[FM16] If I had a Nicol for every goal, I'd have just over six dollars

[forameuss]

Lots of twists and turns. Good luck with the Dons. Hope you can emulate old sir Alex with them. If not, I am still crossing fingers for you to pop in to Easter Road and make them a world force before you take Scotland to new heights.��

You never know...

He could pass for a young Prince. Possible legend in the making here!

No matter what I do from now, you've won the thread with that one. Top class.

[forameuss]

Living up to a Legend is a Pain in the Archie

A Scottish (or something) Career

Aberdeen - Scottish Premiership

Season 2052/53 - October



Results



A much better October as we won two of our three league games, both Europa League games, but then unfortunately dropped out of the League Cup. The way our form went in September though, I'm personally happy to drop the cups. The board wanted semi-finals, but I'll presumably be forgiven those as long as we perform in the Europa League and the Premiership. The Dynamo Kiev game was a particular highlight as we smashed past them in a swash-buckling display of attacking verve and defensive horror.



Back in touch with Celtic at the top, although it looks like they're going to run away with the league again.



Joint top with Academica. The return match with them now takes on extra importance.

Board Confidence

[forameuss]

Living up to a Legend is a Pain in the Archie

A Scottish (or something) Career

Aberdeen - Scottish Premiership

Season 2052/53 - November



Results



Our Europa League results are hiding what is a very troubling run in the league. Three games this month and only one victory, and this is not the sort of form that will carry us to a top two finish. Our two from two record this month in the Europa League means we've already won the group ahead of our final match in Kiev. A great place to be in, and means we can rest a few players ahead of the long trip for the much more important domestic games.





Board Confidence

[forameuss]

Living up to a Legend is a Pain in the Archie

A Scottish (or something) Career

Aberdeen - Scottish Premiership

Season 2052/53 - December



Results



Oh dear Lord...

We've gone from circling the drain to shooting down this month with some absolutely rotten performances. We lost in Kiev, but after playing a second string, I really don't care. Then followed it up with a 3-1 humbling at home to my old side Kilmarnock. Then we somehow came back from 4-1 down to win 5-4 at Dundee, and it looked as though maybe we'd turned a corner.

Nope.

Only a single point from the next five games as we leaked goal after goal after goal. It's perhaps unsurprising then, that I got this after the Dundee United game...





I talked my way out of it, and luckily the board bought it with few conditions. I've received a stay of execution, but will I escape or am I just putting it off?



Achingly mid-table, and there looks to be absolutely no chance of reaching the Champions League spots. Hell, we might even struggle to reach the top half.



Well that was fun while it lasted. We're unlikely to get through that one. Good to see three Scottish sides involved though, with Hamilton and Rangers both joining us.

[forameuss]

Living up to a Legend is a Pain in the Archie

A Scottish (or something) Career

Aberdeen - Scottish Premiership

Season 2052/53 - January



News



Now you may remember that my beloved Partick Thistle are currently managed by one-time Scotland semi-star Chris Martin. He's done a good job by all accounts, and has spent a pretty long time with them. But all good things must come to an end...



He will retire at the end of the season after a long career. Which means that the Thistle job will come up at the end of the season. Big news.



It could end up being very big news, as now the squad have decided to get on my back. I told them that I couldn't take all the blame, and that they should too, and surprisingly they backed down. It's true as well - they've hardly covered themselves in glory in the way they've shipped goals.

Transfers











Urtzi Alvarez | Angel Alvarez | Ryan Letellier | Matej Orazem | Gaetan Vogt

If in doubt, sign enough players that your dismal team can't help but pick themselves up. It's a hail mary attempt, let's see if it works.

Results



Ok. So we started off the month with a bit of a break, and time to secure our signings before we took on Championship side Hearts in the Scottish Cup. Another of my previous clubs, and one that had effectively begged me to take back over, despite having a pretty dreadful record with them.

We drew 1-1. So it was back to Aberdeen, and into the board-room once again.





I asked for the rest of the season, throwing myself at their mercy, and somehow they accepted. With the specter of the potential Partick Thistle job in the back of my mind, the end of the season would be a good time for me.

Then we ran out in front of a home crowd, and proceeded to put in an absolutely insipid performance against - of all teams - Partick Thistle themselves. A point is huge for them, but it was clearly not good for the board.





The end of the season became one more game, and my time in Aberdeen has come to an end.



Seriously, how bad am I at managing in Scotland?

[dllu]

Ouch.

Hopefully this hasn't damaged your reputation so much as to keep you from getting the Thistle job...

[Taunton]

Bad luck. But soon you will make it in Scotland, I am sure. Good luck getting the Thistle job. Are you close to eventually get a shot at one of the Old Firm clubs you reckon? Noticed that Rangers were mid-table.

[sherwinriga]

It's gone worse than the two previous sackings! I guess you don't come back to Scotland for a longer. If you want to go back to Aberdeen or anything related to the top league, then, I suggest that don't coach a Scottish team until you receive a higher coaching course. That would be more fun to do it! Just coach a better reputation and go back to Aberdeen soon!

[andychar]

Your just saving up your excellent form for when you take over at Partick at the end of the season!

[cplpeters1900]

Bloody hell. Didnt see that coming!

[forameuss]

Living up to a Legend is a Pain in the Archie

A Scottish (or something) Career

Partick Thistle - Scottish Championship

Season 2053/54



I'm home.

But first, a rundown of what's been happening since Archie left Aberdeen. Basically, he went back to Glasgow, and ingested an amount of alcohol that can conservatively be described as "unwise". He gave scattered and bizarre interviews to local media outlets, pointing to a man that has clearly lost his mind. But then, come the Summer, he reappeared into society fresh-faced, shaven, and suited, ready to put on the charm offensive at Firhill.

In the time it took for that to happen, he turned down interviews at both Hibernian (sorry Taunton...) and Livingston, knowing that he couldn't really turn down at least the chance of a job at Thistle.



I'm not amongst the candidates for the job at present, but I soon changed that by firing my hat into the ring. Chris had struggled in his final season, and after just avoiding automatic relegation, he succumbed in the relegation playoff final, beaten by Ross County (another of my former teams) over two legs. So they start in the Championship, which would be ideal.



A few days later, after pretty much throwing myself at the feet of the board at the interview, I was offered the job. I was forced to promise I'd be effective at set pieces (I have no idea how I'd even start) and that I'd sign both high-profile and young players for the first team. I've been OK with those kinds of promises in the past, but remains to be seen. They've also demanded that I get back up at the first time of asking, by winning the league. A tough ask

[forameuss]

Living up to a Legend is a Pain in the Archie

A Scottish (or something) Career

Partick Thistle - Scottish Championship

Season 2053/54 - Pre-season







My first job after arriving is to prepare this squad for the Championship. Above you can see a list of unhappy players, and it doesn't make good reading. I'll level with them - if we get a decent amount for them, they can go. The club isn't set up brilliantly for a spell in the Championship financially, so any money in at this stage would be good given we can probably replace them with cheaper options.



Since the start of the save, we've won the Ramsden's Cup twice, the Championship three times and the League Cup twice. Not too much success over almost forty years. Our youth recruitment and junior coaching are at a high level though, which is good given I could be here for a while.





The squad is extremely thin. We have great quality in our starting eleven in certain systems, but there's not much behind them. It'll be an interesting season.

[forameuss]

Living up to a Legend is a Pain in the Archie

A Scottish (or something) Career

Partick Thistle - Scottish Championship

Season 2053/54 - August



News



A quick rundown on our affiliated clubs. Porto is the one that jumps out, and hopefully we can get some decent players from them. I love a parent club. The rest are feeder clubs, which I'll maybe use to send out loan players.



It took some persuading, but I asked for another parent club, and the board are off to find one.



And of course, they couldn't find one. I feel like I've been fobbed off.



And one final bit of rundown in terms of facilities. Unlike most Scottish clubs, we are still at our original stadium, the lovely Firhill. I like this, gives us a bit more character having not moved to an imaginary arena named after someone I don't know.

Transfers



A whole raft of transfers brought in this summer to try and build a side capable of bouncing straight back up. I probably spent a little too much, so an instant return is now absolutely essential.

Christian Etzold

Brian Harrison

Giulio Napoli

Ian Ward

Matty Peters

James Bates

Adam Nicholson

Elliot Parsons

Danny Martin

Jeremy Ridley

Derek Rennie

Rodolfo Formento

Bobby Gordon

Results



A comfortable - if not amazing - start to life at Firhill. It looks like we went on a long early winning run in the League, but our cup games have meant we've only played the five. Won three, lost two, which isn't too bad. Although the board don't care, I really want to win the Ramsdens Cup. We've certainly gone some way to achieving that so far. Good to get through in the League Cup also, but that'll get a lot harder.



I will say it now, this league is going to be extremely tight. My experiences in the lower leagues of Scottish football already this save have taught me that there will be no one side charging ahead by too much, and those in mid-table will be in with as much chance of a playoff spot than relegation. But having said that, we need to start winning most of our games and staking a claim.

[forameuss]

Living up to a Legend is a Pain in the Archie

A Scottish (or something) Career

Partick Thistle - Scottish Championship

Season 2053/54 - September



Results



Well there goes our league cup challenge. An absolute chasing by Premiership side Hamilton, but it means we can concentrate on the league. A true neopolitan ice cream of a month as we manage one of each result. Dunfermline are likely to be one of our big rivals for promotion, so a 2-2 result is not a bad one, as long as we can beat sides like Peterhead. Which we couldn't.



Awards



Board Confidence

[forameuss]

Living up to a Legend is a Pain in the Archie

A Scottish (or something) Career

Partick Thistle - Scottish Championship

Season 2053/54 - October



Results



Now THAT'S more like it. A wonderful month for us as we manage almost full points. We also progressed to the semi finals of the Ramsdens Cup, where we'll face bitter rivals Clyde. I'll go into why we're rivals next month when the game comes around.



Dunfermline already look like the side that is going to lead the charge. It's up to us to close that gap little by little.

Awards



Board Confidence

[forameuss]

Living up to a Legend is a Pain in the Archie

A Scottish (or something) Career

Partick Thistle - Scottish Championship

Season 2053/54 - November



Results



Every time it looks like we've turned a corner, we manage another couple of poor results that sets us straight back to square one. Our first three matches of November saw us gain 2 points from a possible 9, which is absolute pish. We did beat Clyde to move into the final of the Ramsdens Cup though, which will be played in...April. Way to kill momentum. I mentioned Clyde in the last post. We actually used to share a stadium, with Clyde using Firhill between 1986 and 1991. It wasn't exactly the most popular decision, with most Clyde fans preferring - allegedly - to literally go to the dogs and watch them at Shawfield Stadium instead. The rivalry has cooled a little in recent times, as Clyde have found themselves a fixture of the bottom league in Scottish football, but it still means something when the two meet. Even when we do call them gypsies for their love of temporary accommodation.

Anyway, Clyde put up a decent fight, but we ran out fairly easy winners. We then followed that up with a momentous 4-0 victory in front of our own fans against Dunfermline. That could end up being a huge result in the title race, even at this early stage.



The gap's down to 9 points following that win. Of course, we have a few other teams to get by to reach Dunfermline, and given our patchy form that could be difficult. We're certainly capable.

Board Confidence

[forameuss]

Living up to a Legend is a Pain in the Archie

A Scottish (or something) Career

Partick Thistle - Scottish Championship

Season 2053/54 - December



News

Not really news, but a note to let you know you'll see the skin in screenshots change quite frequently over the next few. Still trying to find a new one that I like, some of the "better" ones look absolutely dreadful.

Results



So, so frustrating.

When we're good, we're good, but when we're bad we're dropping points all over the place. If we don't win the league, I could be under pressure, and it'll be deserved after these kinds of matches. Still, with how tight the league is, we're not going to get cut adrift by managing just under half the available points this month.



12 points of a gap now. Dunfermline must be rubbing their hands together when we can go out and beat them heavily, but then lose to teams below us. Improvement needed. It's not beyond us to catch them.

Board Confidence

[forameuss]

Living up to a Legend is a Pain in the Archie

A Scottish (or something) Career

Partick Thistle - Scottish Championship

Season 2053/54 - January



Results



We're improving, but there's still that soft underbelly showing, as evidenced by the game against Livingston. But that's another dominant display against Dunfermline, which just goes to show the kind of side we are this season.



Awards

[forameuss]

Living up to a Legend is a Pain in the Archie

A Scottish (or something) Career

Partick Thistle - Scottish Championship

Season 2053/54 - February



Results



I'm losing the plot with this team...

Luckily that heavy defeat didn't come in the league, but to get beaten 4-1 by a side in your own division in the cup is shameful. We then followed it up with another defeat against a side we should have beaten in Falkirk. Luckily we picked it back up with two from two.



Well, well, well.

Greenock Morton have gone under the radar a little, sneaking up on a Dunfermline side that have really taken their foot off the gas. They're now top, and we're five points behind 2nd, and seven away from top spot. We've closed, but we can now afford no slip ups.

Board Confidence

[forameuss]

Living up to a Legend is a Pain in the Archie

A Scottish (or something) Career

Partick Thistle - Scottish Championship

Season 2053/54 - Marc



News



For once, I actually see this is a good thing. Recently I've been treating youth intake day as just another bit of news that means very little to me. But now that I'm at Thistle, I can see me spending a good few seasons here, and with our youth rating we should get some good ones, right?



Not really.

Kenny Ferguson and Jamie Welsh are the stand-outs, but that's possibly damning them with fake praise

Results



A quiet March before the madness of the end of the season comes. We could have really made a statement, playing two of the top four, but we choked against Forfar to hand them the initiative in their bid to catch up on us. But that win against Greenock Morton was an absolutely wonderful result, and with four games to go, it's looking very interesting.



It looks as though the top four is already decided, but only seven points separate the four of us going into the final four games. Only five points between us and the top spot, and it's now four cup finals for us.

Board Confidence

[forameuss]

Living up to a Legend is a Pain in the Archie

A Scottish (or something) Career

Partick Thistle - Scottish Championship

Season 2053/54 - April



Round 33



Three of the five games had direct repercussions on the top of the table. We'll start with Forfar getting an absolutely enormous three points against top of the table Greenock Morton. When Partick Thistle most recently got promoted to the Premiership in real life, Morton absolutely crashed their bottle in the latter part of the season to allow us to secure it, and they may well do that all over again. Ourselves and Dunfermline both closed the gap with wins, and we go to the next week.



Dunfermline didn't just close the gap, they went top. But the gap between 1st and 4th is now just 5 points, and we're only 3 away. Forfar could well go on and win it at this rate.

[forameuss]

Living up to a Legend is a Pain in the Archie

A Scottish (or something) Career

Partick Thistle - Scottish Championship

Season 2053/54 - April



Ramsdens Cup Final









Oh aye, we had a cup final. And we won it. Hopefully it won't distract anyone from what really matters, as we can still win this title. Good day out for the fans though.

[forameuss]

Living up to a Legend is a Pain in the Archie

A Scottish (or something) Career

Partick Thistle - Scottish Championship

Season 2053/54 - April



Round 34



We're now unbeaten against Dunfermline this season, which would usually be a great thing, but it represents a massive missed opportunity in this case. Two points dropped, and Forfar picked up the three. Morton also dropped another two points, making it even tighter at the top.



Forfar have caught us, and with two matches to go there's just three points in it. Had we beaten Dunfermline, we'd be top of the league on goal difference. Nightmare.

[forameuss]

Living up to a Legend is a Pain in the Archie

A Scottish (or something) Career

Partick Thistle - Scottish Championship

Season 2053/54 - April



Round 35



A huge win for us against Inverness to keep us fighting on to the final day. But Dunfermline's win against Greenock Morton means that their destiny is back in their own hands. Forfar's on the other hand has pretty much disappeared after a convincing defeat against Peterhead.



Greenock and Forfar have thrown away their chances of the title, but are at least guaranteed a playoff spot. It's now down to Dunfermline to secure the point they need to win the league. We'll then be left to think back to the draw in the last round. Had we won that, we'd still be top on goal difference.

[forameuss]

Living up to a Legend is a Pain in the Archie

A Scottish (or something) Career

Partick Thistle - Scottish Championship

Season 2053/54 - April



Round 36



Peterhead couldn't follow up their murder of Forfar's chances with a serial killer style shot at Dunfermline's hopes. When Peterhead equalised, we were already 2-0 up and cruising, and the Firhill stands were awash with hope. Dunfermline got their 2nd with 2 minutes to go though, and it was party time for them.



It's not totally over for us, as we'll face the winners of Forfar vs Morton in the semi-final of the playoff, with the winner of that going on to face...Ross County. Could we relegate my old side?

Still though, even though there's that chance, we've blown the title big style. It should be ours.

[Nobby_McDonald]

Aberdeen went badly. Partick is going well. Good luck in the playoffs.

[Jason the Yank]

Fourth (?) time in Scotland will be the charm.

[deltablue]

Good luck sealing promotion with Partick Thistle Nil.

[forameuss]

Aberdeen went badly. Partick is going well. Good luck in the playoffs.

Very badly. The worry is that it's similar at Thistle - I'd be gutted if I get punted from there.

Fourth (?) time in Scotland will be the charm.

And then some. Airdrie, Ross County, Hearts, Kilmarnock, Aberdeen, and now Thistle, so it's 6th time lucky. Hopefully.

Good luck sealing promotion with Partick Thistle Nil.

Top marks for the Billy Connolly reference.

[cplpeters1900]

I just want to know how you got on in the playoffs!

[Jason the Yank]

Forgot about Airdrie and Hearts.

[forameuss]

Living up to a Legend is a Pain in the Archie

A Scottish (or something) Career

Partick Thistle - Scottish Championship

Season 2053/54 - May



The Playoffs



Due to the SPFL's absolute terror of having a Premiership side actually get relegated, the playoffs are structured in such a way to make that as unlikely as possible. 4th and 3rd from the Championship play each other over two legs, then the winner of that game play 2nd position over two legs. Only then is the winner set loose on the side in 11th in the Premiership, potentially four gruelling games later. As such, it's a long shot for anyone in the Championship to get up, but in the two years (in real life) since they've been put in place, it's been a 50% success rate. In the inaugural year, Hibernian crashed the largest bottle of their history by throwing away a 2-0 lead from the first leg to eventually lose on penalties to Hamilton Academical (and they're still in the Championship today). But last year it was one back for the Premiership as Motherwell dismantled Glasgow "We're the same club, honest" Rangers 6-2 over two legs to keep them down.

In other words, it's tremendous fun if you're not involved. We'll need to get a result against Greenock Morton, who beat Forfar in the previous round, before we get a chance against Ross County.



And that will do very nicely for the first leg. When we went behind in the 4th minute, Archie wasn't exactly thrilled. He was just about ready to read the riot act when we equalised, and then barely 15 minutes later, we were 3-1 up. Morton had no answer to that, and we take a two goal lead back to Firhill.



And it was a two goal lead we closed out very well. Once again we started on fire, going 2-0 up in the first 15 minutes, and almost disappearing out of sight. Morton's quick-fire double brought them back into it, but after that we shut down completely and made sure we closed out the game without any further incident.

We're going to the final.

[forameuss]

Living up to a Legend is a Pain in the Archie

A Scottish (or something) Career

Partick Thistle - Scottish Championship

Season 2053/54 - May



The Playoffs



You couldn't write it, could you? The only sides I would rather play in this kind of match would be Kilmarnock or Aberdeen given my history with them, but given they're very unlikely to grace the lower reaches of the league, I'll make do with Ross County. The side that sacked me for my media handling while I was set to storm League One are long overdue a "telt" moment, and that's what they're going to get here.

Talking realistically though, this is going to be a very tough game. Ross County have the kind of riches that we can only dream of, and they've had a season up against the best in the country. We're in good form, but that can only take us so far.



An evening of magic at Firhill as we step onto the brink of the Premiership. I'm conscious we're in the same position as Hibs were against Hamilton, so of course we'll be wary of complacency, but we absolutely dominated the men from Dingwall and fully deserved our win. We'll head to the Highlands as favourites to go up. But can we make that final step?



Remember the name. Archie Glengarrie. I got my revenge, no matter how long it took.

We're going to the Premiership.

[dllu]

Well done! Now on to conquer the throne as kings of Glasgow!

[Rikulec]

Fantastic work, especially in the final.

[tastaiwan]

Well done! Ross County have gotta be feeling the heat now.

[Nobby_McDonald]

Fantastic winning the playoffs.

[deltablue]

Good stuff.

[forameuss]

Living up to a Legend is a Pain in the Archie

A Scottish (or something) Career

Partick Thistle - Scottish Championship

Season 2053/54 - Post-season





So after all that success, we're offered effectively nothing for next season. It's going to be a tough one.







A big season for us, but if you're looking at it from a less-biased perspective, it wasn't the greatest. We should have won the league given our quality, especially when you saw us take it down to the final day. If we could do that, then we should have been able to win some of our earlier games and take the title. But having said that, we did win the Ramsdens Cup, and then breezed through the playoffs in impressive fashion.



Not really sure why our finances confidence is so rosy given we are going to have to scrape together to build a squad for next year. Where we are struggling is obviously competitions - we didn't achieve what the board wanted directly - and philosophies. I effectively ditched those, given we didn't have the money to hire in decent youth, or particularly high profile signings. And don't get me started on "make the most of set pieces". I know I agreed on it, but I still had no intention of achieving it. A tight-rope being walked, but let's hope they don't make too much of an issue over it.



So the board are happy with the finances, then they pump £2.5 million in. That's usually very bad news for a club, and at this early stage, it looks as though we will have to survive in the Premiership next season, otherwise we're in deep financial trouble.

[forameuss]

Well done! Now on to conquer the throne as kings of Glasgow!

I'll just be happy if we don't get absolutely cuffed by Celtic to be honest.

Fantastic work, especially in the final.

It was a pretty good match for us. I expected a nervy 2-1 aggregate victory and us hanging on, but we absolutely blew them away. It's another point for the Scottish playoffs - I talked earlier about how they put every advantage possible in the court of the Premiership team, but form and confidence are clearly playing a part. Hibernian went on an absolutely ridiculous losing run on their way to their playoff defeat, while Hamilton only missed out on automatic promotion after winning 10-1 on the final day of the league season (honestly, look it up, it was a mental game). We had had a wonderful run in the late season, almost winning the title, brushing aside Morton, and then faced a Ross County side that had spent most of the season getting beaten badly. Can't teach confidence.

Well done! Ross County have gotta be feeling the heat now.

Heat? Nah. It's a cold, cold place in the lower leagues

Fantastic winning the playoffs.

Good stuff.

Cheers guys

[forameuss]

Living up to a Legend is a Pain in the Archie

A Scottish (or something) Career

Partick Thistle - Scottish Premiership

Season 2054/55 - Pre-season





So...yeah. We've improved in the European team rankings despite not being involved in Europe in any way. Em...thanks?



A problem with the skin I'm using - believe it or not, there are selected cells on that page. Away from that though, worrying to see that the board expect a mid-table finish. I had hoped they would relent and allow me to shoot for survival, as I think that should be our target. We've effectively got to shoot ahead of four sides - three of which will be established sides of course - on no money. Tough ask. Other than that, the cups are pretty ambitious too. League Cup should maybe be achievable, given it effectively means winning three games, but the Scottish Cup could be a little tougher. I doubt I'll get sacked for those - the league, probably.



Whatever we do, we'll be doing it on a new pitch. Given that Thistle have had four games postponed in the current real life season (and the pitch looks more like a **** beach than a football pitch) at least they have that part realistic.



So, here's the squad as we move into pre-season. Some of these players will go, and indeed we have some that are highly sought after, but obviously there are improvements to be made.



And this should help. The board are now happy for me to send my scouts out on further-flung jaunts, which should help. Even though I'd rather fill the squad with more home-based players.





And to help us, I've decided to leverage a Director of Football. Sean joins us from Clyde, and will be tasked with going out and finding players for us. He'll make the offers, and I'll be left with the final say on contracts and whether we go ahead. I've had mixed results in the past, so we'll see what he comes up with.

[forameuss]

Living up to a Legend is a Pain in the Archie

A Scottish (or something) Career

Partick Thistle - Scottish Premiership

Season 2054/55 - August



Transfers



Well, we did it. Despite receiving a hefty wedge from the sale of David Mitchell, we resisted the urge to spend anything on transfer fees. There were a few loan fees in there, but I'm happy to shell out what will effectively be 100-200k in loan fees over a season, instead of several million in transfer fees. It also allows me to build a team in the short-term that can compete. It does mean we'll be rebuilding every summer, but hey, that's where the fun comes in

Mark Barr

Adam Campbell

Kieran McArthur

Mark Maguire

Jean-Christoph Prost

Max Collins

Pat Grant

Jake Bye

Gieljan Meerdink

Results



I can already hear the knives sharpening in the Firhill boardroom...

First, the positives. This won't take long. We're supreme in the League Cup, looking untroubled against two lower league sides, winning both matches 2-0 to move into the 3rd round, just one round away from our target of the Quarter Finals.

Now the negatives. Five league games. Five league defeats. Only two goals scored too. We're absolutely woeful, and at present look completely out of our depth.



The one small mercy is that Queen of the South look similarly baffled on one point. My aim is now just to stay ahead of them for now, and try and pick up enough points to mount a charge on the rest.

[forameuss]

Living up to a Legend is a Pain in the Archie

A Scottish (or something) Career

Partick Thistle - Scottish Premiership

Season 2054/55 - September



Results



Points on the board!

A battle with Hamilton got us out first point of the campaign, before we closed out the month with a dominant display over Queen of the South. Of course, those games sandwiched another two horror shows against St Mirren and Kilmarnock, but at least there are a few shoots of recovery going on there. There's potential here.



It's still a long way to catch Dundee.

Awards



Ronnie single-handedly kept us in touch this month, so he deserves the award.

Board Confidence

[dllu]

Serves you right for selling David Mitchell!

[forameuss]

Living up to a Legend is a Pain in the Archie

A Scottish (or something) Career

Partick Thistle - Scottish Premiership

Season 2054/55 - October



Results



It's taken us a couple of months, but finally we're firing in the league, managing seven points from twelve. We could have got something against Celtic too, were it not for a cruel late winner.



I said last time it was a long way to catching Dundee, but we've done it in a single month. They managed absolutely no points this month, and suddenly the table takes on a different look. The way we're playing, I think survival is very achievable, and perhaps a late surge to mid-table might not be beyond us. We'll be comfortably bottom 6 material come the split though.

[forameuss]

Serves you right for selling David Mitchell!

Once again, well played. You da real MVP dllu.

[forameuss]

Living up to a Legend is a Pain in the Archie

A Scottish (or something) Career

Partick Thistle - Scottish Premiership

Season 2054/55 - November



Results



Believe it or not, an unbeaten month. Ok, so it was only two games, but improvement is improvement! Big three points against Dundee, but given the hold we had over Dunfermline last season, it's disappointing that we only managed a draw here.



Queen of the South look doomed as we head into the busiest part of the year. We just need to keep opening up a gap on Dundee and Motherwell, and we should be OK.

Board Confidence



Flying by the seat of my pants at the moment. Stature and competition performance may just be saving me at the moment - any decline in those and I doubt I'll last much longer given how the other parts look.

[forameuss]

Living up to a Legend is a Pain in the Archie

A Scottish (or something) Career

Partick Thistle - Scottish Premiership

Season 2054/55 - December



Results



The very definition of midtable form as we struggle to put any kind of consistency together. However, compared to losing every match in August, I'll take this. I'll especially take a win over previous side Kilmarnock, and absolutely take a win against Celtic at Firhill. Ooft.



Awards

[forameuss]

Living up to a Legend is a Pain in the Archie

A Scottish (or something) Career

Partick Thistle - Scottish Premiership

Season 2054/55 - January



News



So instead of trying to improve the team, I've had to make it actively worse. Ryan Byrne was a highly rated youngster from the academy, and Southampton came in for him with a pretty pathetic bid. Imagine my surprise when I negotiated them up to this figure, and they shrugged and accepted. At a club where every penny is a prisoner, I can't really turn this down.



Aye, of course I'll come back...



Andres Afougou joins us until the end of the season to give us some depth on the left.

Results



We started the month with three very big results. First up, we came from behind to beat a Motherwell side who are a serious rival for relegation. Then we did a professional job in the Cup to dispatch Berwick, before we grabbed three points against Dunfermline.

Unfortunately, that's where the glory ended. A 0-0 against Dundee United has to be considered a decent result, but a 3-1 reverse away to Dundee was a terrible one, and hands some degree of impetus to them in the race for the drop.



Despite the slip-up against Dundee, we're now ten points ahead of Motherwell in 11th with twelve games to go. Survival very much on.

Board Confidence

[forameuss]

Living up to a Legend is a Pain in the Archie

A Scottish (or something) Career

Partick Thistle - Scottish Premiership

Season 2054/55 - February



News



A very interesting offer that comes in from the other side of the World. If this was a normal journeyman, I would have probably said yes. But given that I always said I wouldn't dual-manage, and especially in unrealistic situations like this, I turned them down. Maybe one day, while I'm waiting for the Scotland job, but not today.

Results



A plum draw against Championship Peterhead meant we got an easier route to the 6th round than we could have. We made it past them, and now dream of a shot at Hampden.

Then, the negatives. A pretty dour start to the month in terms of league form, and then we managed to throw away a 4-1 lead against Kilmarnock. No such luck for Queen of the South though, as we handed out a second battering of the season to them.



Just three games to go until the split, and I'd say we're all but safe, barring an absolute landslide of a collapse. We're 14 points ahead of Motherwell with 24 still to play for. Our results have also meant that the top half is finally mathematically out of our reach. Mid-table is still achievable though.

Board Confidence