhaps?

That reminded me of us playing Dundee right off the park and getting gubbed by 3 goals: it reflects the attitudes of the current management that football should be played in a certain, attractive way without deviating to take account of the circumstances, such as a poor playing surface, an ice-cold wind, a kick-and-rush opposition and the standard of refereeing in the First Division. If we were playing summer football at a higher level, we might give a good account of ourselves, but unless McNamara and Donnelly start to realise what results are telling them, we're heading for trouble in this division.

Not just that - he was full of heart. He could pick up the team on his own and get them winning. Not to mention the ability to injure an opposing player with a free kick when that player was foolish enough to stay too close! (A happy memory from Deadwood.) No-one has mentioned SID here: wonderful touches on the ball. Still not enough grit to select him for an all-time favourite team, though. Someone has mentioned Simon Storey - great at reading the game, which contributed to keeping him as sweeper, and keeping the formation at 5-3-2, perhaps after it should have been changed.