Staying Up - Relegation Battle

[gullintwoplaces]

Looking on the bright side:

- Dartford are down so it is just one drop spot left
- Hemel are still in this, so it is 1 from 4
- Our goal difference is still vastly superior so we would likely stay up if it goes to GD
- Importantly, it is still in our own hands (granted those hands are not filling me with confidence)

Try to stay positive folks!

Sadly, the hands in question are smaller than Donald Trump’s and shakier than a fairground ride. I think we are going down. What chance is there of the long term sick notes actually turning up to play to earn the wages they have taken under false pretences for much of the season?

[Jpr]

Just sick of this team no fight a bunch of no goods can’t wait for them all to go. It makes Me

[Nick Potkins]

If we win at Taunton on Tuesday night we are safe - simple, but it is Torquay United.
Taunton v Hemel on the final day of the season.
> Taunton win - Hemel are below us.
> Hemel win - Taunton are below us.
> Draw - Taunton are below us.
YOUR CLUB NEEDS YOU LIKE NEVER BEFORE - GET YOURSELF TO TAUNTON ON TUESDAY EVENING - COYY

[kevgull]

Mismanagement has taken us to this new low in our history.
2 games left to arrest our situation or sink further into the footballing abyss. Sad times however WE ARE TUFC… COYY!

[simjones1980]

The thought of trying to win at Taunton

We have a bench today of 2 youths and a goalkeeper

For Christ sake get these sick note players back for next week… Collins, Dawson, Etc etc

To see a lack of fight in loosing 1 nil today is one thing, but to have players giving the middle finger is another, just stinks of lack of respect and makes me honestly believe they don’t give a toss!

That point lost based on the clubs incompetence and that total calamity Marshall really could prove costly! You couldn’t write this shit….unbelievable!

[standupsitdown]

I can’t see us winning at Taunton who are making areal fight of it but if we do we’re safe.
Draw and we’re safe if we beat Havant.
Lose and we’re relying on Taunton failing to beat Weston or beating Hemel.

[desperado]

Time for Jarvis and Dawson to show some guts and get out there and fight on Tuesday and Saturday , bad knees or not - none of this
' They're not quite ready yet ' bollocks

[UnitedinDevon]

If we win at Taunton on Tuesday night we are safe - simple, but it is Torquay United.
Taunton v Hemel on the final day of the season.
> Taunton win - Hemel are below us.
> Hemel win - Taunton are below us.
> Draw - Taunton are below us.
YOUR CLUB NEEDS YOU LIKE NEVER BEFORE - GET YOURSELF TO TAUNTON ON TUESDAY EVENING - COYY

[UnitedinDevon]

Time for Jarvis and Dawson to show some guts and get out there and fight on Tuesday and Saturday , bad knees or not - none of this
' They're not quite ready yet ' bollocks

Very

Same for Collins - AWOL out the blue - and DOA

Win it and get it done

[CP Gull]

Time for Jarvis and Dawson to show some guts and get out there and fight on Tuesday and Saturday , bad knees or not - none of this
' They're not quite ready yet ' bollocks

Totally agree. Time for these two to stand up and be counted! For the life of me I cannot understand why, as a football club, we don’t insist on Jarvis playing in these last two matches which are absolutely vital in terms of the future of our football club! It appears that, in the case of Jarvis, a scan has revealed no damage to his knee - it’s not the one that kept him out for months either - but according to the Manager, he is waiting for Jarvis to let him know when HE feels it is right? WEAK management as far as I am concerned- plenty of Managers I can think of in our past who wouldn’t stand for that - just get out there and play! Similarly with Dawson, who along with Jarvis, through no fault of their own, has drawn a, no doubt substantial, wage from the club all season but due to their limited availability have delivered poor value for money for the football club.

It is almost certainly the last professional contract that Dawson will earn in the game …. so why not give it one last effort to at least achieve something at the end of your full time career - albeit not the promotion that we all hoped for at the start of the season- but sadly, “success” for us now would be avoiding relegation to the ignominy of Southern League Premier football.

I know Jarvis, in particular, is keen to project an image of someone who cares about the club and is trying his very best to get fit and play a part before the season ends, but the rumours that he has already set up a new deal next year and doesn’t want to put that at risk will still linger - and, ultimately, if he doesn’t feature in the next week - then most will probably draw their own conclusions when he ultimately seals a deal with Yeovil, or whoever, in the summer.

As for Lewis Collins, laid up in bed apparently, well as far as I am concerned, you can stay there mate! If there was a better example of one of Johnson’s “shrinking violets” it would be hard to find one - although there are a few in this squad!

I hope DOA will declare himself fit for Tuesday, after all it is almost certainly his last week of being a full time footballer and that should be motivation enough to put himself forward, for a position on the bench at least.

Don’t imagine we will ever see Dan Martin again - but then again, we haven’t really seen him all season have we? What a strange decision it was to offer him a contract in the autumn, given his questionable fitness at the time!!! A complete waste of money - but typical of this lazy regime.

I fear for us on Tuesday, because I am realistic enough to realise that most of the above won’t happen. By all accounts Taunton put in a great battling performance today - full of character, desire and “all in it together” sort of attitude.

The players at the likes of Taunton, Truro etc are desperate to stay at this level because they know if they get relegated they will either have to accept reduced terms or try and find alternative clubs - not easy when you are at this level and in this area. Whereas, unfortunately for us, our lot know that there is unlikely to be a future for any of them at this football club next season - so why should they care? You also feel that their players REALLY want to play for their Managers - Rob Dray and Paul Wotton - can we really say that about Aaron Downes? Not sure we can.

Lose at Taunton and it’s no longer in our control - there is a series of results that COULD see us relegated even IF we beat Havant on the final day …. that is the sad reality of where we are and what we have become in what is the lowest part of our long and proud history

[desperado]

Very well said CP
Apparently Jarvis has bruised knees, so bloody what ? Get out there and play through it especially as it's the last two vital games !

[RedGull1902]

This day and age! Fu—ing snowflakes!!! But takes the money CHEATS us and the club!!

[simjones1980]

Something feels strange tonight…no Downes interview as yet. I just get the feeling and from the comments on here that we are done…players not caring, lack of effort etc. two key ingredients needed In abundance for the next couple of games!!

On Jarvis and Dawson - get the he’ll on that pitch, bruised knees or tight hamstrings…we need your experience! Once again no bench and flogging all our players for 90 minutes doesn’t bode well for a tough Tuesday game!

[standupsitdown]

It is a worry.
I didn't feel it was a complete lack of effort but not the fight that one would expect in a relegation battle.
Plus tactics again - long ball with one shortish forward against tall defenders just didn't work.

I fear we will lose at Taunton who are clearly up for a fight. Surely we can beat Havant with a big crowd behind us but if we lose at Taunton we will also need the following:

We beat Havant taking us to 50 points.
Either -
Taunton lose or draw v Weston (who have nothing to play for) taking them to 48 or 49. Hemel have 49 so we would be safe as it would not be possible for both Taunton & Hemel to exceed 50 points and our goal difference is better.
or
Taunton beat Weston taking them to 51 points & safety. Taunton beat or draw with Hemel leaving Hemel on 49 or 50.

So if we lose at Taunton we then need them to fail to beat Weston, or in their 3rd game in 5 days and with their safety assured, not to lose to Hemel.

Hence if we lose at Taunton we are likely to go down.

[UnitedinDevon]

Interview is up, looks like it was filmed after FT

Downes says there wasn't much in it today - correct looked like 2 poor teams - and it wasn't for a lack of effort today - now that I take issue with, a distinct lack of effort cost us today!