Kidderminster Harriers v Torquay United

[Mickey Mouse]

The next manager will be Geoff Harrop. Has applied for the job more times than Kattie Price has got her wobbilies out and has Bill Philips on his side now.

Not sure if he is the right person for the job tho, but then again who is???

[Gloomy Gull]

The next manager will be Geoff Harrop. Has applied for the job more times than Kattie Price has got her wobbilies out and has Bill Philips on his side now.

Not sure if he is the right person for the job tho, but then again who is???

Martin Allen !! - Seems to be doing very well at Barnet on lower gates than ours and, to my knowledge, not a bottomless pit of cash.

[brucie]

This is it though - Barnet have a decent manager but certainly don't have more money than us and are not a bigger club either. Look at Tisdale,even Harrop when he was here for one game. At least they have a PLAN. 4-4-2 Hargreaves does not seem to have a clue. His best tactic for ending our losing run yesterday was to play a bloke who has been playing for Bideford to run past Nicholson.
With all due respect to Thompson and Yeoman they were never going to be able to come into a losing side and redress the balance.
It was a pie in the sky,lunatic team selection - just the same as refusing to play our best player Pearce in his proper position.
Actually I am all for giving Thompson a go - to me he would be a major weapon coming on as a sub at home against tiring postman and butchers. he has the one thing that Cameron doesn't have and that is pace.
But as usual he hasn't been managed in the right way.

[Sunnysideup]

F - Rice (You think he's turned a corner, then goes back to the same Rice that cost us in so many games back in our first season in the conference)

Did you actually bother to look up the figures? Or just follow the likes of Brucie?

Anyone with half a brain cell, and 2 minutes to spare could have looked up the stats and see he played a whole 9 games for us in the BSP last time.
We won 6 of them.
How the **** did that "cost us so many games in our first season in the conference"?

[Dave_Pougher]

The next manager will be Geoff Harrop. Has applied for the job more times than Kattie Price has got her wobbilies out and has Bill Philips on his side now.

Not sure if he is the right person for the job tho, but then again who is???

With respect, would mind expanding on what you mean by that?

[Bomber]

The next manager will be Geoff Harrop. Has applied for the job more times than Kattie Price has got her wobbilies out and has Bill Philips on his side now.

Not sure if he is the right person for the job tho, but then again who is???

Dave Byrne would do a better job as youth coach and as first team manager than he would.

[Behind-the-Gulls]

Hats off to those who continue to follow us away in good numbers-it seems you've witnessed some real stinkers in recent weeks.
I have to say though that the majority of our home performances have been decent and entertaining and our one loss was totally avoidable against one of the best teams in the division who we more than matched throughout most of the game.We've now got five games coming up versus teams above us,starting with Barnet,who on current form could well thrash us.However we've then got FGR,Gateshead and Eastleigh at home on successive Saturday's,which will be big tests of our ability to maintain our good home form;but a good chance to get us back in the play-off places whilst checking the progress of teams above us.We've also got Macclesfield away midweek during this period,so a run of really tough games to be sure.
Real test of Greavsie's ability as a rookie manager-can he turn it round it the next month or so?Are we good enough to pick up the 9 or so points we'll need during this period to get us back amongst the top teams?

[Tamargull]

Have not been to the last two home games and after listening to the radio and reading comments on this site I will not be giving my cash to TUFC anytime soon. Guess I have had enough and whilst I will never follow any other team, I cease to be an active supporter of TUFC.
The management have shown the inability to stop a losing streak and tactically have made decisions in games that have not changed the result - this does lead one to wonder if Hargreaves is the right man (especially if, as some claim, he has 'lost' the dressing room).
However, for me the club is in long term decline and a once proud FL club is now struggling in the conference. I fear the decline will continue and we could end up like Stockport and others. Managers have to be held accountable for actions on the pitch, but the development and health of a football club is more that this - it is about effective long term leadership growing an organisation. Successful leaders have a passion, vision, a clear strategy and most of all AMBITION - does this sound like TUFC?.........

[StretfordGull]

If anyone is worried that we'll end up in the conference south, then the best thing to do surely is to continue to support the club at the games and give them that extra £17 a week and your vocal support. Then you've done everything you can as a supporter.
The wrong thing to do would be to tell everyone who still supports the club on this forum, that you're not going again this season because you see what is currently happening on and off the pitch as some sort of personal attack against you.
The players are still trying (most of them). They don't intentionally lose.
If I lived in Devon I would attend every home game. I was there yesterday because I care about the club and want to do what I can.
The thing to do in situations like this is to pull to together and get behind the club. Not do the complete opposite.

[Scott Brehaut]

I don't want to sound like a Hargreaves sympathiser (I was on Knill's back for much less), however I do feel that, whilst he is partially to blame, the majority of it lies elsewhere - yes Board members, I'm looking at you.
We threw shedloads of cash for our last foray into the Conference and it worked at the second time of asking. However, since then, the momentum has been lost. Money has, somewhat, dried up and fans expectations haven't been met. When money is made available, its been too little too late.

There are still some big earners in the club and until they go, it will be difficult for Greavsie to get any other player down here, on loan or otherwise. We only have to look at the "signing" of Berry this week to show that we have very little money.

Whilst I won't berate those who are going to stop attending until the rot stops and things improve, if gates decline, the likelihood of further money becoming available begins to get even further remote.
The club needs investment, but to get that, investors need to be attracted to us. Currently we are anything but attractive to an investor and I really can't see this getting any better for now.
Greavsie actually hasn't done that bad all things considered. We are, technically, only 6 points off second place, with two games in hand over Barnet, and one over most of those around us. Obviously we still have to win those games, but it does show that even though we have been woeful of late, we are still in and around the playoff positions.

Like I said, those that choose to not attend will not be berated at me (after all, its not as though I can attend any at the moment!!), but equally, those that don't will have to realise that the club will be losing more money as a result, and the rot that has set in will be here for a much longer time.

[OllieGull]

If anyone is worried that we'll end up in the conference south, then the best thing to do surely is to continue to support the club at the games and give them that extra £17 a week and your vocal support. Then you've done everything you can as a supporter.
The wrong thing to do would be to tell everyone who still supports the club on this forum, that you're not going again this season because you see what is currently happening on and off the pitch as some sort of personal attack against you.
The players are still trying (most of them). They don't intentionally lose.
If I lived in Devon I would attend every home game. I was there yesterday because I care about the club and want to do what I can.
The thing to do in situations like this is to pull to together and get behind the club. Not do the complete opposite.

Agreed. And on another note regarding Harrop being manager, I'm not against Hargreaves at the moment, every club goes through bad form, just depends if we keep losing or we actually turn it around. But, I remember after Knill got sacked, Harrop was in charge of the team against Morecambe at home, and he played a 442 diamond which was quite an odd choice of tactics, but we played so well that day, created loads of chances and dominated the game, had it not been for Billy Bodin missing them we could've won it! But Harrop wouldn't be the worst thing in my opinion, would Sturrock be a shout though?

[hector]

I have seen a few people petition for Geoff Harrop to get the job on the basis of one game in which the team played quite well. It was a dead-cat-bounce scenario after the departure of Knill but it if, for some reason, Hargreaves went, Harrop is exactly the sort of appointment I could see the club making.

[Neal]

Talking about Billy Bodin is he actually playing professional football now

[OllieGull]

Talking about Billy Bodmin is he actually playing professional football now

Think he's still without a club, or he's still recovering from injury, not too sure.

[tommyg]

It's funny how quickly football can change. A few weeks ago, Hargreaves was being labelled as the club's saviour and up on Tyneside, Alan Pardew was on the verge of being lynched... I do think talk of sacking Hargreaves is premature (besides I doubt we can actually afford to pay off another manager). We're on a rotten run and our rookie boss has made mistakes, but if we win our game in hand (admittedly a rather large if on current form), we'll be on the brink of a play-off spot. I expect us to be heavy underdogs against Barnet, although we do have the 'advantage' of a free weekend, while the Bees are in FA Cup action against the Chairboys. Win that game and this forum will be littered with feel-good posts again.

What were the expectations for this season? Hand on heart, did anybody actually think we'd mount a serious promotion challenge at the first attempt? I think most fans expected a lower-half finish in the top half of the table, with perhaps one eye on the play-offs to keep the season interesting. That's exactly where we are right now. A few of us got carried away by the six straight wins. That gave us hope that perhaps we could buck the trend of relegated Football League clubs struggling to adjust to life in the Conference. And it's the hope that kills you. If somebody told me that after 17 games we would be six points off second with a game in hand, I'd have taken it. And I suspect many other fans would agree, especially with a new team still finding its feet.

That doesn't mean we can't complain or be angry about recent events. I think Hargreaves' biggest mistakes have not been addressing the weak areas of the team over the summer, particularly at full-back. I understand that the budget is tight, but going into the season with only one recognised right-back on the transfer list and one recognised left-back on a month-to-month contract was always a recipe for disaster. Tonge and Cruise were out of their depth last season, and while their have been improvements (expectedly so given they are now playing at a lower level), neither are good enough. Hargreaves has at least has signed Berry, who will surely walk straight into the team, and I hope Ives is given a run on the opposite flank.

As for our goalkeepers, Rice did well last season and performed beyond expectations. But he has always been a limited goalkeeper. Starting the season with Rice as No.1 and a rookie as back-up was always a risky strategy and it's already starting to backfire. I have a feeling Seabright isn't the answer, but it's harsh to judge him when he's only played a couple of games.

Another problem is the squad lacks leadership and experience, with one or two exceptions. Hargreaves should know from his time as a player here that you need a few wily old pros who have tasted success at this level. Look at the key cogs from our promotion-winning team - Hargreaves, Sills, Todd, Mansell, Nicholson, Carlisle etc. I think Harding is the only player over 30 in our current squad (and he's only just become a member of the 30s club). We have a very young - and at times naive - group of players at the start of their careers and sometimes you need a few older and wiser headers to steer them in the right direction.

Finally, we need a new striker. I have desperately wanted Yeoman to succeed but it's not going to happen. He might pinch a few goals off the bench but every time he starts a game he struggles. Bowman needs a rest and kick up the backside. I would guess he probably made the biggest dent in the budget this summer, along with Young and Briscoe, and he simply isn't justifying his place in the team. O'Achie is very raw and needs to work on his finishing, but there's something there. I haven't got a clue what Benyon is doing these days. What exactly is his injury or is that just a smokescreen? Right now, I'd play a fit Benyon ahead of both Bowman and Yeoman, which shows how desperate we really are up front (sorry Hector). Surely there must be a striker available on loan who won't cost the club too many pennies. It's always a bit of a lottery with these young kids, but we need to try something different because our strikers are being outscored by Downes for a second straight season.