LADBROKES PREMIERSHIP
PARTICK Thistle manager Alan Archibald has branded the Scottish Football Association’s appeals procedure a “shambles”, after Rangers midfielder Ryan Jack was cleared to play his side this Saturday.
Jack was sent off after a tussle with Kirk Broadfoot in Rangers’ game against Kilmarnock, an incident that left the Killie man on the deck holding his face.
But the SFA’s disciplinary tribunal downgraded his red card for violent conduct to a caution for unsporting behaviour yesterday, leaving the midfielder free to face Thistle at Ibrox this weekend.
“I’ve not really got an opinion on it to be honest, I’m past caring about it,” said Archibald.
“The way it all works, the whole thing, it’s the usual shambles, isn’t it?
“We planned to play against him. He played last week and when we analysed it we just took it that he would be playing.
“It’s more about what we do though, we’ve run them close a couple of times at Firhill, they have been good games with interesting battles and hopefully this one will be just as close.”
If Thistle are to give Rangers another run for their money, their manager has urged them not to do their opponents’ jobs for them by switching off late in the game or losing their discipline.
The fact that he had only nine fit players taking part in training earlier this week is obviously another concern, and the likes of attacker Stevie Lawless may be asked to play in an unfamiliar position yet again at left wing-back.
But the way that his men have picked themselves up off the canvas in the last couple of weeks has given Archibald cause for optimism ahead of the visit to Govan.
“We’re certainly going into this game with a better frame of mind, the players and ourselves,” he said.
“We’re off the bottom of the league obviously which has been good off the back of seven points out of nine, so I’m delighted with that.
“Hopefully we can go and build on it, but it will be a tough game going to Ibrox, it always is.
“[Rangers] have frustrated us. The good thing is that our performances in the home game have been good, and then we’ve shot ourselves in the foot.
“We’ve only got ourselves to blame, it’s not been about Rangers, it’s been us. We’ve either lost last-minute goals or had a sending off, so we’ve just got to strive to do better.
“The boys will be confident going into it, they know what they are going to face. It will be a similar team to the last two games against them.
“They are still a good team even though they have dropped a few points, but we will prepare for it the best we can.”
Archibald doesn’t think the recent removal of Pedro Caixinha as manager of Rangers will make it too difficult to know what Thistle will face when they travel to Ibrox, expecting to see Graeme Murty line up in similar vein to the triumph over Hearts last weekend.
HE DID admit however that the return of Kenny Miller and the fact the normally expectant home crowd may be a little more patient with Murty hasn’t done his side any favours.
“We’ve focused on that Hearts game where they obviously brought back Kenny Miller, and he makes a massive difference to any team,” he said.
“I thought he brought a real energy, which was strange for somebody so old, but he’s a real leader and his movement always causes problems.
“I don’t think that ever leaves a quality player, and he certainly made a difference to them.”