Torquay United Fans Forum

The only thing laughable here is your abject lack of vocabulary[color=#FF0000]. If you've ever made a post which didn't describe something as 'laughable', then I've not seen it. Ask a grown up to buy you a thesaurus for Christmas.[/color]
Matt The n00b.[/quote]


You can buy me one for Christmas Matt. I need some more words that mean 'negative', 'boring' and 'predictable' , oh and one that means 'Martin Ling'. :-D :lol:

[quote="brucie"]ferrarilover - your defence of Rice is laughable. Do you actually watch the game ? Just as Mcphee was not a league standard outfield player Rice is nowhere near a pro standard keeper.
Any fool could see he was at fault for goals one, three and four on saturday.
He had ample time to come out and clear the fourth - he is clueless, a complete liability.[/quote]

The only thing laughable here is your abject lack of vocabulary. If you've ever made a post which didn't describe something as 'laughable', then I've not seen it. Ask a grown up to buy you a thesaurus for Christmas.

Matt.

Feel sorry for Ricey as this was his real chance to prove himself to a home crowd and while none of their goals were down to real gaffes on his part - he really was let down by the defence in front of him, I do feel he could have done better with two or three of the goals we let in and unfortunately on the day he didn't really make a save that was worthy of the name. Do I think we would have let four in if Pokey was in between the sticks .... probably not.

The last two games, Oxford away and Southend at home have, for me at least, encapsulated what Ricey is all about. On his day (Oxford away) he can be a brilliant shot stopper but he is at his best when what he has to do is instinctive, when he doesn't have time to think about it. When he has time to think about what he is going to do his judgement is often poor. A perfect example is their 4th goal on Saturday ( reminded me a bit of his Boxing Day disaster when Jamie Mackie was bearing down on him at SJP all those years ago) he is too often caught in two minds in one on one situations and you could see that Downes hesitated because he thought it was a ball that Rice could and should have come for, but didn't.

It's the same, in reverse, with strikers. Some, when faced with a 1 v 1 are full of confidence and you would back them to score more often than not, while others you just know won't! For Ricey, you know he will hesitate, giving he striker that vital time to make their mind up as to what they are going to do .... and almost inevitably it will end up in the back of our net.

I suppose the very fact that it has taken him to reach he age of 26 before making his league debut would in itself suggest that he will probably never hold down a regular starting berth at pro level. But having said all hat he is, by all accounts an excellent trainer and is probably a cheap option for our number two as well and so I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised if he gets another contract offer in the summer .... but I just don't see him ever being consistent enough to be a genuine contender for a starting berth. His decision making is quite simply not good enough.

ferrarilover - your defence of Rice is laughable. Do you actually watch the game ? Just as Mcphee was not a league standard outfield player Rice is nowhere near a pro standard keeper.
Any fool could see he was at fault for goals one, three and four on saturday.
He had ample time to come out and clear the fourth - he is clueless, a complete liability.

It may well have gone through his legs, but since I see that half a dozen times a week on MOTD, I'm going to suggest that isn't a brilliant barometer of goalkeeping prowess. The gasp was probably a groan as yet another elementary, schoolboy, embarrassing Torquay **** up was about to lead to a goal, regardless of what Ricey did. He looks obese in his kit, ok, Gok Wan, that's not gay. How can he never have been FL standard, he's only had two fecking games and he kept a clean sheet in one of them...

Matt.

Well as I said, in my inexpert opinion, it has gone through his legs for the first and if his starting position wasn't his glued to his goal-line he would have swept up the fourth goal. The gasp on the popside at the fact he hadn't come out for it when Tomlin recieved the ball was pretty audible. And he looks obese in his kit. He's just not Football League standard and as others have said, never has been, IMIO.

The fact of one is not to the detriment of the other. Just because my opinion is inexpert, it doesn't serve to validate the opposing inexpert opinion, it's the blind leading the blind. The tallest goalkeeper we've had for ages has been a right liability, Bevan was so very, very limited by his height. Have a look at Joe Hart, how tall is he? Bobby is a midget, as is Pokey, and he was once the be all and end all of goalkeepers (I'm not having a pop, merely an observation, I'm still in the old school camp of preferring massive keepers).
Having seen more of reformed Ricey than most, I'm still sticking with my opinion that he is perfectly good enough as a GK in the FL. He's not going to set the world alight, but then, nor is Lee Mansell, but would we be without him?

Matt.

Oh Matt you slate those attacking Ricey performance of the back of an inexpert opinion, yet by your vey own admission you have never played the game, so therefore you are defending his performance of an inexpert opinion.

I will trust my own judgement as whether he is good enough for the F/L or not ,I fully admit he was at times left exposed by the defence however i say with a lot of confidence in my own opinion on this he is niether good enough or tall enough, that said I totaly agree with Stevegull the goalkeepers are not the biggest problem.

im with matt on this one.
what do we expect from ricey? a re-incarnation of neville southall?
did well at oxford and was let down (again) at home by some p**s poor defending.
give him a chance for gods sake.

AlexGulls, just a small point; you express yourself well but it may help others to understand you better if you remember that: 'could of gone' should be 'could have gone', 'should of beaten' should be 'should have beaten', 'could of done' should be 'could have done.' You get the idea? Or perhaps you're American..?? :~D

Eh? I was merely stating that just because YOU think he's good doesnt mean everyones going to change there opinion on him. As I said its a matter of opinions. No one's really right or wrong in these things thats why there's debate all the time. As for Rice I'm not going to go on I thought he had a poor game compared to Oxford but thats just my opinion. I'll give him credit where credit's due but I do think he could of done better with a couple of there goals on Saturday. One of them as you've already said he had no chance with. Would Poke of done better? Who know's.

[quote="AlexGulls"]

As much as you try to defend him. Its pretty pointless. You think he's good thats your opinion. Some think he's poor thats there opinion. [color=#FF0000]Theres no need to persistantly defend him all the time. [/color]

He had a poor game on Saturday. I thought he was at fault for a couple of the goals. He certainly could of gone towards the ball when Tomlin mis controlled it rather than stay on his line. I'd rather he make the effort for it because like others I think he would of beaten Tomlin to it if he did. I personally prefer Poke and dont have much faith in Rice (like a few others on here) I just dont think he's a good enough for this level.

On another note didnt Ling say we were going to be more attacking at home not long ago? So why have we all of a sudden reverted back to 4-5-1 at Home? He's said he's going to bring another defender in this week but thats not a problem area for us. We need either a Striker or a attack minded midfielder. If we have money to bring in a defender who wont play (Unless Saah or Downes get injured or suspended) then surely we could use that in an area we actually need someone? McKenzie has already shown in the game at Port Vale that when called upon he's more than capable of doing a job at covering.[/quote]

Oh, sorry, am I not behaving myself on YOUR forum?

If there's no need for me to defend him all the time, then there is no need for you (or anyone else) to attack him all the time, yet the VERY NEXT LINE of text that you post is a criticism. He could have gone towards the ball, but Tomlin would have undoubtedly have beaten him to it (I've just had another look and Tomlin is hardly busting a gut to get there) and then he would have had no chance to save it and a bloody good chance of being sent off for clattering into Tomlin, then we really would have been in trouble.

I want someone, anyone, to show me where, in his two performances at this level, that we has fallen so far below the required standard that you can say with any confidence at all that he isn't good enough. So far, I've seen lots of people simply state that he's not good enough, but provide me with nothing but speculative, inexpert opinion as to his failings in a game where he couldn't realistically have affected the outcome in any way, such was the performance of his team mates and the opposition.

Matt.

Good to see someone who's favourite player is 'The Beast'. Were it not for Robin, and perhaps Tommy, then 'The Beast' would probably be mine, too.
The truth of the matter is: we need a midfielder: loan or buy, until we get one we'll be serving up the same old tedious, bring stuff. I will probably creak and groan my hundred mile journey to and from Plainmoor for the next home match; but if it's as bad as the others - then forget it for the foreseeable future. Give us some entertainment for God's sake!

[quote="ferrarilover"]Ricey couldn't possibly have expected Tomlin to bobble his touch. If he comes haring out and Tomlin doesn't take the heavy touch and skips past him, he looks a right t**t and you're all on here berating him for being hot headed.
Rice has played 2 FL games for us, had one impressive debut and one match where he was criminally let down by his defenders. I'm not suggesting we herald the boy as the next Peter Shilton, but let's at least give him a bloody chance.

Matt The n00b.[/quote]

As much as you try to defend him. Its pretty pointless. You think he's good thats your opinion. Some think he's poor thats there opinion. Theres no need to persistantly defend him all the time.

He had a poor game on Saturday. I thought he was at fault for a couple of the goals. He certainly could of gone towards the ball when Tomlin mis controlled it rather than stay on his line. I'd rather he make the effort for it because like others I think he would of beaten Tomlin to it if he did. I personally prefer Poke and dont have much faith in Rice (like a few others on here) I just dont think he's a good enough for this level.

On another note didnt Ling say we were going to be more attacking at home not long ago? So why have we all of a sudden reverted back to 4-5-1 at Home? He's said he's going to bring another defender in this week but thats not a problem area for us. We need either a Striker or a attack minded midfielder. If we have money to bring in a defender who wont play (Unless Saah or Downes get injured or suspended) then surely we could use that in an area we actually need someone? McKenzie has already shown in the game at Port Vale that when called upon he's more than capable of doing a job at covering.

Welcome to the forum tomo. I'm with you about Yeoman, i'd like to see him given more game time.