Torquay United Fans Forum

Last season, our position seemed hopeless but for some reason, I always felt we would survive and in th end we did so comfortably. This season, my feelings are that we are not going to survive for several reasons -

1. Successful sides are settled sides. We do not have a settled side. Far from it - over 30 players have been used.

2. We currently have five players on loan (that's not including the three that have already left the club) and three non-contract players. That is not the way to run a football club. The loan system is okay up to a point. I would say a maximum of three loanees would be about right and the ideal would be season-long loans so that the players feel part of the club - e.g. Nathan Smith. I would think Barnum-Bobb and Myrie-Williams will be departing, to be replaced by more loanees. Will players brought in halfway through the season be any better? I doubt it. As the season ends at the end of April, any loanees will be short-term - just over three months at the most.

3. I was prepared to support Gary Owers and Kuhl, but they are failing badly. My view is that their football is too negative. Paul Sturrock on another thread is spot on - it's easy to blame the strikers, but if they are not getting the service from the rest of th team, it is not their fault. Today, and away at Eastleigh, we had a back five which included FOUR central defenders. Damon Lathrope who, as we all know, is best employed as a defensive midfielder. two midfielders and two strikers, and according to the commentator, Keating was used as a sole striker upfront. It would be interesting to know Bath's 'goals scored' record whilst Owers was there.

Two examples - in the Cup Game against Maidstone which we had to win of course, we were 2 - 0 down when Barnum-Bobb was sent off. Owers took off a striker and replaced him with Callum Evans who played at right back. A ridiculous decision. Today, losing 1 - 0, Owers replaces a forward with a forward. Why not take off a defender instead and play with an extra forward? We're losing for goodness sake! Then Gnabayou was brought on 10 minutes from the end when the game was already virtually lost. Just what is the point of signing him if he isn't given game time? I like Pep Gardiola's attitude - 'I don't mind how many goals we concede, as long as we score one more goal than those conceded'.

I really, really hope I'm proved wrong, but as we go into 2018, I fear the worst.

I expect us to be top of National League South by Christmas. . .

I remember Exeter City taking a punt on Tony Kellow and Alan Beer from lower league westcountry football and they hit the jackpot with them.....it can be done !!

Jamie Vardy didn't 'start off at a village club'; he was developed in the Sheffield Wednesday Academy until he was released at the age of sixteen with no scholar pro' place being offered and he then went to local side Stocksbridge Park Steels before trying the pro' game again ~ first at Crewe Alexandra and then Rotherham United without securing anything worthwhile. It was Halifax Town who took a punt on him during which time Paul Buckle was trying very hard to get him for Torquay United.....he signed for Fleetwood in the event and never looked back from there.

Levi Landricombe went to Tiverton Town on a dual registration (meaning that he was 'non-conract') from Plymouth Parkway in November 2015 and scored on his debut in a 5-1 win over Didcot Town and has gone on to score a phenomenal 66 goals in only 74 appearances in all competitions after signing a contract and making the switch permanent at the start of last season.

He is said to be one of the most feared strikers in the Westcountry and the Southern League. Worth a punt? It wouldn't surprise me if Owers hasn't already made enquiries about him.

This season has been a complete balls up, unless we can find some attacking options that's going to score 30+ goals we re stuffed. We need more than just one player.
I don't give a s"£$ about being fit and organised anymore, we need to outscore the opposition.
My expectations are to push the boat out and get 2-3 attacking options quickly and if were going down I want to go down fighting, not putting 11 players behind the ball, its too late for all that now.

brucie wrote: 28 Dec 2017, 14:07 If GG cannot make the starting eleven then I am damn sure Landricombe wouldn't. People touting Landricombe as the answer are in a dreamworld. He might be alright as ninth choice striker but that's it.

Ok, that may be a fair comment, I've never seen him play so I assume you have Brucie ? But don't you feel this is where we're at with the quality & experience being signed by CO & RSI ? Invest as little as possible to keep it turning over , mind you didn't a certain Jamie Vardy start off at a village club & he was no spring chicken when Fleetwood took a punt on him was he .

If GG cannot make the starting eleven then I am damn sure Landricombe wouldn't. People touting Landricombe as the answer are in a dreamworld. He might be alright as ninth choice striker but that's it.

I see on the devonlive website Martyn Rogers has denied a club of a higher standing has made an approach for Landricombe, although he wouldn't stand in his way if Tivvy were compensated appropriately, we shall see eh ?

My expectation is that this season, is 1 battle too many and unfortunately will not survive this time. I hope the team can, but I can’t see it for a few reasons.
Firstly, for us to only win 4 from the first 26 games, and people expecting us to win a minimum of 8 from the last 20 is delusional (in my opinion). Secondly, with all the loans coming to an end, how many do we expect to stay? And who will replace the ones that leave? They will need to hit the ground running, especially if it leads to us having a completely new back line.

Draws are no longer good enough, as said above the remaining games should be treated as cup finals. Keep in mind we need 4 games to catch up with the team above (assuming they pick up no points). Can anyone see us winning 4 games more than any other team?

It’s a tough ask, but let’s hope they do it!

westyorkshiregull wrote: 28 Dec 2017, 11:53 Well my opinion with owers is that I'm assuming it was the best we could get when the vacancy came up. I'd hate to change managers now it would feel like a circus. There has been improvements.

Or maybe a pantomime given the time of year !!!

Well my opinion with owers is that I'm assuming it was the best we could get when the vacancy came up. I'd hate to change managers now it would feel like a circus. There has been improvements.

Over the last few seasons a number of us have suggested the club should take a punt on giving a lower league striker the opportunity of being a full-time professional. Other clubs do it even though it might be a gamble.
So yesterday I posted why not give Levi Landricombe at Tiverton a chance as he's already scored 20+.

westyorkshiregull wrote: 28 Dec 2017, 08:33 Can't think of anything past the end of this season. It's clearly a dire and bleak situation and although I feel positive owers and kurl will get this situation turned around. Like my dad says it's the last bit that counts , well that bit for us is 20 odd games , we need to use them 20 games as a luxury because other years the SOS has only kicked in with about 6 games left. We need to treat every game like it's the last game of the season needing a win to survive. Key words for me are ~ urgentcy urgentcy urgentcy.

I agree with you on your last point completely. Every game from now on is the cliched cup final .
Don’t agree regarding Owers and Kuhl though, as the results need to do the talking and the table doesn’t lie. Their acquisitions so far have been underwhelming.
We all know we need a striker and we have done for some time. We signed Guy ,I thought to come straight in to the side and give us what we’ve been lacking. Presumably they were satisfied having done their homework (due diligence) that he was better than we have already got.
I would go for a lower league upstart with a hunger for goals rather than a has been with an ego and nothing to prove.
If he is out there can someone please get him on board asa bloody p .

Can't think of anything past the end of this season. It's clearly a dire and bleak situation and although I feel positive owers and kurl will get this situation turned around. Like my dad says it's the last bit that counts , well that bit for us is 20 odd games , we need to use them 20 games as a luxury because other years the SOS has only kicked in with about 6 games left. We need to treat every game like it's the last game of the season needing a win to survive. Key words for me are ~ urgentcy urgentcy urgentcy.

Teigngull wrote: 27 Dec 2017, 18:04With the new year rapidly approaching & the club in turmoil once again on the pitch & getting further away from the pack in the league, what do you expect the club to do about the situation we find our fine club in ? We all know what we would like them to do but is the reality of it a different matter ?

I think the reality is that the club is now more willing to resource it's manager than it was with somebody else's choice as the boss, but several of the multiple targets he hints at having are looking for somehing better than committing to a club in a relegation fight to avoid going into regional football next season.

It is for that reason I am not expecting any significant number of signings until the end of the transfer window because any player worth his salt will be hanging out for a move to an English Football League club or at least a National League club that is challenging for promotion ~ and there are a significant number of those this season with six play-off places available.

I think the only player even remotely likely to attract any buyer is McGinty and there is always the spectre in the background of Nicholson lobbying on behalf of some of the players he lured to Plainmoor to lend them 'his back' as he is so fond of repeating; thus trying to get them a move away to better things. He's not ~ and won't be~ finding any managerial work to keep him occupied, so don't be surprised at that. Remember the toxicity of Hargreaves' legacy of getting fired here and he's still nowhere near any management job well over two years down the line.

Would anyone come in for Young? I doubt it because anyone watching him play away from home would see a player not really exerting very much match winning influence and if you are paying money for a midfielder surely that is something you are looking for to get value isn't it?

I think any of this disparate bunch of losers we have at the club has to accept that they are not really going to be flavour of the month anywhere merely by association with the dreadful dilemma they have got this club in......do any of them genuinely deserve a raise in status? Well not in my opinion; no!