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Partick Thistle FC
Partick Thistle FC

Update from club chairman Richard Beastall – 4th February 2025

The Partick Thistle Football Club Board, and I as Chairman, are very conscious that our supporters are raising concerns over the First Team playing squad and a number of moves during the January Transfer Window

As a fan-owned club, we are committed to being open and transparent at the appropriate moment and, now that the transfer window has closed, we would like to address those concerns by firstly walking through the timeline of events.

Secondly, we would also like to make you aware of the new position of Sporting Director that has been created at the club to maximise the delivery from our football operations.

 

Timeline

  1. At the end of our financial half-year (November) we assessed where we were as a club, and we were running 4% over budget. Unfortunately, we were no longer involved in cup competitions which meant that there was no upside potential financial benefit versus our prudent cup assumptions.
  2. The overspend was largely due to the injuries suffered by David Mitchell and Dan Mackay which resulted in additional recruitment.
  3. An increase in Employer’s National Insurance will mean a cost to the club of circa £5k per month when implemented before the end of this financial year, and makes clawing back the overspend challenging.
  4. The decision was made to rebalance the football budget when the transfer window opened by moving players out as a first step. The next step was to reassess the squad once this was achieved as well as looking for potential new signings and contract renewals.
  5. This reassessment also looked at squad commitments for season 2025/26, for which several of our players are already contracted. This process is in line with the club’s ambition to achieve breakeven, an ambition which will involve reducing the playing budget by circa 20% based on current income and expenditure projections (Further work will be done on these projections as we continue to mature our draft budget for next season).
  6. There were difficult decisions made and the rebalance was largely achieved by the end of January. However, things shifted unexpectedly on Sunday when two clubs, Heart of Midlothian and Hamilton Academical, made it known that they were keen for two of our players to transfer to them. Further, both players advised the club that they were keen to pursue the interest being shown.
  7. Heart of Midlothian wanted to sign Harry Milne, and although we were keen to keep him until his contract expired this summer, both ourselves and Harry had offers put to us that were too good to turn down. We thank Harry for his outstanding service and wish him well.
  8. Hamilton Academical had contacted Scott Robinson, which they are entitled to do as he is in the last few months of his contract with Partick Thistle, and offered him a contract that would run until the summer of 2027. We were unwilling to match these terms given the background of next year’s breakeven budget and as a result Scott indicated that the offer was one which he would be very keen to accept.
  9. These two transfers allowed us more headroom to support our plans for this season and next, however they necessitated an immediate change of focus in the transfer window, which was closing imminently.
  10. That change of focus resulted in the loan signing of Ethan Drysdale from Heart of Midlothian and the permanent signing of Hamilton Academical captain Scott Martin. These deals were done to ensure that our outgoing players were replaced and that no additional holes were created in the squad because of our unplanned business.
  11. As of this morning, February 4, we have 20 senior players, including three on temporary transfers, and 3 apprentices.
  12. In line with the manager’s original objectives for this window, set prior to yesterday’s unexpected distraction, we are still working on up to three more additions to finalise our squad for the rest of this season.

As a result of yesterday’s developments, any additional recruitment will be delivered within budget

 

Creation of Sporting Director post

Our mid-season review of 2024/25 has not only reflected on the past but also looked ahead to the future.

A key objective for Partick Thistle is to achieve financial sustainability as soon as possible—a goal that will only be possible if we maximise the potential of our football operations. To make this a reality, we must focus on several key areas:

  • Increasing financial returns from our player trading model
  • Enhancing talent identification and recruitment processes
  • Strengthening development pathways for Academy graduates
  • Providing the highest possible standard of training and medical facilities
  • Ensuring cost-effective football operations

To drive this forward, we plan to appoint a Sporting Director, who will report to the Club Board and work closely with the First Team Manager and the Head of the Club’s Youth Academy on football operations. This role will be responsible for overseeing all transfer and loan negotiations, ensuring a cohesive and strategic approach to squad development.

The Sporting Director position, which will be advertised shortly, represents a shift from the model introduced last summer. Previously, transfer and recruitment responsibilities were managed by a group that included the Manager and his Assistant, as well as board members who assisted in contract and agent negotiations with the Club Secretary handling administrative matters.

This new structure will provide greater clarity, efficiency, accountability and long-term planning in our football operations.

I hope that this statement goes a long way toward addressing concerns over the squad and how football operations at the club are conducted.

While the season to date has not progressed in the way that we had hoped, there are still important objectives to challenge for and it is vital that the club sticks together as we focus all our efforts on supporting the First Team Manager and the players in delivering those objectives.

 

Richard Beastall

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