milhouse

Made a good effort of it against opposition from league above - don't overreact. Were people expecting an easy game?

I don't think there is evidence for this currently. Objectively he improved results after taking over last season, and the play-off run was impressive of itself despite the eventual outcome. A dreadful result on Saturday, but we are 3rd after a quarter of the season, 9 points from the bottom 2 sides. The usual reason for considering managerial change at PTFC is relegation, or imminent threat of it, which is not currently happening. This time last year we were just embarking on a run of 5 league defeats in a row under Ian McCall which effectively ended our challenge. Something similar might happen now, of course, but it hasn't yet.

Oh well. Not at this, but Dundee Utd would seem to be well on course to win the league (still unbeaten). Which would reflect playing budgets, of course. We'll just have to move on from this one. Our result v Arbroath at Firhill concerned me more. We'll remain 3rd today, still a very tight league, but top 4 again this season would be completely satisfactory, in my opinion.

No idea how the managerial contracts work at PTFC - or what the process would be if form tails off completely the rest of the season and we think that we need to appoint a different manager. As has been mentioned before, in the UK I'm not sure why football clubs never seem to have the model found in other countries/other sports of a more colloborative approach (Moneyball-style) with people tasked with finding and signing players (e.g. McCall), then a coaching team with a head coach (e.g. Doolan +/- Graham, MacDonald).

Wouldn't it be very unusual for everyone to know a manager is leaving but still take charge for a match?

I didn't read it saying Doolan until rest of the season?

An end to the "becoming the 4th team in Glasgow" theory as well, despite current league positions. We have a far bigger support than Queens Park.

Alan Archibald demonstrated no interest either when we were in the top flight, happy to discount a minimum of 6 games a season. I actually think the second of his late collapses in the same season to a dreadful Sevco side was the start of his downfall.

Just imagine the 'injury time' as well if they aren't winning after 90 mins.

Quite sad really, the attitudes on this thread, but they are probably understandable given our record against the Old Firm over the last 20 years (which is an embarrassment). I appreciate how difficult it would be for Thistle to go to Ibrox and win, but a number of comparable teams have done so in recent years. 1982 was the last time for PTFC, 6 years before I was even born. Should it really be that long for it to happen again? I'm going to keep turning up to find out.

Big Injury Time is definitely in vogue as well after the World Cup. Expect 10 mins + at the end if they aren't winning.

3 defeats to Queens Park in a season is enough to spiral anyone into an existential crisis.

Akinyemi is a good striker but Ayr are otherwise unspectacular. Spent a lot of time surrounding the ref. We were significantly better than our last outing against them.

Why do you think that? Not being cheeky, just would like to know where you see that from.

At this level, with the nature of the defeats as they have been, I think on balance yes. I think lose next week I think he should leave. Draw next week, win Arbroath and Kelty Hearts I think he has survived. Despite being very experienced, he hasn't been able to manage the team out of this slump. Going back to 2000, I can't think of any manager who has been sacked too hastily, been treated unfairly by PTFC, or sacked unexpectedly. I don't think now would be an exception to this.

Given the board did clearly state this week we had been aiming for promotion, it will be surely be difficult for them to continue as is. With the current state of the league table there is still lots of opportunity to be there or thereabouts towards the top by the end of the season. McCall has been completely unable to get us to shut up shop. I very much hope we win next week, but if we lose I reall think that will be him gone.

Thistle's most successful manager since 1982? Surely your mistaken there.

Perhaps not next Saturday but games at Firhill v bottom of the table Arbroath then Kelty Hearts at the end of November, I think it would be difficult to appease the Thistle support if these go badly.

Types of players from that season we miss are Paton, Welsh, and Steven Craig who shared the goals with Doolan.

Got the key point there for me - given the standard we are up against, there is no way we should be losing goals the way we currently are. I'm struggling to think of ever seeing a quicker decline from a Thistle team over such a short space of time. Hand could be forced to replace the management team by the end of November.

I don't think PTFC ever received any sort of transfer fee for Kevin Nisbet but I'm happy to be corrected on this. Most parents and children will be Old Firm fans, I think the "next generation of fans" is a negligible effect. I think we'd be more likely to be successful signing first team players released from elsewhere who are a bit disgruntled and want to prove themselves. To me the success and failure of the academy is solely based on whether it benefits the men's first team of PTFC, whether with good players directly from the Academy, or with money from sale of players put directly back to the playing budget. There is little evidence of success of Thistle Weir on this basis. It's nice having wee kids in red and yellow tops running around on the pitch at Firhill at half time etc., but there's no evidence that it's going to get PTFC in the top flight of Scottish football and help to keep us there. Academies are a luxury not applicable to PTFC.

The evidence that Thistle Weir Academy teams are a good use of money doesn't stack up. Stuart Bannigan has obviously made lots of appearances for the first team, but actually signed for the club several years before Thistle Weir was ever started. Other than him, there are no Academy players who have made a substantial impact. Players like Liam Lindsay and Kevin Nisbet left and made the club little money. Colin Weir should have spent his money on first team signings which would have kept us in the Premier League. It's a nice idea but in an organisation which has to be as financially lean as possible, the Academy doesn't justify the investment. It doesn't work to benefit the men's first team of PTFC, which should always be the major focus.

We need to fix Kevin Holt quickly

1 ticket available for Dinosaur Jr tomorrow night (Tues 11 Oct 1900) at QMU Glasgow. 28.50. PM if interested.