Thistle boss aware of Rangers threat
Partick Thistle boss Alan Archibald is wary of facing a "buoyant" Rangers side this weekend.
Thistle returned to form last week with two wins and a draw to jump off the bottom of the Ladbrokes Premiership table - but they face a rejuvenated Gers side at Ibrox this weekend.
Pedro Caixinha was sacked from the hot-seat last week, leaving Graeme Murty to take the temporary reins for the second time this year, and he has made an instant impact.
The recalled Kenny Miller scored twice for Gers in a 3-1 win over Hearts, and Archibald admits his side's task has been made harder by the change in management.
"They will be buoyant," he said. "You see the atmosphere at the end of the game last week against Hearts, and the crowd really backed them.
"Sometimes that happens when there's a change in manager, there's a real bounce and a real energy.
"They brought Kenny back and I think that gave them a lift. Kenny is still a quality player and he brings, surprisingly, loads of energy for somebody so old, and he brings that dynamism to the team and great runs.
"It's a tough, tough task and probably it has been made that bit tougher with him being included."
He added: "(However) it's the same team that we played earlier on in the season.
"We played back-to-back and got a draw against them, and could have nicked the win.
"We know what to expect in terms of their personnel and their qualities.
"It would have been a daunting place to go if we hadn't won a game but the boys are in a better place in terms of confidence and mindset."
That renewed confidence comes from wins over Dundee and St Johnstone, along with a goalless draw at Hamilton. Those first two wins of the season have released the pressure on Archibald and his squad, but with a tricky run of fixtures coming up he is not getting carried away.
He said: "All we've done is pick up a couple of results and get back into the group, that's what we always wanted to do.
"We wanted to keep the teams above us close to us. We've done that and given ourselves a lifeline and need to build on it.
"We have tough games coming up, that's why it was important to get points from those three games.