Partick Thistle F.C.
 |
||||
| Full name | Partick Thistle Football Club | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Jags | |||
| Ground | Firhill Stadium, Glasgow (capacity: 13,079) |
|||
| Chairman | David Beattie | |||
| Manager | Alan Archibald | |||
| League | Scottish Premier League | |||
| 2012–13 | Scottish First Division, 1st | |||
| Website | Club home page | |||
|
||||
Partick Thistle Football Club are a professional association football club from Glasgow, Scotland. 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 (second tier of Scottish football) but were promoted to the Scottish Premier League for the 2013-14 season after being crowned as First Division champions on Saturday 20th April 2013.
Contents |
History [edit]
Formation [edit]
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 [edit]
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. Partick Thistle took a dramatic 4–0 lead at half time with goals from Alex Rae, Bobby Lawrie, Denis McQuade and Jimmy Bone. Although Kenny Dalglish 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 [edit]
The club's fortunes declined during 1980s, and during 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 the club 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 [edit]
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. 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 replaced it yet. 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 [edit]
Following John Lambie's retirement at the end of their first season in the SPL, Thistle struggled, and were relegated after Inverness, 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 [edit]
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.
Jackie McNamara 2011–2013 [edit]
McNamara, with Simon Donnelly as his assistant guided Thistle to 6th place finish in 2011/2012 season. In the 2012/2013 season his team won plaudits for their style of play. With Thistle fighting it out with Dunfermline and Greenock Morton for a place in next seasons top flight. McNamara was highly sought after and in January 2013, he left to replace Peter Houston as manager of SPL side Dundee United.
Alan Archibald [edit]
Alan Archibald was appointed as Interim manager on 30 January 2013. He brought former Thistle player Scott Paterson in as his assistant. On Saturday 20th April 2013, Archibald led Partick Thistle to the First Division Title after a 2-0 victory away to Falkirk.
Club crest and colours [edit]
.svg){kind=logo}
The first crest to appear on a Partick Thistle kit was a thistle design, and every logo since has featured a thistle. The thistle appeared first in 1902, then again in 1909. It remained until 1978, when a new logo with the thistle housed inside a roundel was used. A new modernist logo with the thistle on a rectangle was introduced in 1990, and the current crest was introduced in 2008.[2]
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 jerseys. 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. In 2009 a Centenary Kit was launched in the original navy-blue style to commemorate 100 years at Firhill Stadium. The current home kit bears a striking resemblance to that worn by the 1971–72 League Cup winning side. It is mostly yellow, but with red pin-stripes and a traditional red collar.
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. In the 2008–2009 season they starred in silver-and pink-hooped tops, while the following season they adopted a modern camouflage look.[3] The response to the kits was mixed, although they did sell particularly well among the female contingent of the support. The 2012–13 season has seen the release of a new away strip, which is dark blue with a purple pattern, of a Thistle, on the right-hand side of the shirt.
Thistle also wear a third kit, which was released for season 2011–12. This is predominantly black with a red and yellow vertical stripe running down the left-hand side of the shirt.
Thistle's kits are produced by Puma and supplied through their commercial partners Greaves Sports in Glasgow.
Stadium [edit]
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 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 have been plans to redevelop the south end of the stadium with a family stand, and construction was due to get underway in the next few years, but were subsequently cancelled. The "bing" as it was dubbed by Thistle fans was recently voted into the "10 worst stands in Scottish football" poll.
Support [edit]
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.
As the third largest team in Glasgow, Partick Thistle are overshadowed by city neighbours Rangers and Celtic. Partick Thistle supporters sing about their neighbours in the sectarian anthem "Hello Hello, How Do You Do". This song is controversial as it makes derogatory comments about not only Rangers and Celtic but also about The Queen and The Pope.[4]
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. Airdrieonians 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 [edit]
The current sponsor of Partick Thistle Football Club is drinks company MacB, returning after a brief absence towards the end of the 2011/2012 season.
Ignis were sponsors for the 2010/2011 season. Puma are the shirt sponsors of The Jags, and have been since the 2008/2009 Season.
Current squad [edit]
- As of 31 March 2013[5]
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
- For recent transfers, see List of Scottish football transfers summer 2012
Out on loan [edit]
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Under-19 team [edit]
[5] Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Managers [edit]
| Name | Years | Honours |
|---|---|---|
 George Easton |
1903–1929 | Scottish Cup (1920–21) |
| Donald Turner |
1927–1947 | |
| David Meiklejohn |
1947–1959 | 3rd in the Scottish League (1947–48 & 1953–54) |
| Willie Thornton |
1959–1968 | 3rd in the Scottish League (1962–63) |
| Scot Symon |
1968–1970 | |
| Davie McParland |
1970–1974 | League Cup (1971), Division Two (1970–71) |
| Bertie Auld |
1974–1980 | Division One (1975–76) |
| Peter Cormack |
1980–1983 | |
| Benny Rooney |
1983–1986 | |
| Bertie Auld |
1986 | |
| Derek Johnstone |
1986–1987 | |
| Billy Lamont |
1987–1988 | |
| John Lambie |
1988–1989 | |
| Sandy Clark |
1989–1990 | |
| John Lambie |
1990–1995 | Promotion to Premier Division (1991–92), Tennents' Sixes (1993) |
| Murdo MacLeod |
1995–1997 | |
| John McVeigh |
1997–1998 | |
| Tommy Bryce |
1998–1999 | |
| John Lambie |
1999–2003 | First Division (2001–02), Second Division (2000–01) |
| Gerry Collins |
2003 | |
| Gerry Britton |
2003–2005 | |
| Derek Whyte |
||
| Dick Campbell |
2005–2007 | First Division Playoffs (2005–06) |
| Ian McCall |
2007–2011 | |
| Jackie McNamara |
2011–2013 | |
| Alan Archibald |
2013– | First Division (2012–13) |
Individual Achievements [edit]
| Name | Apps | Career |
|---|---|---|
| Alan Rough | 624 | 1969–1982 |
| Davie McParland | 587 | 1953–1974 |
| Jackie Campbell | 579 | 1963–1982 |
| Willie Sharp | 571 | 1939–1957 |
| Jimmy McGowan | 543 | 1941–1956 |
| Eddie McLeod | 495 | 1926–1940 |
| Willie Bulloch | 471 | 1909–1923 |
| Alex Elliot | 454 | 1927–1940 |
| John Harvey | 435 | 1951–1966 |
| Alan Archibald | 423 | 1997–2003 2007–2013 |
| Name | Goals | Career |
|---|---|---|
| Willie Sharp | 229 | 1939–1957 |
| Willie Paul | 186 | 1884–1899 |
| George Smith | 125 | 1953–1964 |
| Jimmy Walker | 121 | 1946–1957 |
| Johnny Torbet | 116 | 1924–1933 |
| Willie Newall | 101 | 1938–1945 |
| Dougie Somner | 101 | 1974–1979 |
| Davie Ness | 97 | 1923–1935 |
Full Internationalists [edit]
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 |
71 | 0 |
| Stephen Craigan |  Northern Ireland |
55 | 0 |
| Alan Rough | Scotland |
53 | 0 |
| Quinton Jacobs |  Namibia |
28 | 4 |
| Jimmy Gibson | Scotland |
16 | 1 |
| Jimmy McMullan | Scotland |
16 | 0 |
| Neilly Gibson | Scotland |
14 | 1 |
| George Cummings | Scotland |
14 | 0 |
| Alex Forsyth | Scotland |
10 | 0 |
| Johnny Mackenzie | Scotland |
9 | 1 |
| Johnny Jackson | Scotland |
9 | 0 |
| Jimmy Davidson | Scotland |
8 | 1 |
| Kenny Campbell | Scotland |
8 | 0 |
| Jonathan Tuffey | Northern Ireland |
7 | 0 |
| Harry Chatton |  Ireland/Irish Free State |
6 | 0 |
| Adrian Madaschi |  Australia |
4 | 2 |
| Willie Paul | Scotland |
3 | 5 |
| Alex McSpadyen | Scotland |
3 | 0 |
| Hugh Brown | Scotland |
3 | 0 |
| Jackie Husband | Scotland |
3 | 0 |
| Neil Harris | Scotland |
2 | 0 |
| Andy Kerr | Scotland |
2 | 0 |
| Tommy Ewing | Scotland |
2 | 0 |
| John Hansen | Scotland |
2 | 0 |
| Nicky Walker | Scotland |
2 | 0 |
| Willie Howden | Scotland |
1 | 0 |
| Jimmy Kinloch | Scotland |
1 | 0 |
| David Mathers | Scotland |
1 | 0 |
| Fraser Dalglish | Scotland |
1 | 0 |
Honours [edit]
Major [edit]
- Scottish Challenge Cup:
- Runners up (1): 2012–13
Minor [edit]
- 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
- Summer Cup:
- Winners (1): 1945
- West of Scotland FA Cup:
- Winners (1): 1879
- Glasgow Dental Cup:
- Winners (1): 1929
- Greenock Charity Cup:[7]
- Winners (1): 1893
- Paisley Charity Cup:
- Winners (1): 1936
- Arr Craib Trophy:[8]
- Winners (1): 2012
- Tennents' Sixes:
- Winners (1): 1993
European record [edit]
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 Honvéd eliminated them in the first round. Their most recent European campaign was the 1995 UEFA Intertoto Cup, when they finished 4th with four points in Group 6.
| Season | Competition | Round | Opponent | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963–64 | Inter-Cities Fairs Cup | First round | Glentoran |
3–0 | 4–1 | 7–1 |
| Second round |  Spartak Brno |
3–2 | 0–4 | 3–6 | ||
| 1972–73 | UEFA Cup | First round |  Budapest Honvéd |
0–3 | 0–1 | 0–4 |
| 1995–96 | UEFA Intertoto Cup | Group 6 |  LASK Linz |
– | 2–2 | – |
 Keflavík |
3–1 | – | – | |||
 Metz |
– | 0–1 | – | |||
 NK Zagreb |
1–2 | – | – |
References [edit]
- ^ Beware the Jags sting
- ^ Moor, Dave. "Partick Thistle". Historical Football Kits. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
- ^ http://www.greavessports.com/ptfc-away-top-long-sleeve-p39898
- ^ [1]
- ^ a b "PTFC Team". ptfc.co.uk (Partick Thistle F.C.). Retrieved 18 January 2012.
- ^ Known as second division prior to 1975
- ^ Greenock Charity Cup 1884–1896
- ^ "ARR Craib Trophy: Sean Welsh steals the show as Partick Thistle dump Everton to lift cup". 23 July 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
External links [edit]
- Official Club Website
- PTFC.net Website
- Partick Thistle Ultras Group
- Partick Thistle, The Early Years Website
- Partick Thistle Online Store
- Unofficial Partick Thistle FC forum
|
||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
