Thistle Bonnet

I couldn't face listening to a full interview with the tedious Philippe Clement on my drive to Firhill this afternoon particularly as it was to be followed by the insights of Kenny Miller so I switched to Radio 5. I got back to the car just after 5pm to hear the insights of Kenny Miller followed by another interview with the tedious Clement...so I turned to Radio 5 without knowing any of the other scores just in time to hear their full review of all SPFL results including a mention of Falkirk winning their League. Fortunately I turned back to Sportsound just in time to hear Sidney Devine

The BBC Lunchtime Football preview of the 1971 League Cup Final was "Partick Thistle have no chance". Celtic manager was Jock Stein, they had four Lisbon Lions and Dalglish, Lou Macari, David Hay & George Connelly...Thistle had a bunch of kids who had come through the youth ranks. After 37 minutes, the Jags were 4-0 up...I was a youngster and wasn't even surprised! I remember as I was leaving Hampden seeing an old guy in tears and hugging his pal saying "I've waited 40 years for this" Older Thistle fans still talk about Bobby Houston's goal mysteriously chalked off for offside in the 1979 Cup Semi-Final against Rangers - it would have taken us into the final against a Hibs side we had beaten 6-1 a few weeks before. Since then Thistle have had a quite appalling cup record extending to only one unsuccessful Challenge Cup Final and I think one Cup semi-final defeat to Rangers. I have now been waiting 50 years...I don't really expect to see Thistle win a cup again...but if we do it still won't be as good as 1971.

Kyle Turner had an excellent season for Thistle last year with 7 goals and 12 assists. Virtually every Thistle fan would have been very pleased if he had stayed at Firhill but he was out of contract and signed for Ross County. Cammy Smith was a real disappointment at Firhill with 1 goal and no assists in 2 seasons. Not a single Thistle supporter would have put up a case for offering him a new contract. He signed for Morecambe.

There was something of a rivalry between the clubs for about 10-15 years from the mid 70's as they were involved in regular promotion & relegation battles, latterly coinciding with the worst sides in the respective clubs' histories. However with regard to the song, I think you will find that there is only a limited number of Scottish Football clubs whose name rhymes with "Silly".

Delighted with Thistle's performance and the result but just a nagging feeling that we let Ross off the hook tonight.

I chose a motel fairly close to LAX on my last trip as I had an early morning flight home. The traffic was mental even at 7am...I wouldn't have made it in time without my local guide (the girl in my avatar) - weaving through traffic and breenging into any hint of a gap was the way to go. Driving in LA is not a pleasant experience - a tip for the freeways is to stick to the middle lane as it's the equivalent of the slow lane - cars overtake on either side and the outside lanes could be an exit ramp you don't want to take. San Francisco has a great location, is relatively compact and has a bit of character but I am otherwise not a big fan of American Cities...an overnight stay in Las Vegas is enough for me. I much prefer Big Country America - the Grand Canyon, Yosemite and Death Valley are awesome. A Road Trip on the Pacific Coast Highway from LA to San Francisco is phenomenal with cool towns like Monterrey, Carmel, Santa Cruz and Santa Barbara on the way.

I had Sportsound on the car radio on the way to and back from Firhill today. The first half-hour was a fascinating insight into the merits of one team's entire playing squad, several of whom I've never heard of. On the way home there was a quick read through of all the results between more comments from Ibrox. Just as well Celtic weren't playing today otherwise we would have heard even less about the rest of Scottish Football. Richard Gordon used to always give a summary of results, scorers and league positions for all the Leagues and you would have at least some idea of how the season was going for every team. Now I scroll through P & B to find out what's happening with the other clubs. I stopped buying newspapers after flicking past the first six pages of the Herald Saturday Sports Supplement devoted to Old Firm stories despite neither team playing that day and with a full League programme and a Scotland Rugby International. Listening to Sportsound might go the same way - I don't want to tune into McIntyre's tabloid fake controversy and Old Firm centred viewpoint.

Lambie took over in March 1999, hardly won a game and we escaped relegation to the third tier by one point - we finished in 28th place, the club's lowest League ranking ever. He was in charge for the full season in 1999/00 - we finished in 25th place, our second worst league ranking and despite being the only full-time club in the League finished 16 points behind the third placed side who were promoted because of League Reconstruction that season. Social Media wasn't a thing back then but I doubt Lambie would have survived with that record. He did eventually get it right and built a side which was good enough to win successive promotions to the Premier League in the next two seasons.

Greenock seem to have a disproportionately high number of moron posters on here - bitter and angry and lacking grace in victory and defeat. Surely they can learn from their urbane and elegant manager?

Football has changed massively over the years...players are much fitter and more tactically aware now but brutal tackling is no longer a part of the game. It has been an absolute privilege to have seen Pele, Marradona & Messi play football but back in the day football was more of a physical challenge. Marradona was fouled 28 times in the World Cup game against Italy in 1982 - 2 Italians were booked. Messi's assist against Croatia was fantastic but in Pele's day he would have been hacked down before he had ran 5 yards.

i was fortunate enough to see Pele at Hampden against Scotland in a friendly just before the 1966 World Cup. Billy Bremner kicked him up and down the park...and that was just during the National Anthems. Nobody noticed Scotland until they scored in the first minute. Sadly Pele suffered even more brutal treatment and was literally kicked out the World Cup in the qualifying round. I was 14 at the time of the 1970 World Cup...we could watch football on colour TV and we had genuinely never seen anything like it. Jairzinho, Gerson and Rivelino were fantastic but Pele was something else. It's the goals he didn't score that particularly stick in the memory...Gordon Banks' phenomenal save from his header...nearly lobbing a startled Czech goalkeeper from the half way line...and the dummy on the Uruguayan keeper which moved everyone watching one place to the left. It's always said that sportsmen with special talent seem to have more time than anyone else...the iconic fourth goal in the final against Italy was the perfect example....he controlled the pass from Jairzinho, had time for a puff at a cigar before rolling the ball right into Carlos Alberto's stride.

My recollection is that in the Switzerland game Gough claimed that the ball took an awkward bounce off a water sprinkler head and he misjudged the flight. He handled the ball and was sent off. Craig Brown was Assistant Manager when we were thrashed by Portugal. He was given a lift to the stadium by Bobby Robson who was manager of Sporting Lisbon at the time. Brown passed on this local knowledge from his "taxi driver" - maybe Robson's insight was worthless or Gough dismissed it but we were an absolute shambles and fortunate just to lose five.

Decisions on policing capacity are clearly a Government issue - there was no instruction to the Football Authorities that all games should be postponed on this or any other basis. With regard to games next weekend, I would hope that the Club and any of the Supporters Association are putting forward a strong case that these should go ahead rather than a silent passive and tacit acceptance of decisions by those in power.

I don't often go to away games but bought a ticket for the game at Ayr today. I was less than pleased that as a football fan, I was in a group exclusively chosen for compulsory mourning. It's probably unlikely that it will suit me to go to this game when it is re-arranged. The decision for the absurd cancellation of all games in Scotland today was made by the Scottish Football Authorities. It will surprise nobody that Doncaster and his cohorts adopted a craven approach of appeasement and disregard for supporters' interests - they have history of this with broadcasters and the Old Firm. Perhaps our PR Guru Chair and the Jags Trust guys have been lobbying the Authorities but they have been strangely silent. However I am a bit disappointed that TJF has not expressed a view. I am not a TJF member but am persuadable. However the main purpose of fan-based ownership is surely to speak up for the supporters...or do they agree that cancellation of games was appropriate?

Great to see Patrick net a hat-trick...well done Paddy...too good for this League