First Quarter Thoughts

[Rob1885]

Amazing how one player or two can skew the numbers…remove MacDonald (36) and Berra (35) and we drop by 2.1 years…but MacDonald and Tait (19) and we only drop 0.3. I guess it shows how almost all the Championship starting sides are full of players predominantly in the 23-27 range, as the young talent gets bled off quickly and the older players slide down a league or two. It also makes the achievements of players like Gibson and Berra all the more impressive.
I didn’t look, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the starting keeper is, on average, the oldest player in the league.

Is for us

[Skyline Drifter]

1 hour ago, TxRover said:

Amazing how one player or two can skew the numbers…remove MacDonald (36) and Berra (35) and we drop by 2.1 years…but MacDonald and Tait (19) and we only drop 0.3. I guess it shows how almost all the Championship starting sides are full of players predominantly in the 23-27 range, as the young talent gets bled off quickly and the older players slide down a league or two. It also makes the achievements of players like Gibson and Berra all the more impressive.

I didn’t look, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the starting keeper is, on average, the oldest player in the league.

Arbroath		Ayr United		Dunfermline		Hamilton		Inverness		Kilmarnock		Morton		Partick Thistle		QoS		Raith Rovers
Name	Age	Name	Age	Name	Age	Name	Age	Name	Age	Name	Age	Name	Age	Name	Age	Name	Age	Name	Age
D Gaston	34	A McAdams	22	O Fon Williams	34	R Fulton	25	M Ridgers	31	Z Hemming	21	J Hamilton	27	J Sneddon	24	S Brynn	20	J MacDonald	35
C Hamilton	29	M Fjortoft	27	J Edwards	21	S Want	24	D Devine	29	D McGowan	30	O McEntee	20	K Holt	28	P McKay	24	K Benedictus	29
J Thomson	34	J Baird	25	A Comrie	24	K MacDonald	28	S Allardice	23	E Murray	27	A Lithgow	33	O Akinola	22	J Debayo	24	L Dick	26
T O'Brien	30	N McAllister	20	V Gaspuitis	27	M Popescu	28	K Broadfoot	37	B Haunstrap	24	L Strapp	21	L Mayo	21	H Cochrane	20	C Berra	36
R Little	32	P Reading	22	M Connolly	29	L Matheson	19	R Deas	21	J Naismith	27	K Jacobs	30	R Foster	36	R Nditi	21	R Tumilty	24
M McKenna	30	A Muirhead	31	D Thomas	25	M Redfern	18	M Gardyne	35	B Alston	29	T Allan	22	C Smith	26	W Gibson	37	R Matthews	25
L Henderson	25	C Salkeld	22	D Pybus	23	R Hughes	22	R McAlear	19	S McGinn	32	C Blues	23	S Bannigan	29	M Johnston	17	D Tait	19
J Craigen	30	J Maxwell	19	R Dow	30	M Virtanen	22	R McGregor	19	F Murray	22	J Oksanen	20	S Tiffoney	23	A Cooper	29	B Spencer	25
S Stewart	25	A Murdoch	26	P Allen	21	L Smith	21	S Welsh	31	R McKenzie	28	G Reilly	28	S Docherty	28	L Connelly	21	A Connolly	26
D Hilson	28	J Afolabi	21	C Wighton	24	J Mullin	29	S Sutherland	30	C Hendry	24	J Knowles	20	Z Rudden	21	R Junior	21	D Zanatta	24
J Nouble	25	T Adeloye	25	K O'Hara	23	A Ryan	27	B McKay	32	O Shaw	23	G Oliver	26	B Graham	33	I Cameron	21	E Varian	20

[Skyline Drifter]

42 minutes ago, Rob1885 said:

1 hour ago, TxRover said:

Amazing how one player or two can skew the numbers…remove MacDonald (36) and Berra (35) and we drop by 2.1 years…but MacDonald and Tait (19) and we only drop 0.3. I guess it shows how almost all the Championship starting sides are full of players predominantly in the 23-27 range, as the young talent gets bled off quickly and the older players slide down a league or two. It also makes the achievements of players like Gibson and Berra all the more impressive.
I didn’t look, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the starting keeper is, on average, the oldest player in the league.

Is for us

But not generally per table above. Dunfermline's oldest player is their keeper. Arbroath's joint oldest player too. Rovers isn't but only because Berra plays. MacDonald is next. Generally though keepers aren't that old. Average age of the starting keepers last weekend was 27. Sol Brynn is the youngest at 20 but half the keepers in the league are 25 or less.

[velo army]

On 17/10/2021 at 00:50, Zen Archer (Raconteur) said:

If you call Rovers lager and add lime, that'll be Rovers tops.

Wtf is this pish?

Lager tops is lager with a skoosh of lemonade at the top. Lager with lime is called, well, Lager and lime.

Please delete.

[JagsCG]

A pleasing first quarter for Thistle, no doubt it could've been better but for a newly-promoted side I think it's been good although not overwhelming. In the majority of the games we've won we've been excellent, some of the football we've played so far has been sensational to watch and the forwards (namely Rudden, Graham and Tiffoney) all seem to have really good understanding of each other and therefore are able to provide lots of goals and opportunities for each other. I think it's taken Ian McCall a while to get the balance and best XI correct, it still doesn't seem right that Kyle Turner (of whom I'm a big fan of) isn't a starting regular in the side at the moment. The defence has had a fair few issues, spells in games where they just collapse or individual errors being costly, but again I think McCall has finally found that Akinola-Mayo are the best partnership for central defence. I don't think we'll win the league, simply because I don't think we'll have the winning consistency. I reckon we'll continue being pretty entertaining but possibly struggle when it comes to seeing out a 1-0 or 2-1 victory (all our victories bar the one v QOS on opening day, have been comfortable 3-0, 4-0 or even 6-1 wins...all games where we could have scored far more than we did too). 

Imo the best team we've faced is; Inverness by some distance - although only judging on the 2nd half up there as we definitely had the better in the first, they just seem to have a winners mentality and are getting the best out of some fairly average players just now, so much credit to the management. Kilmarnock may win the league still but I felt they played a pretty rank style of football at Firhill and were particularly boring to watch - they got the 3 points though and that might be how it goes for them all season. 

The worst side we've faced was probably Hamilton, who just looked diabolical in the 2nd half last week with no leadership in the team. I think they'll probably be down near the bottom unless some of the young players can hit form or they recruit some good players in January. 

 

Special Mention to Arbroath - they were terrific against us and if they do manage to finish in a Top 4 space then Dick Campbell & players deserves all the credit that will come their way. Consistency throughout the season may be their only concern. 

[1320Lichtie]

10 hours ago, JagsCG said:

A pleasing first quarter for Thistle, no doubt it could've been better but for a newly-promoted side I think it's been good although not overwhelming. In the majority of the games we've won we've been excellent, some of the football we've played so far has been sensational to watch and the forwards (namely Rudden, Graham and Tiffoney) all seem to have really good understanding of each other and therefore are able to provide lots of goals and opportunities for each other. I think it's taken Ian McCall a while to get the balance and best XI correct, it still doesn't seem right that Kyle Turner (of whom I'm a big fan of) isn't a starting regular in the side at the moment. The defence has had a fair few issues, spells in games where they just collapse or individual errors being costly, but again I think McCall has finally found that Akinola-Mayo are the best partnership for central defence. I don't think we'll win the league, simply because I don't think we'll have the winning consistency. I reckon we'll continue being pretty entertaining but possibly struggle when it comes to seeing out a 1-0 or 2-1 victory (all our victories bar the one v QOS on opening day, have been comfortable 3-0, 4-0 or even 6-1 wins...all games where we could have scored far more than we did too). 

Imo the best team we've faced is; Inverness by some distance - although only judging on the 2nd half up there as we definitely had the better in the first, they just seem to have a winners mentality and are getting the best out of some fairly average players just now, so much credit to the management. Kilmarnock may win the league still but I felt they played a pretty rank style of football at Firhill and were particularly boring to watch - they got the 3 points though and that might be how it goes for them all season. 

The worst side we've faced was probably Hamilton, who just looked diabolical in the 2nd half last week with no leadership in the team. I think they'll probably be down near the bottom unless some of the young players can hit form or they recruit some good players in January. 

 

Special Mention to Arbroath - they were terrific against us and if they do manage to finish in a Top 4 space then Dick Campbell & players deserves all the credit that will come their way. Consistency throughout the season may be their only concern. 

Last couple of games without Nicky Low and Nouble being fit have shown us up a wee bit. Nicky Low be back soon and Nouble be here till January, pretty sure we’ve got what seems like a good replacement lined up on paper so we will see. 
 

I’m thinking

 

Raith / Killie / ICT / Partick top 4 and going for title

 

Arbroath and Dunfermline mid table, yes I know...

 

Hamilton / Ayr / Qots trying to avoid play off 

 

Morton bottom 

[Otis Blue]

10 hours ago, 1320Lichtie said:

Last couple of games without Nicky Low and Nouble being fit have shown us up a wee bit. Nicky Low be back soon and Nouble be here till January, pretty sure we’ve got what seems like a good replacement lined up on paper so we will see. 
 

I’m thinking

 

Raith / Killie / ICT / Partick top 4 and going for title

 

Arbroath and Dunfermline mid table, yes I know...

 

Hamilton / Ayr / Qots trying to avoid play off 

 

Morton bottom 

Yip, I think your prediction of the final placings won't be far wrong. Although I'd bracket the bottom 4 together and not necessarily strand Morton in 10th just yet. As you indicate, Dunfermline will get themselves out of their current mess and into mid table safety with Arbroath.