Armand2

As DP said above, Scully dealt with all that was asked of him quite assuredly. Showed a greater comfort coming for crosses which was an area he lacked before his spells with Dunfermline; that was in spite of getting clobbered at a corner in the first half. Kicking was considerably improved too plus he's filled out well. Going to be an interesting battle for the number one jersey.

As much as it was a typical pre-season affair, I was quite encouraged by the performances of some of the younger guys yesterday. Hendry looked very assured with a nice turn of pace that our other centre-halves perhaps lack. Ideally, I think we'd like him to go down to the First or Second division for a run of games but on that evidence, along with Lindsay, he's capable of covering for Frans and Seaborne. Along with Hendry, McDaid was the pick of the bunch. I saw someone suggest he was "quiet" - I thought he was our most likely attacking threat. Direct and looks to have added a bit of upper body strength since his spell in the team last year. If he can find a level of consistency and a decent final ball, he won't be here for long. I really like Wilson and think he has a real chance of featuring regularly in the first team. He was unlucky last season as he picked up a couple of injuries but whenever I saw him in the U20's, he was a cut above. Quick feet, good vision, carries the ball well. He'll be the replacement in the squad for Craigen. As for the other younger guys, it was encouraging to see the apprentices like McInally and Nisbet get some game time and give decent accounts of themselves. Leyden looked decent enough but not sure if he's ready for the first team yet. He's only moved back into midfield in recent seasons and I reckon he needs more games in the position. Amoo contributed very little so hard to form any initial impressions of what he will offer; on that evidence however, I'm not sure he's going to thrive in games where we need to dig in. Looks like a hug-the-touchline type of winger who could have the propensity to be a passenger when we don't have the ball. Archie mentioned that he's looking for players to be multi-functional and I imagine that's why we saw Bannigan at full-back in the first half. I don't anticipate seeing him there frequently once the competitive stuff starts but it's good to know that he's capable of playing that role well enough (unless against Ainsworth). The trialist right-back, Berry, didn't look any better than players already at the club. Looked very leggy, quite awkward and was caught out of position on a number of occasions. Also interesting to note that he was kept out of the Plymouth team by Matt Parsons, who played on trial for us last season and was equally as cumbersome. Wouldn't be too keen to see him again. Lawless is going to be a big miss for the Hamilton game; we looked a different proposition when he came on. Good that Stevenson managed to get some minutes under his belt and hopefully he's on track to feature in Lawless' absence. Great to see Welsh back. If Gary Fraser had Welsh's mentality and application, he'd be a world beater; instead, it looks like he'll be fourth, arguably fifth choice if Wilson continues to develop, for a central midfield spot. Big season for him - time for his level of maturity to match his talent. As for signings, folk remain a bit detached from reality if they're expecting another four or five arrivals. I anticipate Miller (although his absence yesterday was odd) and a striker to sign before Hamilton, and possibly a specialist right-back later in the window. I imagine that'll conclude our business unless any decent and affordable loan options pop up before the window closes.

If Archie thinks this guy is worth a trial, that should be good enough for any Thistle fan. He's forgotten more about football than the keyboard scouting experts will ever know. For what it's worth, the chat amongst folk at the game last night suggests that the trial was arranged by Taylor. No harm having a look at the guy to see if there's anything there.

Likewise, I'm not sure where to start with the suggestion that Board members are salaried.

Quite an alarming lack of awareness of how Board structures work in football. Absolutely no bearing on player recruitment. Seems like a good appointment. PR has been lacking since Michelle Evans left so hopefully Jacqui helps to rectify this.

I doubt that we're in any position to offer three year deals, unfortunately. I'm also not convinced of Taylor's resale value; I know he didn't get much of a chance at Sheffield United but he's now flunked at two League 1 sides in England and I don't anticipate many clubs queueing up to part with decent cash for him. That said, if he does sign and helps to keep us in this league before leaving on a free, I don't think many of us would have a problem with that. Hmm, I know where you're coming from but I've never been convinced by that argument. In fact, I think a decent case can be made that Boyd's game - which is ultimately about sticking the ball in the net - suffered when he was being asked to do the harrying and hustling associated with a lone striker. I might be wrong but I seem to recall him playing the lone role quite frequently in his last spell at Killie and still managed an impressive return although admittedly they were a bit more "agricultural" in style. I think he could have suited our system although we would have needed to alter one or two things, like a greater onus on the wide players to close down the full-backs to allow Boyd to work within the width of the penalty box. Unfortunately, I think a Boyd-Higginbotham combination is a winner, irrelevant of whether Locke is a numpty or not.

I know that I'm probably in a minority but I would have loved to have seen Boyd in a Thistle jersey. I really don't think that much can read into his season with Rangers last year - a season where he still scored double figures in all competitions, mind you - but he guarantees you goals at this level. Boyd would have been invaluable to us given that it's likely we'll be in a bit of dogfight this season - and that's not being pessimist or doom-mongering, just realistic. I know I'll be in an even smaller minority who would have taken him over Taylor but I suppose it's a moot point now.

If we sign Miller, I'd be inclined to think we might look to sign a younger right-back, possibly the lad on trial from Cardiff who seems quite well thought of, rather than an out-and-out centre half. Frans, Seaborne and Lindsay with Miller (and Hendry, at a push) for cover would be reasonable enough.

Miller would be a shrewd addition. Can play right across the back and in midfield. He doesn't offer the same attacking prowess as O'Donnell but would be a steady replacement and would offer versatility which will be important in a smaller squad.

My estimate at the end of the season was that we would need a goalkeeper, a right-back and a wide attacking player in addition to Booth and Taylor hopefully signing permanently. With three of them already in the bag, I maintain that I'd be very happy with that business. I didn't factor in Craigen leaving so we may be in the market for a bit of experienced cover in midfield* which would allow Wilson to leave for some much needed game time at a lower level. *although if Welsh comes through pre-season unscathed, he'll be like a new signing and another arrival won't be required.

I believe it's David Amoo, ex-Carlisle and Liverpool winger. Pretty solid replacement for Higginbotham if so.

Airdrie play on plastic so less damage to the pitch. I don't imagine we're in any hurry to ground-share after the mess that the Warriors made of the pitch and the costs incurred to relay it.

At first, I thought SOD had sold himself a bit short by moving to Luton but it could be quite a shrewd move. He'll be more than capable of handling that level and will be earning decent money. A good performing season this year and he might earn himself a more lucrative move in the near future. Either way, it's refreshing to see a player take a bit of punt and go down a different route. He could have easily taken similar money and stayed in Scotland but good on him. Won't be surprised to see a bigger team part with cash for him in the next year or two.

Is this whole thing a wind up? Certainly very Thistle. If the money is good though, who cares.

Any time I watched Sutton last year, he looked like he had regressed quite badly. He was never the most mobile of players but he could hardly run plus some of his first touches in the crucial game at Firhill saved our defence from clearing the ball. I think he'll suit St Johnstone quite well though but doubt that he would have been a good fit for us.

Another thing to bear in mind what with the speculated budget cuts is that most of our transfer business will likely take place as close to the start of the season as possible so buckle in for the knicker-wetters complaining soon.

Strachan has been excellent so far but like others have said, I think he made a couple of mistakes with the starting line-up on Saturday. I'm not sure whether Robertson was carrying a knock but if he's fit, he should start every game; good player but Forsyth doesn't have any business playing at international level. His goal against Qatar apart, I've not been particularly impressed with Ritchie in a Scotland jersey yet; like Robertson, I think Anya should be one of the first names on the team-sheet at the moment. On the flip side, it was a risk putting Mulgrew in from the start but I thought he played reasonably well. Either way, it's an absolutely ridiculous time of year to play qualifiers, in my opinion. All things considered, it was a good point and keeps us on track. I suspect we'll fall just short of automatic qualification but we've got a real good chance of claiming the best third placed qualifier.

If I remember correctly, we had to suffer Stevie Ross in the same season who was equally as bad.

If that's the worst Thistle eleven you've seen, count yourself bloody lucky.

Will always remember Santala coming off the bench against Stirling Albion at Firhill. Mark McNally had been dominant throughout the match and had kept a strikeforce of Stephen McConalogue and Stevie Nicholas very quiet, not that it was a difficult task. Santala came on - initially at centre-half, as Ian said above - and chased a ball that was running through to the keeper. McNally stepped across to block the run and Santala absolutely clattered him - nothing illegal, just sheer brute force. He never even budged as McNally flew to the floor.

Camlachie might be a decent bet if you're looking to play at BC level for a season. Admittedly lost track in recent years but Paul Harvey (ex-Hibs, Raith...and Man United!) was heading the youth teams there a couple of years back. Watched them a couple of times when Darryl Meggatt was playing for them before he went to QP. Could be a good pathway back to pro youth too if Harvey is still there.

Cerny was also out until the end of March with mumps. Considering our budget and the goalkeepers currently available, he's a very tidy signing.

Harsh but not inaccurate.

I suspect Scully will start the season as first choice; I think that has probably been the plan all along and has perhaps been a contributing factor to Fox's departure. If we are looking to bring a guy like Letheren in as a relatively cheap second choice then I don't have a great issue with that; it would indicate that Gallacher's playing days are very much in the past though.

Disappointed to see Craigen depart. He had really grown on me and was a great player to have in the squad. More than capable of playing at this level. I suspect there may be substance to the long standing rumour that he will be plying his trade at Easter Road next season.