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Here is a We Are Free Agents interview with Conrad Balatoni about his thoughts on the SPL season, the opening game against Dundee United, New Year's Day at Celtic and his return to Hearts. It was posted last weekend but a small oversight meant that it was not posted on wearethistle. http://wearefreeagents.net/2013/06/23/thistles-balatoni-up-for-the-premier-league-challenge/ Enjoy

With all the talk of reconstruction which is, in reality, little more than an exercise akin to rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic after somebody got too much ice in their G & T, it does seem as though Scottish Football will undergo some sort of cosmetic surgery in the foreseeable future. The one positive element in an otherwise blatant attempt at preserving as near as they can get to the status quo will be the redistribution of some cash to ensure that the team emerging as Champions of the First Division will earn more than the currently derisory figure of less than £70,000 or approximately one tenth of the sum accrued by the side finishing in the current SPL relegation slot! This disparity has been one of the major causes of the incestuous nature of the SPL – truly a Self Preservation League. As we know to our cost, promoted teams generally reach the SPL already massively handicapped by the financial disparity, a problem exacerbated by the bonuses which will be due to playing and management staff, to necessary ground improvements, additional policing costs and the need to recruit a new team in an attempt to stay in Scotland’s Promised Land. To again take Thistle as an example, if we win the League this season will we be going up to the basement? Regrettably, but viewing the situation realistically, it is difficult to see any other option! Amidst the miles of column inches devoted to the way forward for Scottish Football and the potential for it to be introduced with a haste far from characteristic of the leaders of our game, the matter of when the increased payment for the winners of the First Division will kick-in has not featured. Unfortunately, I have little doubts that it will not be applied retrospectively and that even if the new structure comes into force for season 2013-14 ( a fanciful idea if it is to be a reasoned and fully considered re-organisation ) then this will be the worst possible year to be promoted since the financial boost will not be there for us and we will go to the SPL with a cash-strapped handicap which would make us more of a candidate for a Findus Lasagne than a thoroughbred chase! Ask me as a fan of almost fifty years and I will unhesitatingly crave the success of a title win and the chance to engage with those currently occupying the upper echelons of the game. Ask me as a reasoning individual and I fear that such success in 2012-13 could be a poisoned chalice and that a 13-14 win (historical resonance and all) would be a far better option. Of course , one doesn't get a choice in such matters - or at least one shouldn't - but you have to wonder whether Messrs Rae (Morton), Yorkston (Dunfermline) or our very own Messrs Beattie and Allan are not already pondering on these huge issues and reaching alarming conclusions? We live in interesting times!

I am a Media Student at Cardonald College and have been tasked with writing a piece for radio about Partick Thistle. It's not a profile of the team, more a tale of their relationship with Glasgow, the Old Firm and a bit on their great start to the season. I have been watching Thistle intermittently for years now, but would not profess to be an expert of the club, therefore I need someone far more experienced to help me write some good copy about the club. Below is some questions I'd love to be covered. You don't need to answer them all but write as much or as little as you like. Feel free to expand and explain anything you think is necessary. Also, my piece centres around my experience at the Dunfermline game at the weekend, so your thoughts on that would also be helpful. I'd really appreciate any help you can give me. Genuinely, it's proven harder finding fans willing to spare a moment of their time than I thought it'd be! I that it can be annoying to fill these things out but I only have nice things to say about the club and its fans. Not that it'll ever be published though! Questions What's it like supporting Partick Thistle? What's in the psyche of a Jags fan? What is your most treasured memory of being a Thistle supporter? What are your feelings towards the Old Firm? Especially the Rangers debacle. Thistle are top of the league and in a cup final. How do you feel about how the season is progressing? What's changed this year? Will there be success at the end of it? Finally, what are your thoughts after the game against Dunfermline at the weekend? Cheers, Callum Tyler [email protected] @cal_tyler http://www.gibfootballshow.co.uk/2011/01/glasgows-other-team/ http://jenslehmannsterms.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/they-dont-play-in-blue-they-dont-play.html#more