Arbroath Friday!!!!

[jaf]

There was some Caldwell get tae chants from the terraces. And I understand murmurings of discontent in the stand. 

There was also a lot of anger at the players  who came to clap the fans. 

Kakay looked awful in first half but on second half he was much improved. I like Reece Cole. 

I have never liked Caldwell, and don’t believe he should ever have been appointed. I do hope his contract is not as reported earlier in this thread. Jacqui low has never been involved in appointing a football manager in her life.  She ought to have been taking very good heed (no pun intended) of those round about her with some football knowledge when making this appointment. Some suggest the opposite was the case. 

[West of Scotland]

I think most who were in attendance at the various meet the manager nights will agree that Caldwell comes across very well and clearly set out his intentions for his team and the season.

Unfortunately for everyone, nothing of what he said has actually been shown on the pitch. Fittest team in the league my backside. Recycling the ball from the back and taking it into the final third my left eye.

Low was clearly taken in by the spiel. I don't know if it's true that Gerry was against it, as I recall being mentioned here, but in any case Caldwell should never have been given the contract he was, if it is what other people here have described it as, especially considering we had to spend a year paying off Archibald and Patterson. Why would you potentially repeat and multiply that mistake, if you'd done the slightest bit of due diligence on Caldwell's past history? I'd bet Goodwin wouldn't have demanded a two-year rolling contract or a year's notice or whatever to come in, and f**k knows we'd be better stewarded by him. We'd be better stewarded by almost anyone at the moment.

As others have said Caldwell seems to be trying to force the team to play in a way that just doesn't suit them. If they were just left alone they'd improve immediately. F**k it, just have Bannigan pick the team for the rest of the season. Couldn't do any worse.

[Firhillista]

Caldwell's reaction to last night's game can be sumarised as, "That isn't how I want them to play; that isn't how they play when I'm training them; they need to start playing the way I want."

This is, almost exactly, what every failing Thistle manager says just before he's shown the door.

I know for some folk that Gary Caldwell has no redeeming qualities - he's incompetent, arrogant and malicious - but he's been around the game a long time at very respectable levels and he's perfectly capable of seeing how a team should set up and play. What's absolutely clear, though, is that he can't get a squad of players to put his ideas into practice.

My guess is that most of the posters on here could combine their football supporting years into a collective experience of several hundred (thousand?!) years. We've been around long enough to know how a winning team should play. But I doubt that any of us could take a group of 20 or so professional footballers and turn out a consistently successful team. That's what a professional manager is for. It's a bloody hard job and there are very few people up for it. All of the evidence suggests that Gary Caldwell isn't one of them.

I think we're now at the stage where everyone, including the players, know that the manager isn't going to last. How long this drags out may very well depend on the takeover negotiations (assuming they still exist). Meantime, we'll have to listen to everyone at the club trying to find something positive to say about a totally crap situation.

Fun, isn't it?

[Jaggernaut]

Arbroath sitting nicely in third place in the league.

We, as usual at this stage in the season (and for how long to come?)... are bottom or very near the bottom of whatever division we play in.

Somebody above mentioned that maybe hundreds of Thistle fans never returned after the Bunnet's stint in charge. I wonder if this might happen again as a result of the GC disaster.

[a f kincaid]

11 hours ago, jlsarmy said:

Not sure he could organise the bins 

Reminds me (almost) of the old one...

Telephonist: "Mr Stein, Mr Wallace of Rangers for you".

Stein: "Hello Jock. What can I do for you"?

Wallace: "Everyone's on my back. Celtic are way out in front.  Give me a clue what I can do about it, Jock".

Stein: "Barrels.  [Insert bins here if you prefer.]  We train the players to dribble at speed round 11 barrels".

Wallace: "Thanks Jock.  I'll try that".

(2 hours later)

Telephonist: "Mr Stein, Mr Wallace on the phone for you again".

Stein: "Hello Jock.  What's up"?

Wallace: "The barrels are winning 3-1".

[jagfox]

A portent of doom?

[JAG1970]

2 hours ago, The Legend Blows said:

Not gonna happen.

I disagree. Continuing poor results, bottom of the league, unhappy fans, declining attendances, the board cannot ignore what's happening - although the takeover is muddying the waters - but you can only get away with failure for so long....  the clock is surely ticking now, I suspect his fate is already sealed it's just a matter of time - the board will probably not want to sack him ahead of the takeover (or a conclusion of the off field stuff one way or another)

[sandy]

2 hours ago, jaf said:

There was some Caldwell get tae chants from the terraces. And I understand murmurings of discontent in the stand. 

There was also a lot of anger at the players  who came to clap the fans. 

Kakay looked awful in first half but on second half he was much improved. I like Reece Cole. 

I have never liked Caldwell, and don’t believe he should ever have been appointed. I do hope his contract is not as reported earlier in this thread. Jacqui low has never been involved in appointing a football manager in her life.  She ought to have been taking very good heed (no pun intended) of those round about her with some football knowledge when making this appointment. Some suggest the opposite was the case. 

This.

[sandy]

Players look like they have chucked it; being played out of position, no consistency in team selection, shite tactics, late substitutions etc.

If Banzo can’t be arsed, then GC has lost the dressing room. And if that is the case, we could go down again.

I never wanted GC appointed, but even I didn’t think he could be this bad.

The Club need to terminate him now. 

[thebiglemon]

49 minutes ago, sandy said:

The Club need to terminate him now. 

A bit drastic.  Might deter applicants for the vacant post 

[Kingleo]

Jacqui low is most responsible for this. She’s the halfwit that fell for Caldwell’s guff and allied to her pathetic attempts at the monthly Pravda routine shows how utterly clueless she was/is. What she knows about football you could write on the back of a stamp. These morons are never held accountable for their failures.

[Auld Jag]

11 hours ago, West of Scotland said:

We didn't. Jacqui Low did, and for that reason alone I'm glad she's not still in the boardroom.

Jacqui Low was chairperson of Partick Thistle when she appointed Caldwell as our manager. Therefor Since we are Partick Thistle supporters it is not unreasonable to say we. Unfortunately we are now stuck with the problem of how we sort out the mess that has been caused by him being appointed our manager. Lets hope it is sorted out soon , before even more damage is done to our club. This is not an unknown scenario if you look at what has happened at the other clubs that our current manager has been at.

[Semi Nurainen]

2 hours ago, sandy said:

Players look like they have chucked it; being played out of position, no consistency in team selection, shite tactics, late substitutions etc.

If Banzo can’t be arsed, then GC has lost the dressing room. And if that is the case, we could go down again.

I never wanted GC appointed, but even I didn’t think he could be this bad.

The Club need to terminate him now. 

As the Great God Cloughie used to say, 'if the players aren't motivated, then that's Brian Cloughs' fault'. Despite a few duds, our squad should be able to at least hold its own safely in mid table.

I don't think we have played with the same defence, or formation, or both more than twice in a row in 10 months. How can you develop any kind of routine or method  doing that, chopping and changing all the time, players need to settle into a routine.  Similarly Clough used to say you cant fill payer's heads with complicated tactics and instructions, just before they take the field. His total instructions to the players, even against teams like Liverpool would be like: you, sit in front of the right back and cut off the supply to Dalglish'; 'you, come short every time and look for Anderson on the overlap'. Don't think he ever used Power Point.

Basic stuff, page one of the manager's handbook.

Edited September 14, 2019 by Semi Nurainen
usual typo!

[Lenziejag]

I am hoping that there is some break clause in Caldwell’s contract. When Archie was sacked, there was mention of 1st 1/4 target not achieved. Maybe we will have to wait until that target can’t be achieved ?

[jlsarmy]

10 minutes ago, Semi Nurainen said:

As the Great God Cloughie used to say, 'if the players aren't motivated, then that's Brian Cloughs' fault'. Despite a few duds, our squad should be able to at least hold its own safely in mid table.

I don't think we have played with the same defence, or formation, or both more than twice in a row in 10 months. How can you develop any kind of routine or method  doing that, chopping and changing all the time, players need to settle into a routine.  Similarly Clough used to say you cant fill payer's heads with complicated tactics and instructions, just before they take the field. His total instructions to the players, even against teams like Liverpool would be like: you, sit in front of the right back and cut off the supply to Dalglish'; 'you, come short every time and look for Anderson on the overlap'. Don't think he ever used Power Point.

Basic stuff, page one of the manager's handbook.

You’re right , set up last night was putting Palmer and Robson in the middle of the park with Cardle and Zanatta either side with Reece Cole just in front of the back four . Against a strong physical team like Arbroath that was never going to work.

Caldwell hung Palmer and Robson out to dry last night compounded by taking Robson off before half time which probably devastated the player .

Absolutely clueless 

[gianlucatoni]

Totally deserved to lose last night - saved by a crap linesman - completely and utterly outplayed in first half with only Scott Fox emerging with any real credit whatsoever. 

Interesting watch back on BBC coverage at half time - story on one of the Arbroath players working as a binman daytime, then picking the weans up from school & then having to get to Perth or Dundee for nighttime training. Shows you what the Bunnet has to work with & the desire & dig from his players that's sadly lacking (from all appearances) in our players. 

As a long standing Jags fan I can suffer us getting pumped as long as the team put in a shift & gave it 100%... don't think I've seen that for a long time. 

2 points tells its own story. 

 

 

[West of Scotland]

46 minutes ago, Auld Jag said:

Jacqui Low was chairperson of Partick Thistle when she appointed Caldwell as our manager. Therefor Since we are Partick Thistle supporters it is not unreasonable to say we. Unfortunately we are now stuck with the problem of how we sort out the mess that has been caused by him being appointed our manager. Lets hope it is sorted out soon , before even more damage is done to our club. This is not an unknown scenario if you look at what has happened at the other clubs that our current manager has been at.

In that sense we also punted Kris Doolan out the door, so if you'll excuse me, I'm going to spend the rest of the day slapping my own face for being a f**kwit.

[stillresigned]

12 hours ago, Semi Nurainen said:

Much as I thought it was time for Archie to go when he did ( maybe even a bit before that) it would be hard to argue that we'd be any worse off if he'd stayed. Not a plea for him to come back, mind you.

Though we may have saved some money on Caldwell's duds.

My stomach turns at the though of the sh1te he'll be spouting tomorrow as 'post-match analysis'.

 

 

I’ve stopped watching it’s a ‘cruel and unusual punishment’.

[Firhillista]

When Caldwell looks at the blank team sheet before a game, who does he know he's going to put in? As far as I can tell, only McGinty, Penrice and Millar can be fairly sure of a start. The rest? God (Caldwell) knows.

We prevaricate between two goalies, we drop in a new right back, we don't know who's going to be alongside McGinty - perm any one from three - our holding midfielders are likely to be Bannigan and Palmer, though not always and depending on whether Caldwell has fallen out with Bannigan or not (and when the other three midfielders return from injury there'll be even more chopping and changing), our attacking midfielder is.. oh, wait a minute, we haven't got one... maybe Cole now, although we seem to want him to play the ball from the back, but we can always drop Millar in there or Cardle or Da Vita because, well, why not? our central striker definitely ISN'T Jones, although Mansell does contribute, just not with goals...

I'm too depressed to go on.

I think we've got some decent players, certainly decent enough to put the club into the top four. 

There's no evidence that Gary Caldwell is the manager to get them there.

[Alan Murray]

The team played as individuals and not as a team.  Caldwell has not got the right balance of players in his squad and even the players still to come back from injury will not solve this. 

We lack an experienced centre back and at least one strong tackler in midfield. Upfront will need a big strong target man. Mansell did well for the goal but he is too easily pushed off the ball. Needs to work hard in the gym so he is not bullied by centre backs. 

Not sure Caldwell can turn this around. The rumours that you hear makes you think the players are not fully behind him. 

Why he started with Robson and not De Vita I do not know! We lacked experience in midfield and he choose to bench the only one we had! Seemed obvious to me and I could not believe the lineup! 

The amount of soft goals we have been conceded is terrifying! Looks like Mcginty was ball watching for the Arbroath goal, free header so close into goal is an absolute gift. 

Keeps changing the goalkeeper and the defence can hardly be helping either. 

I think we will beat Dunfermline but not sure Caldwell has long to go. I hope he turns it around but I think the odds are heavily against him now. 

Edited September 14, 2019 by Alan Murray

[lady-isobel-barnett]

17 hours ago, Weebaw1 said:

We were atrocious.

Robson, Cardle, Penrice and the Central Defenders were a disgrace and the others not much better.

However we had 2 making league debuts and 2 suspended. We were better after the break so I think we should allow Caldwell the Pars home game before sacking him. It’s a must win for him though.

I thought Cole played well. Maybe not on the same wavelength as those around him but I've got a gut feeling he'll be an important player. A lot depends on how he teams up with Bannigan, who should you'd suspect read Cole's game better than that lot last night. Just maybe Cole being only on loan will free him from the constraints Caldwell imposes (eg too rigid a formation).

I don't feel we're quite at the straw clutching stage but if Bannigan and Cole don't form a strong midfield partnership then I guess that stage will have arrived.

[Semi Nurainen]

Just watched the game on I-player; only for Fox they'd have been three up at 15 minutes and we hadn't laid a glove on them; Robson kicking everything he could see; goal was inevitable in that they had us penned in for a good 6-8 minutes. There's three or four seconds - an age - between the pass for the cross to Thomson and somebody realising that maybe they should sort of trot across, no rush like, and think about blocking the cross.

We were crap  usual  at set-pieces, but the 6 man huddle on the edge of the box at the corner was spectacular in its cringeworthyness, or whatever comes below cringeworthy - Billy Dodds , desperate for something positive to say, comes away with '… er … maybe in the second half with the wind behind them'. What an absolute utter clown of a manager.

Four of them flagged offside at one point, ''how easy McKenna gets the header' (Dodds) again. You could say, as far as the early substitution is concerned, that he replaced the departing player with one of equivalent quality - dross for dross, though Palmer was probably worse than even Robson.  Their goal was well onside and the Bunnet should have walked away with three points.

F---g disgrace.

 

 

[jlsarmy]

13 minutes ago, Semi Nurainen said:

Just watched the game on I-player; only for Fox they'd have been three up at 15 minutes and we hadn't laid a glove on them; Robson kicking everything he could see; goal was inevitable in that they had us penned in for a good 6-8 minutes. There's three or four seconds - an age - between the pass for the cross to Thomson and somebody realising that maybe they should sort of trot across, no rush like, and think about blocking the cross.

We were crap  usual  at set-pieces, but the 6 man huddle on the edge of the box at the corner was spectacular in its cringeworthyness, or whatever comes below cringeworthy - Billy Dodds , desperate for something positive to say, comes away with '… er … maybe in the second half with the wind behind them'. What an absolute utter clown of a manager.

Four of them flagged offside at one point, ''how easy McKenna gets the header' (Dodds) again. You could say, as far as the early substitution is concerned, that he replaced the departing player with one of equivalent quality - dross for dross, though Palmer was probably worse than even Robson.  Their goal was well onside and the Bunnet should have walked away with three points.

F---g disgrace.

 

 

Go along with that , except Palmer who has played roughly 10 first team games and Robson who is a left sided wing back were hung out to dry by Caldwell.

They were never going to match up physically to the Arbroath midfield 

[Semi Nurainen]

I should have added, don't know where we'd be without Kenny Miller; frightening thought.

[Weebaw1]

22 hours ago, Big Col said:

And here’s a typical GC apologist. Stop making excuses. He’s had enough chances. He doesn’t deserve another game. He’s not up to the job. Serial loser. Get him sacked first thing tomorrow.

I want to see Thistle progress under Caldwell(or anyone). I do not think Caldwell has done a good job so far and appreciate we cannot wait any longer after next week for a 1st win.

I find the above post (with 5 likes) distasteful, fatuous and moronic. He hasn’t read my comment nor considered the content. 

Ive seen worse managers than GC, believe me!!  I want him to succeed because I don’t want another crap manager and I don’t want us wasting money on paying the management team off only to employ someone else who may also be crap. This may well come to pass if we are humped by the Pars.

My point which has been disregarded is that the debutants looked like an improvement after half time who can be teamed with probably our best 2 mids next week.

Give then a chance!!