Ancipital

Was in it a week past Friday for the first time since rebranded, there are some improvements in terms of a bit more space, sorting out the hellish draught at the top bar anytime someone opened the door (by removing the door!) and there's still a decent range of non-lager drinks and no music, but changing from 3 bars to 1 meant it was about a 4 deep queue for drinks by 10pm on a Friday, which I can never be bothered with.

Hopefully he does mean two and a half years and not two and a half weeks

Jim Slavin- thirty thousand pounds...and he cost us some money as well.

He's scored 4 and set up the other 3 of the 7 that Stirling have scored against us, he must be doing something right. I wouldn't have been averse to taking him on loan but Stirling have unsurprisingly extended his loan til the end of the season.

Presumably that's why it's only legally for fans outside the UK, although there are no doubt ways and means around it.

Unless someone comes in for our current Paton there's no need for another one.

It's all very well saying players will be moved on, but who would take these guys? they're at the lowest level of the full time game and I don't see many of our divisional rivals taking folk we don't want or players going part time mid-season. Also heard the rumour re: Liam being one of those in line for the exit.

The Storm Queen is back to being called the Storm Queen after being the Clyde Valley and (I think) the Hebridean.

Serious question- has he had his ears pinned back or is it just that his face is fleshier now than in his playing days? Couldn't stand him in the past - the spitting into the crowd story is pretty shameful although I'm never sure how much intent there was- and all the goals and diving didn't help either but I don't harbour any genuine ill feeling towards the guy these days and glad to see a Scottish (which I'm classing him as) manager doing well.

Obviously this will come down to budget, how many of the current squad will maintain or attain coaching roles, and who earns what, but the only ones I'd be worried about losing on PCAs would be Paton and Boyle (and what a turnaround that is for Paddy). I certainly wouldn't be falling over myself to hand Buchanan a new deal, in the calendar year 2010 he's only missed the last couple of weeks of last season with a broken foot so he's not been out with his long-term injuries at any point. His record in 2010- 33 games, 5 goals. As for the veterans, you've got to think that one or both of Robbo and Archie will not have their deal renewed. Rowson's future may lie in the hands of MacBeth / Bannigan and how they progress between now and May. Who knows what will happen with the 4 coaches. Guys in their early 20s like Erskine, Hodge, Flannigan, and Doolan have the rest of the season to prove themselves, they've all done well in wee patches this season but not consistently.

Looked OK I suppose, didn't rain during the match which helped. Wasn't cutting up too much at scrum time. The crowd was just under 4,000 although the Beeb have it as 7,500

The weather would have affected the crowd, there was over 5000 the last time they played Toulouse.

Any word on re-arrangement? I note the other SFL postponed games are going ahead on Tuesday, can we put this one back to the original date or do we have to play it then? Would guess both teams are now fairly sick of the sight of each other and a Tuesday later in the season might draw a tiny bit more of a crowd.

OK, I'll admit that there was an element of mischief-making (and drink) in my original post, but I was dismayed to an extent yesterday. Possibly rose-tinted nostalgia but I remember when I was a kid Thistle always took a large away support as a proportion of our home support, and it was normally noisy (if not always positive!). Yesterday, looking over at the fans in the East Stand it could have been any team (OK maybe not the OF due to lack of knuckles dragging along the ground). Maybe more indicative of football in general and the largely sterile atmosphere all-seater stadia provide than Thistle support. Clap politely, cheer briefly when we score (the celebrations at the 3rd goal were so muted on the field and in the stand that I had to stop myself and look for a linesman's flag) and boo when the opposition have a 5 minute spell on top. No doubt if the terracing had been closed and everyone in the stand there would have been no singing at all. In fact it would have been just like Firhill... Anyway, I had a good day out and hopefully we get a wee trip to another ground with terracing in the next round. Oh, and I'm a better fan than no-one, probably won't be at another game til Boxing day!

The crowd today was just shy of 1150, maybe 500 Stirling 650 Thistle tops. I don't normally go in for the "better fan than you" chat but anyone in the stand must have been a wee bit embarrassed when the players clapped them at full time as there was absolutely ZERO noise from the stand considering it was a Scottish Cup tie, and indeed those patrons only really made themselves heard with the booing after Stirling hit the post at at 1-1. By contrast the 100 or so fans on the terrace absolutely tore their throats out for the team (almost literally in some cases, certain folk were coughing up blood for about an hour after the game), including a continous chant of "red 'n' yella army" for about 15 minutes before we scored the 1st, and I'm disappointed that Mr McCall made no mention of the support as he is quick to slag the support at Firhill when we get a duff result. The support today in general was Livi-esque, and I'm getting quite worried that this is the direction we're heading in. Someone please re-assure me we're not (with evidence).

I’m not sure of Campbell and Lochhead’s best positions having never seen them. I’d go 4-4-2 tomorrow, Stirling only really play with Smith up front- and assuming Flannigan and Doolan out Fox Paton Kinniburgh Archie Boyle Cairney McNamara Hodge Erskine Buchanan Grehan Subs Halliwell McGeough Campbell Donnelly Fraser I’d almost be tempted to give one of the young midfielders a start, as that midfield is uninspiring dross. If Doolan’s good for 60 minutes plus then start him in place of Grehan, if not or there’s a doubt then don’t have him in the squad at all.

Re: the youths, he'll have to put (at least) two of them on the bench on Saturday as it's the Scottish Cup. I could understand the logic of having Maxwell on the bench to an extent (Archie is made of glass these days and Willie K is only ever one brainfart away from getting himself injured / sent off)and Morton were always going to have at least one big lump up front, but Rowson and Donnelly- that was pretty uninspiring.

Think Tam's internet connection has gone down or he's been huckled by the Tayside Gestapo... edit: back on now.

Oh, and next week is Hardie's last game (if he's fit).

I couldn't see us getting anything today to start with, even less so after I saw the team, but it sounds as if we could be quite a few down by now already.

I can only imagine what the internet forums would have been like if they'd been around in Bobby's playing days! An early Jags hero of mine and well deserved. Scandalous he never got a testimonial.

Fox Paton Balatoni Robbo Boyle Flannigan Hardie Bannigan Erskine Doolan Grehan Subs Wallihell McGeough McNamara Cairney Buchanan I suspect today will see Return of the Max tho...

Just bring a swearbox... we could raise enough to pay off McCall with the money raised if we play like saturday

As far as I can see, Halliwell has been largely responsible for Goals 1 & 2 at Raith on day 1 Stirling's 1st at Firhill (weak save) Both Ross County goals in cup at Dingwall Goals 2 and 3 yesterday That's not to mention other ones where he could be partly responsible (i.e. crosses into box at Cowden). At the current rate he's going to cost us 25 goals a season. But our other options are a barrage balloon or a total rookie. Hmmm...