There Is No Plan B...oh actually, yeh there is. Sorry.

By Vinny Ferguson @vbl1986

I’m sure we used to all talk about something other than football committees, megalomaniacs and rebellious chairmen. Ah yes, that’s right. Actual, proper football. The new season is almost upon us, and I think most people have forgotten about the fact that there will actually be some football played soon. Partick Thistle’s players will begin their mission to regain match sharpness against Paul Hartley’s Alloa Athletic on Tuesday night. I’ve spent some time thinking about how the team will line up this year.

Jackie McNamara’s first issue is the loss of Paul Cairney. I cannot remember a player having such a turnaround in fortune, fitness and finesse in one single season. This was the player who once looked heavy, short of pace and had absolutely no confidence in his ability as a First Division player. Last season, Paulo DiCairneyo was one of the stand out players in the league. It was no surprise to learn that several higher ranked clubs were interested in signing him up once his contract expired. He eventually opted for Hibernian, after long negotiations, his stag do and his wedding. Good luck to the man, he is one player who has earned his move to the top league in Scotland.

Cairney suggested that his drastic change in form was down to McNamara giving him a free role in midfield. We would often see Cairney drifting off to either wing, collecting the ball from defence, as well as linking up with the forward players. I would suggest that Chris Erskine will fulfil this position in the coming season. This creates another problem though, as Erskine and Cairney often linked up. McNamara doesn’t have many other options in the mould of Erskine and Cairney. He must consider other formations.

A look back at a former line up.


Hugh Murray will be a regular starter, perhaps at the expense of David Rowson. Rowson, despite his enthusiasm and fitness, is not getting any younger and is now a part-time footballer. This could lead to a Murray/Paton midfield. Paul Paton, another utility player, may however be used at the back, allowing Rowson to play a part in a starting eleven. We also cannot forget about Stuart Bannigan’s form towards the end of the season, both in midfield and on the left wing, or Sean Welsh’s eye for goal and angled passing ability, which could see him team up with Erskine in a freer role.

Mark McGuigan has impressed since his arrival at Firhill. He is a tall, athletic striker who has shown that he has a predatory, poacher instinct. While Kris Doolan is an excellent front man, his goals rarely come from easy chances. They come from hard work, working angles and spectacular long range efforts. McGuigan is an ideal partner for the hard working, considerate Doolan. I’m not convinced that McNamara will always have the luxury to play two strikers, but by having the options of McGuigan and the pacey Christie Elliot, he has shown that he is aware of the need to have a Plan B and C.

Other new signings have come in the form of Aaron Muirhead and Steven Lawless. Lawless is an interesting choice. Wingers are rarely used in the First Division, but perhaps McNamara noted Derek Adams’ use of ex-Jag Marc Corcoran last season and is keen to offer the team width from the bench should opposition sides look to enter into a stuffy, unattractive midfield battle. Muirhead, used mostly as a right back at his previous club, will be used sparingly and can be seen as competition for Stephen O’Donnell, whose performances last season ranged from dynamic to dismal. McNamara has previously stated concerns about O’Donnell’s mentality, one could argue that competition for places could encourage the ex-Celtic youth to work harder on a more consistent basis.

The one area of the pitch that the manager does not have to concern himself with is in goals. McNamara has, in Scott Fox, one of the best young goalkeepers in the country. As back-up, he has the increasingly able Ryan Scully. Some fans will remember Scully’s mistakes in the home defeat to Livingston. Others will remember his four top drawer saves in the same game. Fox learned last year that his position in the team is not written in stone, any loss in form will allow Scully in. Goalkeeping coach Craig Hinchcliffe has done an incredible job with both of these players. He is one of the most valuable assets at the club.

In conclusion, Jackie McNamara has made some shrewd signings since taking on the role as manager on a full time basis. He has, above all, given himself options. He currently has a first eleven capable of playing flowing, entertaining football. He also has the personnel to completely change the dynamic of the team. We have ball playing defenders. We have hard, no nonsense defenders. We have silky midfielders, comfortable on the ball. We have ball winning, borderline insane midfielders. We have a thinking front man. We have pacey forwards, we have big forwards.

Jackie McNamara now has the difficult job of keeping some very young feet on the ground. A lack of consistency was the problem last season. If consistency comes with entertaining football, we could have a very, very good season.

Possible starting eleven?

Time for a change

Ruairidh MacLennan investigates what it would take for Thistle to mount a serious promotion challenge next season.

The man (or woman) who says that the First Division provides variety has not been to a fixture in our humble ten-team collective. Unfortunately, the appetite of the Thistle fans for this league has dissipated somewhat, therefore some speculation over a possible challenge for promotion is always welcome. The idea may seem farfetched to many, yet a title challenge is not necessarily a concept that we should put aside in the interests of pessimism. The form of next season’s league may have a great bearing on what supporters will expect from the current, yet admittedly fledgling, side.

To say that some of my previous writings have been somewhat morose in their suggestions would in all likelihood be a reasonable observation, thus it is quite a pleasure to be able to sprinkle this update with some optimism. In the last two weeks, the team has put in two very encouraging displays away from Firhill, being unfortunate to only collect a point at Falkirk before winning with a five goal margin in Dumfries. Some notes on those two fixtures then: Firstly, it would be negligent in the extreme to ignore the commanding displays of Scott Robertson, a centre-half formerly of Stirling Albion, in recent weeks. Many have noted out lack of a ball-winner in defence, with defenders such as Conrad Balatoni and Darren Cole perhaps being more of the variety who wait for attackers to run at defences. However, not only was Robertson excellent in his sheer control of the line, but his use of the ball was also a joy to see. It is somewhat unfortunate that Robertson was out of the team for such a long period of time and indeed that he was placed in the middle of the team, as given the right run of fixtures, he could well gain some real momentum for the forthcoming year. Two other players who have impressed recently are Kris Doolan and Chris Erskine, whose attacking prowesses have been quite clear recently. The right tactical combination has these players performing excellently. The question is if Jackie McNamara can find the appropriate spaces in the team often enough to ensure that these two continue to trouble opponents.

These three squad members will be crucial to any potential challenge for promotion, particularly with another vital member of the team, namely midfielder Paul Cairney, reportedly being watched by bigger and undoubtedly wealthier clubs. This stated however, it is quite clear that this team needs a little more, to coin a BBC Sportsound cliché, “dig”. Now I am not a fan of this “dig”, or to re-educate the trail of thought a little, tenacity. It is an ugly, brutish side to the Scottish game, yet invariably a requirement to succeed in it. This is certainly not something I would like to see being a permanent fixture in a Thistle team, however we do need some sort of toughness, possibly provided by a battle-hardened veteran on a short-term deal? That sort of description is enough for, in all likelihood, the majority of the Thistle faithful to reminisce about Martin Hardie. Whether the soon to be 36 year old is the correct fit for the team in the present moment is an interesting point to deliberate on.

The opposition that Thistle will face next year are somewhat important to our aims of course. Many will dread the probable return of Cowdenbeath to the First Division. It seems to be that part-time teams cause problems for our often apparently so fragile team. Decidedly tepid performances against Cowdenbeath and Stirling Albion in recent years have led me to question whether facing non full-time clubs is actually advantageous in any way to Thistle’s own promotion hopes. While the likes of Falkirk habitually dispose of these teams without much trouble, Thistle seem to struggle to perform at all. I must say that Arbroath would be welcomed with open arms in comparison to the Blue Brazil, Central Park having been visited so recently. On the other hand, many would like to see the back of Raith Rovers, myself included if I am being sincere. Not only have we had a dreadful record against the Rovers since their return, their derby opposition to probable SPL victim Dunfermline would do much to support both teams. This is not to say that Dunfermline themselves are unwelcome, however the seemingly only alternative is Hibernian, who although would bring a sizeable support to Firhill, could well sweep aside any challenge from other First Division sides. As tempting as a good crowd or two inside Firhill is, a meaningful effort at winning promotion means so much more.

Classic Thistle

I was delighted to finally see the highlights of last week’s game against Ayr United. The weather that night was horrendous, as was some of the football in the opening 20 minutes. From a Thistle perspective, the final 70 minutes were fantastic. Partick Thistle managed to sum up their 136 years of existence in one game. Mingin, then sublime.

The game against Ayr showed Thistle at their best and at their worst. Thistle struggled to adjust to the conditions and, apparently, to the sport of football. Simple passes were misplaced, second touches were tackles, and chances were few and far between. The fans, understandably on this occasion, were starting to single out players as Ayr took an early lead and found chasms in the Thistle defence.

It was enough to make one fan question his own existence: “What am I doing here?!?!?”

From the incompetent, to the magnificent. Thistle started to show the sparse crowd what they are capable of. A neat exchange of passes between midfielders and attackers gave the team a series of chances to score an equaliser. An excellent run from the enigmatic Chris Erskine, led to a pass through to Doolan, who brought out a decent save from Cuthbert. Erskine had a clear shot at goal, but chose to pass. A sign, surely, that a player with such instinctive talent has lost some confidence.

As the teams emerged for the second half, Thistle’s season was hanging in the balance. Kris Doolan repaid the manager’s faith in him with a second half brace, one with his right foot and the second with his head. He had the chance to score a perfect hat trick when the impressive Paton was fouled in the box. Doolan was the supporter’s choice to take the kick, presumably with his left foot. It was, however, Paul Cairney who was given the task to put Thistle 3-1 up. Both Doolan and Cairney showing their respect for one another and McNamara’s instructions as the penalty was professionally dispatched.

Ayr scored an impressive second goal, which could have made an uncomfortable final few minutes for the Firhill crowd had it not been for Paton’s lofted ball through to Doolan, who crossed for Cairney to score his second and Thistle’s fourth of the evening.

I did wonder, after that magnificent second half performance, what the more pessimistic fans would complain about. A quick glance at a fans’ forum gave me my answer – a debate on the standard of ball boys. Seriously.

There were many more concerns raised a few days later as Thistle again showed an inability to build on a good result as they lost 2-1 to Raith Rovers. An excellent opening 45 minutes was followed by a disastrous second half, which saw Paul Paton (who was able to channel his aggression and frustration during the Ayr game to provide us with an outstanding performance) was shown a straight red card for his inability to channel his aggression and frustration, and lash out at an opponent.

Jackie McNamara has had a hard time convincing some fans that he is the man to take Thistle forward. In an interview with the Jagscast last year, he told us that he was an “ambitious wee guy”, and that he saw no reason why Thistle couldn’t be in the SPL within a couple of years. We have, at times this season, been treated to some wonderful football. If our young players were able to add some consistency to their undoubted talent, we could run away with the league title next season. Seriously.

VBL

Remember to read Craig Telfer's thoughts on the Ayr game by checking out his excellent site: http://whothehellisakabusi.blogspot.com/2012/02/little-prick.html

Firing Blanks

VBL looks at Thistle's recent scoring drought, and makes some suggestions about how to fix it.

Thistle have only scored one goal in 2012 so far. So far this season, we have failed to score in 41% of the games we have played. Our leading scorer, Paul Cairney, is a midfielder. The league’s top scorer last season, Kris Doolan, for all his endeavour this year has only found the net 6 times.

Just call me Michael Cox. Stats galore. The fact of the matter is that Thistle’s efforts this season are being let down by misfiring strikers. At various points in their Thistle careers, Tommy Stewart and Christie Elliot have looked dangerous. However, one of these players has been looking seriously short of match fitness recently, and the other has had his raw talent knocked out of him by the rigours of full-time football.

I would love to see Stewart doing what he does best by playing off of a front man and hitting shots from distance. In this league, with the current standard of pitches, the ball could bobble in front of the goalkeeper, could take a fortunate deflection or even go flying into the roof of the net. Tommy Stewart seems to be trying too hard. If he was that good, he wouldn’t be at Thistle.

Christie Elliot is as raw as they come, and that is not a criticism. His enthusiasm for the game was clear to see when he first arrived at Firhill. It was refreshing to see a player receive the ball and drive directly at goal. He was rewarded with a handful of goals, which have since dried up. Similarly to Stewart, he needs to remember why he was brought to this club. His performance on Saturday against a poor Morton side was reminiscent of the old Christie, although his positioning behind Doolan made it difficult for him to get into decent scoring positions.

When Liam Buchanan left, Kris Doolan was asked to step up and become the number one striker at Firhill. He achieved his target last season. This year, Doolan has scored some tremendous goals, and has consistently been one of the hardest working players in the squad. He has, however, perhaps suffered from the fact that he has not had a regular striking partner alongside him. This problem may allow Jackie McNamara to experiment with a different starting formation, playing Doolan as a lone striker with two wide men in a five man midfield. Although a 4-5-1 formation suggests negative, Gus McPherson-esque football, it would allow our best players, Cairney, Rowson and Paton, to find stability in the midfield and allow creative players such as Erskine and, possibly, Naismith to provide the chances and back up for Doolan. Cairney, as one of the three central midfielders, could also provide some back up for the lone striker and chip in the odd goal or two.

These are simply my thoughts, and I hope that they open up a discussion about McNamara’s options. For me, it is better to consider what we can do with what we have. We have the personnel to make changes, which suggests that McNamara is well aware of the need to change the dynamics of the team in the middle of a game. We have a potentially excellent manager at Firhill who needs time. He has a very young squad at his disposal, some of whom will be low on confidence at the moment. He’s got a tough job getting the likes of Elliot and Stewart back to where they were, but I think he can do it. It’s our job as supporters to help the team out. We can make our own suggestions about what McNamara can do, as I have just done, but let’s keep it positive and realistic. The club have no money, and Gerry Britton can’t play anymore. Let’s give these boys all we can, and hopefully they’ll repay us with goals.

VBL

New Article Up on STV

Hello everyone.

Head on over to:
http://local.stv.tv/glasgow/news/sport/24694-partick-thistle-fan-blog-the-jags-the-real-madrid-of-maryhill/
To read why the Panda thinks Thistle are like Real Madrid.

Thistle 4-0 Ayr United

The Jagscast for today will be up shortly, but in the mean time, here are some (poor quality) videos of Cairney, Erskine and Doolan scoring the 2nd, 3rd and 4th goals at today's game, and a close chance for Rangers loanee Kyle Hutton and some smooth passing play with Thistle in control for the whole of the second half. Great game.