Striker On Trial

[Metz]

I agree he has certainly looked better coming of the bench. He seems more in tune with the game and more likely to contribute, there will also be less expectancy on him which might help him in the long term.

[The Sunnylaw Jag]

So I confused, is it the guy Ferreira on trial or John Baird?

[allyo]

So I confused, is it the guy Ferreira on trial or John Baird?

 

Ferreira is on trail but John Baird is the accused.

[The Sunnylaw Jag]

Ferreira is on trail but John Baird is the accused.

What trail is he on? Santa Fe, Oregon . . ?

[allyo]

On the goal trail with the Jags!

[Alan Murray]

Not really. They can take turn around . I'm assuming we're talking about Baird/Tade and/or Baird/Graham. My recollection was certainly Baird was the out and out striker when alongside Tade.

 

Repeating myself probably but I've got the impression Baird is out of sync with the rest of the attackers in trying to score from every opportunity. Normally no bad thing, and I've been slightly critical of the others laying off the ball instead of being more direct, but I feel Baird overdoes it. I think if he was less concerned about scoring and more attuned to assisting he could be more appreciated and indeed useful. Setting yourself up as an out and out goalscorer is gambling too much with your own confidence.

 

I don't believe our team is set up to simply judge a striker on the number of goals he scores. I'm not sure Baird realises that.

 

I think Baird is at his best when he drops deep – I thought he did that much more than a normal second striker would do when he played with Raith. Did not see too much of him at Dundee but going by comments from Dundee fans he did play behind a striker.

 

I thought when Archie signed him the plan would to play him in the roles currently occupied by Lawless and Higginbottom. In my opinion that’s when we will see the best of him.

[The Cup]

By Baird's own admission he is a striker.

[David Stevenson]

By Baird's own admission he is a striker.

 

You make it sound like a crime.....

[David Stevenson]

Archie's take on things:

 

http://sport.stv.tv/football/240112-alan-archibald-defends-lack-of-goals-from-partick-thistle-strikers/

[Veejag]

I'd hate to be a child of "The Cup". Constant disapproval and disappointment in me.

 

Cheer up big man (or wee man).

[The Cup]

I'd hate to be a child of "The Cup". Constant disapproval and disappointment in me.

 

Cheer up big man (or wee man).

 

There's no point in giving them false hope.

If my child was John Baird I'd have told him to get a real job a long time ago.

[sb1876]

Can't really sat anything about that, my least favourite Thistle players over the years have been the lazy ones and those who don't seem to care about the club and the fans and who never chase a potential lost cause. I believe there is no excuse for effort, you might be the least talented player in the team but hard work and honest endeavour can cover a lot of that and you can contribute as much as the best of them. There's no doubt you need a bit of ability too at Thistle's level but Baird has that. I would rather a hard working Baird than a lazy bloke with a few flair moments, imagine someone with Erskine's talent but without the hard work and passion, still 8 or 9 goals but mostly crap with the odd special bit of skill, iI'd rather have Baird chasing almost everything and trying every minute for the club. You might criticise his goal ratio or ability but not his effort, if he's picked you get everything he has and you can't blame him, if he's selected it's because Archie's decided he's the person for the job, if you don't like that blame Archie. The day he turns out to be a lazy no good player taking a wage for nothing, i'll be with you in saying he contributes zilch and should go, however as long as he's picked and tries for the club I'll support him. (just to be clear - I'm not saying Erskine is lazy! My point was a lazy Erskine type of player)

[lady-isobel-barnett]

I would rather a hard working Baird than a lazy bloke with a few flair moments,

 

The above applies to each position and every player on the park. Further to that almost certainly applies throughout the squad. No doubt Archie has had guys in on trial that play to our system, have enough talent but he had concerns re their application. Shaggy said as much in the summer when he mentioned that players have to fit in with the rest of the players. With so many of the squad not getting a start thru no fault of their own it's not worth the risk bringing in a guy who won't work at his game. That would send out bad vibes.

I'm not over concerned if a player pulls out a tackle when a game is already won or lost but apart from that I want to see players give their all for the entire time they're on the pitch Three nil down last Saturday and with only minutes to go but both SOD & ATS were still running the length of the pitch. That's exactly the commitment I want to see.

[The Cup]

That's a bit unfair. Baird doesn't work harder than anyone else.

 

Unless by hard work you mean Gerry Collins' "gie's a shift" style chasing shadows round the park. He's great at that.

[lady-isobel-barnett]

That's a bit unfair. Baird doesn't work harder than anyone else.

 

Unless by hard work you mean Gerry Collins' "gie's a shift" style chasing shadows round the park. He's great at that.

 

If that's in reply to my post I didn't single Baird out. What I was suggesting was Baird wouldn't have been signed if he wasn't a player that worked as hard as the rest of the squad. Also suggesting that other trialists may have been knocked back for not being able to show enough commitment.

Easy to slag the "gie's a shift" patter as it came a catchphrase of one of our most unsuccessful managers. I don't doubt Stein, Shankly and Ferguson all used it to praise efforts of many of their individual players. Post I was quoting was spot on.

[The Cup]

If that's in reply to my post I didn't single Baird out. What I was suggesting was Baird wouldn't have been signed if he wasn't a player that worked as hard as the rest of the squad. Also suggesting that other trialists may have been knocked back for not being able to show enough commitment.

Easy to slag the "gie's a shift" patter as it came a catchphrase of one of our most unsuccessful managers. I don't doubt Stein, Shankly and Ferguson all used it to praise efforts of many of their individual players. Post I was quoting was spot on.

 

Not aimed at anyone in particular but the group of people that excuse Baird's failings because he works hard.