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We continued where we left off on Saturday...a completely drained and disheartened team with nothing to offer. Usually I retain an often nonsensical belief that Thistle will get back in a game but the last two games I have known I was watching inevitable defeats...the players seemed to have the same attitude. We haven't looked remotely like scoring but likely to concede against every attack.

Our back four have defended very well all season but they are now uncertain and devoid of confidence with Foster looking like he has shot his bolt. The midfield has been unbalanced and too often outmuscled and overrun - I don't think Docherty does anything particularly well...I have only seen Sena on streamed games but at least he has strength, height and pace although he is not going to improve playing with Alloa. I had not been impressed with Crawford but he was utterly hopeless tonight...despite real competition he was our worst player but astonishingly stayed on for 90 minutes. Bannigan deserves to be playing with better players.

 Jacubiak's can hold up the ball and it is unfortunate that he and Graham have been out injured...and also poor recruitment  Alegria has  shown nothing and Murray as sole striker was ludicrous...Smith=ineffective. We have less than nothing coming off the bench  - Hendrie again poor and Bell predictably way off the pace.

McCall has done well enough to get us in a play-off position but I have never felt this was a promotion winning team. There have been obvious flaws in the team which have not been addressed. Hastie and McAllister seemed good signings but have made zero contribution. However I don't think there is a vast pool of talented players (or managers) out there.

There is a worrying lack of direction about the club which two weeks ago was in a strong challenging League position. Our PR Guru Chairwoman has apparently got nothing to say - has she lost interest? 

 

 

 

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The only thing McCall got right was Hendrie on for McKenna and switching Foster. That was the ONLY thing he did get right. Not sure whether the Conor Murray to lone centre forward or the Steven Bell replacing Tiffoney was the most surreal moment of the night. Don't usually leave a game early but was out the ground thirty seconds after they scored No4.

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13 minutes ago, Third Lanark said:

Turner didn’t start in either so no idea why you are highlighting him ahead of any of the 11 chancers that were starting each game and contributed nothing 

I’ve never understood the Turner love in.

He played Saturday and was swatted aside like a fly.  Constantly caught in possession and regularly passed the ball to an Accie. Agreed, everyone else apart from Banzo did the same.

He was dreadful when he came on tonight. 
 

His strength is dead balls but there’s nobody to cross to now.

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He brung Bell on because he had absolutely zero confidence in us getting back into the game in my opinion, which should never be the case really should it?
 

On the other hand if Tiff gets injured in a game it was clear to see was already accepted as a defeat by our players and management, then getting another win this season would be even more unlikely ! 

I’m Absolutely scunnered tonight, I’ve said quite a few times I don’t hate on McCall quite as much as a lot of others do. But Tactically I think he’s been shocking, he’s still playing with a central player wide every week rather than going 3 at the back and using wing backs. 
 

It absolutely puzzles me why Cammy Smith and Robbie Crawford are playing these strange roles in the team, what are there positions? They both seem like they could be more effective where Bannigan and Docherty play but they aren’t good or fast enough to play wide or even in a number 10 role in my opinion. 

One last thing I want to add, we have an academy of youth players, there must be a striker or a winger who’s playing decent in over 16 age level give one of the boys a chance or something, it pisses me off when he starts playing shite players out of position.

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Something looks seriously wrong. Its really rare to see an entire squad of players so far out of form and a management team making so little impact on a game with tactics, selection or substitutions. For that to happen in two consecutive games is really worrying.

I get that we didn't have great striking options and we had a few players out but we had enough defenders and midfielders to park the bus and make ourselves hard to beat. The team had thrown in the towel by halftime. 

The goals we are losing are that of a team who have no confidence what so ever. We have survived in the last few months by having a really strong defence but with Mayo and Sneddon now out of form we have nothing. 

Either we have a lot of players playing with an injury or something else is going behind the scenes. Part of my wonders if some players or coaches have been told there is no contract for them at Firhill next season or that the groundsharing will continue?

We certainly miss Brian Graham's on field leadership and aggression. Can't imagine he would have surrendered like his team mates did tonight. 

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If we don’t make the play-offs, which is becoming increasingly likely, you could certainly present a case for bumping McCall at the end of the season. Had we a competent chairman in place such as David Beattie, I would probably trust him to find a suitable replacement. 

The prospect of Low and Britton being tasked with finding a replacement doesn’t bare thinking about and if the discontent surrounding our finances proves to be true, we may need McCall’s experience to guide us through the storm. 

He’s a decent enough manager for mid-table stability but evidence suggests that’s his ceiling.  Sadly, I don’t think we’ll need to worry about going for promotion anytime soon. The club is going nowhere under the guidance of the 3BCs. 

Edited by Tom Stronach
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12 minutes ago, Weebaw1 said:

I’ve never understood the Turner love in.

He played Saturday and was swatted aside like a fly.  Constantly caught in possession and regularly passed the ball to an Accie. Agreed, everyone else apart from Banzo did the same.

He was dreadful when he came on tonight. 
 

His strength is dead balls but there’s nobody to cross to now.

 Bannigan has been poor also, need a ball winner still haven’t had one since Osmans great season. Everyone of our midfielders are so similar it’s painful to watch them do the exact same things week in week out. Docherty was only player on the park tonight I’d say earned a wage, only player I thought had any fight about him.

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5 minutes ago, Tom Stronach said:

If we don’t make the play-offs, which is becoming increasingly likely, you could certainly present a case for bumping McCall at the end of the season. Had we a competent chairman in place such as David Beattie, I would probably trust him to find a suitable replacement. 

The prospect of Low and Britton being tasked with finding a replacement doesn’t bare thinking about and if the discontent surrounding our finances proves to be true, we may need McCall’s experience to guide us through the storm. 

He’s a decent enough manager for mid-table stability but evidence suggests that’s his ceiling.  Sadly, I don’t think we’ll need to worry about going for promotion anytime soon. The club is going nowhere under the guidance of the 3BCs. 

It was David Beattie who brought McCall back.

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McCalls tactical outlook this season has me majorly doubting him now, there’s clearly a lack of cash and I suspect there’s something going on behind the scenes at the moment. I’d put any amount of money on it that he was completely against Rudden going to Dundee on loan and he didn’t have a choice in it. 
 

But he deserves one more season.

Have we progressed since last season, Yes. Have we been in any trouble of being relegated? No. He has signed Tiffoney also and I believe we will get cash for him !

Bigger picture needs to be looked at. It’s just getting Harder to see at the moment.

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Raith Rovers and ICT have had their bad spells of runs of games without a win. In fact didn't ICT go 11 or 12 games without winning and only ended that with the recent  victory over Arbroath?

It looks like it's our turn now. The worrying thing is the manner of our defeats. We seem to be a total shambles and the goals we are losing are many and ridiculous. It's worrying that not only do we appear to have lost confidence but the great team spirit  and never say die attitude I have praised before appears to have gone as well.

This is why I am inclined to think there is more to the point made earlier that there is something going on behind the scenes at Firhill.  The loss of confidence and belief is sudden and frightening. McCall will need all his experience to sort this out.

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Just thought I'd mention. This game was broadcast live on Sky TV in New Zealand. I was so excited to see The Jags for the first time in ages. Last time I saw them in the flesh was 1987!

My goodness I was soooo disappointed. What a let down. Even after Saturdays shock result, this was awful. Thank goodness I don't live in Fife any longer!!!!

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Sounds from the post match interview we'll be getting another patched up team for the Kilmarnock game. Should be used to it by now, I suppose. Overheard a couple of fans tonight wondering if we had any youngsters we could bring in that play wide or are out and out forwards. Got me thinking that the only young 'un that's rated and who's not out on loan is Stanway. Sadly he plays in central midfield where of course we're already playing five regulars. Oops, make that six now Steven Bell has also been given a shot in midfield. And as for three younger players rated that are out on loan, Sena, Lyon and Owens, they all play in........... you've guessed it.

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13 minutes ago, lady-isobel-barnett said:

Sounds from the post match interview we'll be getting another patched up team for the Kilmarnock game. Should be used to it by now, I suppose. Overheard a couple of fans tonight wondering if we had any youngsters we could bring in that play wide or are out and out forwards. Got me thinking that the only young 'un that's rated and who's not out on loan is Stanway. Sadly he plays in central midfield where of course we're already playing five regulars. Oops, make that six now Steven Bell has also been given a shot in midfield. And as for three younger players rated that are out on loan, Sena, Lyon and Owens, they all play in........... you've guessed it.

Not a football manager. But I’m clearly not the only person who can see the team is overloaded with between 4/6 midfielders who are just tidy players up until the opposing teams box.. and genuinely don’t contribute much else.

and even saying that I wouldn’t pick one of our bunch we have to be some one who breaks up opposition attacks. Docherty is the only player who sticks his foot in, Bannigan doesn’t have that anymore.

Anyone who likes playing a lot of central based players always go with a diamond in the middle of the park, his best option At the moment is trying 3-5-2 or something to that affect. At least there’s some sort of width in the team then. 
 

Unfortunate about what your saying about the youth teams, it’s Always worth giving a boy  chance imo.

 

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Well that's the season over. The defence had been holding things together for quite a while, but since the Morton game it's completely unravelled and our weaknesses have been totally exposed. 

Possibly the most disappointing thing about tonight was how clearly Dunfermline worked twice as hard as our players. The lack of fight was pitiful. Maybe that's related to a lack of quality throughout the squad. Smith, Crawford, Turner, McKenna, Murray are simply nowhere near good enough and hopefully will leave the club as soon as possible. There are a few others that could probably be added to the list. Felt a bit sorry for Alegria. Basically a youth player left up front on his own with **** all support. I assume Smith was supposed to link with him. Well that was never going to work. Buck stops with McCall and he's had a terrible January window. Turned us from contenders to a team that would be relegation certs if the league was to start right now. 

Seriously debating if I'll go to Kilmarnock game on Saturday. It's just down the road for me but the thought of an inevitable pumping makes me sick to my stomach. 

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Whilst defense had been playing well up till Morton game pressure must have been mounting knowing that losing a single goal would likely lose us the game as we had next to zero going forward. I think that pressure has now cracked the confidence and hit the defensive form big time. 
We don’t look like scoring with the exception when Tiffany goes on a solo run.

Too many players out of position, too many similar positioned and style players shoe horned into unfamiliar positions. Adapt the set up to suit the squad not move players out of position.

And where’s the youth policy?

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7 hours ago, Thistle88 said:

McCalls tactical outlook this season has me majorly doubting him now, there’s clearly a lack of cash and I suspect there’s something going on behind the scenes at the moment. I’d put any amount of money on it that he was completely against Rudden going to Dundee on loan and he didn’t have a choice in it. 
 

But he deserves one more season.

Have we progressed since last season, Yes. Have we been in any trouble of being relegated? No. He has signed Tiffoney also and I believe we will get cash for him !

Bigger picture needs to be looked at. It’s just getting Harder to see at the moment.

Why ?

With the exception of 6 weeks last season, the team has been rank rotten. First year he got us relegated. Second season we were in 5th place and looking lucky to get a play-off until the covid break and that late run (which probably saved him his job then). This year we have been rank rotten for most of the season, just lucky that others were rank rottener. Other than those 6 weeks out of around 150, we have been very poor and no indication that it is likely to get any better.

 

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17 minutes ago, Dick Dastardly said:

Why ?

With the exception of 6 weeks last season, the team has been rank rotten. First year he got us relegated. Second season we were in 5th place and looking lucky to get a play-off until the covid break and that late run (which probably saved him his job then). This year we have been rank rotten for most of the season, just lucky that others were rank rottener. Other than those 6 weeks out of around 150, we have been very poor and no indication that it is likely to get any better.

 

Any idea when his contract is up?

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9 hours ago, Winter of '63 said:

We continued where we left off on Saturday...a completely drained and disheartened team with nothing to offer. Usually I retain an often nonsensical belief that Thistle will get back in a game but the last two games I have known I was watching inevitable defeats...the players seemed to have the same attitude. We haven't looked remotely like scoring but likely to concede against every attack.

Our back four have defended very well all season but they are now uncertain and devoid of confidence with Foster looking like he has shot his bolt. The midfield has been unbalanced and too often outmuscled and overrun - I don't think Docherty does anything particularly well...I have only seen Sena on streamed games but at least he has strength, height and pace although he is not going to improve playing with Alloa. I had not been impressed with Crawford but he was utterly hopeless tonight...despite real competition he was our worst player but astonishingly stayed on for 90 minutes. Bannigan deserves to be playing with better players.

 Jacubiak's can hold up the ball and it is unfortunate that he and Graham have been out injured...and also poor recruitment  Alegria has  shown nothing and Murray as sole striker was ludicrous...Smith=ineffective. We have less than nothing coming off the bench  - Hendrie again poor and Bell predictably way off the pace.

McCall has done well enough to get us in a play-off position but I have never felt this was a promotion winning team. There have been obvious flaws in the team which have not been addressed. Hastie and McAllister seemed good signings but have made zero contribution. However I don't think there is a vast pool of talented players (or managers) out there.

There is a worrying lack of direction about the club which two weeks ago was in a strong challenging League position. Our PR Guru Chairwoman has apparently got nothing to say - has she lost interest? 

 

 

 

Agree 100 per cent

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2 hours ago, Dick Dastardly said:

Why ?

With the exception of 6 weeks last season, the team has been rank rotten. First year he got us relegated. Second season we were in 5th place and looking lucky to get a play-off until the covid break and that late run (which probably saved him his job then). This year we have been rank rotten for most of the season, just lucky that others were rank rottener. Other than those 6 weeks out of around 150, we have been very poor and no indication that it is likely to get any better.

 

Phrase of the month!

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