Partick Thistle F.C.

Partick Thistle F.C.
Partick Thistle
Partick Thistle FC logo.svg
Full name Partick Thistle Football Club
Nickname(s) The Jags
Founded 1876
Ground Firhill Stadium,
Glasgow
(Capacity: 13,079)
Manager Jackie McNamara
League Scottish First Division
2010–11 Scottish First Division, 5th
Website Club home page
Home colours
Away colours
Current season
Partick Thistle Firhill Stadium

Partick Thistle Football Club are a professional association football club from Glasgow. Despite their name, the club are based in the Maryhill area of the city, and have not played in Partick since 1908. They are members of the Scottish Football League, and currently play in the First Division having being promoted through the play-offs at the end of the 2005–06 season.

Contents

History

Formation

Partick Thistle Football Club were formed in 1876 in the burgh of Partick (then administratively independent of Glasgow into which it was subsumed in 1912).

Domestic Cup Success and League Progress

The Club claimed their first piece of major silverware in 1921, when they won the Scottish Cup, having beaten Rangers 1–0 in the final.[1] In 1971–72, the Jags overcame favourites, Celtic in the League Cup final. Taking a dramatic 4–0 lead at half time with goals from Alex Rae, Bobby Lawrie, Denis McQuade and Jimmy Bone and although Kenny Dalgish pulled a goal back for Celtic, Thistle celebrated a 4–1 victory. Davie McParland's team were responsible for the Jags' greatest success in their history. Thistle also enjoyed relative success in League competition during the 1950s/60s/70s, finishing third in the top tier in 1948, 1954 and 1963.

Save the Jags

The clubs fortunes declined during the 1980s, and during the 1990s increasing financial problems threatened to put the club out of existence. In 1998, the club was close to going bankrupt, and it took a fan based effort to keep them afloat with the "Save the Jags" campaign. Despite avoiding financial oblivion, Thistle were relegated to the third tier of Scottish Football in 1997–98, and only narrowly avoided a further relegation the following season, finishing in eighth place.

Lambie Revival

The start of the most successful period of the Club's recent history came with back-to-back promotions under John Lambie in seasons 2000–01 and 2001–02. In order to comply with the then Scottish Premier League guidelines, the terraced section behind the North section of Firhill was redeveloped. In its place a 2000 seater stand was constructed. The terracing at the other end of the ground has also since been removed, although nothing has, as of yet, been built in its place.

Following the successive promotions, Thistle secured their place in the SPL by finishing 10th despite being favourites for relegation.

Successive relegations and Play-Off promotion

Following John Lambie's retirement at the end of their first season in the SPL, Thistle struggled, and were relegated after Inverness Caledonian Thistle, having won the First Division title, were promoted to the SPL upon being permitted to groundshare with Aberdeen. With Gerry Collins (Lambie's previous assistant) having been sacked during the previous season, the joint player-managers Derek Whyte and Gerry Britton struggled and were also dismissed mid-season in the First Division. Dick Campbell was appointed successor, but Thistle were relegated to the Second Division. Season 2005–06 saw the Jags return to the First Division through the newly introduced play-offs, having finished 4th in the league.

Between 1996 and 2006, Partick Thistle were promoted three times and relegated four times in what was an unpredictable decade in their history. They were the first team in Scottish football to be relegated from the top flight through successive subsequent relegations (excluding those caused by league reconstruction).

Despite starting well with the team's return to the First Division, Dick Campbell was sacked on 27 March 2007. A caretaker management team of Jimmy Bone and Terry Butcher saw out the season, before Ian McCall, a former player, was unveiled as manager.

Ian McCall's tenure 2007–2011

McCall's first season saw Thistle finish 6th in the First Division, as well as a good Scottish Cup campaign. Thistle reached the Quarter Finals, drawing with eventual winners, Rangers at Ibrox before losing.

In the season 2008–09, Thistle exceeded expectation, finishing 2nd in the First Division, behind St Johnstone. Midfielder Gary Harkins received a nomination for Player of the Year, and won the Irn Bru Phenomenal Player of the Year. This season also saw Jonathan Tuffey become the first Thistle full international for several seasons, having been capped for Northern Ireland previously at U21 level.

Ian McCall left his post as manager in April 2011 for personal reasons and was replaced by Jackie McNamara on a caretaker basis. McNamara was appointed manager of the club at the end of the 2010/2011 season.

Colours

Originally playing in navy blue shirts and white shorts (similar to Scotland), the Jags are now best known for their red, yellow and black attire. In the season 1936–37, Thistle changed colours having initially borrowed kit from the rugby team West of Scotland Football Club. The Club mostly play in a variation of red and yellow hooped jerseys, although there have been other styles employed. In the early 1970s, they played in yellow tops with a red trim; in the 1980s and early 1990s vertical red and yellow stripes were used; and from 2004–2006 the kit was dubiously termed "the Jester kit" by the fans, with one half all red and the other half all yellow.

In 2009, a Centenary Kit was launched in the original navy blue style to commemorate 100 years at Firhill Stadium. In 2008-09 and 2009–10, Thistle used pink as the primary colour for their away kit, becoming the first football club in Scotland to do so. The 2008–2009 season they starred in silver and pink hooped tops, and the following season up until the present date they adopted a modern camouflage look.[2] The response to the kits was mixed, although they did sell particularly well among the female contingent of the support.

The current home kit bears a striking resemblance to the 1971-72 season League Cup winning top. It is mostly yellow, but with red pin-stripes and a traditional collar. The away kit, also released in season 2011-12 is black with a red and yellow stripe. Thistle's kits are produced by Puma and supplied through their commercial partners Greaves Sports in Glasgow.

Stadium

In their early years, the side played in several places, including what are now the sites for: Partick Railway Station, Morrisons supermarket near the River Kelvin, and the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. The Club eventually moved to their present home in 1909: Firhill Stadium in the Maryhill district of Glasgow. Firhill Stadium currently consists of three stands the Main(Old)Stand built in 1927 which can seat around 2900 supporters, the impressive Jackie Husband Stand built in 1994 which can seat around 6500 supporters and the North Away Stand which can seat around 2000 supporters.Also on the South side of the stadium there is a grass embankment which was an open terrace in Firhill until its demolition in 2006.There has been plans to re-develop the South End of the stadium with a family stand and construction is due to get underway in the next few years.

Support

Thistle's fanbase is derived mostly from Greater Glasgow, being based in the North-West of the city. During their most recent foray into the top flight of Scottish football, attendances frequently exceeded 6000, but in more recent years attendances have ranged between 2000 and 3000. Further afield, the club has an unaffiliated Global Supporters' Association called "The Nomads".

Thistle fans sing a number of songs during matches, some of which are relatively generic but others which are unique. Choruses of "Red and Yellow Army", "Mary fae Maryhill", "Over Land and Sea", "Forever and Ever" and "We've Followed the Thistle for Many a Day" are commonly heard in the singing section of the Jackie Husband Stand or "The Shed" as they are colloquially known, on match-days.

Glasgow's historical problems with football and sectarianism between (Rangers and Celtic) have led to an anti-sectarian outlook in the Thistle fans' repertoire. One of the songs "Hello Hello" (not to be confused with the Rangers song by a similar name) is an ironic attack on both songs which attack the Pope and the Queen, which are sung by fans of the other two clubs. Despite the intentions of the song, it has attracted criticism and the Club's Board have, in the past, appealed to fans not to sing it.

The Jags have a good following of University students, a consequence of the relative proximity to the Glasgow University and Strathclyde University campuses. The University of Glasgow's Murano Student Village is situated within 5 minutes of Firhill.

Thistle's traditional rivals include Clyde and more recently Airdrieonians/Airdrie United. The latter grew to greatest prominence during Thistle's promotion season in 2001–02, when the two sides were the main contenders for the First Division title. Airdrionians subsequently went bust and reformed as Airdrie United after financial pressures at the time.

Notable individual fans of Thistle include: Craig Ferguson, Ross King, Laura Kuenssberg and the fictional character "Daft Bob" Brown in George MacDonald Fraser's McAuslan stories.

Sponsors

MacBee is currently the sponsor of Partick Thistle Football Club, having taken over from Ignis for the 2011/2012 season. Puma are the shirt sponsors of The Jags, and have been since the 2008/2009 Season.

Current squad

As of 23rd August 2011

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
Scotland GK Scott Fox
Scotland GK Ryan Scully
Scotland DF Alan Archibald
England DF Conrad Balatoni (on loan from Hearts)
Scotland DF Chris Ketterer
Scotland DF William Kinniburgh
Scotland DF Jonathan Lindsay
Scotland DF Paul Paton
Scotland DF Aaron Sinclair
Scotland MF Stephen Walls
Scotland DF Colin Stevenson
Scotland MF Stuart Bannigan
Scotland MF Paul Cairney
No. Position Player
Scotland MF Jamie Campbell
Scotland MF Simon Donnelly
Scotland MF Chris Erskine
Scotland MF Iain Flannigan
Scotland MF Kyle Hutton (on loan from Rangers)
Scotland MF Ryan MacBeth
Scotland MF Stephen O'Donnell
Scotland MF Scott Robertson
Scotland MF David Rowson
Scotland FW Craig Dargo
Scotland FW Kris Doolan
England FW Christie Elliot
Scotland FW Jordan McGrotty
Northern Ireland FW Tommy Stewart

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
Scotland FW Shaun Fraser (at Stenhousemuir until January 1st 2012)
Scotland FW Kieran Burns (at Clydebank until November 8th 2011)
For recent transfers, see List of Scottish football transfers 2011–12

Managers

Name Years Honours
Scotland George Easton 1903–1929 Scottish Cup (1920–21)
Scotland Donald Turner 1927–1947
Scotland David Meiklejohn 1947–1959 3rd in the Scottish League (1947–48 & 1952–53)
Scotland Willie Thornton 1959–1968 3rd in the Scottish League (1962–63)
Scotland Scot Symon 1968–1970
Scotland Davie McParland 1970–1974 League Cup (1971), Division Two (1970–71)
Scotland Bertie Auld 1974–1980 Division One (1975–76)
Scotland Peter Cormack 1980–1983
Scotland Benny Rooney 1983–1986
Scotland Bertie Auld 1986
Scotland Derek Johnstone 1986–1987
Scotland Billy Lamont 1987–1988
Scotland John Lambie 1988–1989
Scotland Sandy Clark 1989–1990
Scotland John Lambie 1990–1995 Promotion to Premier Division (1991–92), Tennents' Sixes (1993)
Scotland Murdo MacLeod 1995–1997
Scotland John McVeigh 1997–1998
Scotland Tommy Bryce 1998–1999
Scotland John Lambie 1999–2003 First Division (2001–02), Second Division (2000–01)
Scotland Gerry Collins 2003
Scotland Gerry Britton 2003–2005
Scotland Derek Whyte
Scotland Dick Campbell 2005–2007 First Division Playoffs (2005–06)
Scotland Ian McCall 2007–2011
Scotland Jackie McNamara 2011–present

Individual Achievements

Most Appearances
Name Career Apps
Alan Rough 1969–1982 624
Davie McParland 1953–1974 587
Jackie Campbell 1963–1982 579
Willie Sharpe 1939–1957 571
Jimmy McGowan 1941–1956 543
Eddie McLeod 1926–1940 495
Willie Bulloch 1909–1923 471
Alex Elliot 1927–1940 454
John Harvey 1951–1966 435
Stewart Calderwood 1926–1938 420
All Time Top Goalscorers
Name Career Goals
Willie Sharpe 1939–1957 229
Willie Paul 1884–1899 186
George Smith 1953–1964 125
Jimmy Walker 1946–1957 121
Johnny Torbet 1924–1933 116
Willie Newall 1938–1945 101
Dougie Somner 1974–1979 101
Davie Ness 1923–1935 97

Full Internationalists

The following players have participated in Full Internationals for their respective countries whilst playing for Thistle. Statistics include all caps gained in their International career, including those before or after their Thistle careers.

Name Country Caps Goals
Jákup Mikkelsen Faroe Islands Faroe Islands 71 0
Stephen Craigan Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 55 0
Alan Rough Scotland Scotland 53 0
Quinton Jacobs Namibia Namibia 28 4
Jimmy Gibson Scotland Scotland 16 1
Jimmy McMullan Scotland Scotland 16 0
Neilly Gibson Scotland Scotland 14 1
George Cummings Scotland Scotland 14 0
Alex Forsyth Scotland Scotland 10 0
Johnny Mackenzie Scotland Scotland 9 1
Johnny Jackson Scotland Scotland 9 0
Jimmy Davidson Scotland Scotland 8 1
Kenny Campbell Scotland Scotland 8 0
Jonathan Tuffey Northern Ireland Northern Ireland 7 0
Harry Chatton Republic of Ireland Ireland/Irish Free State 6 0
Adrian Madaschi Australia Australia 4 2
Willie Paul Scotland Scotland 3 5
Alex McSpayden Scotland Scotland 3 0
Hugh Brown Scotland Scotland 3 0
Jackie Husband Scotland Scotland 3 0
Neil Harris Scotland Scotland 2 0
Andy Kerr Scotland Scotland 2 0
Tommy Ewing Scotland Scotland 2 0
John Hansen Scotland Scotland 2 0
Nicky Walker Scotland Scotland 2 0
Willie Howden Scotland Scotland 1 0
Jimmy Kinloch Scotland Scotland 1 0
David Mathers Scotland Scotland 1 0
Fraser Dalglish Scotland Scotland 1 0

Honours

Major

Minor

  • British Cup:
    • Winners (1): 1921
  • Glasgow Cup:
    • Winners (7): 1934–35, 1950–51, 1952–53, 1954–55, 1960–61, 1980–81, 1988–89
    • Runners up (11) 1888–89, 1900–01, 1911–12, 1914–15, 1917–18, 1919–20, 1932–33, 1936–37, 1959–60, 1966–67, 1968–69
  • Glasgow Merchants' Charity Cup:
    • Winners (3): 1926–27, 1934–35, 1948–49

European Competition

Thistle have participated in European competition on three different occasions. On the first occasion, they qualified having finished third in the First Division. They progressed to the Second Round of the Fairs Cup before being eliminated by Spartak Brno. They qualified for the UEFA Cup in 1972–73 after winning the League Cup the previous season, however Hungarian side Honved eliminated them in the first tie. Their most recent venture into European competition was the 1995 UEFA Intertoto Cup, when they finished 4th with 4 points in Group 6.

By Season

Year / Competition Round Opponent Home Away Agg
1963–64 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1R Northern Ireland Glentoran 3–0 4–1 7–1
2R Czechoslovakia Spartak Brno 3–2 0–4 3–5
1972–73 Uefa Cup 2R Hungary Honved 0–1 0–3 0–4
1995 Intertoto Cup Group Austria LASK Linz 2–2
Group Iceland Keflavík 3–1
Group France Metz 0–1
Group Croatia NK Zagreb 1–2

References

External links


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