TorquayFans.com | Torquay United Fans Forum

Burnhamgull wrote: ↑28 Nov 2017, 11:22 I agree, we are not a big club who have the arrogance to decide what we will and will not chase.

We should give everything to the FA Trophy as it's a notable competition that ends with a day out at Wembley. It also gives our players more opportunities to gel and develop a winning mentality.

Plainmoor78 wrote: ↑28 Nov 2017, 20:11

If we entered this competition mid table I would 100% agree, however this competition is very fixture congested if your in a relegation battle. Just ask the fans of the 2 previous winners, Halifax and York. Both won cup , both relegated from national league, ask them what they would rather have had achieved.(Halifax did achieve promotion back the same season). I would rather we concentrate on the league and avoid injuries/suspensions that could happen playing in the later rounds. The league is far more important in my opinion.

How do you 'concentrate on the league'?

We only finished just above the relegation zone 'concentrating on the league' in the last two seasons; did we have any sort of cup run the season we came down under Farcegreaves? Err; no!

'Concentrating on the league' is an urban myth!

Of course it isn't.

Concentrating on the league means resting fatigued players or those carrying injuries rather than pushing them to play in a competition that has nothing but tinpot written all over it.

Dazza wrote: ↑28 Nov 2017, 19:16 Who the hell is pulling these balls out of the bag. Maidstone probably have the best away record of anyone in the draw..

presumably the same person who has been controlling our cup draws for years now!! not one good money spinning draw, since the spurs game? mind you we havent given them that many opportunities to give us a plum tie have we, except that run in the fa cuo ended by evans et al, and we all know who came next that season!!

Its true it does lead to a lot a fixture congestion from round 3 onwards with league games having to be
postponed, think its 4? including 2 legged semi if you get that far but as long as you dont have a lot of
league games called off in the New Year could be managed. Who knows what the weather holds in store
cant imagine any off at Plainmoor as the pitch is the best its ever been, (remember the old days when they just rolled it flat) much improved on last year when
Chris Ralph won the divisional groundman of the year, but wouldnt like say re the other teams pitches

Southampton Gull wrote: ↑29 Nov 2017, 06:55Concentrating on the league means resting fatigued players or those carrying injuries rather than pushing them to play in a competition that has nothing but tinpot written all over it.

That's prioritising the league and rightly so; but there are players on the payroll badly in need of pitch time and by the time the New Year kicks in their current loans out will be completed.

No argument on that but behind closed doors friendlies arranged at our convenience is a much more preferable method in my book.

merse btpir wrote: ↑29 Nov 2017, 06:34 How do you 'concentrate on the league'?

We only finished just above the relegation zone 'concentrating on the league' in the last two seasons; did we have any sort of cup run the season we came down under Farcegreaves? Err; no!

'Concentrating on the league' is an urban myth!

That's my original post in this thread merse. The first great escape as it's called, was achieved by sacrificing the fa trophy quarter final against Bognor as we had so many games in hand to play in the league that suddenly the progression in the fa trophy would have been a disaster. Regarding Hargreaves the season we went down from league 2, im pretty sure he had no cup matches to worry about, knill to thank for that

lucy6lucy wrote: ↑29 Nov 2017, 20:00

The first great escape as it's called, was achieved by sacrificing the fa trophy quarter final against Bognor as we had so many games in hand to play in the league that suddenly the progression in the fa trophy would have been a disaster.

The Great Escape was in 2006 under Ian Atkins. Any subsequent escapes are a poor imitation.

lucy6lucy wrote: ↑29 Nov 2017, 20:00The first great escape as it's called, was achieved by sacrificing the fa trophy quarter final against Bognor ........

Sacrificed my arse......the players turned up in a minibus driven by the manager making a total laughing stock of the club and were beaten by a better side.

Hardly their fault though was it? Surviving that period was a job well done with the off field limitations.

Getting beaten by a better side from 2 leagues below WAS their fault!

Lavercombe; Berry, Smith, MacDonald, Nicholson (Hancox) Racchi, Richards, Butler, Rees (Verma ) Wright, Allen (Gerring) were packed into that min-bus when there was no other reason than pandering to the 'victim' mentality of poor little Kev.

But the game wasn't lost in the minibus, it was lost out on the pitch where they were outfought and out thought by a better opposition and management.

The cost of proper; professional transport was deductible from the gate as would have overnight accommodation but no they had to make twarts of themselves like that ~ and how it showed in the performance!

You should speak to Bognor fans since that day and learn what a laughing stock they made of our club

No: the REAL Great Escape was on the last day of the season in 1987 when we survived thanks to a last minute (injury time) goal by Paul Dobson against Crewe Alexandra. Just ask anyone who was there!!

wivelgull wrote: ↑30 Nov 2017, 10:38 No: the REAL Great Escape was on the last day of the season in 1987 when we survived thanks to a last minute (injury time) goal by Paul Dobson against Crewe Alexandra. Just ask anyone who was there!!

^ This.... that was one helluva day!