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Can we get rid of this nonsense that McCall's successes so far have been down to his assistant managers? If that was the case, wouldn't there be evidence of these self-same people going on to achieve success elsewhere? How did Thistle do when Gerry was in charge, not just the assistant? How well are Queen's Park doing exactly? How is Irons getting on? And what is everyone basing the assumption that Iain Maxwell is a poor assistant manager on?

 

I watched the same games last season as everyone else on here and what I saw was Thistle consistently out-playing the opposition and failing to win because they couldn't score. A problem we're likely to experience again this season. This, doubtless, will be blamed on McCall. But he did his best to bring in a goal scorer last year and I don't see that he can be faulted for getting us Amy MacDonald's boyfried - top scorer in the SPL outwith the Old Firm - even if it didn't work out.

 

Played two, won two. Really, let's keep calm....

 

Sometimes the best Managers only function as part of a team. Best example being Clough and Taylor. Applies equally that some guy's are better coaches than managers (refrence Gerry). Difference with Ian Maxwell is that he is untried as either a coach or manager and his appointment appears to be for non footballing reasons.

 

In isolation Lovell looked a good signing, you then find out that he had significant fitness issues prior to signing and you question the managers judegment in the light of that.

 

You can appear to outplay oppostion if the opposition is content to let you weave pretty patterns outside the 18 yd box and then hit you on the counter. The problem isn't necssarily the lack of a cutting edge it's the tactics employed by the manager.

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I was one of the three fans that Ian sounded off at after the Clyde game, it riled me then and still does, I think Ian is a decent manager, IS HE WORKING HIS TICKET? i dont know, but he has pissed me off. until last week, I liked him, thought decent manager, talked crap at times, but dont we all. he wanted to be at Dundee if he had got his way. He will be off at the first opertunity.

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Cannot accept that statement.

 

Sid has been one of the best players at Thistle since Chic left.

 

And it cuts both ways. Re the others you defame above, the other side of the coin is that the same manager signed Harkins, Twaddle, Cairney and Rowson., who have all been more than acceptable performers for the Jags.

 

 

very true.

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I'm just having a stab in the dark on this and suppose because Maxwell has no coaching pedigree and gets on well with McCall it's perceived as a cheap option jobs for the boys type appointment. That I should stress is not my opinion but you'll probably agree it's ready placed ammo for those wanting to have a cheap shot at McCall. Besides just what experienced manager/No2 would want to come to Firhill to be an assistant manager? Off the top of my head I can only think of a few names, who by no coincidence are out of work having been sacked elsewhere.

It's been argued the wheels came off last season long before Gerry B left. A viewpoint I agree with. What can't be argued with is our goalscoring dried up roughly from a date when Gerry left. I think folk are turning Gerry's leaving date as a kind of watershed. Just because we were scoring a few goals beforehand didn't mean things were that rosy. Far from it.

 

Who would? and after Davie Irons treatment last season, why would anyone?

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McCall is one of the best mangers in this division. He did make a good few mistakes last year but the loss of two SPL quality players in Harkins and Twaddle and Injuries to Buchanan, Mckeown and Lowell shaped our below expectations season. McCall’s signings in the January window were poor no doubt about that.

 

McCall finds himself in a very difficult job, fans expect a promotion push but really resources put us likely relegation candidates. Mid table will be a success for us but not many fans will see it that way.

 

What McCall has done with the whole youth system at Firhil has been incredible. He has turned us from a club most talented young players would not dream of joining to a possibility. Donnelly and McNamara are both Scottish internationalists, them being there will encourage talent to come here. We are already seeing some real potential coming through.

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Sometimes the best Managers only function as part of a team. Best example being Clough and Taylor. Applies equally that some guy's are better coaches than managers (refrence Gerry). Difference with Ian Maxwell is that he is untried as either a coach or manager and his appointment appears to be for non footballing reasons.

 

In isolation Lovell looked a good signing, you then find out that he had significant fitness issues prior to signing and you question the managers judegment in the light of that.

 

You can appear to outplay oppostion if the opposition is content to let you weave pretty patterns outside the 18 yd box and then hit you on the counter. The problem isn't necssarily the lack of a cutting edge it's the tactics employed by the manager.

 

So what tactics do you use if the opposition want to put 11 men behind the ball? you get the ball wide and try and get in behind them yes? The trouble with that is that you need some quality out wide someone who can deliver a variety of good crosses. Last season that was one part of our game where we failed miserably, the amount of times the crosses didnt beat the 1st man was criminal. It IS lack of a cutting edge.

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Had Dundee had paid the compen, we wouldn't be having this debate, Bunter would have been long gone, and frankly I would have been more than delighted to take their money.

 

The football played in the final quarter of last season was a kind of memento of the darkest days of the Bunnet: the veiled insult about 'a home game for Clyde', was straight off the final page of the Bunnet Book of Media Quips (Chapter 11: Slagging Off The Twats Who pay Your Wages). Good start Ian.

 

For this seaon, a new outfit has been delivered from Greaves's to the Manager's office - a black and red chequered jumper, black trousers (along with an optional white tie - for Meet The Manager nights), and an envelope from DC THomson's containing the 'Roger The Dodger Book of Excuses'.

 

Co-incidentally, as I recall, Roger was p--h at football.

Edited by Semi Nurainen
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We should have got Danny Lennon. Moore would have been a good appointment.

 

I don't have a clue who manages teams in the leagues below us so I can't give you names but one of them would do.

 

Managers have to start somewhere, take a punt on an up and coming manager. Where did Derek Adams come from for example? We are currently stagnating.

 

Is Gus McPherson not looking for work?

 

I can't think of a less inspiring appointment than Gus McPherson. He would get about 5 minutes before the fans started shouting for him to go. And to say that we should sack McCall and replace him with an unnamed lower league manager is just stupid. Are there even any success stories in the lower leagues apart from Cowdenbeath?

 

The same argument works for replacing the manager as with replacing the board. Lots of posters on here regularly demand the board leave, yet without ever being able to say who would take over. Unless we can afford to sack McCall and get in a better replacement (and the better replacement, whoever he is, will have to cost next to nothing, if not nothing) then there's no point calling for his head.

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news flash lower level team play out there skin and give higher level team a run for there money, this has never happened to any big team before has it???? :shocked:

 

I must have missed half the season or something, we haven't even started the season yet and people are moaning. :confused1:

 

we have won 2 cup games 1-0, are we celebrating, no we are moaning because we didn't thrash them and didn't play like real Madrid.

 

McCall not the greatest manager in the world but the manager we have at the moment

and yes I have been baffled by some of his decisions as well.

Oh yes and one which we cant afford to pay off anyway.

add to that a budget that's less than one of Beckhams kids pocket money, can you see where I am going.

 

Last season we lost nine games 0-1 and two games 0-2 so, if we beat teams 1-0 playing dross till the end of the season and we can sort the finances out then so be it and I will be a happy bunny.

 

no one can say there is not a problem but at the moment we cant do anything about it, so lets just support the team.

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Just wondering what are the ages of the people on here shouting for McCall to go. They must be either young and not witnessed some of the duff managers we have had in the last 20 year or have short term memories

 

sandy Clark, murdo macleod, tommy bryce, john mcvey, gerry Collins, Gerry britton and derek White, dick Campbell. Those people shouting on McCall to go should take a look at that list and if anyone can pick a better manager from that list than McCall they need there head checked. McCall is by far the 2nd best manager we have had in 20 years and I for one think he is still the right man for the job.

 

Look at the jobs mccall could have gone to in the last few years. Motherwell, Falkirk, Dundee have all looked at taking him from us but he has stayed true to thistle, not many other managers would have done the same.

 

I'm sure if mccall could have he would have brought in another 4 or 5 players but restrictions ment he couldn't, don't criticise him for that.

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Just wondering what are the ages of the people on here shouting for McCall to go. They must be either young and not witnessed some of the duff managers we have had in the last 20 year or have short term memories

 

sandy Clark, murdo macleod, tommy bryce, john mcvey, gerry Collins, Gerry britton and derek White, dick Campbell. Those people shouting on McCall to go should take a look at that list and if anyone can pick a better manager from that list than McCall they need there head checked. McCall is by far the 2nd best manager we have had in 20 years and I for one think he is still the right man for the job.

 

Look at the jobs mccall could have gone to in the last few years. Motherwell, Falkirk, Dundee have all looked at taking him from us but he has stayed true to thistle, not many other managers would have done the same.

 

I'm sure if mccall could have he would have brought in another 4 or 5 players but restrictions ment he couldn't, don't criticise him for that.

 

Your first point is irrelevant, it doesn't matter what other dross there has been in the last 20 years, Ian McCall is taking us nowhere and in my opinion is a crap manager.

 

Motherwell and Falkirk wanted him? News to me, any evidence of this?

 

As for Dundee, he would have been away if we had got compensation, reports at the time said he wanted to go, he is not at Thistle through blind loyalty.

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Put McCall's tactical nous or lack of aside for a moment. All those poor results and performances second part of last season had players like Robertson, Archibald, Rowson & Donnelly involved. I haven't heard much berating of those experienced players who through so much experience should have been able to pick the team up to at least damage limitation level.

I've read & heard criticism of their performances but rarely much is said about the level of their inspirational input. I don't mean they should've been effectively countermanding McCall's instructions. Just a bit more of the leading from the front might have helped rather than just quietly getting on with their own games.

 

All that's a bit of a roundabout way of saying that we should've been able to pick up a good few points regardless of McCall.

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Ian McCall's made a grand job of convincing a large number of fans he's irreplaceable. Helped considerably by the performance of his predecessor, of course. There are other managers out there. Sadly, we and many other Scottish teams, tend to go for the same old faces.

 

 

no if we were being honest we could not afford to get rid of him anyway

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Guest Argus

:thinking:

Just wondering what are the ages of the people on here shouting for McCall to go. They must be either young and not witnessed some of the duff managers we have had in the last 20 year or have short term memories

 

sandy Clark, murdo macleod, tommy bryce, john mcvey, gerry Collins, Gerry britton and derek White, dick Campbell. Those people shouting on McCall to go should take a look at that list and if anyone can pick a better manager from that list than McCall they need there head checked. McCall is by far the 2nd best manager we have had in 20 years and I for one think he is still the right man for the job.

 

Look at the jobs mccall could have gone to in the last few years. Motherwell, Falkirk, Dundee have all looked at taking him from us but he has stayed true to thistle, not many other managers would have done the same.

 

 

I'm sure if mccall could have he would have brought in another 4 or 5 players but restrictions ment he couldn't, don't criticise him for that.

 

I'm old enough and I'll agree that we have had a load of crap managers over years, but I'll tell you what, I think Tommy Bryce, if he had the support that both Campbell and McCall have had would be a better manager.

Edited by Argus
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Look at the jobs mccall could have gone to in the last few years. Motherwell, Falkirk, Dundee have all looked at taking him from us but he has stayed true to thistle, not many other managers would have done the same.

Stayed true to Thistle? Away and bile yer heid. He would be ruling the roost at Dens if compensation hadn't proved the stumbling block. Don't forget he also made noises about applying for the Inverness and Blackpool jobs.

 

Motherwell? They were never interested. It was pretty convenient the story re. their interest cropped up at the time he was negotiating an improved contract, wouldn't you say? Also funny that his agent - who would be on a cut of said deal - was the man Motherwell entrusted with liaising with the press re. their search for a new man.

 

Falkirk? Didn't hear anything about it.

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Budget and finances aside his tactics are shite and you have to question why little things like Paul Paton's left foot still not working are allowed to continue.

 

You tell Paton in the training games he cannot use his right foot. You make him do this until he becomes semi-competent in using his left.

 

You sit the players down, show them where the channels are, how to run into them/play the ball into them.

 

You explain to the defenders to look for a pass to a midfielder instead of lofting it high to small strikers.

 

You explain to the midfielders that they need to control the ball and turn towards goal before looking for a forward pass instead of laying it off backwards at the first opportunity.

 

It really isn't that hard I don't think. We make the same mistakes week in week out. We are out thought by the opposing manager almost every week. We don't apdapt our approach for different teams.

 

Talk much sense, too much almost, you do young Uberteeb.

 

 

I thought McCall was a reasonable choice when he was first chosen (where would we have been if we had chosen Billy Reid, who was on the shortlist?).

 

In the begining he was producing good teams with nice football but it seems more likely now that was in great part down to his assistants (where are we going with Ian Maxwell!) AND the fact it took about half a season for other managers to out think him or find him out.

 

I see less and less difference between him and the bunnet where tactics are concerned. He seems unable to read a game or make a telling substitution or change a formation. The only major difference is he is better at how he gets himself portrayed in the media, until the mask slipped, last week. He is good at using our financial postion to take the blame of himself but it needs to be remembered whatever limited funds we have he is responsible for spending and a lot of it doesn't bear close scrutinty.

 

Due to the money problems, we are stuck with him unless the position becomes so bad he has to be replaced.

 

Argus, you truth and justice seeker, much sense you also talk. Agree with all your observations, yoda does. Maxwell as assistant, the answer it is not.

 

I propose young Uberteeb be McCalls assistant. Or, wish to see McCall implement Uberteebs points, i do. What he says above, right it all is, as is his assessment of last season, below.

 

What I witnessed time and time again last season was us lacking any sort of cutting edge.

 

I watched a team that was not motivated.

 

I watched a team who had no plan B.

 

I watched other teams figure out how to play us after the first round of games.

 

I watched us fail to counter the oppositions strengths.

 

Putting all talk of budgets to one side all of those things are simply a sign of a poor manager.

 

For me McCall is a better manager with a good, strong and wise assistant - he may be getting on in years Obi-(w)an McCallbi, but being saddled with Irons and Maxwell is surely doing him no favours, although every point you make which are all McCalls responsability, entirely valid they are.

McCall and a decent assistant should be able to get the team playing with a cutting edge, motivated, have plan b's (and c's), able to out-think opposition managers, even with his hands half tied with our excuse for a board of directors. Not every week necessarily, but at least on a semi-regular basis and showing some signs of progress.

 

 

Put McCall's tactical nous or lack of aside for a moment. All those poor results and performances second part of last season had players like Robertson, Archibald, Rowson & Donnelly involved. I haven't heard much berating of those experienced players who through so much experience should have been able to pick the team up to at least damage limitation level.

I've read & heard criticism of their performances but rarely much is said about the level of their inspirational input. I don't mean they should've been effectively countermanding McCall's instructions. Just a bit more of the leading from the front might have helped rather than just quietly getting on with their own games.

 

All that's a bit of a roundabout way of saying that we should've been able to pick up a good few points regardless of McCall.

 

For a Lady, read and understand the game well you do Isobel.

The four experienced pro's you mention should have led more by example last season, berating them however was often seen as a cardinal sin by some posters who would defend their favourites against the blindingly indefensible at times, to point where many just wouldn't bother to get into conflict and be accused of being sid-haters, anti-archie, etcetera.

It was easier for many to pick of easier targets, like young chris erskine or doolan, when in fact these two showed more enthusiasm and pride for the jersey than some of their older and more experienced team mates did on many an occassion. But fact is, in second half of last season the majority of each team McCall put out weekly was rank as a whole and seriously underperformed, points young apprentice uberteeb has raised already.

Results and performances so far at this early part of the season point to many similarities with last season with little sign of any optimism for improvement, and i fear a long hard and uncomfortable season if the team do not up many things and quickly.

It has to be hoped, the four senior players and their 5th old head jaggy mcnamara will lead by a better example this season - otherwise we may be completely fu-fu-fu-fu-achoo-ked and if McCall does not make use of young uberteebs footballing brain, trips to annan and clyde could well become the norm for us season 2011/12.

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Stayed true to Thistle? Away and bile yer heid. He would be ruling the roost at Dens if compensation hadn't proved the stumbling block. Don't forget he also made noises about applying for the Inverness and Blackpool jobs.

 

Motherwell? They were never interested. It was pretty convenient the story re. their interest cropped up at the time he was negotiating an improved contract, wouldn't you say? Also funny that his agent - who would be on a cut of said deal - was the man Motherwell entrusted with liaising with the press re. their search for a new man.

 

 

...by way of making my agreement clear I have looked to click your green dot.

 

Cannot find it, so have a :thumbsup2: instead.

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Stayed true to Thistle? Away and bile yer heid. He would be ruling the roost at Dens if compensation hadn't proved the stumbling block. Don't forget he also made noises about applying for the Inverness and Blackpool jobs.

 

Motherwell? They were never interested. It was pretty convenient the story re. their interest cropped up at the time he was negotiating an improved contract, wouldn't you say? Also funny that his agent - who would be on a cut of said deal - was the man Motherwell entrusted with liaising with the press re. their search for a new man.

Falkirk? Didn't hear anything about it.

All he needed to do was resign from Thistle and he could have been away so no compensation would have been required surely.

 

Regarding your Falkirk and Motherwell didnt hear about it - are you supposed to? Or do you know people at these clubs?

 

Simple fact is the game last week was not great and yesterdays was terrible but I dont really recall a Manager being sacked in many places for winning 2 games out of 2 regardless of how bad they played.

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Seems some people are never happy...considering the financial restrictions in place at the club Ian McCall is doing a great job. We've lost some quality players in the last couple of years and no money has been made available to him to replace these guys. We're running with an extremely tight squad this season but on a positive note hopefully this will be the year when young players get a chance to break through. I was delighted to see young Macbeth scoring the winner in the 1st game.

 

2 games into the season and 2 wins...so far so good.

 

Get behind the side and McCall, lets not make his job even harder....here's to another win up at Starks Park next Saturday :)

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All he needed to do was resign from Thistle and he could have been away so no compensation would have been required surely.

 

Regarding your Falkirk and Motherwell didnt hear about it - are you supposed to? Or do you know people at these clubs?

 

Simple fact is the game last week was not great and yesterdays was terrible but I dont really recall a Manager being sacked in many places for winning 2 games out of 2 regardless of how bad they played.

Is that how it works in football? A team asks permission to speak to a manager and if he fancies the gig he can just resign his post? I know that's how it works in the real world, but football? I can't see it.

 

I did hear about him being linked with Motherwell. I just typed a paragraph on it. Falkirk? McCall's a shameless self-publicist with a clever agent. If Falkirk had been interested - well, even if they weren't and it suited McCall to be linked with them - we'd have heard about it. We didn't.

 

I don't think we'll sack him, either, and I'm not necessarily calling for it, but I won't sit here and watch people put him on a pedestal.

 

Has it really got to the stage where Thistle fans will back McCall's unfounded (IMO) criticism of our support, but he himself is beyond reproach?

Edited by The Incredible Adam Spark
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Naff off McCall...... so who would want this job.... no money for players BOD full of skin flints and fans that whine on about winning 2 games in a row....maybe time for you to take a reality check mate..... were skint and we should by now know that means poor quality on the pitch

 

 

 

 

Ian McCall is not ******* good enough.

 

2 weeks in row we have looked no better than part time third division diddies. Last week you could make excuses, Clyde's big game, rusty in the first game of the season and of course the infamous 'quite crowd'.

 

What was your excuse yesterday Ian? I can only assume he will be praising us for making Galabank like a Thistle home game? Annan are a team of absolute nobodies, how many shots did we have on target? How many times did we look dangerous? If it wasn't for them being even more toothless than us up front we would have been in real danger. Yesterday Morton went to third division diddies and pumped them 7-1, we scraped a 1-0, not good enough.

 

I'm missing the first 2 games of the season as I'm on holiday, I fully expect to come home to find us on 0 points. Lets hope Stirling and Cowdenbeath are as bad as people seem to be saying otherwise it's the seaside league for us.

 

Then again if the seaside league means more away days like yesterday I'm all for it. Hats off to those who made the journey, one of those away days which will stand out in the hazy memories as one of the best.

 

Naff off McCall.

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