- Partick Thistle F.C.
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Partick Thistle 
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 coloursAway 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
Main article: Firhill StadiumIn 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 
GK Scott Fox GK Ryan Scully DF Alan Archibald 
DF Conrad Balatoni (on loan from Hearts) DF Chris Ketterer DF William Kinniburgh DF Jonathan Lindsay DF Paul Paton DF Aaron Sinclair MF Stephen Walls DF Colin Stevenson MF Stuart Bannigan MF Paul Cairney No. Position Player MF Jamie Campbell MF Simon Donnelly MF Chris Erskine MF Iain Flannigan MF Kyle Hutton (on loan from Rangers) MF Ryan MacBeth MF Stephen O'Donnell MF Scott Robertson MF David Rowson FW Craig Dargo FW Kris Doolan FW Christie Elliot FW Jordan McGrotty 
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 FW Shaun Fraser (at Stenhousemuir until January 1st 2012) FW Kieran Burns (at Clydebank until November 8th 2011) - For recent transfers, see List of Scottish football transfers 2011–12
Managers
Name Years Honours George Easton1903–1929 Scottish Cup (1920–21) Donald Turner1927–1947 David Meiklejohn1947–1959 3rd in the Scottish League (1947–48 & 1952–53) Willie Thornton1959–1968 3rd in the Scottish League (1962–63) Scot Symon1968–1970 Davie McParland1970–1974 League Cup (1971), Division Two (1970–71) Bertie Auld1974–1980 Division One (1975–76) Peter Cormack1980–1983 Benny Rooney1983–1986 Bertie Auld1986 Derek Johnstone1986–1987 Billy Lamont1987–1988 John Lambie1988–1989 Sandy Clark1989–1990 John Lambie1990–1995 Promotion to Premier Division (1991–92), Tennents' Sixes (1993) Murdo MacLeod1995–1997 John McVeigh1997–1998 Tommy Bryce1998–1999 John Lambie1999–2003 First Division (2001–02), Second Division (2000–01) Gerry Collins2003 Gerry Britton2003–2005 Derek Whyte Dick Campbell2005–2007 First Division Playoffs (2005–06) Ian McCall2007–2011 Jackie McNamara2011–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 Islands71 0 Stephen Craigan Northern Ireland55 0 Alan Rough Scotland53 0 Quinton Jacobs 
Namibia28 4 Jimmy Gibson Scotland16 1 Jimmy McMullan Scotland16 0 Neilly Gibson Scotland14 1 George Cummings Scotland14 0 Alex Forsyth Scotland10 0 Johnny Mackenzie Scotland9 1 Johnny Jackson Scotland9 0 Jimmy Davidson Scotland8 1 Kenny Campbell Scotland8 0 Jonathan Tuffey Northern Ireland7 0 Harry Chatton 
Ireland/Irish Free State6 0 Adrian Madaschi 
Australia4 2 Willie Paul Scotland3 5 Alex McSpayden Scotland3 0 Hugh Brown Scotland3 0 Jackie Husband Scotland3 0 Neil Harris Scotland2 0 Andy Kerr Scotland2 0 Tommy Ewing Scotland2 0 John Hansen Scotland2 0 Nicky Walker Scotland2 0 Willie Howden Scotland1 0 Jimmy Kinloch Scotland1 0 David Mathers Scotland1 0 Fraser Dalglish Scotland1 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
- Tennents' Sixes:
- Winners (1): 1993
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 Glentoran3–0 4–1 7–1 2R 
Spartak Brno3–2 0–4 3–5 1972–73 Uefa Cup 2R 
Honved0–1 0–3 0–4 1995 Intertoto Cup Group 
LASK Linz– 2–2 – Group 
Keflavík3–1 – – Group 
Metz– 0–1 – Group 
NK Zagreb1–2 – – References
- ^ Beware the Jags sting
- ^ http://www.greavessports.com/ptfc-away-top-long-sleeve-p39898
- ^ Known as second division prior to 1975
External links
- Official Club Website
- PTFC.net Website
- Partick Thistle, The Early Years Website
- Partick Thistle Online Store
- Unofficial Partick Thistle FC forum
- IFFHS
Partick Thistle Football Club Information Seasons 2007–08 · 2008–09 · 2009–10 · 2010–11 · 2011–12Scottish Premier League 2011–12 teams Former teams - Dundee
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