potty trained Posted December 17, 2012 Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 As it says on the tin, what players can you think of that came through the Thistle youth ranks to never break into the first team. But go one and have a good career away from Firhill. Or maybe were at Firhill early in their career, never really looked anything special, but went on to do really well in football. Here's some examples... David Barron: Freed from Thistle youths having never broke into the first team... Signed for St Mirren in 2005 and remained there since, naturally right sided, he won player of the year spending a full season playing left back. Mark Stewart: Played in the same youth team as Barron, made a couple of first team appearances but was released... Went on to play with Falkirk in the SPL, and now playing with Dundee in the SPL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maestro Posted December 17, 2012 Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 Good point but maybe they weren't performing that well at thistle at the time and moving on to new clubs gave them the lift that they required having said that I've noticed some rave reviews coming out of the youth teams I just hope that we can hold on to the ones with potential before the bigger clubs come in for them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armand2 Posted December 17, 2012 Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 I probably wouldn't label him "one that got away" but Derek Lyle has went on to make a relatively decent career for himself. Had we not been in the process of back-to-back championships, I reckon he would have gotten a few more opportunities and could have stuck about for a bit longer. Also, although not entirely relevant to the question, Stuart Taylor was a player I was really happy to have signed and thought he was an ideal replacement for the Killie-bound Hardie. He just never looked like recapturing his form of our First Division winning season where he was very good for Airdrie. Once he left us, he eventually rediscovered a bit of form and was quite an important player for Hamilton when they were promoted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaggernaut Posted December 17, 2012 Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 Remarkably, Andy Dowie did has continued to do quite well after being less than average for us. We should have kept Scott Boyd; has been an integral part of Ross County's successful team, and often does very well against us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trotter Posted December 17, 2012 Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 Remarkably, Andy Dowie did has continued to do quite well after being less than average for us. We should have kept Scott Boyd; has been an integral part of Ross County's successful team, and often does very well against us. A bit off tangent to the thread title I know but I always liked Scott Boyd. Wasn't the most technically gifted but a good solid centre half and one we should have probably kept but was unfortunate enough to be part of The Campbell era. Dowie likewise not the worse but was unfortunate enough to be here as part of a team that was poorly managed and bereft of confidence. With talk of Archie maybe not being up to this level anymore and becoming more prone to injuries i'd honestly take either of these two back as cover for Muirhead & Balatoni. Can't think of many players in recent years that we've let go and have gone onto better things. Billy Dodds & Colin West tho both on loan from Chelsea at time. Plenty have gone the other way tho! Davie Elliot was never the same player after leaving Firhill. Craig Nelson never really kicked on- so much so that the guy we got on a free, (in fact Hearts paid us to take him and Willie Jamieson) Nicky Walker, went on to reluanch his international career. Not even mention Jean Yves Anis or Stephane Bonnes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaggernaut Posted December 17, 2012 Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 This thread reminded me that yesterday I was thinking about Liam Buchanan, and whether he might regret leaving us for Dunfermline. He was at most a bit part player there, and then his spell and Ireland didn't really put him in the shop window. Now he has no club, and will be well short of match fitness. Likely to end up part-time in the lower reaches of football, I'd guess. Or can anybody correct me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potty trained Posted December 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 This thread reminded me that yesterday I was thinking about Liam Buchanan, and whether he might regret leaving us for Dunfermline. He was at most a bit part player there, and then his spell and Ireland didn't really put him in the shop window. Now he has no club, and will be well short of match fitness. Likely to end up part-time in the lower reaches of football, I'd guess. Or can anybody correct me? Is he not playing at airdrie til the new year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Dastardly Posted December 17, 2012 Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 Not exactly through the youths, but Jamie Langfield never made the breakthrough with us, but has gone on to better things since. I think he had a howler against his former club Dundee in what was a promotion 6 pointer and that probably sealed his fate. Slightly different, but I did e-mail the club back in 2003 to say that they should take a look at Scott McDonald who had recently been released by Southampton.I got a polite reply to say that there was a difference in standard between reserve football and what was needed for the SPL. One year later, he joined Motherwell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady-isobel-barnett Posted December 17, 2012 Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 Good point but maybe they weren't performing that well at thistle at the time and moving on to new clubs gave them the lift that they required In reference to Mark Stewart, he didn't stand a chance with us. Scot Boyd's best game for us was against Hearts, which was virtually his first game. Quite prepared to let Messrs Campbell & Bone off with not being able to nurture talent with the likes of Adam Strachan but not with the other two. Not recognising potential in one case and not being able to develop the potential of the other was far from clever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaggy Posted December 17, 2012 Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 Steve Kirk was one. We signed him from East Fife and he want back there a year later IIRC. He went on to have a great career with Motherwell. I think e also had Pat Nevin at Firhill at one time when he was pretty young 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potty trained Posted December 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 Steve Kirk was one. We signed him from East Fife and he want back there a year later IIRC. He went on to have a great career with Motherwell. I think e also had Pat Nevin at Firhill at one time when he was pretty young Also heard Jim Duffy on the phone-in the other week.... He had Declan Gallagher at Clyde. he was suggested to us last season by Duffy but we didn't fancy him and he signed for Dundee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lindau Posted December 17, 2012 Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 (edited) Stuart Taylor was a player I was really happy to have signed and thought he was an ideal replacement for the Killie-bound Hardie. He just never looked like recapturing his form of our First Division winning season where he was very good for Airdrie. Once he left us, he eventually rediscovered a bit of form and was quite an important player for Hamilton when they were promoted. Spot on Armand.....really thought Taylor would have been a great signing, but for some reason he flopped badly at Firhill! Edited December 17, 2012 by Lindau Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lady-isobel-barnett Posted December 17, 2012 Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 Not exactly one who got away and besides I heard he had a bit of an attitude with us but John Gemmell's scored plenty of goals in the lower divisions. Maybe with the discipline of full time training he'd have done a job for us. Put another way he wouldn't have been any worse than a handful of near duds we signed or brought in on loan in our continual search for the "big strong front player". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thornwoodjag Posted December 17, 2012 Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 Does having someone on loan count? If so got to be Graham Dorrans! Enough said! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Arch Posted December 17, 2012 Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 Also heard Jim Duffy on the phone-in the other week.... He had Declan Gallagher at Clyde. he was suggested to us last season by Duffy but we didn't fancy him and he signed for Dundee We had him on trial pre-season last year. He actually looked quite decent, and played well away at Motherwell, but we signed Scott Robertson instead. Seems to be doing well at Dundee by all accounts, but would he get ahead of Balatoni or Muirhead? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicofan Posted December 17, 2012 Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 Quentin Jacobs..light years ahead of what we had at the time..pity 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaggernaut Posted December 17, 2012 Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 Does having someone on loan count? If so got to be Graham Dorrans! Enough said! I still have dreams about Eddie Prudham. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1971 Posted December 17, 2012 Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 Quentin Jacobs..light years ahead of what we had at the time..pity Jacobs really wasn't that good. Also, Mark Stewart is mince. Had a good season or so at Falkirk but that's about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Willjag Posted December 17, 2012 Members Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 Wasn't it McCall that finally ended Scott Boyd's Firhill career? I'll throw in Eddie Annand. and also a couple of players that came to us with big goalscoring reputations but were crap and then went on to score loads elsewhere were Gordon Dalziel and Andy Thomson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thornwoodjag Posted December 17, 2012 Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 Jacobs really wasn't that good. Eh! Great player for us. Too good for the rest of his team mates! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G SUS Posted December 17, 2012 Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 Wasn't it McCall that finally ended Scott Boyd's Firhill career? Yes, but that wasn't entirely for on-field reasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrantB Posted December 17, 2012 Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 Wasn't it McCall that finally ended Scott Boyd's Firhill career? I'll throw in Eddie Annand. and also a couple of players that came to us with big goalscoring reputations but were crap and then went on to score loads elsewhere were Gordon Dalziel and Andy Thomson. Andy Thomson must be one of the biggest disappointments I've ever seen in a Thistle jersey. Was amazing for QoS at the start of his career and scored bucketloads down south but was absolutely awful for us. Left for Falkirk and can't say I was impressed with him when he played against us for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaggernaut Posted December 17, 2012 Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 Andy Thomson must be one of the biggest disappointments I've ever seen in a Thistle jersey. Was amazing for QoS at the start of his career and scored bucketloads down south but was absolutely awful for us. Left for Falkirk and can't say I was impressed with him when he played against us for them. That's right. This thread got me thinking about "biggest disappointments" more generally. Thomson, certainly. I'd also hoped that Leigh Hinds would be a star, but he was a damp squib. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lindau Posted December 17, 2012 Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 I still have dreams about Eddie Prudham. Me too....was nearly in tears when he went back down south. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G SUS Posted December 17, 2012 Report Share Posted December 17, 2012 I'd also hoped that Leigh Hinds would be a star, but he was a damp squib. He was one of those really frustrating guys where he'd score thousands against us, but fail to do it for us. Similar to what i believe Colin McMenamin would be like if he signed for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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