ARCHIE.

Captain, leader, legend. And now manager can be added to the list of accomplishments.

As a playing career that has seen him make more than 400 appearances for Partick Thistle comes to a close, a new chapter is opening in Alan Archibald's Firhill record books.

His appointment as Jags boss is the natural step for a man who has served Thistle with distinction over two separate spells and experienced the highs and the lows of Firhill life in his 13 years at the club.

Having kept Thistle in the hunt for Irn-Bru First Division glory during his spell as interim boss, the 35-year-old now has a chance to finish the job.

With a Ramsdens Cup Final to come against Queen of the South next month, the Archie era could get off to a glittering start and chairman David Beattie is confident the Jags hierarchy have the right man.

"We are delighted to be able to name Alan as our new manager," Beattie told SportTimes.

"It is great for the club and for him. I think it is a win-win-win situation for him, for the club and for the fans.

"If he could win the First Division and the Ramsdens Cup, what a legend he would become. Even more than he already is at Partick Thistle.

"He has the opportunity that very few people have in football, to win silverware just a few weeks into the job and to enhance his already massive status at a club.

"It is his first job, but he could lead us to a cup for the first time in more than 40 years and to the league as well."

It may have taken until Friday for Archibald to be confirmed as Jackie McNamara's successor, but it has been evident for several weeks that the defender was the ideal choice for the Firhill hotseat.

Five wins and five clean sheets from his six games as interim boss proved his potential and saw him clinch the job in the face of stiff competition.

Beattie said: "Alan could not have done any more in the games he had as interim manager of the team. We didn't interview anyone else.

"We had a shortlist of six and we did some profiling on them through our contacts in the game and that confirmed that we already had the best man for the job in place.

"There were 40 applicants and there were some big names who applied for the position.

"We went with the guy we believe has the potential to lead this club forward. It is about the potential of Archie and the team going forward in the next few years.

"What we were trying to do was not just base it on the games and the results.

"If he had lost a game or two games does that mean that he is then the wrong man for the job? No, it doesn't. It turns out that he drew one and won the rest of his games while he was interim manager and that was terrific.

"It is about the culture at the club, how he fits into that and the profile of the man. It was more about that than just winning games or not."

Having tied down their new boss, the challenge for Thistle now is to retain the squad that have taken them to the brink of a league and cup double.

A number of the Jags' top stars are out of contract at the end of the campaign, but with uncertainty surrounding what league they will be in and how much money they will have at their disposal, there are unlikely to be deals signed soon. Beattie said: "It spoke volumes for Alan that the players wanted him to get the job.That didn't make us decide whether we were going to give Archie the job, though.

"But it certainly helped his case that he had that backing."

He added: "If we are promoted, that will have an impact on the budget. If there is reconstruction, that will have an impact. If we are in the SPL, do out-of-contract players want to be in the SPL with Partick Thistle or do they want to leave and and play for another SPL club?

"I don't see many of them leaving here to go and play with an SFL club."

Meanwhile, Thistle have the chance to go top of the Irn-Bru First Division tonight after their clash with Cowdenbeath passed a pitch inspection.

Snow and freezing temperatures had put the Central Park fixture in doubt but conditions last night were favourable for the oft-postponed fixture.

Alan Archibald's side saw their last trip to face the Blue Brazil abandoned due to fog and are scheduled to return to Fife this weekend to face Colin Cameron's relegation battlers for the final time this season.