Full Time Training

[Ma Ba']

So we played another part time team yesterday.

Were we;

1. Fitter - NO

2. Faster - Em well actually we were totally outpaced all over the park.

3. Stronger - NO (Hardie exception)

4. More skillful - NO

5. Better prepared - NO - do we ever look like we have ever rehearsed a set piece?

6. A better 'team' - no the Binos looked like a team against 11 'players'

7. hungry for the fight - BIG NO (only Hardie got pass marks there) to be honest his introduction for 2 games has highlighted a major failing with the rest of the entire team.

 

so, what do we actually do as 'full time' professional footballers? can somebody tell me day by day just exactly how many hours they train and what they actually do with the time? also who takes the 'training or coaching' (if they know the difference)

can somebody compile a diary of the players activities during an average week? it would make interesting reading for me (who has coached amateur athletes to international standard)

 

WE ARE THE WORST FULL TIME TEAM IN THE COUNTRY.

 

So Ian, two and a half years into the 5 year plan, what do you intend to do to rectify the situation?

 

We have had all the excuses, then we got the 'it's my problem and I will deal with it' so what next Ian? what's the plan?

 

Post Note, Some of the best Thistle teams over the years have been a mixture of full time and part time players, and the time is right to re-establish that mix, are the current crop really worthy of a full time wage?

on 22nd of October 1971;

Jimmy Bone was working down a mine

Frank Coulston was a PE teacher

Let's get real and start to pay players what they are worth.

[uberteeb]

It is a disgrace, I'd live to know how long and how often we train and how long McCall spends on the training pitch. Is he giving them extra training in response to being crap?

 

The fact we don't work on our weaknesses is terrible. You can give a player a ball and tell him to practise free kicks until he is blue in the face but none of the players on our team are going to be able to hit them like Ronaldo. However simple things like organisation when defending set plays. Or when we have a corner having some sort of tactics, people knowing what runs to make etc.

 

There is nothing professional about us.

[northernsoul]

Ian Maxwell takes the training. Just think about that.

 

It really is no surprise we can't carve teams open and supply our strikers with good chances.

[uberteeb]

Ian Maxwell takes the training. Just think about that.

 

It really is no surprise we can't carve teams open and supply our strikers with good chances.

 

Where is McCall?

[Asylum Resident]

 

WE ARE THE WORST FULL TIME TEAM IN THE COUNTRY.

 

Sad but very true.

[kni]

Ian Maxwell takes the training. Just think about that.

 

It really is no surprise we can't carve teams open and supply our strikers with good chances.

 

Does Maxwell have a coaching qualification or other coaching experience at our level? I don't think so and that is one of the main problems. In the past (but not now) we underestimated how much McCall relied upon Speirs, Henry and Britton.

[northernsoul]

Where is McCall?

 

You'd like to think he'd be there too.

 

I was told Maxwell took the training at the end of last season. By the way we have been playing and standard of football on show you can only assume Maxwell is still taking the training now.

[kni]

Where is McCall?

 

In the bookies??

[angry gaz]

So we played another part time team yesterday.

Were we;

1. Fitter - NO

2. Faster - Em well actually we were totally outpaced all over the park.

3. Stronger - NO (Hardie exception)

4. More skillful - NO

5. Better prepared - NO - do we ever look like we have ever rehearsed a set piece?

6. A better 'team' - no the Binos looked like a team against 11 'players'

7. hungry for the fight - BIG NO (only Hardie got pass marks there) to be honest his introduction for 2 games has highlighted a major failing with the rest of the entire team.

We were speaking about this at the game yesterday and made every one of these points.It is a total disgrace how ill prepared our team seems on match days and that is 100% the fault of the management.It is the absolute basics of a functioning football team that is missing:defending from corners,defending counter attacks,overlaping triangles,attacking set plays, receiving the ball off the keeper,real,real basic stuff.In short the management is not doing its job.There is no point in being full time if the amount of effort and time being put in to training is actually,as it appears on the pitch, to be less than that of a part time team.Get more time on the training pich McCall or walk now.

[northernsoul]

We were speaking about this at the game yesterday and made every one of these points.It is a total disgrace how ill prepared our team seems on match days and that is 100% the fault of the management.It is the absolute basics of a functioning football team that is missing:defending from corners,defending counter attacks,overlaping triangles,attacking set plays, receiving the ball off the keeper,real,real basic stuff.In short the management is not doing its job.There is no point in being full time if the amount of effort and time being put in to training is actually,as it appears on the pitch, to be less than that of a part time team.Get more time on the training pich McCall or walk now.

 

And of those who have recently left the Club who have ran PTFC to the ground over the last 5+ years.

 

Playing budget/coaching budget slashed time and again.

[Charlie Endell]

In the bookies??

Or the Chip?

[Blackpool Jags]

Or the Chip?

 

...or just as likely the chippy looking at him these days.

[gianlucatoni]

are the current crop really worthy of a full time wage?

on 22nd of October 1971;

Jimmy Bone was working down a mine

Frank Coulston was a PE teacher

Let's get real and start to pay players what they are worth.

 

 

apologies for being pedantic but it was on the 23rd - I celebrate it every year with a wee swally and had a few last nite - warmed the cockles after that p*sh result!

[MerryHell]

I actually think that the players are largly to blame for our current situation - I'm not just being an appologist for McCall etc. Yes it's up to the management to prepare, choose a team, formation and tactics, but whoever he puts on the park should be capable of a hell of a lot better than we have witnessed recently. Our team on paper should be capable of giving us a few more cheers than we've had so far. Our team on grass is just so inconsistant.

I cant remember the full Homer (Simpson - i'm not that intellectual!) quote, but i sometimes think that when the players practise a new formation, set-pice etc. the information going in, makes some other important information fall out of their heads.

I would forgive them thinking, after two clean sheets in the league against RC + Falkirk, that we'd just about mastered the defending lark, and could possily concentrate on other aspects of our play, but no. Whatever we've been doing in training has caused all our defensive knowledge to fall out, meaning we ship 4 against Stirling.

What to do, I don't have a fcuking clue.

As i've said before, I'm no McCall appologist, but i'm sick of reading this 'he's always in the bookies/pub/chip' pish.

[PaleGreySky]

apologies for being pedantic but it was on the 23rd - I celebrate it every year with a wee swally and had a few last nite - warmed the cockles after that p*sh result!

 

I think his point is that the day before the game they were at work in their other jobs. If Jimmy Bone was down a mine during the 1971 cup win then no wonder it's so well remembered, seeing as he scored!

[Hot Shot]

I'm not convinced part timers are the way forward, I know a couple of guys at least that play for Dumbarton that work , they live their lives like any random punter that watches fitba and perhaps plays pub league on a sunday, it's a common occurance that they are out at a well known dive of a nightclub in Balloch on a friday night and play for the sons the next day, and also, yesterday were running out of work at around 1pm to get to the team coach on time. ..........edit- they got pumped 4-0

 

I'm sure there are plenty part timers who don't live a party lifestyle but nothing is a given.

 

On that note, can we even be sure all our young 'full time' lads(and older ones) are not out on the razz on a friday night? From stories I hear(which I admitt are only hearsay coming from me) that's doubtful.

Edited October 25, 2010 by Hot Shot

[John Blutarsky]

I'm not convinced part timers are the way forward.......

 

granted, a badly run part-time club/team would be no better than the badly run/managed/coached side of the moment.

 

however, i think ma ba's original post was highlighting the current jags set-up with a p/t bino's side that was well organised, fitter etc. same could be applied to cowdenbeath and raith. raith's structure, with the balance of the squad being f/t might work better for us, given budget constraints and all that.

 

as for the team training, i witnessed about ten minutes when i stopped when out on a run a few weeks back. ok, it was only a snapshot but i left with the impression that it was a poorly structured, languid, going thru' the motions exercise - pretty consistent with most of the performances i've seen this season. mccall was not present and it was the day before the game.

[Jaggernaut]

granted, a badly run part-time club/team would be no better than the badly run/managed/coached side of the moment.

 

however, i think ma ba's original post was highlighting the current jags set-up with a p/t bino's side that was well organised, fitter etc. same could be applied to cowdenbeath and raith. raith's structure, with the balance of the squad being f/t might work better for us, given budget constraints and all that.

 

as for the team training, i witnessed about ten minutes when i stopped when out on a run a few weeks back. ok, it was only a snapshot but i left with the impression that it was a poorly structured, languid, going thru' the motions exercise - pretty consistent with most of the performances i've seen this season. mccall was not present and it was the day before the game.

I kind of felt like that about the Thistle support on Saturday.

[gianlucatoni]

I think his point is that the day before the game they were at work in their other jobs. If Jimmy Bone was down a mine during the 1971 cup win then no wonder it's so well remembered, seeing as he scored!

 

 

sorry mate - i missed the point completely

[falklandal1]

So we played another part time team yesterday.

Were we;

1. Fitter - NO

2. Faster - Em well actually we were totally outpaced all over the park.

3. Stronger - NO (Hardie exception)

4. More skillful - NO

5. Better prepared - NO - do we ever look like we have ever rehearsed a set piece?

6. A better 'team' - no the Binos looked like a team against 11 'players'

7. hungry for the fight - BIG NO (only Hardie got pass marks there) to be honest his introduction for 2 games has highlighted a major failing with the rest of the entire team.

 

so, what do we actually do as 'full time' professional footballers? can somebody tell me day by day just exactly how many hours they train and what they actually do with the time? also who takes the 'training or coaching' (if they know the difference)

can somebody compile a diary of the players activities during an average week? it would make interesting reading for me (who has coached amateur athletes to international standard)

 

WE ARE THE WORST FULL TIME TEAM IN THE COUNTRY.

 

So Ian, two and a half years into the 5 year plan, what do you intend to do to rectify the situation?

 

We have had all the excuses, then we got the 'it's my problem and I will deal with it' so what next Ian? what's the plan?

 

Post Note, Some of the best Thistle teams over the years have been a mixture of full time and part time players, and the time is right to re-establish that mix, are the current crop really worthy of a full time wage?

on 22nd of October 1971;

Jimmy Bone was working down a mine

Frank Coulston was a PE teacher

Let's get real and start to pay players what they are worth.

well put

[Gordie]

Does Maxwell have a coaching qualification or other coaching experience at our level? I don't think so and that is one of the main problems. In the past (but not now) we underestimated how much McCall relied upon Speirs, Henry and Britton.

 

 

Lambie didnt have any badges, so i'm not having that excuse.

 

To make it worse Dick Campbell was or is a main assessor for the SFA when it comes to badges.

 

 

but agree the team looks disorganised.

Edited October 25, 2010 by Gordie

[ChewinGumMacaroonBaaaz]

My fear is that we only remain full-time because of a snobbish attitude that we are a "sleeping giant" of the Scottish game and the opinion that we have an SPL set up and a "rightful place" in the top flight.

 

We paid the tax man with the sale of two players. We have had to sell half our stadium. We paid off our club secretary Antonia Kerr. Our current home attendance is low and hospitality is not selling. We are bottom of a league in which other clubs are competing with part-time players. Our manager, in a radio interview, said of the full time salaries we offer he would be "embarrassed if I told you" what they are, claiming some players to be on an equivalent to the minimum wage. We are far from being in a position in which we can positively compete in the transfer market for full time players. We do not have a dedicated training facility in which to coordinate a really effective full time training regime.

 

Are we putting the horse before the cart? Perhaps the hamster before the wheel barrow would be a more accurate metaphor. To support a full time playing staff, we need a strong club. Sadly, it would appear that right now Thistle are weak and struggling on and off the park.

 

I am sympathetic to the difficulties for the manager which part time employees would bring. But I think this obsession with full time players, which currently is clearly not resulting in competitive performance, is possibly stretching the financial capabilities of the club needlessly too far. Is it not arguable that in retaining a full time squad when we are skint is akin to dundee’s attempts to buy success, but without a Calum Melvile?

 

Due to his first two seasons I, even now, would continue to support McCall given the circumstances he has had to work through since his arrival. Few managers would not have struggled in the job. I emphasise, that is not to say I have no criticisms of his tactics, team selections, player purchases or management style. Nor do I believe that another manager might not improve our performances, but I struggle to be convinced by who that might be. However, if it is McCall’s insistence that the job cannot be done without a full time squad or at least a reduction in his full time playing staff, then I would have to say that he is not the man for Thistle at this time.

 

Where and when are we training at the moment? I’d like to go and see what they get up to. Perhaps the trust should organise a "show of strength" demonstration at a couple of training sessions if there is a consensus of opinion amongst the fans that apathy has set in?

[Jaggernaut]

However, if it is McCall’s insistence that the job cannot be done without a full time squad or at least a reduction in his full time playing staff, then I would have to say that he is not the man for Thistle at this time.

 

Not much wrong in your post. But there's no escaping the strong likelihood that a part-time squad will end up in Division 2 sooner rather than later; for some reason we're in a relegation dogfight against the two part-time teams in the Division.

 

But there's also no escaping the fact that some of our best teams in living memory had a sprinkling of part-timers in with full-timers, Would that work these days?

 

Who knows?

[ChewinGumMacaroonBaaaz]

 

Are we putting the horse before the cart? Perhaps the hamster before the wheel barrow would be a more accurate metaphor.

 

 

 

.... cart, horse, wheel barrow, hamster.... uff! Y'knowaotameen.

[Big Welshy]

What do they do?

 

Less hours of training a week than part-time Glasgow City Ladies Football Club, that's what they do.