by AustrianAndyGull » 16 Jan 2015, 13:36
Gullscorer wrote:Andy, an excellent summary (if that's the right word.. :~D ) of events over the past two or three seasons, except for one thing: your assessment of CH and his abilities as manager is absolute bollocks..!!
CH has let nobody down. He has been manager for just a year in his first managerial post and it's far too soon to judge him as a failure. He's currently on course to emulate Paul Buckle's record of an FA Trophy final in his first season and promotion via the play-offs in his second, and on a fraction of the budget of any of his predecessors, one could even say a zero budget.
And there are still sixteen league games to be played this season, so if the lads reproduce their early season form it's still possible to make the play-offs, perhaps even making it a double, of promotion and the FA Trophy this season. If that seems overly optimistic, I need only point out that sort of scenario has been achieved before. It's certainly not impossible to recover from our present league position. CH has worked wonders to bring in the players he has, young players with potential who can only get better, on (I remind you again) a zero budget.
Yes of course CH has made a few mistakes in his first year (what manager hasn't?), but to say he has let us down is a nonsense. Even if we finish the season mid-table, it cannot be said that he has been a failure, given the circumstances and the restraints within which he has had to work. I should be quite happy with mid-table this season, with the promise of better to come next time. Obviously, anything more would be a welcome bonus, but as things stand now, we should fully support CH and the team all the way.
They deserve nothing less..
I do agree Mick that CH has had to work under tremendously difficult circumstances but ultimately he took the job on with the remit of keeping Torquay in the league which he failed to do. Subsequently i believe he said that he could get Torquay back up which at the first attempt at least doesn't appear to be the case.
It all depends whether you are a person who takes everything into account and can have sympathy with Chris for the job he his trying to do with hands tied or whether you are in the black and white camp and take things at face value. Whether you are a person who accepted relegation when he took over and accepted mid table in the conference or whether you are a person who thought that despite the obvious constraints of the job that he could and should have done a lot better. I don't think either opinion is wrong to be honest.
I think a lot of those fans who travelled away a lot in the last few months of the season would feel that CH had let them down but on the flipside there may be some who probably expected abject performances regardless so again, this is subjective.
I do think next season is the time to judge CH without anybody being able to put up a stink about it but like Knill, i feel that lots of fans feel that they HAVE to support him under sufferance because there is no other option. If he gets it wrong next season then that consigns Torquay into non league for a very long time but if he gets it right then he proves a lot of people wrong.
I have said in many posts that what do people expect this season?
My disappointment with CH is due to what he offered last season not this. I have no idea whether you as fans expected to be in the play offs or to get promotion. I had an expectation of just outside the play offs with a slim chance of reaching them which is where you are now so Chris has done a decent enough job this time around but he has had some better players than a lot of conference teams, better facilities than some other conference teams and let's not forget - it is the conference so it is theoretically easier to get more wins than in league 2.
Like you said Mick, just fully get behind them and see where it takes you.
[quote="Gullscorer"]Andy, an excellent summary (if that's the right word.. :~D ) of events over the past two or three seasons, except for one thing: your assessment of CH and his abilities as manager is absolute bollocks..!!
CH has let nobody down. He has been manager for just a year in his first managerial post and it's far too soon to judge him as a failure. He's currently on course to emulate Paul Buckle's record of an FA Trophy final in his first season and promotion via the play-offs in his second, and on a fraction of the budget of any of his predecessors, one could even say a zero budget.
And there are still sixteen league games to be played this season, so if the lads reproduce their early season form it's still possible to make the play-offs, perhaps even making it a double, of promotion and the FA Trophy this season. If that seems overly optimistic, I need only point out that sort of scenario has been achieved before. It's certainly not impossible to recover from our present league position. CH has worked wonders to bring in the players he has, young players with potential who can only get better, on (I remind you again) a zero budget.
Yes of course CH has made a few mistakes in his first year (what manager hasn't?), but to say he has let us down is a nonsense. Even if we finish the season mid-table, it cannot be said that he has been a failure, given the circumstances and the restraints within which he has had to work. I should be quite happy with mid-table this season, with the promise of better to come next time. Obviously, anything more would be a welcome bonus, but as things stand now, we should fully support CH and the team all the way.
They deserve nothing less.. :scarf: :scarf: :scarf: :scarf: :scarf:[/quote]
I do agree Mick that CH has had to work under tremendously difficult circumstances but ultimately he took the job on with the remit of keeping Torquay in the league which he failed to do. Subsequently i believe he said that he could get Torquay back up which at the first attempt at least doesn't appear to be the case.
It all depends whether you are a person who takes everything into account and can have sympathy with Chris for the job he his trying to do with hands tied or whether you are in the black and white camp and take things at face value. Whether you are a person who accepted relegation when he took over and accepted mid table in the conference or whether you are a person who thought that despite the obvious constraints of the job that he could and should have done a lot better. I don't think either opinion is wrong to be honest.
I think a lot of those fans who travelled away a lot in the last few months of the season would feel that CH had let them down but on the flipside there may be some who probably expected abject performances regardless so again, this is subjective.
I do think next season is the time to judge CH without anybody being able to put up a stink about it but like Knill, i feel that lots of fans feel that they HAVE to support him under sufferance because there is no other option. If he gets it wrong next season then that consigns Torquay into non league for a very long time but if he gets it right then he proves a lot of people wrong.
I have said in many posts that what do people expect this season?
My disappointment with CH is due to what he offered last season not this. I have no idea whether you as fans expected to be in the play offs or to get promotion. I had an expectation of just outside the play offs with a slim chance of reaching them which is where you are now so Chris has done a decent enough job this time around but he has had some better players than a lot of conference teams, better facilities than some other conference teams and let's not forget - it is the conference so it is theoretically easier to get more wins than in league 2.
Like you said Mick, just fully get behind them and see where it takes you. :scarf:
