JagsCG

1. Yes, we were awful, you were okay (I dare say it wasn’t one of your best performances of the season, certainly got the job done mind you) 2. Because being relegated with a game in hand, during a pandemic, is unfair, as I’m sure most people have and do agree.

Quite, I know a lot of people now seem to be SPFL defenders. But regardless of whether you are a Raith/Dundee United fan, Thistle/Hearts or anyone else, the SPFL have been shocking throughout this whole episode, in my opinion. And the silence for months from Ian Maxwell and the SFA, told its own story too. I don’t blame RR or United for making sure they are promoted (by funding their own legal challenge) if it was Thistle, many a Jag would be demanding we do the same, the exact same that most fans of Dundee U and RR would be demanding to fight relegation, or at least get compensation, if they were in Thistle’s position. On the last point about Hearts, I have no idea about their finances but you make a very good point regarding Neilson and Craig Gordon, they certainly don’t seem to be a club in a financial crisis, not that they ever did claim to be. Thistle however, I imagine, might not be in a financial crisis, but certainly will have taken quite a hit, as of course a lot of clubs have as well.

Yep, I have a certain level of respect for those people that choose to not do the easy thing and support them, whether they choose Thistle or another team from the surrounding areas of Glasgow.

100%, there’s no doubt about it. We do suffer massively due to the Old Firm, but it’s great to have the core fans we do have too.

Probably something to do with the fact, we’ve been awful for three seasons straight. The average match day attendance might be on the slide but it hardly merits “League 1 is right League for Thistle”. There’s several reasons arguable for where we are, having only 2 and a half thousand fans at a game, instead of 3 or 4, isn’t one of them. Size doesn’t merit achievement, for example, Thistle and Falkirk in League 1, Dunfermline and Dundee in Championship are all larger than at least 2 Premiership sides. But those Premiership sides deserve to be there and those clubs albeit bigger, don’t. Another example is Hearts, who are now a Championship club. Size doesn’t merit League. Also, “Terrible Support” at least they are real faithful football fans, and not glory-hunters and bigots, which you’ll find at the larger 2 Glasgow clubs.

Not sure it’ll be £2m, but compensation and settle into League 1, absolutely

Fair enough, i have no idea what’s going to happen, obviously, but I’d say I’m 99.9% confident you’ll be a Championship club next season. Reckon, Hearts and Thistle will, rightly in my view, be given an adequate compensation package and be sent on their way. (Which I actually think they’d gladly take) I thought Raith might have actually just pulled out the whole thing, I suppose on paper their is still the risk of overturning promotions, so they rightly feel they need to defend themselves, but in reality, I don’t see that happening at all. Hope it’s all done and dusted soon anyway.

Genuine question not having a dig - Chances for what? What is Raith’s aim?

Falkirk would’ve been promoted through 14-10-10-10?

Was thinking more Scottish Championship, or EFL League Two

Will go to a higher league.

Couldn’t agree more, need a good start to the campaign, cannot start near the bottom and have to work our way up (which we haven’t even did last 2 years) the table. A good start is key.

If I knew Jacqui personally, I’d tell her. Although can we back out of all this arbitration stuff now? I’m not sure we could.

No I made it clear my thoughts on the right attitude far from being happy with the league we are in, or expecting to continue to a decline. But expecting it to be a comfortable title winning season before a ball is kicked, is wrong in my view. I expect promotion, but the use of the word “comfortable” is the wrong attitude, I don’t think this will be a walk in the park, a difficult league to get out of it, that doesn’t mean we won’t and shouldn’t expect to do so, it means saying it should be comfortable is probably not the correct thing to do. We might stroll it, I sincerely hope we do, but it shouldn’t be said before the season has began. Remember these same type comments were made about the Championship. We are a club that should expect to be challenging for promotion in every league bar the top (the same as many others of our size), but expecting it to be comfortable is slightly naive. We are cowering or shouldn’t be cowering from any challenge, we should be up for the challenge, we should challenge to win that league, I’ve made that quite clear I feel.

I think you are correct to some extent, because was it not Livingston who first gave the idea of a 14-10-10-10 and how it would work, although it was mostly ignored, wrongly in my view, for far to long then by the time Budge did decide on going with it, it was the last vote taking place and therefore arguably too late. Rangers (for their own benefits of course) also proposed the 14-14-18, which was rightfully in my view, thrown out of question.

No we shouldn’t, that’s the complete wrong attitude. We should be approaching next season by going for the title therefore Promotion, but not the word comfortable. It’s a very tricky league to get out of, ask Raith Fans, Dunfermline Fans, Falkirk Fans, we should not expect it to be comfortable before a player has been signed or a ball has been kicked. We should be going for promotion, but it’s going to be no stroll, and I wouldn’t expect it to be. (On that point I hope I’m wrong and we win every game and win the league by 30 points, but that’s not going to happen, not with the other teams in it) I suppose it depends how you define comfortable, personally I’d take going up by 2 points on the last day of the season, right now without hesitation.

Disagree about the first point, I think some of the League 2 clubs would still have an issue because they are scared of Kelty and Brora. The second point, Budge like everyone else only has interest in her club, Hearts, which she’s entitled to do so, in fact she’s more than entitled to do so that’s her club, she works for them, however the paintings of her trying to protect the whole of Scottish Football or caring about it, are nonsense, as they would be if any other Chairman/Chairwoman of any other clubs also claimed they were doing the same.

Agree about them being terrible, for a long time, it was over a year ago we played them in the Cup, and that was an absolutely horrific Thistle side, who equalised at Firhill, took the lead at Tynecastle and Hearts got a couple of penalties to see them through. (Although still think we should have got one right at the end to potentially take to Extra Time if memory serves me correct)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/53291719

Cardle always put heart, Desire and effort into everything, but his overall ability and quality isn’t there. I was shocked to see him linked with a move back to Dunfermline, i think even League 1 regular may be a bit above his station, I wouldn’t keep him on, but if we did, surely it would be as a backup option and not on High wages.

Hearts would still have been Entitled to compensation in a 12-12-10-10 though?

I took it as, he was currently discussing his contract, wage etc. not he’s been convinced to stay on, more like they’ve past that stage. Cardle in League 1, imo, is a backup player and no more, because he’s a bit past it and doesn’t really have the legs anymore, he has the heart but not the ability. Also assumed we would be playing a 3-5-2 more often than not, and Cardle doesn’t suit that. Not bothered about the other players that have left/leaving either.

Totally forgot about that appointment, don’t remember the club saying he’s left. Might still be there, but how anyone could rave about some of them, is baffling.

Without that, we wouldn’t even have been in Court. Thankfully our own money hasn’t been wasted.

In fairness a lot of fans were calling for some of the stuff the board have did, before they actually did it. Such as court action. We were involved with Gardiner, to the extent of being in a WhatsApp Group, of which several clubs were apparently involved in not just the 3 stated, we weren’t involved in his revelations on the radio. I’d have been (and the board probably would have been) in favour of a 12-12-10-10, however I’d guess Low felt she had an ally in Budge, and that would have been incredibly backstabbing (although would Budge have did it to save Hearts if shoe was on the other foot? Yes probably she would). I disagree with the denying promotions, I think that was the wrong route to go down from the start, although I don’t believe for a minute anyone at the club or at Hearts thought it would get passed, I think this is a ploy for compensation, but it seems a long road for a shortcut, put it like that. I do agree with legal action so much as getting compensation and accepting relegation but that’s it. As for Budge’s comments (that I think you refer to) about Premiership needs Hearts more and Championship needs Thistle more, she’s entitled to that view, BUT I think that was stupid it stinks of an elitist attitude, and as you say “Too Big to go Down” it’s not the type of attitude you’d hear from Thistle either. Compared to Hearts, I don’t think we’ve Handled a lot of this anywhere near as bad, but that’s just my personal view. I take your points on board though.