What's Changed Since A Year Ago?

[Mediocre Pundit]

Someone on P&B posted this clip of our 5-0 win over Morton, almost exactly a year ago:

 

Happier days...

 

Our squad isn't all that much different to how it was then. Can anyone make any suggestions to what has changed since January 2010 for things to go so wrong?

 

My own suggestion, as I mentioned elsewhere, is Britton leaving and Irons then Maxwell as assistants. I don't think the balance can be right in the backroom but don't know how or how it can be fixed. (Ignore Ian, Jackie and Sid as they only coach youths, and ignore Hinchy as he is a specialist coach)

 

The above would suggest that McCall is very limited and needs a good assistant. But one would imagine that if he wasn't happy with Maxwell in that role he wouldn't have re-signed him this year.

 

Has anything else changed? I know we talk of budgets but we have much the same players as we had at the start of last year yet we're getting so much less out of them...

 

(note: please don't make this a thread of abuse towards McCall - plenty of others for that. I'd appreciate some constructive suggestions to what the problem may be as I'm having trouble getting my head round it)

Edited August 30, 2010 by Mediocre Pundit

[Willjag]

Pretty much agree as I posted something similar in this post elsewhere.

[MWM]

Ageing squad, lack of width in the team, our best player ruined by injury more or less, dwindling interest from the manager, signings which have failed to strengthen the team, teams below us improving.

[Sandy Gall]

Ageing squad, teams below us improving.

 

Possibly these the most relevant of your points?

 

Maybe it's just our turn. (I don't really believe that).

[AlexForsythFan]

For me we look vulnerable at every deadball situation. At the same time,at free kicks, if not within the range of Flannagan, we look unlikely to score. We also seem to still have the same defects which were visible at the first friendly - lack of any width. I still don't think the manager knows his best team or formation. There's a sense that we are just thrashing about looking for a formation/ players that will work, rather than working to a plan of gradual improvement.

Without being at training, only an insider could tell us how much John Henry is missed.

[Auld Jag]

Imo the squad has not changed enough,only 2 new players in.I think it would have been different if 2010 had been a good year for us, but our league results this year have been very poor and so far this season nothing has changed,when we go behind we just dont seem to be able to come back.Also the loss of form by Liam is worrying as we dont have anybody else who is going to score.Anybody heard anything with regard to any last minute ins or outs before the window shuts?

[Willjag]

What has changed? Gerry Britton has left and IM now takes training. Forget bringing in new players, just bring in an experienced assistant. McCall needs this.

[twinny]

What has changed? Gerry Britton has left and IM now takes training. Forget bringing in new players, just bring in an experienced assistant. McCall needs this.

 

If Chisholm was to get the sack first, assuming he wouldn't mind being an assistant, would we take him as iMac's assistant? Would we be able to do that considering Maxwell must be on a larger wage than he was as a player only?

[The Incredible Adam Spark]

Maxwell must be on a larger wage than he was as a player only?

I wouldn't say so. Maxi's minutes on the pitch were to be minimal this season (according to McCall) so I imagine he'd be on something very similar, if not the same, as he was before.

 

Taking a second to gauge his contribution to the training of the team, our defensive vulnerability, particularly from set pieces, is alarming given we have an experienced defender in his position.

 

Oh, and no way would Chisholm take an assistant's position, especially under a manager he's finished ahead of in two of the three season's since McCall's departure from Palmerston.

[lady-isobel-barnett]

Most of its been covered in this thread already. Our experienced players are all a year older, which can't be helpful but the most significant change is in Liam Buchanan. The 5-0 win over Morton was probably Liam's best ever game for us. Not only did he score two but had an assist in the other three.

A sign of warning tho' back then was the back to back defeats from Queens. On both occasions our defence was exposed to pace from Weatherston. A year on and this situation hasn't been redressed.

Also this time last season we had Corcoran. On most occasions he was proving quite a handful stretching defences and thus giving Liam in particular a bit of space. I actually think other teams were a bit concerned about our pace upfront (a total novelty in recent Jags sides and sadly the present one). Corcoran, Doolan (tho' we didn't use him), Buchanan & Erskine were no slouches. This season Liam's slowed up noticeably and only Doolan gets about the park at speed.

Part of me says you can't blame McCall for Buchanan's loss of form & sharpness. If Liam was performing like last August we may not be having this thread. The other part of me goes along with what others have posted re McCall and the departures of Henry & Britton etc. As time goes by I'm tending towards the latter. If say Buchanan was scoring regularly we may be happy enough with the team but I feel that would be papering over the cracks. There's a lot more wrong with the team than just a lack of goals from a centre forward.

Edited August 30, 2010 by lady-isobel-barnett

[northernsoul]

What has changed? Gerry Britton has left and IM now takes training. Forget bringing in new players, just bring in an experienced assistant. McCall needs this.

 

Maxwell takes the training.

[Alan Murray]

The reason for loss of form is down to reducing the player budget. How McCall has coped with this really is the question.

 

Doubt Maxwell is on more money, probably on less.

 

The side is really suffering from lack of confidence running right through the side. We need the senior players to stand up and be counted.

 

Our vulnerability to set pieces is really worrying.

[The Incredible Adam Spark]

The reason for loss of form is down to reducing the player budget.

I'm assuming you mean indirectly through a lack of fresh faces?

[uberteeb]

Nothing has really changed, that's the problem. We play the same way and we have the same weaknessess as we have done throughout his time in charge.

 

The 2 problems we are having is that Buchanan is not scoring goals. Goals win games, when you win games the fans are generally happy. Had Buchanan been winning us a few games the cracks would have been papered over. The fact we rely so much on him for goals is worrying but he has been out only prolific striker since McCall arrived (with the exception of Harkins scoring more than his fair share for a midfielder).

 

The second problem is that other teams know how to play against us now, we always play the same way. Ian McCall is unable to change our approach to the games. When you know how a team is going to play it isn't hard to nullify it. The manager of that team then needs to change things a wee bit with his formations, tactics and approach to counter the 'nullifying' approach of the opposition. He can't do this. We trot out and do the same crap every week. They don't know how to play any other way. All that eventually happens is a few hopeless high balls are punted up to our small strike force.

 

McCall has no plan B. His plan A is not working. By default he is failing in his job.

[lennythistle]

Nothing has really changed, that's the problem. We play the same way and we have the same weaknessess as we have done throughout his time in charge.

 

The 2 problems we are having is that Buchanan is not scoring goals. Goals win games, when you win games the fans are generally happy. Had Buchanan been winning us a few games the cracks would have been papered over. The fact we rely so much on him for goals is worrying but he has been out only prolific striker since McCall arrived (with the exception of Harkins scoring more than his fair share for a midfielder).

 

The second problem is that other teams know how to play against us now, we always play the same way. Ian McCall is unable to change our approach to the games. When you know how a team is going to play it isn't hard to nullify it. The manager of that team then needs to change things a wee bit with his formations, tactics and approach to counter the 'nullifying' approach of the opposition. He can't do this. We trot out and do the same crap every week. They don't know how to play any other way. All that eventually happens is a few hopeless high balls are punted up to our small strike force.

 

McCall has no plan B. His plan A is not working. By default he is failing in his job.

 

When he first came to the club the play was refreshing and got people excited......Yes we've always had the same problem, in that we don't score enough, based on the chances we create. The season we finished second , raised hopes too high and i feel some of the critisism is a backlash of that. Last season the first half of the season was a joy to watch......since around boxing day, the loss of form, poor play , has been a nightmare. I'm clinging to the hope he can turn it around. There is talent in our squad, he needs to get it out of them...and on a regular basis.

[Mediocre Pundit]

Last season the first half of the season was a joy to watch......since around boxing day, the loss of form, poor play , has been a nightmare. I'm clinging to the hope he can turn it around. There is talent in our squad, he needs to get it out of them...and on a regular basis.

And this is the crux of the issue. So tell me lenny, what do you think has changed since Boxing Day to make it so?

[Steven H]

Nothing has really changed, that's the problem. We play the same way and we have the same weaknessess as we have done throughout his time in charge.

 

The 2 problems we are having is that Buchanan is not scoring goals. Goals win games, when you win games the fans are generally happy. Had Buchanan been winning us a few games the cracks would have been papered over. The fact we rely so much on him for goals is worrying but he has been out only prolific striker since McCall arrived (with the exception of Harkins scoring more than his fair share for a midfielder).

 

The second problem is that other teams know how to play against us now, we always play the same way. Ian McCall is unable to change our approach to the games. When you know how a team is going to play it isn't hard to nullify it. The manager of that team then needs to change things a wee bit with his formations, tactics and approach to counter the 'nullifying' approach of the opposition. He can't do this. We trot out and do the same crap every week. They don't know how to play any other way. All that eventually happens is a few hopeless high balls are punted up to our small strike force.

 

McCall has no plan B. His plan A is not working. By default he is failing in his job.

 

Uber I agree with the questions you ask re McCalls tactics etc and this post has lots of valid points, so can I ask...would you rather McCall got it right or just got to f**k?

[yoda-jag]

And this is the crux of the issue. So tell me lenny, what do you think has changed since Boxing Day to make it so?

 

During McCalls tenure, it started off not too bad, got good for a season (with a few clangers and poor displays here and there, but that happens to any team over a course of seasons).

 

The rot truly set in around Xmas/New Year, but for the preceding two months the warning signs were there and it was then the slide started - for me, when Adams and Lovell were brought in away to Morton (late October/early Nov?). Up til then we had looked a good side last season and played well and won a lot (and conceded very few) - accommodating these two in our lineup thereafter put our early season form off the boil and we started going backwards. When the King of Spain waved Adios, we seemed to lose any fight we had left.

 

From what we see game to game, McCall has proven himself one dimensional and someone mentioned elsewhere maybe he has fallen out of love with the game. Its obvious to me that there is a HUGE problem (or set of them) off the park, either through training and coaching, and/or, in their match preperations (do they watch dvds of opposition, get told how to play against certain players etc?), as well as the already mentioned elsewhere comments from Uberteen about how McCall does Sweet FA in terms of instruction when bringing on subs (other than calling them over from warming up to take their trackie off).

 

Sick of watching the same huff and puff and tippy-tappy mince, this isn't the Thistle i know or grew up with, my football team is dying on and off the pitch, and i fear there will be no Firhill or Partick Thistle FC in 5 to 10 years time (there may be a Maryhill Thistle or Partick Amatuers which emerge from ashes but it will never be the same).

 

Sad beyond belief.

 

McCall (and other dud managers of late) and our esteemed board of dudrectors over the last decade plus, are killing Thistle, and its supporters who are the lifeblood of this once great club who are dwinding by the day thanks to their actions and fook-ups.

[Craig-W]

That doesn't even look remotely like the same team which took the field on Saturday. And as others have mentioned the most obvious difference is with Liam Buchanan; certainly wasn't the same person against Cowden. If that comes down to fitness/injury/training methods/just plain commitment I don't know, but the Liam of a year ago would have scored five against Donald Findlay's mob.

 

On a lighter note maybe it's the shorts; black looked helluva lot better than this year's red. In fact the whole strip especially the colours are off this season.

 

If the whole thing does boil down to Ian McCall or Maxwell's lack of ability coaching (considering the difference seemingly without Britton), then the Board simply MUST put up the money for someone capable. The money spent will pale into insignificance compared to revenues lost when we get relegated/go part time henceforth.

 

And who at this point in time is confident that the season WONT boil down to that? Yes, it's early and there's a hell of a long journey to go... ALL THE BETTER TO GET IT SORTED NOW, so this pessimism doesn't become justified *sob*

[uberteeb]

When he first came to the club the play was refreshing and got people excited......Yes we've always had the same problem, in that we don't score enough, based on the chances we create. The season we finished second , raised hopes too high and i feel some of the critisism is a backlash of that. Last season the first half of the season was a joy to watch......since around boxing day, the loss of form, poor play , has been a nightmare. I'm clinging to the hope he can turn it around. There is talent in our squad, he needs to get it out of them...and on a regular basis.

 

We were a joy to watch at the start of last season but it certainly didn't last up until Christmas, after only a couple of months last season we went downhill rapidly.

 

Uber I agree with the questions you ask re McCalls tactics etc and this post has lots of valid points, so can I ask...would you rather McCall got it right or just got to f**k?

 

I don't care who gets it right. I was one of McCall's biggest fans when he first arrived and for the first while he was in charge, I certainly have no personal vendetta against the man, I'm judging him on the job he does as manager of Thistle. If McCall is the man to get it right then he should stay. However in my opinion he is the main reason it is all going wrong and should go.

[Mediocre Pundit]

If the whole thing does boil down to Ian McCall or Maxwell's lack of ability coaching (considering the difference seemingly without Britton), then the Board simply MUST put up the money for someone capable. The money spent will pale into insignificance compared to revenues lost when we get relegated/go part time henceforth.

McCall chose Maxwell. The board backed his choice and pay the wages. McCall had Maxwell as coach for the end of last season and if he is a reason behind the decline then, having resigned him, McCall must take the blame.

[steven18313]

Its all gone down hill since we lost to Dundee Utd in the cup and cause Gerry 'the king of spain' Britton left...think he is a bigger loss that people would have thought, as it would seem that he was the motivator of the team, something that Jobby cant do!

[lady-isobel-barnett]

Its all gone down hill since we lost to Dundee Utd in the cup and cause Gerry 'the king of spain' Britton left...think he is a bigger loss that people would have thought, as it would seem that he was the motivator of the team, something that Jobby cant do!

For all I know you may be right but I don't recall many motivated performances between Dec 03 and Dec 04. In fact the most motivated I saw Jags side in 2004 was against Falkirk when Lambie returned.

However since Gerry left we've only managed to score more than one goal in four games out of twenty three against Div 1 sides and Dundee Utd. In those four games we didn't score more than two goals on any occasion. That's drastic goal scoring, certainly straight relegation form. Just maybe working with the strikers and forwards was Gerry's forte . Perhaps more than general motivation.