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Justin Motherwell!


Lindau
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Should be celebrating tonight but flu like symptoms and that feckin drum meant straight up the road. Me heid is nippin. I used to love the song Twist and Shout but if I here it again I will kill someone!! Fair play though to the Well fans, it was announced there was 1600 there and they did create a great atmosphere...well till the first goal went in, then it went strangely quiet and drummer boy headed home I think...lol. North Stand was in great voice as well. The game was similar to last game at Fir Park. They probably edged the first half, but we murdered them in the second. That's the difference Lyle Taylor makes to this team. Not one failure in that team. No moans about Lyle getting MOTM, but for me big Abdul was feckin immense. That was his best game in a jags jersey. Special mentions for Booth, who had Ainsworth in his back pocket for the whole game and Balatoni, yet again, was magnificent. Him and big Fred are turning into a wonderful central defensive partnership. Second half performance was terrific. Hope Camaillan captured the goals as they were up city end. Right time for some Lemsip!!

Edited by Lindau
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Great second half performance and more than deserved the victory. The first half was always going to be difficult with the wind against but we dealt with it better than they did in the second half.

 

Some superb individual performances including Osman, Banzo and Taylor but for me, the stand out was Balatoni. He won everything that was thrown at him and can't remember him making a mistake the whole game. I also think Booth deserves a mention, possibly his best game for us. People have been critical of him, including me, but he was solid in the second half and supported the attack well. As Lindau says though, no failures.

 

It was so good to come away from a crunch game like today's was with a convincing victory. Absolutely delighted.

 

I hope now the board can start offering contracts to the players whose deals run out next month.

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Great second half performance and more than deserved the victory. The first half was always going to be difficult with the wind against but we dealt with it better than they did in the second half.

 

Some superb individual performances including Osman, Banzo and Taylor but for me, the stand out was Balatoni. He won everything that was thrown at him and can't remember him making a mistake the whole game. I also think Booth deserves a mention, possibly his best game for us. People have been critical of him, including me, but he was solid in the second half and supported the attack well. As Lindau says though, no failures.

 

It was so good to come away from a crunch game like today's was with a convincing victory. Absolutely delighted.

 

I hope now the board can start offering contracts to the players whose deals run out next month.

 

Agreed Jag. Booth had a terrific game. Had Ainsworth in his back pocket all game

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First half was pretty poor from both sides although the Well fans won that half but that drum was doing my head in.

Second half Thistle came out a different side and played some good football and were in total control of the game with the Jags fans now making more noise than the Well support.

Balatoni at the back was solid, Osman and Bannigan were bossing the midfield and Taylor who held the ball up well in the first half was getting better service as Thistle were being far more creative.

I thought in the second half Lawless had an excellent game and opened up the Well defence quite a few times that Thistle really should have capatilised on.

It was a good all round performance from Thistle once the nerves calmed down.

 

Good turnout today from both sets of fans which is more like it and a noiser Thistle support in the second half which no doubt helps the players.

 

Also enjoyed my wee time in the Star and Garter and met a real Gent in Alan Dickson who had some good stories to tell and has a wealth of knowledge of all things Thistle which we could have stood and listened to all night.

Good day :)

Edited by billko
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First half was pretty poor from both sides although the Well fans won that half but that drum was doing my head in.

Second half Thistle came out a different side and played some good football and were in total control of the game with the Jags fans now making more noise than the Well support.

Balatoni at the back was solid, Osman and Bannigan were bossing the midfield and Taylor who held the ball up well in the first half was getting better service as Thistle were being far more creative.

I thought in the second half Lawless had an excellent game and opened up the Well defence quite a few times that Thistle really should have capatilised on.

It was a good all round performance from Thistle once the nerves calmed down.

 

Good turnout today from both sets of fans which is more like it and a noiser Thistle support in the second half which no doubt helps the players.

 

Also enjoyed my wee time in the Star and Garter and met a real Gent in Alan Dickson who had some good stories to tell and has a wealth of knowledge of all things Thistle which we could have stood and listened to all night.

Good day :)

 

Good summarising Billko. That feckin drum was driving me bonkers as well as their rendition of Twist and Shout. Thankfully the early goals in the second half shut drummer boy up. Just on the point of the drum, yet again I was searched going in today, yet this guy can walk in with a giant feckin drum and drumsticks which could be used as weapons. Mind boggling!!

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I would hate for Thistle to have a drummer, that in itself is bad enough but then to copy that bland generic "when I was young.." crap song that all drum based copycats have adopted would drain my soul and irritate me.

I never want a reason not to follow the jags but that would push me close.

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How many times have we come away from big games like today and felt the players didn't replicate our drive and emotional commitment on the pitch? I'm going back to the game against St Mirren as an example just when Save The Jags happened and the performance was in no way reflected what we felt about OUR club as fans. Fair enough, they're employees and ultimately they don't know if a contract will be offered or if they have to scrabble about to get a deal in what is a short career in the length of a lifetime of jobs?

But today, all of our players delivered. And absolutely showed the drive and determination and in particular the skill that we know they can display. No one was happy with the first half display - but the performance in the second half proved to me that Archibald knows how to motivate a team to perform and that he will get the reaction from the players that we all want to see.

What's even better is that at the final whistle there was no sense of regret - except that we didn't press home our superiority and expression of our play more in terms of goals. When the players came over at the end, and I'm thinking particularily of Ryan Stevenson, who has had a pretty rough season in terms of potential unfulfilled, I got a sense that finally we are seeing a coalescence between what happens on the pitch and what happens in the stands.

We have conceded two goals in the last 5 games - a very impressive defensive record. We've scored goals against teams in the top and bottom halves of the league now and have shown we can deal with the big occasion. Let's deliver the highest league finish we can by taking our game to Kilmarnock, Hamilton, Ross County, St Mirren and Motherwell wherever we play them. By the way we don't fear anyone.

 

Forever and ever.

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Excellent performance, not a failure in the team today.

 

What has really struck me this season & especially the last few months is the immense fitness & energy levels of our players. The amount of chasing that Taylor, Stevenson, Osman, Bannigan, Higgy & Lawless get through in a game is excellent & testament to their levels of fitness but also to that of the coaching staff who look after that side of things.

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Excellent performance, not a failure in the team today.

 

What has really struck me this season & especially the last few months is the immense fitness & energy levels of our players. The amount of chasing that Taylor, Stevenson, Osman, Bannigan, Higgy & Lawless get through in a game is excellent & testament to their levels of fitness but also to that of the coaching staff who look after that side of things.

 

yup... thought that really showed in the celtic game too.... 45 mins with 10 men against the milionaire champs in waiting... Lots of praise for Balatoni wed and today, more assured, confident and I reckon alot of that is down to his conditioning aswell as a steady run of games.

 

Looks like the hook up with Glasgow Uni and their sports science dept. is starting to pay dividends... Encouraging for what is still gonna be a hard fought run in.

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Yeah, group of young lads travelling to an away game to support their local team and making a racket for most of the game and doing their best to keep the atmosphere going.

 

Very stupid.

 

Don't think anyone is having a dig Tom. The Well fans created a great atmosphere. Just personally, if I want to hear a drum getting battered for 90 minutes I will go to a gig at the Academy or The Garage. The jags fans in both stands today were great....without the assistance of any drums, though I am sure I heard an occasional trumpet noise in the North stand.....either that or someone had a dodgy curry last night or perhaps it was an EGM arranged by Murphy, Rubble or The Cup to discuss what they could complain about after today's great performance...ha!

Edited by Lindau
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So proud with the performance from both the fans and the players today. The last six weeks have seen a massive improvement in form, and all credit goes to the players and management team. It may have taken over two years, but I finally think Archie knows who his best eleven players are. If I read correctly, I think we are going into the split for the first time in over 40 years with a positive goal difference.

The performance today was first class. Patient, albeit a bit turgid in the first half, but after the break we looked like the real deal. If ever there was a match that highlights why we NEED Lyle Taylor next season, today was it.

 

On a side note, I would like to congratulate the Motherwell fans. I think their drumming and singing section is brilliant, so well done to them trying to replicate fans on the continent. It is a real shame that Scottish fans (and a few on this forum) seem to think so little of these guys that would be common place and idolised in German or Italian leagues. Okay, it’s a bit corny, but they have the right idea. It is a welcome change from the sit down, don’t make a sound and eat your pie mentality that is seen in 99% of Scottish grounds. The North Stand was great today as well, so I think we need to give ourselves some credit too, but it would be nice to see a few more in the NS singing their heart out.

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How does one get a drum past the security staff anyhow?

 

And his drumsticks....surely they could be deemed as a weapon. I got searched today to see if I had any drink on me. I would have had a plastic bottle taken off me but he got in with a drum and sticks? Bizarre!

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If I read correctly, I think we are going into the split for the first time in over 40 years with a positive goal difference.

 

I realise like most of us you are getting carried away with a great result/performance but the SPL split has only been in place for a few years. It certainly wasn't in place 20 years go never mind 40 years ago.

 

Having said that, terrific result: we won a crunch game which we usually don't. we won against a team below us when we usually struggle, we won it well in the end. Good day all round.

Edited by Mr Bunny
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I realise like most of us you are getting carried away with a great result/performance but the SPL split has only been in place for a few years. It certainly wasn't in place 20 years go never mind 40 years ago.

Having looked at it again, our record goal difference at the end of a top-flight season is +3...set back in 1978/79. So...lets get carried away!

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The big thing for me is our reaction to going ahead, and subsequently 2-0 up. We didn't sit back, trying to defend our lead. We didn't look cagey - inviting pressure. No, we kept the same tempo and decided to go for a third. To me, that shows we're (finally?) learning from our mistakes and allowed me to enjoy the final ten minutes or so in the knowledge that we weren't going to chuck it away.

 

What a crucial win. Taylor was exceptional for me, chasing down every long ball and holding it up well for the three behind. Bannigan, and particularly Osman, were fantastic in the middle of the park after Abdul's almost costly mistake in the first minute. Although I've always liked Balatoni, I've never viewed him as a really key player, but he's looking irreplacable right now. Has formed a great partnership with Frans.

 

For me, matches like today are what's so great about being a Jags fan. It was a must-not-lose, probably our biggest match of the season, and going into the match I genuinely had no idea if we'd win, lose or draw. So delighted to get the win and having a few beers to celebrate.

 

For what it's worth - I like the Motherwell drum but wouldn't like it if we had one.

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Yep - great day all round. Had a feeling from this morning that the wind might affect the game - and a stronger side might well have punished us in the first half - but felt a lot better after the second goal went in. Noticed Osman, Balatoni and Lawless put in a great shift, but Taylor still stood out as one who could finally put it in the back of the net. Also looks like Archie has mastered the art of what to say at half time and subs to make. Defence seems a lot more mature as well, after the first goal all I was shouting for (from experience) was for the defence to keep their concentration, but at 2-0 it did look like there was going to be only one winner. Don't think I'm the only one...but feel sorrier for St Mirren than Motherwell right now! Massive step towards safety today. Would say if we get over 40 points we'll be fine. So one more win while there are 15 points up for grabs, no reason not to go for maximum points now the Celtic game's out the way. 8th temporarily is a nice bonus as well, time for a couple of Kronenbourgs. :)

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All of the above. The first game in ages that had a real edge to it before kick-off, great to have a large and noisy visiting support and the NS belting out the songs. A nervy start and when Abdul was short with the pass-back I feared the worst. However we settled and started to get in behind them, their black lad at left-back looked vulnerable and Lyle was giving him a hard time. Should have been more than two goals. A big hats of to our defence who took care of an experienced 'well forward-line, I don't recall Foxy having to make a save. What was the chant fro the NS at the end? something along of the lines of thanks for your money and go home. :)

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A gusty wind, bumpy pitch and nervy players are the perfect recipe for a poor game...and we certainly got that in the first half. It was tense stuff with neither side looking like scoring - on the few occasions we passed the ball well, we failed to put in a decent cross.

 

A real transformation in the second half though - the wind dropped and the rain shower softened the pitch...but credit is due to Archie & the coaching staff and to the players for taking control of the game. 2 goals and I counted at least 6 decent efforts when we ran them ragged..

 

It was a difficult day for central defenders to time their headers with the ball being hoofed up in the air and swirling about but Frans and Balatoni were absolutely solid - Conrad's concentration seems better...he's an improved player. Big Osman seemed to be a magnet to the ball and Banzo played some clever passes and ran at and through their defence...they bossed the game in the second half.

 

Lawless showes great skill and vision and Lyle Taylor did a tremendous job of holding the ball up, scored two and might have got a couple more.

 

The support weren't too critical in the first half and in typical Thistle fashion really got behind the side as soon as they started to play. I will be quite disappointed if both St Mirren and Motherwell go down this year...they bring a decent support to Firhill and I always feel they are kindred spirits in the West of Scotland with a similar dislike of the Old Firm. However, I have nursed a grievance against Motherwell for their particularly despicable part in voting Thistle out of the SPL when they had been saved the previous season through the 10,000 seat stadium rule...so GIRUY!

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