Bring Your Own Socks

Alex Bannon…captain

Biggest positive from our game was scoring at a set-play that was clearly rehearsed. Perfect ball to start with (was it Duncan) and some clever feet by Kerr to get him the space he needed but I was watching the three big players in the centre of the box charging the Ayr defence to distract them. Not had much of that the last couple of years. Ayr’s goal was a beauty and the initial pass in that move quite exceptional. But we still had a defensive opportunity in between the two that was missed with a very weak tackle, Murray I think. Unlike him, but he wasn’t the only one that was a bit too languorous in the second half. Up top, the nice balls between the channels pretty much disappeared yesterday. It was too predictable and Ayr did enough to limit our shots from distance or just push us out to the touchline. I shake my head at Dom some times too but there’s no doubt we miss him, in many ways, when he’s not playing. Davidson’s frustration is growing. Biggest difference between the two teams was Ayr upping the gears and we didn’t react. Not the first time that’s happened this year.

This is what it says on the website. QP fans last season were being sent via Mount Annan but this season I've entered via Aitkenhead Road, albeit for Lesser. I suspect this hasn't been updated for Hampden. I'll be heading for the Aitkenhead Road gate. If it's closed.. stewards will redirect you. "If you have to use the car, the stadium is located 5 minutes from Junction 1a of the M74. Exit onto Polmadie Road/A728 and follow as it merges onto Aikenhead Road before turning into Mount Annan Drive/Kinghorn Drive. Please note that there may be roadworks on Aitkenhead Road that will cause a short delay, and journeys should be planned accordingly."

There isn't an entrance there anymore. They took the gates down and put bollards in. They look fixed to me (as I drive past shaking my head). Where did you read this?

With so many new players in the squad I’m not sure if the Hampden arena will work in our favour or not. As poor as the Lesser Layout is, for those players close to the stand the words of encouragement from fans must be welcome. In stark contrast, that faraway touch line on the North side of Hampden is very, well, faraway. If our finishing is better, 2-0 to QP is possible. Oakley will be looking forward to his usual wind-up chatter but he’ll find our new breed harder to sway. Looking forward to it.

Thought the lad was looking a bit hefty at Saturday’s game. Can’t be easy constantly having the munchies.

Question for any Annan fans...is it true that our tie has been switched to the Friday night because your club has booked out your social club for a function on the Saturday afternoon?

Good for them. I expect a free pie and a pint to all QP visitors then for the inconvenience. And an apology to those who can't make it. Is there any clubs in Scotland who don't think they can just walk all over the jolly old Queen's.

The Shed used to be popular but it’s been a while. The social club at the ground was busy with B&W the last time we visited. Opens at HT too. Although I notice they do hospitality now which would probably be in the bar area. So much change in the last 5 years Probably best to check with the Annan guys.

My thinking is less about the powerful draw that returning to St Johnstone might be, and more about a growing realisation that those that run QP aren’t quite up to the sales pitch.

17 events last time, 10 events this time. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce8ddeeklxko

Cammy Kerr

Please don’t let it be…

The planning consent you’re looking for is in here. Still at Granted status, since December 2021. Because of not building it in tandem with the south stand, there will be significant additional costs for a site establishment (site huts etc) plus a high probability of a crane access being required to lift material into the ground from the outside. https://publicaccess.glasgow.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=R3W6GEEXIL300&activeTab=summary

Firstly, I’d like to thank the Footy Adventures who repeatedly referred to the ground as Lesser Hampden, even when the big f**k-everyone City signs were in the background. As for the former President’s interview, his impersonation of The House of Commons Speaker was telling in 4 ways. 1. The attempt at humour with the “heated seats…shoosh” reflects the “say nothing” culture that has been the hallmark of the committees communication policy. 2. His “We always wanted to play at Hampden, Hampden was our ground” line exposes one of the main reasons we are where we are. There’s a deep-rooted belief amongst many former presidents that we were gazumped by the SFA and they have never got over it. Coupled to being denied the “benefits” of the Millennium lounge and Director/VIP section of the south stand, they hold the club back as much as the current leadership group. Haughey has merely tapped into this well of weakness. 3. Gary’s a good guy (and he will be reading this) but his change in breathing when the cover story about temporary stands unfolded says to me he was uncomfortable. For the record, the Immediate Past President on two separate occasions, once publicly and the other privately, confirmed when we were in our first championship season that the temporary stands were fully costed. So one of these two former Presidents aren’t reporting the facts. 4. All of the above is why the committee adhere to the “say nothing” policy. Unfortunately for Gary, it’s on the Internet! As for those handsome chaps posing as fans, Footy Adventures is a well-established YouTube channel and he wouldn’t leave in anything that was controversial. Their comments were reasonable for family viewing.

Something quite special about the goal. Dom scored with his right foot. For a long while now it’s been noticeable that defenders have been channeling him onto his weaker foot, especially when he’s lining up from the right to do one of his curlers. The Morton defender does just that in this instance. Since the start of this season though I’ve noticed Dom shooting and passing with his right way more than he used to. Full credit to him for clearly working on his weaker foot and being a better player. If the team captain, our best and most seasoned player, can find areas of his game to improve upon, what an inspiration that must be for the younger guys. Top man!

I’m looking for the team to be improving at this stage and they took a massive leap forward yesterday. Individually they all won their contests and tactically Davidson and his team won hands down. Just the final finishing that needs a polish and then continuous work on consistency. Once the goals start flowing, and they will, we should be challenging at the top end of the table. Without a dead shot striker the wing backs and midfield will be the main source of goals collectively and both those areas looked very strong yesterday. We saw last week good use of the channels, but that was a second division team. Yesterday we had a seasoned championship team and we still found the space. One of the main reasons we’ll have a better season is when I look at the squad of players not being used just now, including the injured list, we’ll have a bench each week where players can come on and make a difference. We really missed that depth last season. And with a comfortable amount of choice in defence, I look forward to Jack Thomson charging at defences again. Soon I hope. MotM: lots to choose from; Niko looking very composed for the first time yesterday and he and Murray look a tight fit. But the two game changers for me yesterday were Cammy Kerr and Josh Scott. Josh still has a bit to learn in his defensive game, especially positioning and anticipation, but he’s dynamite going forward. Cammy is probably the most rounded player in the team at the moment and he gets the rosette this week. As well as his game contribution, youngsters like Scott, Duncan and Mauchin will learn a lot from Kerr.

If this season turns out to be Morton’s turn for relegation, we desperately need to stay up.

Are you sure "we" are conducting our business?

If cheating is involved then the outright version is definitely the way to go. Just to widen the scope of stadia bletherings (it’s only Wednesday) I learned this week that QP and Morton have a Scottish Football history connection. It’s well known that the first official men’s international was held in Glasgow with Scotland playing England on St Andrews Day 1872. Almost exactly 100 years later the first women’s international held in the UK was also Scotland v England. The venue was Ravenscraig Stadium in Greenock. Match programme trivia with 3 days to go!

As much as ‘Ton fans might be looking forward to our Cal Ferrie playing this week, I'm equally hopeful that the relocation of George Oakley down the coast will help us turn the points in our direction. We’ve got the potential to win this game, it’s largely down to the players to believe that and take the chances they no doubt will create. Should be a good game with both sides having good spells. 2-1 for QP would be a huge lift.

It’s still very early days for McLeish but I’d imagine the head coach might have been a wee bit disappointed with his misfiring on Sunday. EC are currently fourth bottom of the entire Scottish League and are averaging two goals lost per game so far. But perhaps the excitement of his first start brings in that lack of composure that really only gets fixed with experience. The big keeper was arguably the man of the match. We’re going to struggle for a while yet as players continue to improve. Who remembers a kiddy called Jack Thomson and his clown shoes a few years ago? And now! Not having a hitman (although I note every club Rudden played with label him as a Striker)will choke us. But to be fair to the club, there was less than 500 QP fans there. If we were regularly getting crowds like Thistle it would be different. But we’re not. Regular readers will know I’ve little time for the bumbling committee/s but we are where we are until that side of the club changes too. Support the players and the coach. You can’t blame the kids for the sins of their fathers. Bring on the ‘Ton.

Indeed. And we should steady our minds for a league position that will reflect that. If we are struggling by Christmas I can see some pretty terse discussions between CD and the committee.

First goal was Josh Scott’s fault, all day long. There was five strung along the six yard box. It’s high school physics that they have a job jumping high from a standing position. Harry Milne however had the benefit of Momentum having been allowed by Scott, who was touch-tight to Milne as the play started, a free run giving him five yards to get himself a good lift. Having zonal defenders only works when everyone plays there role perfectly. Goal 2 arguably starts with the corner with two midfielders, principally Dom Thomas, very slow to get out for the short kick but the shot wouldn’t have got near the goal if Ujdur had played like a defender and held his body straight instead of turning like a 12 year old. Third goal; QP once again guard the six yard line. Thistle once again spot this and give themselves a run at it. QP only have two blockers against four runners. Josh Scott has the role of guarding the man on the edge of the box. This time QP win the first ball, thanks mostly to Rudden blocking Graham but for some reason Scott, with a very clear role, decides to face the well-guarded goal (ballwatching) and loses sight of his man who has loads of space and time to run onto the ball being cleared. Take nothing away from the PT finishing and exploiting the zonal marking, but we defend like a youth team sometimes.

PTFC giving all fans a clear picture on their club ahead of their AGM. This section of the statement was particularly interesting. Given their time in this division they should know. “However, the realities of competing in the second tier of Scottish football mean that, until promotion is achieved, maintaining a position of break even or better is usually only possible in one of a few ways: lucrative cup runs (mainly through playing Celtic or Rangers, which we last did in February 2023) player trading increased revenues from commercial partners and supporter groups” https://ptfc.co.uk/ptfc-news/partick-thistle-fc-finance-update-for-supporters/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0jrw8dIZwKvqhHiBAvSMUe0Fa1zjRvlAo2wKKQ7mBIuzoVNPXqUvqhI4g_aem_wY36Xk_1QYl-BpI5EjenuA