Managers Post Thistle

29/01/11 JM: "We must realise that we need to get our form going and get it going quickly because it is a very important part of the season and we must do better than we did today."

Speaking after the defeat at Firhill, Jim McIntyre was in no doubt that the better side won:-

"We started the game relatively well for the first five or ten minutes but when we lost the goal, Thistle won more second balls and were first to everything. We were really poor for the rest of the half.

"We spoke about it at half time - going and having a go - but we huffed and puffed; slightly better but not good enough to win a game of football."

There was a touch of fortune, given his own result, that Falkirk defeated league leaders Raith at Starks Park:-

"Results elsewhere help but we have just got to concentrate on our own. We have got to improve quickly because that performance was just way off what we are capable of. If we have many more of them, we really will start to struggle so we have to get back to winning ways and back to winning ways soon."

Asked about the debut performance by Liam Buchanan, Macca commented:-

"I think he did OK; he worked away hard enough but I am not going to speak about individual performances, collectively we weren't good enough. Partick Thistle were better than us in all quarters of the pitch; we have to lick our wounds and go away. We must realise that we need to get our form going and get it going quickly because it is a very important part of the season and we must do better than we did today."

Jim confirmed that all the substitutions were made for tactical reasons:-

"We felt we were being out battled so I brought young Thomson on because I felt we weren't winning enough second balls. We tried to introduce a bit more strength and height."

The Firhill pitch was atrocious but Jim would not use that as an excuse:-

"It was the same for Partick Thistle. Obviously the pitch isn't great but we have no qualms about the pitch, the bottom line is that it is the same for both sets of players we just didn't do the right things well. There were too many who weren't at it and that's how we lost the game. It was a really disappointing result for us and our performance was just not acceptable."

With the transfer window only open for another two days the Manager fielded a question about possible business.

"It is a possibility, we have got room for one more but we will wait and see what happens."

Partick Thistle Manager, Ian McCall said:-

"It was, I felt, a deserved win this afternoon. The victory takes us to within 13 points of the league leaders but make no mistake nobody is thinking about a challenge for promotion in the second half of the season. Given the small squad that we have to avoid relegation would be enough of an achievement for us this season.

"The players are certainly doing the Club proud at the moment. Today we were unbelievably solid at the back again. I think that's something like thirteen and a half hour since we have lost a goal from open play at home. The only goal that we have lost have been penalties and one of them was never a penalty."

"My only criticism today was that with Dunfermline pushing forward, as you would expect them to do, we didn't cut them open and make the points secure long before the end.

"I don't like to single players out but today I would like to make special mention to Bryan Hodge. He does a lot of work that goes unnoticed and today his energy levels were fantastic.

"Today we started the game with Iain Flannigan playing just off Kris Doolan upfront with the view to changing it. We did that, and moved Chris Erskine into a more central role and within 30 seconds he had opened the scoring for us."