A vote of confidence from a chairman to the boss is often followed by a P45 being handed down from the boardroom to the manager’s office.

That was never going to be the case at Firhill, though. Instead, it was a commitment from the top table to help those in the dugout.

The three-year deals handed to Alan Archibald and assistant Scott Paterson this month were a reward for their efforts at Partick Thistle to date but also an assurance that they, no matter what would happen in the final weeks of the campaign, were they men for the long-term.

When the Jags found themselves at the wrong end of the Premiership earlier in the season, the Firhill board stuck by Archibald. Now, as they prepare for a fourth successive campaign at this level, they have put their faith in the 38-year-old once again.

“If you are a club that budgets to finish tenth and you are 11th or 12th, if you take out what those positions mean, in the grand scheme of things that is not that far away,” Managing Director Ian Maxwell told SportTimes.

“We can’t budget for tenth and expect to finish eighth, because that is not fair. We are not giving him the tools to do that.

“Throughout the early part of the season, we weren’t miles away. We were losing by the odd goal, we were missing countless chances.

“So you then think, does he represent the club well? Does he play the style of football we want to play? Do we think he is the man to lead the club forward? And if the answer to all those questions is yes, then we have to give him the support.

“The meeting at the time wasn’t a case of ‘oh no, we are under pressure’. It was ‘we are under a bit of pressure, so how we help you get us out of this?’

“They have done it and the manager and the players deserve a huge amount of credit for the run they went on.

“When you are talking about appointing managers, it is like signing players, there is no right or wrong.

“You take a wee gamble on somebody and you hope they show you the right things, they work hard and they prove they are the right man for the job. Sometimes, you have to stick by them.”

It is not just Archibald who has committed his future to Thistle as attentions turn to the new Premiership campaign.

The likes of Tomas Cerny and Kris Doolan are contracted beyond next summer, while Chris Erskine has agreed a pre-contract switch from Dundee United.

There are no short-term fixes at Firhill these days. There are plans, and people, in place for the future.

Maxwell said: “We are in a far more stable position than we have been for a while.

“Since we have been in the Premiership, it is been one-year contracts and we would see where we were. We have tried to plan so that we are not in the position of having to scramble around to retain players.

“We can go and start the season right now and put a team on the park. There is no way we could have done that last season. Not a chance.

“It is a bit of a statement of intent. We are a Premiership club for three years now, we believe we belong at this level and we think we can do well at this level.

“The last three years has been a learning curve for the club, for the manager, for myself, in terms of getting used to the Premiership and everything that comes with that.

“It is about doing this properly and planning and putting deals in place.”

One of the most significant contracts that was signed at Firhill in recent times is the one which has Abdul Osman’s signature at the bottom of it.

As Stuart Bannigan gets set to head for the exit door, Archibald has been able to secure his captain on a two-year deal.

Maxwell said: “With the likes of Banzo, sometimes it will happen and you have to realise that is where we are in the food chain and players will want to move on and better themselves.

“That is fine, I have no problem with that. If we can prevent someone coming and taking our better players, great.

“Abs had half the Premiership wanting to sign him and the fact we can convince him to stay is all down to the manager, the style of football and the experiences he has had here. That ticks a big box for us.

“He played against Dumbarton as a trialist, he is now the captain, arguably the best in his position in the division and we have managed to keep him, which is a massive achievement.”