Legs Like A Spider

Thoroughly enjoyed today. Most complete performance for a while against a poor Queen of the South team. It’s going to be hard to recruit in the summer for a few reasons. One is we have a better set of players so it’ll more difficult get improvements on our budget but I think Caldwell will do it. I’ve a feeling McDonald will not be with us next year but the club really has to push the boat out to try and keep him cos he makes such a difference. Sneddon is a smashing young keeper and is certainly good enough to remain our number one in the championship. All the loan players played well today but all can be replaced with better. If I was trying to get one on a permanent contract it would be Gordon but again unlikely. as he'll prob get better offers. I don’t see the point with the constant childish bickering about Caldwell on here. I don’t think anybody is 100% sure about him. Just when you think he’s good he makes strange decisions but the bottom line is he will be here next year so we just have to accept it and hope he is a success. Thought the numbers and the backing from the fans was great today. Its easy to be critical but the young guys do what they do with their pyro’s and running on the pitch and creating atmosphere while the old guys on here sit and clap politely it’s just an age thing. Its about being young and pushing the boundaries. Cut them a bit of slack. It was a season from hell but incredibly I can't wait for next season.

Big game with people's livelihoods at stake and the powers that be put a totally inept ******** in charge. Incredible!!

Subs far far far too late!

I was down at Ayr for the opening game of the season and in front a great thistle travelling support I saw one of the most disjointed and awful performances I had seen for many many years. All the new season enthusiasm was drained from me. Tonight went some way to erasing that memory in front of another great travelling support.

Haha! Balance is important.

Yeah, I agree. It all adds to the difficulty in deciding his ability. In his defence I think goalscoring had been identified as a major problem and he maybe panicked a bit as the clock was ticking and he grabbed at anything offered. I also think it is very rare for any manager to bring in so many players in one window and they all turn out a success. Another issue is Joe Cardle. I think he was as good a signing as MacDonald and he really changes games when he comes on. I don't quite get his lack of time on the pitch.

Spot on. I agree with all of this. While the battle rages on here between those that want Caldwell out and those that think he’s fantastic I just cant decide. At the start of the season Archiebald had run his course and the team was a shambles. Caldwell came in and everyone wanted him to succeed. However, he changed very little and the disastrous season continued. There was no new manager bounce and the poor results kept coming. The board was never going to sack him but he looked clueless. His dealings in January were very good. He seemed to correctly identify the problems, shipped out most of the problem players and brought in better players. Results did improve. Yet there is still something missing. We lack consistency A lot of people on here insisting we praise him for his half time changes on Saturday but for the third home game in a row he has started with the wrong team and tactics. The MacDonald signing was an outstanding piece of business and I actually think he will improve the team further in the summer if we stay up. There just seems to be an arrogance and a stubbornness that’s preventing him from succeeding. Too often the team has looked uncertain of their roles and players who could make a difference have been warming the bench. So will he keep us up? After Saturday I think yes. Will he get us promoted next season? I’m not so sure.

Don't want to sound as if I'm panicking but maybe Caldwell will need to bring Storey on 5 minutes earlier today.

Message to Gary C..... Please don't overthink things today. Dont try and be clever. We need to win not contain. We play on a size of pitch they are not used to. Get at them. Put the players on the park that can hurt them dont have them sitting on the bench. Get the formation right from the start. Learn from recent home games. They will be confident after a run of wins so put doubt in their minds from the off. If we need a goal near the end bring on players who will provide them not players who have struggled all season. Get the fans singing. Could be a day that decides your career so good luck Gary.

It would have been a fantastic point today if the team had been set up correctly at the start of the Inverness and Dunfermline games. Hopefully lessons learned before the Alloa game!!

It's ok I'll back off now I've already given examples. When I asked what had happened to our marquee signing I didn't expect state police parked across the road. I've obviously been asking too many questions. Quite enjoyed the later stages of today's game I'll go back to just watching the football. If I asked why Cardle hasn't been starting recently would you get annoyed xxx

Of course he's available he's on our fecken books!!!!!! You're obviously very easy to please when it comes to the club giving out player info.

Aye. Very good! You just keep paying your money.

Correct. It would be totally unprofessional for the club to discuss the terms of his contract. To tell us why a player, who could potentially improve the team, is not playing is quite different. I ( indirectly ) pay his wages, why should I not know why he is not being played. Clubs have often stated a player is overweight or not fit. Celtic even explained one of their players wasn't playing cos he had mental health issues for goodness sake. So you reckon I just keep paying my money but it would be unprofessional to tell me why a player is turning out for the reserves but not getting played for the first team. Give me a break.

At bigger clubs the press / media do the job and ask the questions on behalf of the fans. At smaller clubs issues tend to be common knowledge. It's the club's in the middle ( where we are just now) that there tends to be a disconnect.

Ok. I agree. Take 'this year' out of the original post

The likelihood is that he will leave the club. It would be ridiculous if the fans who greeted his signing with such enthusiasm were never told why he goes ( if he goes! ) He looks ok in the reserves so is it legal reasons, fitness reasons, attitude reasons, not signed by Caldwell reasons, not good enough...….. should we not be told. Don't need chapter and verse just an idea why our big signing didn't work out. Thistle fans have been treated as idiots by the club this year being offered spin and tightly scripted interviews instead of meaningful engagement.

Wow! a football fans forum where all football fans are branded *********.

The term 'abuse' needs clarified. Normally the manager takes the flak for picking the player rather than the player getting a hard time themself. This has been a tough season for thistle fans and there have been a hell of a lot of individual bad performances on the park but I haven't heard anything too shocking hurled at players. Maybe a bit of booing or calls to get them off the park. Elliot went through a bad spell at the start of the season even giving away goals and I never heard anything like abuse hurled at him. Ryan should explain his poor performances instead of getting bitter.

So, if we had won the Ramsdens Cup against Queen of the South on penalties and next day we had the cup taken from us and presented to Queen of the South then everyone here would think that was fair enough we deserved to be punished because of a few fans who got overexcited after Doolans goal?? The facts are the 'big clubs' will not be affected but the smaller clubs will. Scottish football is not in a financial position to pass liability onto clubs. Self policing at a club like thistle with no real hooligan element will work fine but at an Edinburgh derby it would probably not be safe to give a right good ticking off to some coked up nutcase heading for the wall to jump on to the pitch. Its typical of current authorities that they absolve all responsibilty and everybody suffers for the actions of a few. As fans we already endure being filmed, body searched, abused by stewards, etc. There are enough rules and regulations in place. How about the police just do their job.

How is strict liability fair?

Maybe Caldwell has ideas about playing her in a defensive midfield role against Morton. After last nights team selection rule nothing out!!

Some very depressing posts on here. Its mind blowing to think a year ago I was enjoying trips to Edinburgh and Aberdeen and now the most likely scenario is that there will be a further massive turn around of players as we go part time. Juniors and players in the twilight of their careers will be our team. It can still be avoided of course but last night indicated that the manager and players probably dont have what it takes to get us out of this. The board get more anonymous by the day. Now might be a good time for one of these motivational interviews we were getting earlier in the season from J-Lo and Gerry or are we seeing the captain and officers rowing away from the sinking ship in their dingy leaving the passengers and crew to go down.

Real version……….. A bitter night with a poor crowd. That was probably the game that will put us down a division. What was Caldwell thinking when he selected that team. This was a massive step backwards. I don’t think the defence or midfield had been told who was meant to be doing what. All our creative players were dropped to the bench. McGinty would have a strong case for getting back in the team on the back of Andersons display. The ball was being thrashed aimlessly from the defence. McDonald is a proper footballer and was being asked to chase balls just launched into no man’s land. Why did Fitzpatrick not get on the park? Cardle has shown he gives the team more of an attacking edge. Why did he not start? Coulibaly is showing up well in the reserves, why does he not even make the bench? Why was the team lesft for so long without changing things? Why did the team just fold when the second goal went in? What exactly was the game plan tonight? These are the questions I’m sure our slick JagZone interviewer will be putting to the manager.

What a game. The manager totally nailed it. The team totally controlled the first half, every man knew his job. It was terrific. Second half cranked things up. Storey coming off the bench was a master stroke and his 30 yard volley with a minute to go has to be goal of the season. This drinking milarky is the business.