King Kenny

Fair point, I'd forgotten all about Dumbuya.

Stevie Lawless was messed around by Archibald? The same Stevie Lawless that was on record thanking Archibald for standing by him and saving his career after the ban for betting on matches? So Archibald is now to blame for a Premier League player (who probably just had the best season of his career) for not wanting to return to League 1 Thistle?! Lawless ended up playing LWB due to the injures we had at the time and the lack of cover (that is something you can blame Archie for). He played well there and has ironically also started games there for Livi as well. We need to forget the past and move on. Doolan and Erskine were great players for us but neither were up to it in their last spell with us. Sure, we'll be playing at a level below but I think there will be plenty of players out of contract who will be better bets for us.

Do the board contribute financially to the club? Do they have to make some sort of contribution per annum to sit on the board? (outwith taking hospitality tables etc)

Depressing to see how many of or current team are still in contract for next year/two years. It still baffles me the length of contracts handed to some by Caldwell/McCall as reward for what has essentially been 2 years of complete failure in the championship.

I don’t think we’re playing badly but our defence is what will see us relegated this year. I still can’t get my head round why O’Ware is not only captain but has been handed an extension. He is dreadful.

I think any Jags fan still looking at the playoffs are kidding themselves on. Survival this season will be a success (in relative terms). The new players need to get themselves up to speed straight away for us to have any chance. Thankfully it looks as though Brian Graham has and hopefully Rudden will join him. Mackinnon isn’t fit and carrying extra weight but I thought he played the defensive role well last night. His positional sense is very good which helps to make up for his lack of pace. Zanatta was a bit more positive as well. Cole’s decision making last night wasn’t great, needs to get his head up a bit more. Realistically we need to win next week. The longer we wait for our form to turn the more detached we’ll become.

Some of the new signings looked decent, some of them didn’t. I thought after a really poor start we played well and deservedly took the lead. Penalty looked soft but we played poorly after losing the equaliser. Too many players making the wrong decision and just an all round lack of quality from both teams. I hope we can turn this round but I don’t see where a lot of fans get their confidence from. We don’t score enough and can’t keep a clean sheet, if that doesn’t change soon then there is only one outcome. Its sad to see how far we’ve fallen in such a short space of time.

I can't understand the extension for O'Ware. Our defence is woeful and he's played a large part in that. I'd certainly have been waiting until the end of the season at least to see how he performed before dishing out the contract.

Jones in for Rudden.

Fastest Cardle moved yesterday was his sprint to be subbed. Contributes next to nothing, often ends up getting in Williamson’s way. Doesn’t have the pace to go on the outside of the full back so constantly cuts infield. Must be a piece of piss to mark. Austin looked to have a bit of pace and power about him, get him in ahead of Cardle.

O’Ware should never be captain of this team. Never his fault, always pointing the finger at a teammate. It’s so predictable now it’s hard to even get angry. Play well for 30 mins, don’t score then collapse. Our midfield is weak as piss, teams just run through them to be faced by the most brittle defence I’ve seen in a long time. Mackinnon would be a vast improvement and might actually bring some heart and fight to the team.

Other than that great chance in the first half, Penicuik didn't really have any clear cut chances despite having lots of possession. They were well organised and did brilliantly considering how early they went behind. The early goal probably worked against us. The players thought they would coast it and proceeded to put in well below 100%. Possibly the laziest front 2 ever seen in a Jags jersey, Harkins and Zanatta should be embarrased by that performance. The captain should be setting the standard but O'Ware struts around as if he's some world beater. Booting the ball away, swearing at team mates, always taking the easy option isn't the kind of standard I'd be looking for in my captain. His absence last season seemed to increase folks perception of how good he is in my opinion. January can't come soon enough for McCall. His hands are tied at the minute but setting up 3-5-2 against a non league team at home didn't exactly set a positive tone. Not sure any player could put his hand up and say they played well although Slater at least seem to be putting in the effort. Could hear him a few times giving Zanatta a hard time for being a lazy b*stard. Big improvents needed on Tuesday if we are to get anything.

It was Palmer with the cross, no? Either way, great ball and a great finish!

First half was awful, I feared it may go that way after seeing the starting XI. O’Ware might get away with playing midfield against hammer throwers like Connah’s but it was always going to be different today against Dorrans etc. However, credit to McCall for changing it up. Totally transformed second half. If he can get Gordon and Mansell playing consistently to that level then he’s an even better manager than I thought! Even Harkins looked much improved. Credit to Kenny Miller as well. I’ll be honest and say I was never that thrilled about him signing but he certainly knows where the goal is. Clinical finish today. Great scenes at the end, one of those Thistle games where you realise why you sit through so much pain over the years! Its always worth it in the end. Only way is up now :-)

It'll be interesting to see what the consortium have planned for Thistle. David Beattie seems to have played his cards correctly so far. If Colin Weir's involvement means a return for the old board then I wouldn't be too keen. Was this Thistle For Ever's plan from the outset? Plot thickens indeed.