GG Riva

I don't if this was a Board decision or down to a single individual but it's painfully obvious that our loyal fans are angry and resentful right across social media platforms. It's a clear misjudgement of the mood which will deter a significant number from attending the play off matches and may even spill over into next season, especially if the unthinkable happens. It would be good if someone at the club held their hand up and said "We've reconsidered our pricing for these games and the new prices are X, Y and Z. Had we made the promotion play offs, nobody would have batted an eyelid.

Sorry, mate - I couldn't disagree with you more. In any sport, if you go out thinking you might get beat - you will. If you believe you can win - you might. Confidence can only take you so far. If you're up against more gifted opponents, they should be able to make you work harder and run further, causing you to tire towards the end of the game. That's how I see it anyway. A team from a higher league should be able to beat another from a lower one, at least 9 times out of 10 over 2 legs. A one off game can be lost far more easily. I don't know how else to describe any fan than Private Frazer, when they tell me we've no chance of beating Queens Park, never mind Airdrie and that we'll definitely be playing in League 1 next season. I'm not exactly a blind optimist, I said last week we would be in the play offs. I'm reasonably confident we'll stay up, but I'm not arrogant enough to dismiss the possibility of an upset. I think the players will belatedly get their act together.

Fackinell! We're beaten before a ball is kicked, according to the posters on this thread. A wheen o' fekkin Pvte. Fraser's fae Dads Army. 🙁 The play offs are a totally different proposition to last night's game. Who seriously expected Ayr to fail against a Partick team resting its key players? The manager and his squad knew fine well they blew it last week and were just whistling in the dark. We now have to beat 2 teams who haven't been good enough to win League . We get 2 games against each with the 2nd game at home. Why should we be fearful? I'm not saying we should be arrogant or complacent - we'll have to scrap for every ball, but we can beat both Queens Park and the winners of the other semi. To go into these games fearing the worst is likely to bring about exactly that. I sincerely hope the players Hughes sends out have a more positive mindset than some of you.... DD - I don't want to be pedantic but we don't have to win 4 games. We just have to get through the ties. 4 draws and 2 wins on pens would suffice, although I hope we will be spared that.

I'd say it had more to do with human nature, KP. Agree they should have been more professional, but it's hard when you know that winning isn't enough. Yogi taking off Coll and Dom in case they were injured confirmed that the towel had been thrown in. We lost any chance of 8th at Firhill last week. Even a draw would have made a huge difference to both our last game and Ayr's last night.

It's reassuring to learn that our investors have no plans to up sticks should the unthinkable happen. Of course they could change their minds during the close season, but why would Meggle mention it if this was likely.

Perhaps you should consider a change of username to reflect your current state of mind? How about GloomyPar / DespondentPar? 😀

I'm deeply saddened to learn that Donald is also stepping down. While he's not as well known as Ross McArthur by many Pars fans, his contribution to the survival of our club and its subsequent stabilisation, cannot be over stressed. On top of that he's an absolute gem of a man - a real true gent - and I'm sure he'll be blushing furiously if he reads this because he's also a very modest, unassuming chap. 😊 Lang may yir lum reek, Donald and I'll be expecting you to buy me a pint next time I see you at EEP..... 😉

What a great thread. 😀 Going back a bit now, but what if the future Sir Alex hadn't put his boots on the wrong way round in our penultimate home game v struggling St Johnstone in 1965? He would have kept his place in the SC Final v Celtic the following week and we might well have completed a League and Cup double - something which we can't even dream about today.

Booooooo! I'm pretty sure you're taking the pith there, Thanguine... 🙄 If that were to happen, there would - quite rightly - be a lot of angry Pars fans after the game and there would be no hiding place for Yogi and his players. Perhaps they would eventually be forgiven if they negotiated the play offs successfully. I think we'll win by 2 or 3 -0 but I don't see Ayr failing to beat Thistle for the same reason as us. We're both playing teams who will not be especially motivated - QOS are on a downer and Partick will have both eyes on next week's promotion play off. Hope springs eternal though..... 😀

I was going to start a thread about the Man City - Real Madrid tie last night, but never got round to it. If ever a game exceeded all the hype, this was it. I`ve never known 90 mins to pass so quickly. I was quite breathless at the end. A proper highlights programme would have to be at least an hour long to do the game justice. Both teams surged forward at every opportunity. It could easily have finished about 10-5 for City. I know a lot of folk find the CL a turn off because of the obscene sums of money sloshing around at that level and I get that, but watching some of the best players in the game performing like they did is absolutely enthralling. If Liverpool`s game with Villareal tonight is even half as good, it`ll be an absolute cracker.

Apologies, if I've quoted you out of context, soorploom. I hadn't seen your earlier post. If Rovers finish above Thistle, I'll be asking for a stewards inquiry all the same. 🤔 In that Airdrie game, Ryan Wallace missed a hat trick of very presentable chances in the first half. Talented player but not a natural predator.

As Partick manager, it's McCall's duty to do his best to get his team promoted through the play offs. He can best go about that by resting his key players on Friday, in what is essentially a meaningless match for Thistle, so that they're fresh and injury free v ICT a week tomorrow. Ayr will be delighted to eke out a narrow win which will guarantee them 8th. I can't see them fail but hope springs eternal. 🤞That's why we must make sure we beat QOS. If Ayr were to lose or draw and we fail to beat QOS, it would be hard to forgive the players and manager. The pain of that defeat against already relegated Airdrie, in the last game of the administration season, to condemn us to the play offs, still burns deep in the memory. A defeat to Alloa meant League 1 football for the next 3 seasons. ☹ We don't want to repeat that again.

"This week I think i'll give religion a bash and pray for a miracle on Friday." I don't believe in miracles, but in football they do happen occasionally. Remember Sunderland, some years back? They seemed absolute certainties to go down. Cut adrift at the bottom of the table with about 5 games to go, they travelled to London and spanked high flying Chelsea, 3-0. They went on a crazy unbeaten run after that to stay up. I think they may have been relegated the following season.

That's called being wise after the event, lads. 😉 I agree it was unlikely, but it was mathematically possible, hence Morton were still in the mix when I suggested it. If Arbroath needed to beat Morton at home for the title on Friday, the Greenock side would have been in a hell of a battle.

Yesterday`s results have confirmed that we`re safe from automatic relegation, but I reckon it`s about 95% certain that Ayr will be highly motivated to beat Partick, who have all but clinched 4th, on Friday. Of course the team should still go out and ensure they take 3 pts v QOS, who should not pose the same threat as if they were not already relegated, in the hope that Thistle do us an unlikely favour, or nerves get the better of Ayr. None of us ever want to see the Pars in League 1 again. Most of us can remember the miseŕy of the first two seasons there and the relief when we were finally promoted. I hope JH and his coaching staff have been doing due diligence on our likely opponents over the past few weeks, since it`s been pretty obvious that they were almost certainly going to be Airdrie, Montrose and Queens Park. It`s just a shame Falkirk aren`t in the mix - I would have enjoyed seeing us give them a good scudding. If we are destined for the play offs, I hope we approach them in a positive manner. The way they are set up gives the Championship team a significant advantage with the return leg at home. We must respect our opponents but not fear them. Be hard to beat away from home and finish them off at EEP. There is a gulf between the two league`s and quite frankly, if we can`t beat two teams who haven`t been good enough to win League 1 over 2 legs, we don`t deserve to stay up.

Agents are disliked by almost everyone in football - a bit like estate agents - but they do get the best deals for their clients. It's in their best interests, too, as they rake in a %age. Eta. Your average agent is older, smarter and wiser than the average pro footballer. Your quote 're Jim McLean says it all - the players were obliged to live within 10 miles of Tannadice. They were also coerced into signing contracts as long as 10 years on low wages....

If the Pars and Ayr had won today both would have been on 38 pts. Morton have 40. Had Arbroath held out for a win last night, they'd have only needed to beat Morton at home for the title. Another 3 pts for Ayr and the Pars would have put both above Morton if they lost at Gayfield. All academic now.... ☹

Players and their agents hold all the aces these days. 40 years ago, Juve had one of the lowest basic wages in Serie A but a bonus system encompassing points won and league position ensured they would be by far the highest earners if they won the Scudetto. Jolly Jim McLean had a similar set up when Dundee United won their only Scottish title in 1983.

Not so sure it's good for the Pars in the short term. Arbroath will probably not beat Morton in their last game now.

There's an unwritten rule in football that you can't drop a player who keeps playing well....

He wouldn't be the first player to discover his best position isn't the one he started in.

A week's training amounts to approx 3 days (full days Tues, Thurs. halfdays Mon, Fri) not nearly enough to be match fit or match sharp. Also Martin's preferred position is in central defence but I agree he has filled in well at both right and left back. Still wouldn't drop Edwards for a half fit replacement. It could backfire big time.

Ryan showed bags of courage to come back from two horrific injuries but he was never the same player again. Showed plenty of promise in League 1 but never replicated that in the Championship. Back on topic, I'm thinking (hoping) QOS and Ayr draw on Sat, so we have to at least match that at Firhill so we can go into our last game with a slight edge, but still an edge, over Ayr. I believe we can get a point but it will be tough.

I'm glad you're not picking the team, RP. 🙂 You'd leave out a player who has been playing regularly and replace him with another who has featured only occasionally, so he's short of match fitness, couldn't train before the last game and be playing out of position to boot. 😃

If Queens had lost or drawn v ICT they were relegated and been on a real downer v Ayr on Saturday. A win for Ayr would have been quite likely and would have necessitated a win from us at Firhill to keep us level - a hard enough task, especially if Ayr rammed in a few goals. With QOS winning, they're still alive and Ayr can expect at least as tough a game as us. I'm hoping for a draw at Palmerston and at least a point for the Pars at Firhill.........