page_title: Partick Thistle F.C.
section_title: Ian McCall return (2019–present) & Club Takeover
hierarchical_section_title: Partick Thistle F.C. / History / Ian McCall return (2019–present) & Club Takeover
caption_attribution_description: Partick Thistle 2019
context_page_description: Partick Thistle Football Club are a professional football club from Glasgow, Scotland. Despite their name, the club are based at Firhill Stadium in the Maryhill area of the city, and have not played in Partick since 1908. The club have been members of the Scottish Professional Football League since its formation in 2013. Thistle currently compete in Scottish League One, the third tier of the SPFL structure, following relegation from the Scottish Championship in the 2019–20 season.
  Since 1936, Thistle have played in their distinctive red-and-yellow jerseys of varying designs, with hoops, stripes and predominantly yellow tops with red trims having been used, although in 2009 a centenary kit was launched in the original navy-blue style to commemorate 100 years at Firhill. Since 1908 the club have won the Scottish Second Division once and the Scottish First Division six times, most recently in 2013. Thistle have won the Scottish Cup and the Scottish League Cup in 1921 and 1971 respectively.
  The club are currently managed by Ian McCall in his second spell in charge.
context_section_description: After the sacking of Caldwell, Partick Thistle appointed Ayr United boss Ian McCall as their manager on the 23rd of September 2019. 
  On 21 November, Colin Weir completed the takeover of Partick Thistle, instead of the consortium led by Chien Lee and Paul Conway. Weir purchased a majority shareholding and a holding in land at Firhill, Weir then immediately gave the land back to the club. Weir’s takeover included the plan to gift the shares of the club back to the fans for free, to ensure Partick Thistle became a fan owned club, with a Working Group of The PTFC Trust and Thistle Forever plus an interim board overseeing the transfer of shares. After Weir’s takeover the club announced that the plans for Partick Thistle’s own training ground were to be shelved with the focus instead on completing the takeover and transfer of shares to the fans. In December 2019, majority shareholder and lifelong Jags fan Colin Weir died at the age of 71. 
  McCall made several changes during the January 2020 transfer window, including bringing in the likes of Brian Graham, Zak Rudden and Darren Brownlie, with veteran striker Kenny Miller among those leaving, but Thistle continued to struggle, losing 4–1 at home to Dundee United and there were poor away performances to Alloa Athletic and Arbroath. Thistle were knocked out of the Scottish Cup in a 2–1 home defeat against Celtic, and were later eliminated from the Scottish Challenge Cup by League One side Raith Rovers.
  Scottish football was stopped in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, at which time Thistle were in last place in the Championship (two points behind 9th place Queen of the South, although Thistle had a game in hand). A vote was subsequently taken to curtail the Championship, League One and League Two seasons, which meant that were Thistle were relegated to League One. After talks of league reconstruction (which would have prevented Thistle being relegated) fell through, and following an anonymous donation, Thistle joined a legal action by  Heart of Midlothian (who were relegated from the Scottish Premiership) against the SPFL. After a hearing at the Court of Session, a Scottish Football Association arbitration panel ruled that the SPFL had acted within its powers and therefore confirmed the relegations of Hearts and Thistle.
caption: Thistle warm up in 2019
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