Jaggernaut

McBeth was our best player when he came on, and you could see he was frustrated by the lack of options opening up due to the total lack of movement up front.

Not just lineups, but also tactics. Everything we do slows the game down entirely. Predictable and completely pointless short triangular passing on the edge of the pitch, no forward movement, and our true speciality, a whole string of pointless passes along on our back line, usually half way back in our our half, and occasionally embellished with a pass back to the keeper. We're especially "good" at this when we are one, two, or even three goals behind. With the exception of Fitzpatrick and sometimes Chalmers, nobody, but nobody in our current team (the injured Milne excepted) can go past a man; in fact nobody even tries to do it. Somebody in front of them, they'll immediately check back and pass back; no consideration is even given to trying anything else. Even our wingers won't make a run ahead for a through ball, instead they run all the way back to collect a horizontal pass from midfield, leaving them having to start from a standing position, with the opposition players now all ready to snuff out any move. It's all so predictable and easy to defend against (because there's actually nothing to defend against). What has happened to the Megwa who was a real attacking livewire against us last year? He's now like a frightened rabbit, and more ready to stop and pass back than take on his man. He frequntly gets caught out of his defensive position, and yesterday failed to block two low crosses from close in, to our detriment. The core of the team is too old! They'll be older and even slower next year. A major rejuvenation of the team is required. Urgently. Dunfermline had won one point in nine away league matches until our inept charlatans gave them yesterday's belated Christmas present. Unless there are significant changes in personnel, tactics, and motivation, I fully expect us to show similar generosity to Accies.

I started following the Jags in the mid 60s, and even then they would defeat us with boring regularity, but at least occasionally we would upset the odds and get a win. It was the same with other teams against them. Not now, though, and it hasn't happened for decades and in dozens of attempts. Although winning against them is now a distant memory for us, what's especially depressing is that occasionally other teams in their division manage to grab a win, but never by us (whenever we do feature in the same division). Maybe the two cheeks now have enormously more resources at their disposal than most other clubs compared to back then, but even so, some teams still get a shock result against them. But we don't.

Hijack alert, but for me the most truly depressing Jags statistic is our record vs. the two ugly sisters over the past 30 years or so. Failure to win a single game against either of them in several dozens of attempts. I'd guess that it's by far the worst record of all other teams that have been in the top flight for more than a couple of seasons since the 90s. It has actually led to a state of learned helplessness, to the point that I no longer even hope that we might win against them, I sense just nothing other than defeat coming up. No other teams make me feel like that (well, except maybe Hearts in any cup competition, or maybe Dundee United in a cup or play-off.... or Livi in any crucial match.........)........

Nice strip, that!

If by some miracle we got promoted, next season we would get regularly slaughtered if we tried to play at the pace and with the same predictable tactics we currently do.

Drunk as a skunk here, but the Morton result shows how inept we are at pushing forward andtodc phucing at irtanf ouytrgames home. This may be our downfall this season. Sure, we can play nicely, the slow build-up stuff that might twill allow us torget faidhrd challner. ETA: Hope everybody understood that!

Happy New Year to Jaggy folk wherever they are!

Exactly this; I couldn't put it any better.

I also thought Dunn.

Time to recall agent Sneddon from Falkirk..........

I might be wrong of course, but I immediately thought the No. 11 was Billy Gibson.

That is indeed a big problem. The lack of pace in any move starting from midfield is startling. It's stop, make a sideways or backwards pass, doing nothing but allowing the opposition to get into defensive positions. The tv commentators noted how a couple of passes and fast running on and off the ball got QP from their own penalty box to ours in a couple of seconds, in contrast to our insistence on slow build-ups. Fortunate indeed to get a couple of breaks when needed, and well done to the defence for holding out towards the end. It wasn't pretty, but an important three points in the end.

Poor fare. QP have good movement and fast passing. We are slow, with little movement up front.

Anybody else remember "Hello World" by The Tremeloes?

Thank you, BB. Merry Christmas to Jags people everywhere!

I kind of see what you mean. He'd probably have us well organized and at least looking good for the playoffs, but there's nothing so far in his record to suggest that he'd do any better than what we currently have. Maybe when the time comes when our current manager's tenure has come to a "natural" end....

Hmm, as far as I can make out, he's never won promotion, has ultimately been sacked by his previous clubs. What would be the attraction? Simply a "new face?"

A win on plastic!! Well done, Jags, and to all the R&Y army guys who deservedly saw the victory in what were terrible conditions in and around Airdrie. And the weather wasn't very appealing either.

Is that McGinty with the head bandage? For some reason whenever I think of him I have that image, resembling Basil Fawlty in the "Don't mention the war" episode!

I'm always kind of bemused by the "Sack the manager" calls that go up after a couple of bad results.... often (or even) after a string of excellent results.... these days. It's as if 100% success 100% of the time or something very near it is the only thing that should allow football managers to continue to try to get the best performances for their club and its supporters. No tolerance of dips in form, either by individual players or even groups of players; no, it's the manager's fault, or he should have anticipated the howling performances, or hooked players earlier.....; no tolerance of bad refereeing decisions, or injuries, or bad breaks on the field, or unexpectedly good performances by the opposition. Nope, "You win the big one next time, or you're out!" is the mantra of some regarding the manager. And that will lead to what?: Somebody else getting another "cushy number" probably having been sacked because of failing to deliver the top prize or achieving "satisfactory progress" at his previous clubs! Thinking back to earlier years (let's say the 60s): Thistle usually never qualified for Europe (with the one exception... then even so, they didn't go far; in the 70s too), they never really challenged for the league title, or a Scottish or League Cup. They perennially hung around mid-table safety/mediocrity. But I don't recall any outraged clamour for sacking the manager (back then fans' opinions were largely limited to comments shouted towards the dugouts as supporters gathered to leave at the terracing exits; no online, immediate diffusion of one's discontent back then). Sadly, for most of the last four decades we've been a second-tier (occasionally better, occasionally worse) football team. Achieving the play-offs in the past couple of seasons has been brilliant, albeit heartbreaking. In my opinion we got blatantly robbed (cheated?) in Dingwall because of a refereeing decision. I think we might qualify again for the play-offs this season, but again will probably fall short (and perhaps even against Livi too, Aaaargh!). So, should the manager be sacked? And if that happens, and the next one fails to get us up (or even into the play-offs), how long does he get? If he fails, what was the point of sacking the previous one, who was presumably learning and developing new strategies? How many new managers o people want, and how often? Brought to you by some cheap, imported but very drinkable white wine (Chile, I think.).

Aw naw, that's us beat already.

That leaves just the player being manhandled to be identified. And we all know who it must be..... I quite liked that navy blue and yellow combination away outfit.

The women's team made a few "big" (or at least trumpeted) signings this season, with a view to consolidating a top six place again, and/or improving. But frankly, results haven't been great, and it would take a minor miracle now to finish in the top six. Questions to be raised about whether the manager is the right person for the job? (After all, that is what some people think concerning the men's team!)

What we can look forward to: (For the avoidance of doubt, we are shooting left to right!)