Pie Of The Month Posted May 31, 2011 Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 http://www.ptfc.co.uk/news/2010-2011/may_2011/tommy_stewart_signs Excellent news. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yellow & Redneck Posted May 31, 2011 Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 Confirmed, great news. All the best Tommy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
east lothian jag Posted May 31, 2011 Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 Confirmed, great news. All the best Tommy! Great news, now we need Rowser to sign, things looking up!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kni Posted May 31, 2011 Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 Official site - http://www.ptfc.co.uk/news/2010-2011/may_2011/tommy_stewart_signs “We are still working on getting David Rowson fixed up and I’m hoping to get Iain Flannigan tied up for next season as well.” Does this mean that Robertson, Hodge and Boyle are moving on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Third Lanark Posted May 31, 2011 Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 Great news. All the best Tommy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
east lothian jag Posted May 31, 2011 Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 Official site - http://www.ptfc.co.uk/news/2010-2011/may_2011/tommy_stewart_signs “We are still working on getting David Rowson fixed up and I’m hoping to get Iain Flannigan tied up for next season as well.” Does this mean that Robertson, Hodge and Boyle are moving on? Possibly, as they never seem to be mentioned when players are possibly being "tied" up for the forthcoming season Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennythistle Posted May 31, 2011 Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 Full pre season under his belt and I think Tommy could be a key signing for us. Hope there is positive news bout Rowser and Flanagan to follow.....but would also like to see 2 or 3 fresh faces at the club. Ideally I'd like all the out of contract players to sign on, but given the financial restraints at the club, I think we are going to lose some of the lads to better offers from elsewhere. All the best to Tommy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grant Tierney's tackle Posted May 31, 2011 Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 The new Marko Van Roberts. All the best Tommy - hope Jackie gets a good pre-season into you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kni Posted May 31, 2011 Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 Full pre season under his belt and I think Tommy could be a key signing for us. Hope there is positive news bout Rowser and Flanagan to follow.....but would also like to see 2 or 3 fresh faces at the club. Ideally I'd like all the out of contract players to sign on, but given the financial restraints at the club, I think we are going to lose some of the lads to better offers from elsewhere. All the best to Tommy. It appears that Boyle and Hodge have better offers. The big question is whether Robertson is moving on. The answer appears to be yes. My guess is that McNamara will look for another left back and try to get new loan deals for Balatoni and McGowan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennythistle Posted May 31, 2011 Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 It appears that Boyle and Hodge have better offers. The big question is whether Robertson is moving on. The answer appears to be yes. My guess is that McNamara will look for another left back and try to get new loan deals for Balatoni and McGowan. Yeah it does look that way. I had a good chat with Conrad at the Fun day. It's clear he wants to get first team football at Hearts and if there is a chance of that, then I doubt he'll be back. I also noticed McGowan got himself into the Hearts team after he returned from us so maybe Jeffries plans to play him more next season. Guess time will tell. I know a lot depends on the young lads pushing on from last season but I do genuinely feel there is a lot to be positive about for the coming season. I know a good few feel the same while there are others who don't, but looking at who is in the squad for next season, it has potential to be a good team. Jackie has said he wants to play 4 3 3. There are a good number of skillful, attack minded players at the club. One of the most important things we must do, is get a playing surface that allows them to show those skills to the maximum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uberteeb Posted May 31, 2011 Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 Stewart looked like a handy player, if we get Rowson tied down then we’ll have a right good chance at the league next season. And while Boyle getting a better offer is fair enough what team in their right mind have offered Hodge decent terms? He would have been a bit part player with us next season and will be no loss whatsoever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamiltonjag Posted May 31, 2011 Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 Nice one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grant Tierney's tackle Posted May 31, 2011 Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 (edited) Totally agree about Hodge, who seemed like a slightly more silky Darren Brady. I'd rather see one of our younger boys get a shot in midfield. Who knows, maybe even Cairney will get his act together and cut down on the Guinness. Edited May 31, 2011 by Grant Tierney's tackle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kni Posted May 31, 2011 Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 Yeah it does look that way. I had a good chat with Conrad at the Fun day. It's clear he wants to get first team football at Hearts and if there is a chance of that, then I doubt he'll be back. I also noticed McGowan got himself into the Hearts team after he returned from us so maybe Jeffries plans to play him more next season. Guess time will tell. I know a lot depends on the young lads pushing on from last season but I do genuinely feel there is a lot to be positive about for the coming season. I know a good few feel the same while there are others who don't, but looking at who is in the squad for next season, it has potential to be a good team. Jackie has said he wants to play 4 3 3. There are a good number of skillful, attack minded players at the club. One of the most important things we must do, is get a playing surface that allows them to show those skills to the maximum. We are lacking depth in defence with only Paton, Kinniburgh and Archibald having proven first-team experience. Has McGeough and Lochhead been released? They are now out of contract. We seem sorted in attack - Doolan, Grehan and Stewart with Fraser, Burns and McGrotty in the squad. In midfield, it appears that we will have Cairney, Erskine, Rowson and Flannigan with McBeth, Bannigan and Campbell as back-up. So the priorities are a replacement for Boyle, cover for Paton and two central defenders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diego Posted May 31, 2011 Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 Stewart looked like a handy player, if we get Rowson tied down then we’ll have a right good chance at the league next season. I may be floating on the wave of optimism, or it may be the hangover, but I am beginning to think the same. I've seen enough from sport over the last few months to realise that a team can be so much more than the sum of its parts and I think that may well be the case with Thistle next season. The parts aren't looking too shabby either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pie Of The Month Posted May 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 Yeah it does look that way. I had a good chat with Conrad at the Fun day. It's clear he wants to get first team football at Hearts and if there is a chance of that, then I doubt he'll be back. I also noticed McGowan got himself into the Hearts team after he returned from us so maybe Jeffries plans to play him more next season. Guess time will tell. I know a lot depends on the young lads pushing on from last season but I do genuinely feel there is a lot to be positive about for the coming season. I know a good few feel the same while there are others who don't, but looking at who is in the squad for next season, it has potential to be a good team. Jackie has said he wants to play 4 3 3. There are a good number of skillful, attack minded players at the club. One of the most important things we must do, is get a playing surface that allows them to show those skills to the maximum. I think McGowan got in the team due to Hearts have a crazy amount of injuries a bit like Jackie had to deal with at Firhill in his time as interim manager. With Zaliukas, Webster, Barr, Bouzid and potentially Diamond if he signs ahead of him I don't see Balatoni being in their 1st team next season anyway. If McNamara plans to play 4-3-3 then I'd say if we get Rowson and Flannigan signed up then we're covered in midfield with those 2, Erskine, Cairney, Bannigan, Campbell and MacBeth in contention for the 3 midfield spots. Hopefully there's another defender, possibly Balatoni, on the way and maybe a striker as if we intend to play all 3 of Doolan, Stewart and Grehan then we'd have to be lucky with injuries and suspensions or hope Fraser and/or Burns are ready to start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennythistle Posted May 31, 2011 Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 Totally agree about Hodge, who seemed like a slightly more silky Darren Brady. I'd rather see one of our younger boys get a shot in midfield. Who knows, maybe even Cairney will get his act together and cut down on the Guinness. Cairney was another I had a good chat with at the fun day. He came across as very determined to get a good pre season and have a much better campaign than last time, when there is no doubt he did not progress as we all hoped he would. He showed enough in his first season that he can be a good player. He must step up to the plate on a regular basis next term. If he does, in many ways, it will be like having a new player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kni Posted May 31, 2011 Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 It's worth looking at last season's squad, departures, re-signings and how many Jackie will be able to add. Halliwell, Shepherd, McGeough, Robertson, Balatoni, Lochhead, Boyle, Rowson, Flannigan and Hodge have been released or are out of contract. Rowson and Flannigan are being offered new deals. So that's up to 8 departures with 2 signings (Stewart and Lindsay). So it appears that there are 3 senior and 3 youth/loan wages potentially available depending on Jackie's budget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Bunny Posted May 31, 2011 Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 (edited) We are lacking depth in defence with only Paton, Kinniburgh and Archibald having proven first-team experience. Has McGeough and Lochhead been released? They are now out of contract. So the priorities are a replacement for Boyle, cover for Paton and two central defenders. As we've signed a left back - however inexperienced - I'd say it's more likely we'll be looking for two players who can play both centre back and full back. That's why it would have been good to keep Robertson: he's experienced and can play anywhere across the back four. (BTW I see that according to the OS Paton's contract is up today ... is he getting a new one? ) Edited May 31, 2011 by Mr Bunny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennythistle Posted May 31, 2011 Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 I think McGowan got in the team due to Hearts have a crazy amount of injuries a bit like Jackie had to deal with at Firhill in his time as interim manager. With Zaliukas, Webster, Barr, Bouzid and potentially Diamond if he signs ahead of him I don't see Balatoni being in their 1st team next season anyway. If McNamara plans to play 4-3-3 then I'd say if we get Rowson and Flannigan signed up then we're covered in midfield with those 2, Erskine, Cairney, Bannigan, Campbell and MacBeth in contention for the 3 midfield spots. Hopefully there's another defender, possibly Balatoni, on the way and maybe a striker as if we intend to play all 3 of Doolan, Stewart and Grehan then we'd have to be lucky with injuries and suspensions or hope Fraser and/or Burns are ready to start. I admit if we get flannigan and Rowser signed up then the midfield looks strong. As to who plays where, I'm at a loss. Seems from what Jackie said towards the end of last season, he sees Erskine playing a free role. I also expect Bannigan to be a main feature of the team next season. I think he may be the one that they have really high hopes for. Not sure if Bannigan will play midfield or could be used in a front 3. I would like to see Balatoni back and there certainly is a chance of that. I just wanted to highlight that when i spoke to him his desire was to get into the Hearts first team. I'm sure if that wasn't to happen he'd be more than willing to come back to Firhill. I do feel a lot hinges on getting Rowser and Flannigan signed. If we do, then even with a small squad, we have a lot more options available to us than we did this time last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjptfc Posted May 31, 2011 Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 (edited) Does anyone else think that we could maybe find a few other players in the Irish Leagues? Obviously in Ireland, all the top players are whipped off to England or Selik at an early age like some sort of child-trafficking set-up (no double meaning intended tims so calm down), but of the ones left I'd imagine we could find a few that would do a job in the Scottish First Division, like Stewart. Most of these guys would see a move to Scotland (and the possibility of going full-time) as a big opportunity aswell. Unless they are all shite and I'm talking nonsense, but I'm sure there are a few in there who, if the edges were polished, could do us a turn and not cost a fortune. Edited May 31, 2011 by cjptfc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macca Posted May 31, 2011 Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 Full pre season under his belt and I think Tommy could be a key signing for us. Hope there is positive news bout Rowser and Flanagan to follow.....but would also like to see 2 or 3 fresh faces at the club. Ideally I'd like all the out of contract players to sign on, but given the financial restraints at the club, I think we are going to lose some of the lads to better offers from elsewhere. All the best to Tommy. Totally agree about the new faces needed as although we had not a bad season and a lot of the squad are signed up for next season don`t forget we finished a long way behind the winners of the division in fifth place Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armand2 Posted May 31, 2011 Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 Good to have Stewart signed up. Came onto a game as he got fitter and looked like he had a decent turn of pace aswell. He shoots from outside the box too! Up front, that's us got Doolan, Grehan, Stewart, Burns, Fraser and McGrotty. I'd like another striker, probably on loan, especially if we're going to be playing Jackie's favoured 4-3-3. Not too crazy about getting Flannigan re-signed; I think he's easily replaceable. Indeed, we may already have a replacement in Bannigan. Getting Rowson re-signed is obviously our number one priority, whether it's on a full-time or part-time basis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fawlty Towers Posted May 31, 2011 Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 Very happy with this news and the fact that Jackie wants to keep both Rowson and Flannigan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady-isobel-barnett Posted May 31, 2011 Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 (edited) Very pleased with this signing. In addition to what others have said I also think Tommy looks to have a good deal of strength about him. Not sure if having three frontline forwards(Doolan, Grehan & Stewart) plus attacking midfielders (Erskine and Bannigan) all left footed is ideal. Perhaps that's why Jackie is mentioning Flannigan ahead of Hodge. Btw I'm not sure, unless he did sign a pre-contract, Hodge will have better terms elsewhere. The guy has been out injured for sometime and I don't believe he'd be considered that much a catch for a "bigger" club to risk his fitness. As for Flannigan I feel what we don't get in directness is more than made up for by his close control. Got a feeling if we re-sign Flannigan he may be played out left quite a bit just to vary things up. Edited May 31, 2011 by lady-isobel-barnett Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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