Jaggernaut

In the end, a draw was probably about right, although according to the BBC we had more possession, more shots, more shots on target, and more corners. I still think we're too fond of tippy tappy for no real reason, and walking forward with the ball, waiting for our forwards to actually come back to receive an almost sideways pass. Lots of misplaced or overhit passes and unlucky bounces for both sides today, but to be fair, both teams showed no lack of effort. Holt was pretty immense in the Ayr defence. Our throw-ins are dreadful. Ayr could cause St Johnstone problems, whereas Arbroath will be swept aside by us..... 😎

Half-time. Not a great game. Each keeper has made one important save. Ayr ahead on corners, but lots of loose balls, wayward passes.

I seem to have stumbled in using my old password, and paid the 15 quid. Now just waiting for them to start. Monra Jags!

Thanks, I'm struggling to get it to allow me to re-set my password.....

No sign of any live stream yet.

RIP, Alan. That was an interesting article.

I'd forgotten some of the old jokes... a few can still bring a smile. It's a reminder of another failed attempt at "development" at Firhill which did little other than destroy a good part of the stadium (i.e., demolishing parts of the terracing for the dug tracks)..... similar to the more recent total destruction of the city end terracing to leave us not with any kind of development, but only a bing. And as for Miller Reid's dreams of a super stadium/complex......

Brilliant, JD. I'd suppressed the details from my memory.

My memory of "the old days" includes the idea that whenever there was a reason for a midweek game (e.g., playing a postponed fixture, or a replay), the game would always get played on Wednesday evening. But at some point and for some reason, the preference or the stipulation changed to make it Tuesday. Is that right, and if so when did it happen (and why)? Of course this doesn't concern the crazy Friday night scheduling of some matches for tv "entertainment." PS: I think I remember a Firhill replay of a Cup match against Hearts on a Tuesday afternoon (which meant another afternoon doggin' off school). The result? Well...... you can guess, given our woeful record against them in Cups.

Groan: only waiting for the inevitable Tarts or Arabs ties to eliminate us, home or away. Vs the auld filth, it doesn't matter as much, but these two.......

Disappointed that there doesn't seem to be a live stream from Forfar.

With the exception of St Johnstone, I think the away supports have been pretty meagre this season.

Brilliant, afk.

And most of those pass backs are for no particular reason. Same as goal kicks getting passed 2 yards to a defender, then it goes across to another defender, and then back to the goalie....... what's the f****ing point?

I don't think it's needed in January, but let's hold on to Diack. He can clearly score when he gets opportunities. Watt recently got his first goal in something like eight games. He's a "striker," but his work apart from scoring goals is also rightly appreciated. Let's not prematurely release a young guy who looks like he has the potential to go much further.

Maybe the same could be said for Lawless. Understandably, Chalmers and Fitzy are our de facto starting wingers. When he has come on as a sub, Lawless has done OK, but enough to be here next year (especially if by some miracle we end up in the top flight)? I'm not so sure. I admire SL, but unless it was a kind of paid-if-you-play deal, I'm not sure about his position at Firhill next season. Either way, I'll accept it!

Highlights from DAFC now on Youtube. And some good captures from the JH stand on this vlog:

Always loved the goalies' green woolly polo necks from those days! I treasure my classic R&Y hoops jersey with the black collar (as in the photo), bought (I think) from Toffs many years ago. It comes out for the biggest games only (e.g., league deciders, Scottish Cup semi-final, Challenge Cup final), so it doesn't see the light of day all that often!

An excellent team display, especially the defensive aspect against a fast and slick passing side. Each player did their bit and mostly did it well. For me, Samuel played his best game for us yet, McPherson mostly kept McPake in check, Mr T buzzed around annoying the opposition at every moment.... But one who tends to be under the radar is Reading at left back... another rock-solid performance from him. Almost 5.5K people there, pretty impressive! Dunfermline won't bring as many fans as St Johnstone on Tuesday, but hopefully another big Thistle support will see us go joint top. By the way, I can't recall ever enjoying reading or listening to a manager/coach's review of games as much as those of Wilson. Most managers trot out the same cliches time and again without actually explaining anything or giving any real insight. But Wilson is excellent at communicating the set-up of the team, the tactics, and the reasoning behind various moves, substitutions, etc. Not only that, but he's clearly doing a great job at getting results..... I hope we can hold onto him.

And it looks like he's scoring..... hope so!

Haha, maybe top of the "flukiest" category too!

The O'Donnell one I mentioned was at Tannadice, but you're right: both of those goals vs Dunfermline were sublime. The shot by Forbes was a real daisy cutter.

Along with Archie Gemmill's dribbling run vs. Holland, two and possibly three of Scotland's goals vs Denmark could be contenders for the shortlist of 'best ever Scotland goals.' How about best ever Thistle goals? Here's some of my favs: Best dribble and goal: Dan McLindon vs Dundee Utd. (Special mentions to Dools vs Hibs and Erskine vs Falkirk.) Best Barcelona-type goal: Stephen O'Donnell's vs Dundee United. (A few recent ones have been the outcome of great teamwork from several players, but can't put my finger on a particular one right now.) Best long-range goal: One of Stanway's recent few. (Special mention to Rowson for his howitzer vs. Livingston.) Best headed goal: Donnie MacKinnon's only goal, a bullet header from around 15 yards, from a corner, vs. Hibs. (Special mention to Badger for his header at Hampden which the lodge members conspired to disallow.) Cheekiest goal: Frank Coulston crawling on his hands and knees to head the ball over the line (vs. Stranraer?) (Special mentions to Trigger (vs Falkirk) and Graham (I forget the opposition) for unexpected scoring backheelers. Flukiest goal: Steven Craig sticking out a foot from which the opposition goalie's kick-out rebounded into the net. Best "Haha, thank you goalie!" goal: Yon Falkirk goalie completely missing his kick. Any other categories and contenders?

Amazing archives, and great reading!