Partick Thistle 1-0 Clyde: 100% Gutless, 100% Useless

Are there any positives from today's game? Well, other than the fact that at least our number six isn't a convicted sex offender, and that with any luck Gypsie Army's finances are in an even worse state than ours.. no, not really.

All credit to Clyde, and to John Brown's men. They absolutely deserved their win today, let's make that clear right off the bat.

After their last visit to Firhill, where they played the sort of football that you'd think would lead to prosecution, they've sorted things out on the pitch. Yes they may be in the drop zone at present, but they displayed good touches, a will to win and a hunger for the result which Thistle not only lacked, but came nowhere near approaching.

We were rank rotten today. Right through the team. Jonny Tuffy had such a mare the Clyde fans were singing his name with gusto. Paton's normally reliable crossing was shocking and he couldn't hit a dead ball to save his live. Archie and Sid looked like spent forces, while Storey and Maxy just looked dead on their feet. Rowson was bobbins in midfield, while McKeown continues to leave fans wondering what the hell Scotty Chaplain has to do to get a run in the team.

As for our player of the month winner, Gary Harkins... where to start? My feelings on that hapless dummy are well documented in these pages, and if Row Z's about to wind down then let's bow out with a re-iteration of his failings.

He's a show pony, who can't tackle - indeed, bottles out of tackles far too often - and can't head to save his life. He meanders about midfield and unless he's on the ball contributes the square root of sod all to the Jags team. Going forward, turning players and showing his skills off he's a nice luxury to have. When he's out of sorts, or not in possession he shows about as much energy as a broken dynamo.

Actually, I take it back - there was one bright spark today. Kris Doolan. He's been a revelation since arriving at Firhill in the window, and probably represents McCall's best investment in the transfer window. Full of running, full of drive, he shows the spirit, grit and determination you'd expect of someone from the Juniors, and looks determined to win every ball within a 30-yard radius of him. He's not afraid to try something different and today deserved a goal - if only for his ambitious overhead kick attempt in the second half.

Too often without Bucky we've looked powderpuff up front, and neither Sonic nor Spock offered much more than pace. Kris is different - he's fast, yes, but he's determined and spirited alongside his talent. How he didn't put his back out carrying the team today is a miracle.

But then he got hooked, and that's where things really fell apart. With no Bucky on the bench , we needed another outlet up front to support Sid, and since Clyde were taking the mickey out of us all day we also needed something different. On the bench is loan signing Lucas Akins - a big, strong, energetic looking guy with SPL experience determined to break his scoring duck and ready to make an impact during his spell at Firhill.

So McCall throws on Kev McKinlay up front.

Yes, second-choice left-back Kev McKinlay. Now, had he been bringing McKinlay in for Twaddle - so ineffectual today he might not have bothered showing up - that'd have been different. Or bringing him into midfield to offer some bite and a bit of width. Fine.

But up front? Now, McKinlay's a lot of things. He's energetic. He's determined. He's gutsy.

What he isn't is a natural striker.

By then we'd clearly lost the plot. And the fans' reaction to the substitution spoke volumes. This wasn't a reshuffle, it was a surrender, pure and simple.

Akins eventually came on and indeed offered something different - for the ten minutes or so he got a chance to shine. But in front of a packed Jags support, on derby day, in a game we desperately needed to win, Thistle once again absolutely bottled it.

In the match programme McCall talks about these matches determining whether or not we're in with a shot of promotion. But until there's change - real change, not just the shuffling of the deckchairs and rebranding exercises the board are so fond of at the moment, Thistle are doomed to exist in a state of torpor.

Ian, it's been a valiant effort this season, with no resources and a board happy to punt players at the drop of a hat, but unless there's a miracle of biblical proportions, we're going nowhere.

And I don't just mean in terms of moving up a league.