Spanish Jag

I follow updates on the Sporting Life website and everytime a goal is scored in a game, a yellow light flashes on the scoreboard. It has been flashing like the traffic lights over the last 10 minutes or so. Now is red. End of the game. Quarter-final stage.

It´s worth saying that only four clubs( Osasuna, At.Bilbao, Real and Barcelona) have boards elections, the first two beacuse they were the only debt-free clubs when the rest turned to plc companies, the two ugly sisters because they were allowed to remain that way, even if at that moment, start of 90´s, they were already deep in debts. Now, all 42 full professional clubs, including those four, have a combined tax debt of around 700M euros, twenty of them are( or have been) in something similar to administration, where by the way you don´t get any point deduction that leads to relegation. That, according to experts, should enhance the club financial survival. Boards, plc or not plc, waste millions of public money from councils and regional governments. That is not sustainable, that is careless. Osasuna have asked the local government for a credit to pay their debt, repayable in 75 years and they have been answered a clear NOT. Bilbao have a estimated debt of 50M euros but at least they still play with players 100% Basque or from their youth set-up. No need to talk about the financial situation of the two giants of Spanish football. The only sustainable system, and this also applies for Thistle and Scottish football, is spending as much money as your income suggests and working your youth system with good coaches. Onto Rayo, they are the greatest working class club in this country, they are a great little club receiving far less help from governments than Getafe and Atletico, let alone Real Madrid. But they are from a "town" inside Madrid with a population of more than 1 million, a fifth of the total from the province and that´s where their greatest asset comes, their fans. PS: back in Scotland this weekend. Hoping to catch the game at Falkirk although, judging by comments by fans here, I´d better stay in a Glasgow pub.

Thought this would lift up the spirit of people here a bit. It looks as if it´s really down of late. Even if it´s a defeat and goals are already uploaded to YT, I´ve uploaded highlights of around eight minutes with a few things that, unfortunately, you don´t see these days in a Jags match, a strong Thistle support, a truly crunching tackle and of course, Chico marauding all around the field. Enjoy it!

Half of an hour and only three up you bunch of nohopers.

Leaving aside the OF, which is always a good excuse for a laugh, what makes me think is: 28 years ago, a provincial club like Aberdeen formed 100% by Scots beat Real Madrid in the final of an European competition, then those 20 years pass by and they get well beaten by the other team from Madrid, Atletico. In the semifinal they had humilliated Bayern Munich but the Germans got their revenge after 20 years beating the Dons 5-1. Another provincial side like Dundee Utd thumped Slask Wroclaw 7-2 in the UEFA Cup with a team formed 100% by Scots. That thumping was turned into a defeat when the same teams met a few weeks ago. What has happened in that elapsed time that things have changed so drastically? Is the problem lack of money as Mark McGhee ( wrongly in my opinion) suggested or is something that has more to do with decline in the sport or in the society as well? What is wrong with the people that has to do something about it? Are they far from bright for good ideas or do they lack investment? Clearly something has to be done. Football in Scotland deserves something better than this crap.

92-93 Partick Thistle 3-0 Rangers 95-96 Play-off Dundee Utd. 2-1 Partick Thistle 87-88 SC Q-F Partick T. 0-3 Celtic 17 mins. 05-06 SC 4th R.rep. Partick Thistle 1-1 Inverness Caley. 05-06 Q-F Hearts 2-1 Partick Thistle 71-72 SLC final Partick Thistle 4-1 Celtic 17 mins. PARTICK THISTLE SECOND DIVISION CHAMPIONS 2000-01 PARTICK THISTLE FIRST DIVISION CHAMPIONS 2001-02 Sorry for including the Tannadice game on the classic section. It should really go in the "Classic Disasters".

For years I´ve been "grasping" Scottish football footage from all corners of the world, dealers, fellow collectors,... I didn´t reject anything, it doesn´t matter whether it was Aberdeen or East Stirling. As a result, I have hundreds of hours covering all kind of games, even if I have Champions League or World Cups as well, Scottish football footage has always been my biggest aim and that´s where I put most of the effort. Not forgetting Scotland national team. I must be nearing the 100-match mark on full games involving the senior, B team, under-21 and under-19 sides.

I´m the responsible for the video upload and I can assure you, after watching the full game, that there is not a single shot of the Jags support. In some throw-ins, you can vaguely see the stand where they are standing but not a decent shot of them. Although I´ll be the first to say sorry for not including the post incident, the 10-minute limitation on the video didn´t help anyway. A great document of the Thistle history nonetheless and one that has been hard to find for me.

One more question, please: Does the Greaves shop at Hampden sell Thistle stuff? If not, which one does it on the city centre?

Job done but it looked easier than I first thought. I got the ticket at 11.00am but my credit card is still to be charged. Is there any queue processing all orders to select who are sent the tickets and who aren´t?

Despite the woeful performance, doesn´t anyone think that, had Boyd been allowed through on goal in the first half instead of the ref saying it was offside, that would have completely changed the course of things? Also, having seen those minnows concede only four against the World Champions four days earlier, I always knew it would be difficult for Scotland to score a few, let alone if you concede one just after the interval. Three points is only thing that matter( and don´t forget Lithuania won in Prague, where Scotland has to play yet).

Hi, everybody. First of all, let me say that it´s good to see there is still some Jags forum running since the times of the dot.net forum and that some of you come from that era. Even if I don´t post, I have been sent bouncing from one forum to another just to follow how Thistle are doing. Now to my enquiry, I know it´s a big shout but maybe some caricative soul can help me. I´ll be in Edinburgh from the 9th to the 14th of October and would be quite happy to get to Hampden for the game against Spain. That is if I´m able to get a ticket. I´ve been visiting the SFA website but I´m afraid they will only sell tickets to that group called Scotland Supporters club and the chance to get it when they go on public sale seems very slim. I wonder if any of you has the chance to get an extra ticket. I think they are priced £35 but I´d be willing to pay even £50 if needed. Before you ask me to get it for the away section, let me say that I want to watch the game from the home stands because it´s Scotland who I´ll be cheering on to win( despite tonight´s below-par performance). Plus no public sale for tickets has apparently been set in the Spanish FA website. Don´t ask me why I´ll be cheering Scotland to win because that´s a long story and one who would take me 10,000 characters and going back to Italia-90 to explain. If any of you can help me or give any ideas on what to do, just feel free to answer or send me a PM.