banditjag

There was but had insufficient support. I've little problem with that, simply making the point the board are pish and not having play offs for the bottom spot is unfair on the HL and LL

Where did I say brechin? I was generalising that there are a number of clubs at our level who are gash, uninspiring, insipid and who perhaps do not deserve to just keep a league place cos of history, their place at the table. That needs to be earned surely. It's just that brechin, a marvelously welcoming club, are bottom of recent times.

And rightly so given their performance prior to that. What you would then expect would be for the employed people at the spfl to come up with a proposed plan, a strategy to cover all possible scenarios bar those that simply could not be anticipated. Is that not why the clubs employ and appoint these people. Out of their depth on the available evidence.

And so why do we employ Doncaster and appoint a board? The least we can expect would be them to propose a choice of options not to ask clubs for authority to decide or, can you guys come up with a plan. Why the feck to we pay them a wage? Jobs for the boys/bhoys. All funded by the paying public.

Good point. Spfl sadly lacking in planning and foresight once again. I know it is strange unprecedented times etc but you would hope that a board and chair being paid huge wages would be up to the task. It's undeniable they have been found wanting. I get your point about other clubs being denied play offs from last season, but that doesn't make right nor excuse the clusterfuck that was the end of season decisions. And yet lessons weren't learned by those in power. No clear strategy to cover any eventualities never mind all eventualities, which of course would be unreasonable to expect. It's old ground I know, but some people are using the pandemic to their own ends and protect their own interests. Which to a degree is understandable but doesn't make it right. No harm to brechin fans, I'd expect my club would do the same and most likely I wouldn't be complaining.

Yes, wouldn't we all love a rich benefactor? We did for a while and without what he out into our club I shiver to think where we would be. Wrote off our debt, invested in the club but we are still a shite run club, so rich benefactor does not equal well run. Both brora and kielty have improved their club structure and enjoyed success at their level so surely deserve to replace a club who have stagnated for too long. Surely there has to be a clear path to the "pro" leagues. Granted the current state if affairs with only 3 games played a club is awarded their league is far from ideal but desperate times, desperate measures. I know fairness doesn't feature in Scottish football but in lieu of last season they should play a play off to meet bottom if L2. Two wrongs sometimes can make a right. Personally I'd love a trip to brora for football. I usually just drive through.

Smokescreen. After last years shitfest which included brechin being bottom but didn't have to play off against the HL or LL, whichever won their play off, Ferguson was slaughtered in some quarters and along with all the other issues, made the board look crap. I suspect ferguson is leaving to negate any negative fall out in the event his club are bottom and the board save his club from a play off again. Pure face saving football snobbery in the face of better run HL and LL clubs being denied access through the pyramid.

Ooft, didn't see this result coming. Consistency now please.

Balanced or screaming bampot? Perhaps this is why I fall asleep during games and not the pish I am watching.

I thought it was just me. Awful. Makes old Arthur montford sound like he was on LSD. Wee Chris is pretty decent as a side kick, calm and knowledgeable but Christ they could do with having a swally pre match to perk them up.

I can be your straight man. Senna will be a good player, I've no doubt, especially at this level. He's young, much to learn but will improve. Just needs to be managed by benching for now. Agree McKenna and brownlee for me too. Agree with your Cardle assessment as well which is worrying because he's our most creative player. We are mentally too weak as a collective to turn around going behind into a win very often. Hoping for a shut out and a sneaky 1 nil but expecting the worst.

Yet another must win. 3 years littered with must wins and little to show for it. We as a club, seem to be nowhere near being up for it in any game bar last weekends games first half against a bigger team. WTF is going on at firhill, at training or where ever we are playing these days. None of the team seems motivated to start games on the front foot. Agree with @oneteaminglasgow despite being a ray of sunshine pre last lockdown, senna seems to have crashed and burned and needs a short break to protect him? I'd have thought after three managers and at least 6 transfer windows we would have sorted the defence by now. But please not a return for o'ware. We have to click at some point but I doubt it will be peterhied

Utter

There's a whole league below us and on a positive note, we could be the biggest supported club in the lowland league. A new low for McCall and his clusterfuck of a team. Absolutely shameful. He should be the most embarrassed person in scitland right now. Fair play to EF, they are up for it, we aren't. Thank f**k we don't need to be there.

Just a wee point I'm wondering about. How did managers get on back in the day finding talent by going to games themselves and identifying players all by themselves? What changed, apart from a pandemic that a manager had time back then but not now. Why does a manager need such a big back team, when back in the day a manager and assistant was the norm. Perhaps a part time coach of sorts. In our case why the f**k do we need two assistants? Just all seems top heavy. I'm not being an old stick in the mud but our club does a great impression of being a complete clusterfuck of being run.

It's just managing to get consistency at our level seems so hard. But if JW could achieve that he wouldn't be forfar manager.

Hadn't seen forfar for several years, family from letham so used to frequent station park when in town, but was very impressed with them v Thistle. Solid game plan, excellent motivation and some skill on show. You looked more like a promotion chasing team that relegation fodder. There was a real confidence in your play, and I thought we didn't play badly was just that forfar played an intense press on us that we never got to grips with. I wouldn't be surprised on that showing if you end up safe but like us all at this level it's lack of consistency that is the undoing.

And excuse my ignorance and perhaps this is being covered elsewhere and I've just not found it, but I've seen nothing on the punch on Brian Graham that McCall spoke of after match. Certainly there was zero coverage on sportscene. Wonder if there would have been more coverage if it had been an arse cheek player who was punched. Anyone know anything?

This in bucket fulls. The cl6b is rotten in the background never mind playing. So much for fan ownership and having a voice. Is it because if the pandemic the board and chief exec are getting away with the lack of communication and engagement? Or am I just missing something. We did well yesterday bar a few mistakes that led to goals and poor officiating which has always been the case when a lower league club plays a premier club in the cup.

Thanks for that update, good to know. I've no doubt he cares and is professional, I'm just scrambling to understand why his most recent team, Ayr, had a swashbuckling edge (from snippet on TV and 2 ayr untd fan pals) and our team is back being an archie side to side, jittery, slow one. But I still want this management team and playing team to be successful but my faith is being worn down.

Agree fully will all you say. I found his interview both predictable and disappointing. If we were in the top league I would perhaps get vagueness as there is so much professional scrutiny by other clubs to get an edge, that managers are understandable cautious about what they say so as not to give anything away to other teams who are trying everything to get an edge but this is diddy league stuff. No one other than that teams fans pays any real attention. So ffs Ian, be open, be transparent. It's a huge concern to me, and other Thistle fans I know, that his mantra is "disappointing", " not good enough", "must do better" etc etc. We fans urnae daft, tell us where it went wrong, or what exactly it was about the play, or the game plan you were disappointed with and more importantly tell us what the f**k you intend to do the change that problem, improve that concern. We are interested, we do want to know and try and understand. And know what, we are bright and knowledgeable enough to understand the dark secrets of football management. AND WE FUCKING CARE. CARE DEEPLY. Sorry, rant over. Just very frustrated.

Won't happen though as we have a seriously inept chair and board. The season is a write off. I firmly believe that has been the board's thoughts from early in the season. Agree completely with the archie comment. He should be regarded as a legend at the club and the longer this is allowed to go on the less if a legend he becomes. There will be no change this season or next. I was more than happy when low was ousted and McCall brought back but it hasn't worked. As long as the current board are in charge of our club we will continue in a downward spiral. It is unfathomable that a chair and exec who presided over two relegations and two failed management teams is still in charge of the club. Utterly baffling. If I hadn't bought a season ticket I'd have stopped watching

Hard to argue with this. What is the worst crime here is how unfit and unprepared we are compared to part time teams. We have all day every day to identify an effective system and get it drilled into a first team. All day to work of fitness, stamina, skills, such as passing to their own team. Practice hitting a target even. The players can be seen driving into training anything between back of 9 and are all gone come 12. I'm not starting rumours but I've never seen McCall arrive or leave training. I'm not in the area every single day but have seen the car park emptying at 12 and have seen both assistants. Just wondering if our manager ever takes training. I might be and probably am naive to such things but what does a manager do at this level if the coaching team do the training.

Last few games before the most recent shut down our defence looked much better, to the point I thought they were looking fairly solid. Since the return they seem to have regressed. Only plus marks are for senna but even he look rattled last night. Forfar were very effective on the ball, kept possession when they went forward and were always a threat whereas we were ponderous. The archie effect? As you say, biggest budget, we should be so much better. McCall has a good record at this level but he has gone missing. On this evidence we will not get out of this league under his management.

Rightly booked for diving.