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The Definitive Who's Who Of The Partick Thistle Internationalists


The Thistle Archive
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6 minutes ago, The Thistle Archive said:

Haha, delighted you're reading AJ, thank you. Er, it's alwight now!  :getmecoat:

The wife and i like the All creatures great and small series and we went to Thirsk in Yorkshire for 5 days in 2022 where there is a James Herriot museum in the building that was his surgery/house and has all the facts about him.

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When it comes to club v country, the 1980s can reasonably be described as a decade of contrasting fortunes for Partick Thistle v Scotland. With relegation in 1982 came a club-record-run of 10 seasons outwith the top-flight, whereas the national team qualified for all three World Cups on offer, making it a Scottish record of 5-in-a-row, 1974 to 1990. Just over 100 caps were won by Thistle men all the same, with Alan Hansen, Alan Rough & Maurice Johnston accounting for the vast majority of these. Our proud run of having a Jagsman in place for 9 consecutive World Cup games 1974 to 1982 (including every goalkeeping slot) came to an end in Mexico' 86, although Roughie was still there as back-up in case Jim Leighton lost a contact lense! Of the seven new entries to our story, it comes as no surprise to learn that five were of the seasoned veteran variety…

The Definitive Who's Who Of The Partick Thistle Internationalists, part 11: 1980s →

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If ever Thistle experienced a decade of two halves the 1990s was surely it. After 10 years in the wilderness, John Lambie brought Thistle out of the doldrums and back to the Premier Division but, by the end of the decade we had experienced administration, double relegations and only stayed alive after a fan-led "Save the Jags" campaign. The mid-decade peak led to another player - Nicky Walker - being selected for Scotland squads whilst a Jag. In 1996, he became the 25th (and to date last) current Jag to be capped for our national team. 16 Jagsmen representing 6 countries won 173 caps in the 1990s, although the likes of Jákup Mikkelsen (Faroe Islands) and Jorge Cadete (Portugal) don't meet our "internationalists club" criteria until the following decade. 11 are new to the story below and the feats and milestones continue to rack up. In June 1990, former Jag Super Maurice Johnston became the first (and to date only) Thistle man to score at a World Cup. In the fullness of time, that match against Sweden proved to be remarkable in that three Thistle men (Mo Johnston, Robert Fleck and Murdo MacLeod) featured in the same World Cup game - a most unlikely feat!

The Definitive Who's Who Of The Partick Thistle Internationalists, part 12: 1990s →

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For Thistle, there was no respite from the volatility of the 1990s as the first decade of the new millennium unfolded. Following the financial devastation and near-liquidation of the late 1990s, legendary manager John Lambie spearheaded a remarkable sporting resurrection, winning back-to-back titles in 2001 and 2002 to reclaim a place in the Scottish Premier League. To comply with strict SPL criteria at the time, which mandated a minimum 10,000 all-seated capacity, Partick Thistle was forced to replace the north terracing at Firhill with a new 2,000-seat stand. Club executives later reflected that this massive capital expenditure severely hindered their financial flexibility and on-pitch competitiveness during the decade, and back-to-back relegations in 2004 and 2005 placed Thistle in the third tier once again, albeit the situation was partly rescued with an immediate bounce-back via the play-offs in 2006. 20 Jagsmen representing 11 countries won 271 caps in the 2000s, the club-record tally in terms of caps won, albeit the likes of Jackie McNamara, Prince Buaben & Kenny Miller do not meet our "internationalists club" criteria until joining Thistle in the following decade. Adrian Madaschi (Australia), Jákup Mikkelsen (Faroe Islands), Jonny Tuffey (Northern Ireland), Quinton Jacobs (Namibia) and Stephen Craigan (Northern Ireland) won 14 caps between them in the 2000s whilst Partick Thistle players, keeping a long-standing tradition alive...

The Definitive Who's Who Of The Partick Thistle Internationalists, part 13: 2000s →

internationalists-67.jpg

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6 hours ago, The Thistle Archive said:

For Thistle, there was no respite from the volatility of the 1990s as the first decade of the new millennium unfolded. Following the financial devastation and near-liquidation of the late 1990s, legendary manager John Lambie spearheaded a remarkable sporting resurrection, winning back-to-back titles in 2001 and 2002 to reclaim a place in the Scottish Premier League. To comply with strict SPL criteria at the time, which mandated a minimum 10,000 all-seated capacity, Partick Thistle was forced to replace the north terracing at Firhill with a new 2,000-seat stand. Club executives later reflected that this massive capital expenditure severely hindered their financial flexibility and on-pitch competitiveness during the decade, and back-to-back relegations in 2004 and 2005 placed Thistle in the third tier once again, albeit the situation was partly rescued with an immediate bounce-back via the play-offs in 2006. 20 Jagsmen representing 11 countries won 271 caps in the 2000s, the club-record tally in terms of caps won, albeit the likes of Jackie McNamara, Prince Buaben & Kenny Miller do not meet our "internationalists club" criteria until joining Thistle in the following decade. Adrian Madaschi (Australia), Jákup Mikkelsen (Faroe Islands), Jonny Tuffey (Northern Ireland), Quinton Jacobs (Namibia) and Stephen Craigan (Northern Ireland) won 14 caps between them in the 2000s whilst Partick Thistle players, keeping a long-standing tradition alive...

The Definitive Who's Who Of The Partick Thistle Internationalists, part 13: 2000s →

internationalists-67.jpg

I have not been to many Scotland international matches, but I remember being at Scotland v the Faroes and trying to square the circle or reconcile the conflict of interest or whatever you call it of wanting Scotland to win handsomely while still hoping that Jakup Mikkelsen would do Thistle proud by having a fine game in goals for the Faroes.

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