Summer comings and goings

[Lenziejag]

First time reading something from Doolan and I am thinking he is just trying to put a brave face on things. 

[Dick Dastardly]

2 hours ago, laukat said:

Does that also suggest that none of the trialists are likely to sign?

Surely if they are unattached and we wanted them it would be done by now?

Assuming we can afford them

[sandy]

1 hour ago, Lenziejag said:

First time reading something from Doolan and I am thinking he is just trying to put a brave face on things. 

He has a positive approach, within financial constraints, and believes in youth players. That’s admirable.

[ChiThistle]

42 minutes ago, sandy said:

He has a positive approach, within financial constraints, and believes in youth players. That’s admirable.

I think it could be a combination of all those things.  Plus the fact we are seeking sponsorship/funding for the Academy so potential investors are going to want to see the Academy being used for something.

[Lenziejag]

47 minutes ago, sandy said:

He has a positive approach, within financial constraints, and believes in youth players. That’s admirable.

On its own, yes. However, read in conjunction with previous statements about hoping to get a couple in before the league cup starts, having to be patient to get the right players, now the doubt about whether Williamson’s deal happening, it’s a change of tone. 

[Fawlty Towers]

As has been pointed out there has been a rather quick change from "a couple in quickly" to "playing the long game". Now that could be due to factors outwith our control if these are loans but better communication from the club (not Kris as he is doing his best) would help.

I am reluctant to be too critical of people but I am at my 3rd attempt to get a little clarity around the assistant manager situation - are we still deciding on who it should be or do we know and are just trying to get the deal done? Not a hard question I hope you agree and I was not asking for names but my first 2 attempts were played with a dead bat and my 3rd has not had the courtesy of a response.

[Third Lanark]

2 hours ago, Fawlty Towers said:

As has been pointed out there has been a rather quick change from "a couple in quickly" to "playing the long game". Now that could be due to factors outwith our control if these are loans but better communication from the club (not Kris as he is doing his best) would help.

I am reluctant to be too critical of people but I am at my 3rd attempt to get a little clarity around the assistant manager situation - are we still deciding on who it should be or do we know and are just trying to get the deal done? Not a hard question I hope you agree and I was not asking for names but my first 2 attempts were played with a dead bat and my 3rd has not had the courtesy of a response.

Or are we in a position where we can’t afford an assistant manager now?

[Dick Dastardly]

1 minute ago, Third Lanark said:

Or are we in a position where we can’t afford an assistant manager now?

Or maybe Kris is demoted to assistant and we do without a manager.

Actually why not go the whole hog and do without a team

[Fawlty Towers]

6 minutes ago, Third Lanark said:

Or are we in a position where we can’t afford an assistant manager now?

I would assume we can but for some reason don't yet have one in place. Now if the club, and by club I mean CEO as that is who my communication has been with, were to clear the matter up we would not need to have this discussion but, unfortunately, that does not appear to be an option.

[fenski]

I find it strange that a customer expect a CEO to respond to individual emails asking questions about a recruitment matter. Am I missing something here?

[Fawlty Towers]

8 minutes ago, fenski said:

I find it strange that a customer expect a CEO to respond to individual emails asking questions about a recruitment matter. Am I missing something here?

I was not asking for a name, their salary or anything that should just be between an employer and employee. My initial query was around timescale as it seems to me that the sooner they start gives the players time to adapt to a new voice plus it would allow Paul McDonald to focus on his primary role. Now the CEO did respond so he did not feel it was out of order at that point. My follow ups have just been to try and clarify if as indicated we would be appointing an assistant is the reason they are not in post on the eve of competitive action either because we are still identifying the right person or have they been identified and we are trying to get a deal done?

Now I don't think that is out of the ordinary but what has irked me is that even if Gerry does then he could have told me that. To answer a question with a question, do you find it normal for a CEO of an organisation which has not been run well recently but is trying to get fans more onside to not respond to a query at all?

[Jaggernaut]

Zander MacKenzie signs on for three years.

Could turn out to be an even better piece of news than it already is!

[Lambies Lost Doo]

CEO replies back.

Reply goes on social media.

It's a balancing act these days.

[Garscube Road End 2]

If we can't afford to sign any more players with an increased budget, then the previous budget must have been worse than we thought! Anyway! Batten down the hatches lads! Tough season ahead. 

[Fawlty Towers]

36 minutes ago, Lambies Lost Doo said:

CEO replies back.

Reply goes on social media.

It's a balancing act these days.

I would have to get a twitter, facebook or whatever account first!

But general point taken.

[QXBoy]

5 hours ago, Fawlty Towers said:

I would have to get a twitter, facebook or whatever account first!

But general point taken.

I don't do Twitter, Facebook, instagram or anything similar. To me they're a scourge. For Thistle matters I check the official web site, this forum and I subscribe to Jagzone. I have e-mailed to the club on occasions which p*** me off , such as reserve games, when they tell you on the official site that a game will take place and say you can check the result on social media. Never had a response as to why they can't tell us on the club site.

[jagfox]

5 hours ago, Fawlty Towers said:

I would have to get a twitter, facebook or whatever account first!

But general point taken.

Paul McDonald is still making up his mind. Obviously doesn't want to go from a relatively settled position to the perils of being a coach who is likely to leave if/ when the manager does.

[Fawlty Towers]

3 minutes ago, jagfox said:

Paul McDonald is still making up his mind. Obviously doesn't want to go from a relatively settled position to the perils of being a coach who is likely to leave if/ when the manager does.

Thanks, I was under the impression Paul was definitely returning to the academy. He and Kris have worked well together but first team management can be a short career (hopefully not with Kris though).

[jagfox]

3 hours ago, Fawlty Towers said:

Thanks, I was under the impression Paul was definitely returning to the academy. He and Kris have worked well together but first team management can be a short career (hopefully not with Kris though).

Definitely, maybe...

[partickthedog]

As regards squad depth and consequent expectations for the coming season, I sense some echoes of 2011-2012. I appreciate that there were non-footballing reasons for Ian McCall's first departure, but the footballing side was not in great shape, so no one was too sad to see him go. In came an intelligent but inexperienced young manager. He saw out the remainder of the season and then had his first opportunity to shape a team for the next season. My memory of club finances is not that great, but I do not recall Jackie McNamara being given a huge budget. The only significant signing I can remember was Aaron Taylor Sinclair, a promising young player with a lower league background (Montrose). Stephen O'Donnell (initially a wide midfielder) must have sneaked in somewhere, but I cannot recall his arrival being greeted with any fanfare as I am sure that he had little first team experience.

McNamara saw something in these 2 players which enabled him to help turn them into marauding fullbacks/wing backs who were certainly the best in the Championship the next season and held their own in the Premiership thereafter. Paul Paton had been a fullback of some ability, but with an awkward touch and crab-like movement that limited his effectiveness. McNamara shaped him into a tough tackling ball-winning midfielder for whom a good touch was not a necessity. Previously Chris Erskine had flitted in and out of the team, but that season became a "go to" player who could be relied on 80% rather than 50% of the time. A graduate of the Thistle youth system Stuart Bannigan was fed into the team as a wide player and gradually became a regular, ready to take on a central midfield role in the coming season. A young player with potential whose career had stalled (Sean Welsh at Hibernian) was identified and brought in as a mid-season loan. Kris Doolan was a reliable scorer as always. 

How did season 2011-2012 turn out? Pretty middling. Never in danger of relegation, but equally never close to promotion (no Premiership play offs then). On occasion the team showed what it could do with a 5-0 home win v Morton and a 5-0 away win v Queen of the South, but the only consistency was in the inconsistency of the results. 

Yet through good coaching and no great financial outlay, the essential groundwork was laid in that season. Even though one of our most effective operators (Paul Cairney) moved upward in his career at the end of the season, those who were left (with some shrewd further acquisitions) formed the basis of our Championship winning side of 2012-2013. 

I am sure that Kris Doolan is at least as good a coach as Jackie McNamara and will be no less able in the arts of man management, squad assembly, identifying potential and adapting young players to their best positions. 

That may not sound too promising for this coming season, so patience will be a necessity. However, even if our budget does not allow for many immediate spectacular signings of experienced players with proven track records at a high level, I think that there are some grounds for optimism that our medium to long term trajectory will be upwards.

 

[Lambies Lost Doo]

Paul Cairney started off well at Hibs but career was hampered by injuries which was a shame.

[Jaggydave]

From Ayr fans page - they were in for Brian Graham - love to know what value they were bidding? 

[jaggy]

https://ptfc.co.uk/ptfc-news/ben-williamson-joins-the-club-on-loan-deal-until-january/?fbclid=IwAR1QkWW6MMP3nI7qsjPyvmcln-VmZarWFJpGGbScA86lLt4a7BaC5K6iG_8_aem_Ab6GOlrwpsdoLsnSlZ2VHcg7zhHlmB-_4kZYCyUexh8i1iEVKkuqYOKdlARuHh4gewk

[Garscube Road End 2]

27 minutes ago, jaggy said:

https://ptfc.co.uk/ptfc-news/ben-williamson-joins-the-club-on-loan-deal-until-january/?fbclid=IwAR1QkWW6MMP3nI7qsjPyvmcln-VmZarWFJpGGbScA86lLt4a7BaC5K6iG_8_aem_Ab6GOlrwpsdoLsnSlZ2VHcg7zhHlmB-_4kZYCyUexh8i1iEVKkuqYOKdlARuHh4gewk

Good. Another body.

[laukat]

3 hours ago, jaggy said:

https://ptfc.co.uk/ptfc-news/ben-williamson-joins-the-club-on-loan-deal-until-january/?fbclid=IwAR1QkWW6MMP3nI7qsjPyvmcln-VmZarWFJpGGbScA86lLt4a7BaC5K6iG_8_aem_Ab6GOlrwpsdoLsnSlZ2VHcg7zhHlmB-_4kZYCyUexh8i1iEVKkuqYOKdlARuHh4gewk

Anyone know why its only until January?