exiledjag
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Posts posted by exiledjag
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I thought I would start a new thread on this subject as It wouldn't be fair to try to hide my contrition in another thread.
Some WAT contributers will recall I made it very clear that I thought signing Stevie Lawless was a mistake. I mentioned a number of issues I had with the signing including doubts about his commitment.
However, I have to admit that I was completely wrong about signing Lawless. He demonstrated in every game he played just how clever a player he is and later when Doolan took over just how perfect his intelligence and playing style was for the way Doolan wanted to play. In fact under Doolan he has been a revelation
Above all he impressed me with his commitment to the cause and that he was very clearly playing for the Jersey.
In short I misjudged Stevie Lawless and apologise to him for doubting him and to his supporters for not seeing in him the attributes which they saw in abundance.
I would like to reassure Stevie and his devotees that he will have my full and unconditional support in the coming season.
There I have said it!
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Yes this is going to be an interesting transfer window in terms of who has or might leave and who might join the club.
One thing is certain and that is the squad that starts the season will be, in the main, Kris Doolan's squad. He has done very well with his management of what was Ian McCall's squad so it will be interesting to see how he does with an almost entirely new squad.
I wish him all the best and uf he gets off to a good start we will all need to keep our expectations in check.
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2 hours ago, Lenziejag said:
I think until the 70’s it was only ever red and yellow hoops - at least that all I remember.
I agree.
I got the V neck as a Christmas present. A photographer came to the door and my parents agreed that he could take a photo of me in my Jsgs strip.
I recall him saying when he first saw me, something like this " Ah, a Thistle Strip! Great I am fed up photographing Rangers and Celtic Strips"
I love the 23/24 Strip. Excellent. Well done O'Neil.
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I don't believe we blew the opportunity of winning promotion I believe it was taken away from us.
The reason we didn't score more goals in the secod half at Firhill was down to a number of factors.
Some resolute defending by RC, some poor finishing and bad luck for our strikers and tiredness. Yes tiredness! I could see some of our players were starting to flag as early as midway through the second half and I thought this was evident, for example, the clumsy first touches of Graham and Tiffoney when a goal chance was on! Also on a couple of occasions the ball just did not run for us at the crucial moment. I think in all of this tiredness was a big factor.
I looked at the team sheets at around 4.00pm on Sunday and saw who the referee was and thought that's it we have no chance today. I didn't watch or listen to the gamevon TV or radio.
I was right as well - a stonewall penalty not given, a red card recinded and a penalty give to RC that was not a penalty.
This game was a fix from start to finish and there should be an inquiry. With McLennan and Doncaster at the helm we all know that, even if we had media support, this won't happen.
I would like to think that the next time Nick Walsh comes to Firhill we don't forget his performance at Dingwall and give him the treatment he so richly deserves. It won't serve any real purpose but it will be satisfying to at least let him know how we feel. At best he was incompetent but I thing we all know there is more to it than that.
I wonder who will be given next seasons Cup Final (s) to referee and other big games, perhaps in Europe.
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Forgot to mention Holt possibly returning to Cyprus.
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With Tiffoney going to Dundee, Killie talking to Docherty, earlier rumours of Sneddon going to another Championship club and just having read on this thread that Turner is likely to go as well the squad is really starting to break up. God help Doolan.
Nevertheless I shall be buying a season ticket on Friday (last bought one 2 years ago) and will be at Firhill for as many games next season as I can physically manage.
Wonder how the people who created this financial situation sleep at night.
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9 hours ago, Rid Skwerr said:
I though we saw yesterday the perfect fruition of the Premier League / Neil Doncaster design of the play-off process.
It is deliberately set up to give the "big team" the maximum chance of staying up by making the wee team play themselves to a standstill before they get a crack at the top division.
County took full advantage of our inability to raise the same herculean effort for the sixth game in a row and Thistle were just unable to drag themselves over the line after the longest season in our history.
Also, by playing both ties under VAR, they allowed the opportunity for the faceless TV referees to have a wee word in the match official's shell-like if it looked like the Big Team was in any danger.
Congratulations to Doncaster and Co - their Cunning Plan worked exactly as they intended, and congratulations to County on earning themselves another season in a league they cannot possibly win, and another season of losing more games than they win.
I totally agree with this and how anyone can not see the sense in the above is beyond me.
The fix is not in the number of games Ross County or The Jags were required to play over a season but the timescale over which we were required to play the final two play off games.
A week between the two games against Queens and Ayr was fair but why not a week between the two RC games. Two days was just not enough time to recover.
Rid skwerr is quite right the whole Premiership play off system is weighted to keep the 'big team' in the SPL.
A two leg semi-final and final is all that is required but then that would be fair!!
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Thank you JimmyMcD and.Jlsarmy.
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25 minutes ago, King Kenny said:
When that penalty was awarded that familiar feeling started to creep back in to my mind, I'm sure I wasn't alone.
As mentioned above, giving them the ball back straight from kick off was ridiculous and gave them the full impetus to make the comeback.
Even then, we passed up some glorious chances to win it. Those and the numerous ones on Thursday are why we are not going up.
It's a sore one and will take a while to get over.
The team will be very different next year and if the rumours of financial uncertainty are true, we might not have the most competitive of squads.
I'd imagine the likes of Tiffoney,Turner,McMillan and potentially Milne will be off to suitors from the league above, Docherty/Holt already away if rumours to believed and some of the bench fillers will be released.
The league will be extremely tough next year, we're going to be up against it so it would be nice if we could get some news from the board over the next couple of weeks how things are shaping up.
I've a lot of faith in Doolan, I think he'll do a good job going forward. He's very positive and talks well. Today will be a sore one for him and I imagine he'll be emotionally drained given what has gone on over the last few weeks but I'm sure come July he'll be back and ready to roll.
It's certainly going to be an interesting summer.
What are the rumours about Docherty and Holt?
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Just a couple of points.
I would like to give a big shout for McMillan. When Milne was injured we all thought we would miss him not just as a player and the best wing back in the league but for the impact on our defence - moving Holt to left back. There is no doubt he has been missed missed
In these play off games McMillan has for me been a revelation and together with Lawless, has formed a very effective partnership and really stepped up his performance.
I am really looking forward to seeing both wing backs on the park and with them playing the way we know they can play we will be a real force in whater division we are playing.
So we'll done McMillan.
As "winter of 63" says "as a Jags fan there is always a nagging doubt"!
However on this occasion my nagging doubt is a lot less than it would normally have been but yes it's still there. I feel confident we will score at Dingwall. So barring some catastrophic event (poor ref, our legs failing) I think we will go through to the SPL.
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Just now, Dick Dastardly said:2-0 is more than enough if we keep another clean sheet 😀
Agree that a 3rd goal would have been a valuable insurance
I agree with DD.
RC will have to attack and this will leave gaps at the back. With our pace we can score on the counter attack and one further goal will I think be enough!
We will have to be on top of our game again and especially in terms of our defensive work..
I would have preferred 3-0 but would have taken 2-0 before the game if offered.
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Like most on this thread unless Doolan has some super tactical plan I hope we keep the same team with Bannigan on the bench until needed.
If we can use our pace and get lots of crosses into the 6 yard box we will win.
The RC defence conceded 60 goals while scoring only 37 so their defence can't be that great and their attack not so clinical. They are however a big, strong side who will pose a threat at set plays.
Our players will have to 'keep the heid' in both games as I expect RC will be up to all the tricks some of which I think will be brutal.
I for one hope we can hammer them and take a 4 or 5 goal lead to make the second leg a boring dead tie but I don't think RC will fold like our precious opponents.
I worried about Ayr's Akinyemi. The only worry I have about RC other than their size is if they play Wright & Murray as a two up front! Is Wright fit to play?
I don't feel able to predict a score because I believe this tie could go either way. I do though I hope for a 3 goal lead to take to Dingwall,
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23 hours ago, Barney Rubble said:
No such thing exists in Scotland, sadly.
I thought the ref who sent off Akinyemi did OK. I also thought he made the correct decision in doing so regardless of what the match commentators and field side pundits thought.
A few of points about the Ross County games.
Firstly watching the game with Killie it seemed to me that RC were a big strong team who will not be slow to resort to the dark arts. However they also looked slow and ponderous, something we can exploit with the pace of Tiffoney and Fitzpatrick.
Secondly, should we be worried that Murray is in the frame to play against us? Will he be considered as RC's Akinyemi?
Finally, I think we could be at a disadvantage with VAR as RC will be smart in using it to their advantage. Our players I hope are training this week with a focus on VAR especially related to not extending arms away from the body, pulling opponent's jerseys, being late with the tackle and lunging in with studs showing.
All the best to the Jags on Thursday - run RC off their legs.
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1 hour ago, JeanieD said:
Prepare for 180 mins of torture
26 minutes ago, Barney Rubble said:Taking heart from the fact that if Kilmarnock can gub them, then Ross County must have more weaknesses than strengths.
That said, they are hammer throwers, so they will target our front four from the off.
I expect two brutal games.
But, in Doolan I trust.
I agree with the above. Ross County are a big, strong team whom I suspect won't be taking any prisoners. I am sure Tiffoney , Lawless and Fitzpatrick will come in for 'special' treatment.
If we can deal with the physical challenge then I dont see why cant win.
Again a strong ref required.
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I see the attendance for the game is given as 3426.
I watch the game on TV and It looked a lot more.
Any comments from Jags fans who were st the game?
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6 minutes ago, Auld Jag said:
Another very professional performance under our new management team.
The fans gave great backing, but i really wish they would do what i did when the 70's ended and ditch the flares.
Home and away part 4, 'The final countdown' coming soon.
Don't want to put a damper on another great night for Thistle, but with so many out of contract at the end of this season, i wonder how many of our starting XI will still be with us next season, no matter what league we are in.
If we are in the SPL I would think most of the out of contract players would be keen to stay with us excepting of course if they receive offers from current SPL clubs or clubs in England.
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A big well done to Kris Doolan, his staff and the players. Also the travelling support - what a performance by all involved.
A fantastic result.
One point though. I have watched the Akinyel/Muirhead incident 3 or 4 times now at both real time and slow speeds and I do not understand why the TV pundits are saying the red card was harsh.
To my eyes it looks like Akinyemi made a fully fledge punch at Muorhead the force of which forced Muirhead back on his heels for 3 or 4 paces. Akinyemi's action left the ref with no choice but to send him off. I saw no evidence of Muirhead play acting.
The initial clash was certainly a foul by Muirhead and possibly a yellow card but Akinyemi's reaction was definitely violent conduct and fully merited the red card.
The BBC pundits clearly felt they were robbed of a football spectale and choose to blame Muirhead - this is unforgivable as Akinyemi is the culprit.
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Sorry to hear about Hugh Strachan.
My condolences to his family and friends. This will be a very sad time for everyone who knew and was associated with Hugh.
I also saw him play many times and like our two strikers, Bone and Coulson, Strachan and Capbell forms an equally impressive defensive partnership.
I read somewhere recently that when Hugh Strachan's contract ended and wasn't extended this resulted in Davie McParland's resignation.
Apparently Davie with the Board's agreement promised when he signed Hugh a job as a coach when he retired from playing. Unfortunately the Board refused to honour this because when the time to do so they said they just couldn't afford it!
So we list Hugh as a player and coach and Davie as our manger!
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As I have been watching the Jags since 1959/60 I have become a little bit of a worrier. But this team are something different and with improvement in the right places could become something special. The Duffy/McParland, the League Cup Winning and the Doolan/Erskine/O'Donnell teams were special.
As far as last night's game was concerned I was confident we were going to score with the move up and around the right side of the park. In fact when Lawless got the recycled ball I was just waiting on McMillan making his run.
I like, a few on this thread was disappointed we didn't get a 4th goal which I think even with Akinyemi on the park next Friday, would have sealed the tie. So IMO we are not there yet and still have a difficult time ahead next Friday.
We have to recognise though that Ayr caused us a few problems but also the only reasons they dominated the last 10/15 minutes was because we substituted probably our 5 best players and Ayr were a bit desperate!
A big well done to the Manager, Staff and all the Players and a special mention for Lawless, Graham, McMillan and Mitchell.
All to play for guys. C'mon the Jags
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⁷I know Ayr are a good side and finished in second but there was only a point between us so small margins.
I feel confident (almost) that we can win this tonight now that Akinyema is injured. He has scored just about a third of Ayr's goals!
However, without Akinjema the Ayr players might be forced to play more as a team which might cause us problems.
Another performance like the twp 4-0 defeats of Queens Park and we will be fine!
Start on front foot stay on front foot!
Mon the Jags
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2 hours ago, lady-isobel-barnett said:
Think Dundee FC will be looking for a manager with a chirpy voice as an antidote to Gary https://img.gifglobe.com/grabs/fatherted/S02E11/S02E11-QX0u6N8f-subtitled.jpg Bullen.
Callum Davidson certainly doesn't have a chirpy voice and from what I have read Dundee fans don't want him. In saying that some fans wanted Mcleish..............who is just a taller version of Callum Davidson.
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I have to say that I was durprised by the news that he had stepped down
His post match comments were all about taking QP forward, improving where it was necessary to do so, I assume their defence and being bigger and better next season.
Although he couldn't hide his disappointment this fidnt sound like a man who intended to resign.
His vomments after both play-off games Bout the Jags were complimentary and generous so I will wish him the best of luck for the future, even if he goes to Dundee.
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A really enjoyable match to watch, if your a Jag!
I agree that under Doolan we seem more attack minded and every player seems very sure of his role.
The big difference for me is the quality of goals we are scoring. The intricate passing moves between 3 or 4 players playing through the opposition defence, the superb running off the ball and the precision and weight of the passing.
Does it remind anyone of the Messi, Inesta, Pique Barcelona team????
A big thank you to Kris Doolan for turning out last night. Leading by example in every respect in very difficult personal circumstances.
Now if we can just get to grips with Akinyema- we will be in the final.
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Very sorry to hear this news. Condolences to Kris, family and friends. I am sure there will be many in the football and beyond who like all Jags fans are feeling for Kris at this time.
A real gentleman.
Summer comings and goings
in Main Jags forum
Posted
Like others on this thread I was never totally convinced about Docherty. So not too bothered about him leaving provided we find another holding midfielder preferably one with more presence.
We will though miss Turner, Holt and, not forgetting him, Tiffoney.
It's sad to see the breaking up of what was a truly promising team in the making.
Nevertheless a big thank you to the 4 players and the best of luck to them for the future.