One team in Glasgow Partick Thistle

Miserable. If ever a word summed up a run of football matches and our performance today, miserable is that word. Two weak shots on target, of which more later, and a 2-0 defeat to a cantering St Johnstone side sum up Thistle’s recent play.

As I wandered glumly back to my car in the cold, two tunes popped into my subconscious, That’s Entertainment and Keep the Customer Satisfied, both of which are far removed concepts from what we witness week in, week out at the moment. It is all very well having pre-determined performance targets but someone at Thistle needs to stop looking at Thistle in relation to others and start looking at our own performances and whether they are acceptable or not.

Of course we will hear that St Johnstone are a good side and look what they have done in the Cup competitions, we will hear how bad the referee was (I do not agree) and we will hear that Ross County lost, but this was miserable and to a paying punter surely that is all that matters.

With dotnet prediction competition predictions of 9-0 and 11-0 to St Johnstone clearly some had low expectation levels for this match. Tuffey replaced Arthur in goal and there was a new look midfield of Keogh sitting in front of the back 4 with Brady, Ferguson and Billy Gibson forming a narrow midfield and Roberts and Young up front and in the early minutes it looked successful as Thistle had the majority of possession. A midfield of Keogh, Brady, Billy Gibson and Ferguson looks lacking in creativity and invention and so it was to prove.

After nine minutes, St Johnstone, who welcomed Martin Hardie back into the side after suspension, came to life with a break down their right and as the ball was squared along the six yard line, Robertson cleared the danger at the back post. A couple of minutes later and Saints had a free kick from their own half which dropped about a yard inside the Thistle box, with Tuffey charging out towards it but getting nowhere near, the ball thankfully broke kindly and was hammered clear. St Johnstone were now beginning to have more possession, and it all seemed to be down their right side.

After 13 minutes, terrible defending, particularly our inability to track midfield runners cost us and St Johnstone took the lead through Hardie and it was no surprise that the build up play was down the Saints right hand side. The Thistle players seemed convinced that Hardie was offside as he nodded the ball into the net past leaden-footed Tuffey, although it did not look offside from my position, which admittedly wasn’t an ideal spot to judge from.

After 20 minutes, it happened, Thistle had a ‘shot’ on target. Roberts was released by the enigmatic Ferguson but pretty much passed the ball into Cuthbert’s hands. Then Thistle had a free kick in a promising area on the left hand side of the Saints box and with Boyd, Archibald and Keogh all up in the box it was very frustrating to see Billy Gibson soaring the ball high over all of their heads.

Campbell was increasingly incensed with the refereeing performance and showing contempt for most decisions and he lost it and had a verbal spat with the referee after the referee, correctly in my opinion, awarded St Johnstone a free kick out wide in front of the dugout areas. Thereafter for a spell, Thistle did seem to get a string of 50/50 decisions go their way culminating in a booking for Morais after a nasty studs up challenge on McChrystal.

After 33 minutes, Tuffey did well coming smartly off his line to gather a through ball intended for MacDonald who had got in behind the Jags defence, but whilst the applause for this was still dying out he proceeded to kick the ball straight out of play despite being under no pressure. This tendency to put the ball straight out was continued three minutes later by McChrystal who put a throw in straight out. From the resulting Saints throw they crossed from the right but Robertson did well to nip the ball off the head of Sheerin and start a Thistle break which, needless to say, did not result in a shot on target.

As half time approached Kevin James gave away another free kick about 30 yards out on the Thistle right. It was tapped to Archibald who shot wide but, somewhat fortuitously, the referee ordered a retake for a Saints player breaking from the wall too soon. The second attempt was taken by Robertson who shot well over. Unfortunately the referee did not offer Thistle a third chance to get their free kick on target.

Just before half time, Saints carved Thistle open down the right again after Brown Ferguson gave the ball away cheaply for the second time in two minutes. Scotland’s cut-back should have been finished by Morais but instead he decided to feed MacDonald who was in a poorer position and the move broke down.

We got our first glimpse of Sam Morrow at the start of the second half as he replaced the ineffectual McChrystal, as Thistle switched to a more conventional 4-4-2, with Robertson moving to left back and Billy Gibson to right back and Morrow taking a position up front with Roberts.

Unfortunately, two minutes into the second half Thistle fell two behind. Hardie thumped in an effort from outside the box and although Tuffey got both hands to it, he could not save it at his near post. It was at quite a good height for the keeper and I would have expected Arthur to make the save.

Thistle’s response was a dipping Brady effort from outside the box which was within a few yards of the goal frame and so was recorded in the notebook as an incident of some note such was the paucity of action. Things were livened up by a tussle between old team-mates Archibald and Hardie who exchanged a couple of good old-fashioned meaty challenges for which Hardie received a lecture from the referee.

MacDonald, whose workrate in one game Young may match over a season, produced some good skill wide left after 55 minutes, and all were relieved to see the offside flag go up as the ball was centred to unmarked Saints attackers a few yards out. Paddy Keogh was the next booking for a late lunge.

After an hour, we had our second shot on target which raised an ironic cheer from the away support. Morrow, who seems quick of mind and of feet, but will need better service if we are to see the best of him, hit the effort from 25 yards, although it never troubled Cuthbert.

Martin Hardie (later named as the sponsor’s man of the match) was giving a great rampaging midfield performance, more driven, more committed, more skilful and perhaps more motivated than any Thistle player. After 63 minutes, St Johnstone replaced McInnes with Lawrie and Mensing moved into midfield and shortly afterwards as Mensing broke into the box, St Johnstone had a huge shout for a penalty turned down for an alleged hand-ball.

There was a brief ripple of excitement for the small travelling support after 68 minutes as Archibald stood over a central free kick about 30 yards out, but he drove straight into the Saints wall.

Then, in a ‘nothing’ incident on the halfway line, a Saints player cleared the ball and from my angle seemed to clearly hit a Thistle player on the way out right in front of the dugout. When the throw was given to Saints, Campbell spat his dummy big time and flew into a tantrum, throwing his bunnet to the ground and dancing round it like an incensed dancing dervish. Having already been spoken to in the first half, the referee understandably sent Campbell packing to the stand where he took up a seat among the Thistle directors.

Russell, who looked bright when he came on, replaced Roberts and Boyd was booked for a cynical foul on Stanic. Russell did some good work on the right and his cut-back found Billy Gibson in good position but his shot was blocked. The bookings continued with Robertson also being added to the referee’s notebook for a bad challenge.

Inside the last ten minutes, Kevin James hamstring went and with Owen Coyle having used all his substitutions, as Saints reorganised with Mensing moving back, Brown Ferguson had a shot from distance tipped over by Cuthbert. From the resulting corner, Morrow headed wide from 5 yards. Then Morrow’s persistence won another corner, and just as I was thinking he must be a contender for Thistle man of the match, he took the resulting set piece and hit it straight out, landing on top of the Saints net.

A miserable day ended, and then I remembered I have a work meeting on Tuesday and can’t make the game at Firhill, which seemed to please me. I remember when I used to enjoy the football, now it’s just miserable.

Man of the match:
ALAN ARCHIBALD - I don’t really want to go for a second week of there not being a man of the match and so on a true best of a bad bunch basis, I would go for Alan Archibald.

Thistle: Tuffey 5, Robertson 6, McChrystal 3 (Morrow 45, 6), Brady 5, Boyd 6, Archibald 6, Ferguson 5, Young 4, Keogh 6, Roberts 5 (Russell 77), B Gibson 5.
Unused subs; Arthur, Hodge, McConalogue.

St Johnstone: Cuthbert, Mensing, Stanic, McInnes (Lawrie 65), McManus, James, Morais, Hardie, MacDonald (Milne 71), Scotland (Lilley 55), Sheerin.
Unused subs; Halliwell, McLaren.