The Thistle Archive

Media report

EVEN FOR Firhill, where the surreal is the custom, it was all a bit strange. There was John Lambie, a manager in the rare position of leaving of his own free will, towing his little granddaughters around the park, being hailed like a Roman conqueror, shaking hands, posing for pictures. Meanwhile, the United fans were marching out of the ground chanting their own songs of praise. Everyone a winner? Bizarre, indeed. A few minutes earlier Lambie had protected the eternal verities when he was hauled back as he verbally massacred referee Dougie McDonald for playing only one minute of added time. He and his successor Gerry Collins, who was perhaps even more outraged and vitriolic towards both stand-side linesman and ref, might well be in trouble with the beaks. That's more like it. Thistle lost and, to be honest, the result seemed about right although there was not much in it. It meant that United were safe and the relief was patent, especially when chairman Eddie Thompson actually hugged a media man in his excitement. It was a daft day indeed. Lambie's Firhill valedictory - he has one game left, at Easter Road, before he hands over to Collins - was wonderfully emotional. The great man's family, perfectly turned out for the great moment, came on to the field after he had emerged through a guard of honour provided by his players. He was interviewed in the centre circle and then sang a club ditty. But, this being Thistle, the mike didn't work properly and his rendering sounded a bit like one of those early astronaut broadcasts from the other side of the moon, all crackly with bits missed out. He was hoisted on to his backroom team's shoulders, a man clearly and understandably deeply touched by the reception. ''Yes, it was the most emotional day I can remember,'' he said. ''When I think that when I came here four years ago this club was one point away from relegation to the third division. I kept only two players, started again and we have come back to win the second and first divisions back to back, have made it into the Premierleague and stayed in it.'' Asked how he would survive as an ex-manager, he said: ''You can see I have two grandchildren and I have also got 200 pigeons, but I am an associate director and I am going to try to do a bit of work for the club. I'll go around the hospitality areas and talk with the people there. I will also go around trying to get money for the club. I'll keep myself in touch.'' Naturally, he spared time to have another wee crack at the referee. ''I am not the cleverest guy but I was once a bookie and I can count. If there's six subs going on the park and they take about 30 seconds each, and their goalkeeper receives treatment on the park for five minutes, count that up.'' He pleaded with the fans to give Collins the same support he has received. ''They have been tremendous. They were starved for so long but I just hope they give Gerry the same backing. I am sure they will. Anyway, I've told him if he doesn't get it right I'll come back.'' Ironically, it was Collins who, after being given to Thistle on loan by Lambie when he was manager at Hamilton, recommended that they bring him to Firhill for his first spell in 1989. Since then he has had two further stints as the Partick Thistle manager. The marriage may not have been made in heaven but it has been an enduring affair. Lambie's brusque, no-nonsense, wise-cracking style hides a deep love of the game and of Thistle in particular. He likes to portray the simple wee-town man tangling with the sophisticated elite but he ain't no country bumpkin. He is also capable of remembering perceived slights and likes to hurl them back. Roger Mitchell, the former chief executive of the SPL, was mentioned in his farewell treatise. ''We have stayed up in the top league, when the bookies gave us no chance. We did it despite what Mr Mitchell and others said.'' Mitchell, of course had argued at one time that no one would expect Thistle to stay in the Premier League. Lambie remembered. Ian McCall, before nipping off to have a farewell drink with the Firhill man, said, accurately enough, that we scribes would miss him. ''Sadly, characters like John are disappearing from our game.'' For McCall and his team, the task of securing their place in the top division was not made any easier by the wave of devotion and tremendous backing that Thistle had as the crowd willed them to give Lambie a victorious finale at home. They remained focused, none the less, and the goal scored by Jim Paterson after half time was enough to see them through, despite a couple of hair-raising escapes as the home lot went for broke in the closing stages.

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