Dick Dastardly Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 I was wondering if this is now the Thistle squad with the smallest percentage of native Scots ever. By my count (leaving out Duggan, Keenan and Wilson), we have 19 first team players and we have 8 - Balatoni, Carroll, Craigen, Eccleston, Elliot, Higginbotham, Osman and Seabourn - who are not native Scots. In the reserves there is also Basalaj, Colina and Richards-Everton, I've not got a problem with this, as a club we need to bring in the best talent that we can afford, but many on this forum have been talking for years about developing Scottish players for the good of the national side. Is this a sign that there is just no longer the depth of talent within Scotland to sustain an SPFL side ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Gekantawa Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 If your concern is the national side, I wouldn't include Balatoni. He has grown up in Scotland from a young age and is therefore completely eligible for Scotland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaggernaut Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 If your concern is the national side, I wouldn't include Balatoni. He has grown up in Scotland from a young age and is therefore completely eligible for Scotland. Conrad for Scotland! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Nixon Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 The least Scottish Thistle squad ever? How about the most International Thistle squad ever! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian_mac Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 I think this point is countered by the fact that nearly all of these players are from other parts of the UK. The most "international" squad I can remember is the one put together by Collins, Britton & Whyte between 2003 and 2005. Coincidentally, the worst Jags team of all time on paper, suffering 2 successive relegations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Wragg Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 Sign of the present times we live in. Our youth programme is still pretty much in its infancy, as are most other Scottish clubs development policy but the future looks good I believe, especially here at Firhill, the talent being developed will begin to come through over the next 5 years or so , give it time . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunnikierjag Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 Conrad for Scotland! Only if you support the opposition. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady-isobel-barnett Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 Not often we've had a squad containing Scotsmen, Englishmen, Irish and one Welsh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Santana Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 I was wondering if this is now the Thistle squad with the smallest percentage of native Scots ever. By my count (leaving out Duggan, Keenan and Wilson), we have 19 first team players and we have 8 - Balatoni, Carroll, Craigen, Eccleston, Elliot, Higginbotham, Osman and Seabourn - who are not native Scots. In the reserves there is also Basalaj, Colina and Richards-Everton. Duggan is Australian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Nixon Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 I think this point is countered by the fact that nearly all of these players are from other parts of the UK. Not often we've had a squad containing Scotsmen, Englishmen, Irish and one Welsh. Partick Thistle: better together? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunnikierjag Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 Partick Thistle: better together? Partick Thistle football team. Keep politics out of it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Nixon Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 Partick Thistle football team. Keep politics out of it. Humour is wasted on the internet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunnikierjag Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 Humour is wasted on the internet. You are about as funny as the real Richard Nixon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Nixon Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 You are about as funny as the real Richard Nixon. Sorry. Next time I'll try to phrase my jokes in the form of a pun to make it more palatable. Gotta remember your audience! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allyo Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 Sorry. Next time I'll try to phrase my jokes in the form of a pun to make it more palatable. Gotta remember your audience! Wat-er-great idea! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yokerjag Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 Partick Thistle football team. Keep politics out of it. i agree. don't mix football and politics. especially thistle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Incognito Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 I was wondering if this is now the Thistle squad with the smallest percentage of native Scots ever. By my count (leaving out Duggan, Keenan and Wilson), we have 19 first team players and we have 8 - Balatoni, Carroll, Craigen, Eccleston, Elliot, Higginbotham, Osman and Seabourn - who are not native Scots. In the reserves there is also Basalaj, Colina and Richards-Everton, I've not got a problem with this, as a club we need to bring in the best talent that we can afford, but many on this forum have been talking for years about developing Scottish players for the good of the national side. Is this a sign that there is just no longer the depth of talent within Scotland to sustain an SPFL side ? Towards the end of Craig Brown's tenure as Scotland manager I can remember him saying that the only issue he had with foreign players playing in Scotland was that too few Scots were playing outside Scotland, meaning that not only were Scots struggling to get a game abroad but they were even struggling to get a game in the own domestic league. The number of non-Scots in Scotland's top flight does appear to have increased again recently but the difference now compared to 13 or 14 years ago is that the number of Scots playing outside Scotland has also increased (albeit it is still mainly England they head for). It is now possible for Gordon Strachan to field a side consisting of players who have experience of playing in the EPL and/or the Champions League - a luxury not enjoyed by some of his predecessors. While I don't deny that things could, and probably should, be much better here in terms of youth development here in Scotland, I don't think there is a lack of domestic footballing talent as such. If there was then clubs from south of the border and beyond wouldn't be shelling out cash to sign Scottish players. As far as the national team is concerned I think this situation is healthy. As far as the SPFL as a spectacle is concerned, well, I can't help but think it is having a detrimental effect on the standard of the game up here. Basically, there is no way that Scottish teams can compete on a financial level when it comes to retaining to young talent, as we have seen ourselves when ATS left Firhill to sign for Wigan. If your concern is the national side, I wouldn't include Balatoni. He has grown up in Scotland from a young age and is therefore completely eligible for Scotland. James Craigen is also eligible to play for Scotland too, I believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady-isobel-barnett Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 Towards the end of Craig Brown's tenure as Scotland manager I can remember him saying that the only issue he had with foreign players playing in Scotland was that too few Scots were playing outside Scotland, meaning that not only were Scots struggling to get a game abroad but they were even struggling to get a game in the own domestic league. The number of non-Scots in Scotland's top flight does appear to have increased again recently but the difference now compared to 13 or 14 years ago is that the number of Scots playing outside Scotland has also increased (albeit it is still mainly England they head for). It is now possible for Gordon Strachan to field a side consisting of players who have experience of playing in the EPL and/or the Champions League - a luxury not enjoyed by some of his predecessors. While I don't deny that things could, and probably should, be much better here in terms of youth development here in Scotland, I don't think there is a lack of domestic footballing talent as such. If there was then clubs from south of the border and beyond wouldn't be shelling out cash to sign Scottish players. As far as the national team is concerned I think this situation is healthy. As far as the SPFL as a spectacle is concerned, well, I can't help but think it is having a detrimental effect on the standard of the game up here. Basically, there is no way that Scottish teams can compete on a financial level when it comes to retaining to young talent, as we have seen ourselves when ATS left Firhill to sign for Wigan. James Craigen is also eligible to play for Scotland too, I believe. Major problem as I see it is if Scots leave here for a club where, even playing to the best of their ability, they're not guaranteed a regular game. Take Stevie May, a player on the fringes of getting a full cap. He's getting regular starts in the Championship and if that continues he could well get capped. If he'd gone to say Liverpool then it's more than feasible he'd have to be content with the odd cup game or coming off the bench late on now and again. Probably be too risky giving him an international start. While it's good to see Scots signing for Premiership clubs it's only beneficial in an international sense if they're getting regular games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaggy Bunnet Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 It struck me at the beginning of the summer that we'd struggle to improve the team with Scots who were (a) available, and ( realistically want to join? So we'd have to look South, and so it has proved. Take centre half (which I think was our priority position to improve) looking at our rivals in the bottom 6, who would we have chosen? So that takes you to top 6 - again, who would have fit the bill? 26-30, leader, hard, skilful, with a track record....sounds like everyone's dream centre half! I reckon this is an indication of the general decline in Scottish football over the lasts ten years or more. I think this is starting to turn the corner across the country, but will take a while. At Thistle, we still have a pretty young team, even with the new boys we have signed. We had our own mini golden generation that got us promoted, and currently a crop of home-grown youngsters on the bench who will play their part over the season. For the time being, a team of international superstars will have to do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
javeajag Posted September 3, 2014 Report Share Posted September 3, 2014 Partick Thistle football team. Keep politics out of it. Yes.....will do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunnikierjag Posted September 3, 2014 Report Share Posted September 3, 2014 Yes.....will do Good boy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaggernaut Posted September 3, 2014 Report Share Posted September 3, 2014 Towards the end of Craig Brown's tenure as Scotland manager I can remember him saying that the only issue he had with foreign players playing in Scotland was that too few Scots were playing outside Scotland, meaning that not only were Scots struggling to get a game abroad but they were even struggling to get a game in the own domestic league. The number of non-Scots in Scotland's top flight does appear to have increased again recently but the difference now compared to 13 or 14 years ago is that the number of Scots playing outside Scotland has also increased (albeit it is still mainly England they head for). It is now possible for Gordon Strachan to field a side consisting of players who have experience of playing in the EPL and/or the Champions League - a luxury not enjoyed by some of his predecessors. While I don't deny that things could, and probably should, be much better here in terms of youth development here in Scotland, I don't think there is a lack of domestic footballing talent as such. If there was then clubs from south of the border and beyond wouldn't be shelling out cash to sign Scottish players. As far as the national team is concerned I think this situation is healthy. As far as the SPFL as a spectacle is concerned, well, I can't help but think it is having a detrimental effect on the standard of the game up here. Basically, there is no way that Scottish teams can compete on a financial level when it comes to retaining to young talent, as we have seen ourselves when ATS left Firhill to sign for Wigan. James Craigen is also eligible to play for Scotland too, I believe. Craigen for Scotland! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaggernaut Posted September 3, 2014 Report Share Posted September 3, 2014 Yes.....will do I see what you did there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian_mac Posted September 4, 2014 Report Share Posted September 4, 2014 It struck me at the beginning of the summer that we'd struggle to improve the team with Scots who were (a) available, and ( realistically want to join? So we'd have to look South, and so it has proved. Take centre half (which I think was our priority position to improve) looking at our rivals in the bottom 6, who would we have chosen? So that takes you to top 6 - again, who would have fit the bill? 26-30, leader, hard, skilful, with a track record....sounds like everyone's dream centre half! I reckon this is an indication of the general decline in Scottish football over the lasts ten years or more. I think this is starting to turn the corner across the country, but will take a while. At Thistle, we still have a pretty young team, even with the new boys we have signed. We had our own mini golden generation that got us promoted, and currently a crop of home-grown youngsters on the bench who will play their part over the season. For the time being, a team of international superstars will have to do! I totally agree with you regarding your point on centre halves. However, I think there's a real lack of quality centre halves throughout the game, even at the highest level. The amount of goals scored at the recent World Cup is surely some proof of that. David Luiz going for £50m - the guy is an absolute bombscare. Barca have been playing a defensive mid at centre half for the past few years as they struggle to replace Puyol. If you look at the top teams down south as well, they were all scrambling around to find centre halves this summer, with the exception of Chelsea, who instead committed daylight robbery against PSG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Dastardly Posted September 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2014 Conrad for Scotland! Conrad for England ! (or Germany on Sunday) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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