Torquay United Fans Forum

Half the team pulled hamstrings last year. He played the first half of the season without a single injury, so we don't know it's anything to do with age. If we ruled people out for being injured a lot people wouldn't care about Jake going this season, and we'd be suggesting waving goodbye to Asa, Armani, perhaps Connor, and no-one would have cared about the losses of Cameron, Nemane and Whitfield. In fact we'd probably only have a team of Moxey, Wynter and Lewis as regulars who've not been injured

North Curry House wrote: ↑10 Dec 2021, 11:21 We need to get rid of a lot more dead wood before we can move forward with some "decent" signings.
I can not see Wright, Omar or either of our back up keepers ever playing a significant part in our quest for the play offs. Send them out on loan or MC Donald's are always looking for staff.

What's with the negativity with Wright - maybe he had one or two bad games earlier this season, I don't know, as I didn't see them. But he looked like the only person who could win or hold a ball up front against Altrincham. He was absolutely instrumental with getting us 12 points clear last year, was then hailed the lost messiah until he came back with a crucial goal, was out a bit again, and returned to instantly make a crucial impact with pretty much everyone agreeing we would have comfortably gone up with him and Whitfield fit.
The commentators today said him coming on and his know-how instantly improved us today and helped relieve some pressure, which doesn't surprise me at all. He always has a top striker's sense of where to be to score in the box - near post, far post - he loses his defenders.

Ok, he's not the quickest, but if he's not scoring, it's because a team doesn't have the quality in midfield or wide to make the most of him. As long as he's not alongside another slow striker I'd always have him. Much as I love CLE when he's up with or just behind the striker (Armstrong), he's still not as good at that as Danny - although he'd always be my first choice midfielder even though we now seem to have Armani and Asa on song.

Lewis
Omar
Wynter
Rogers
Moxey (based on first half, unless he was different second half. I was on opposite corner of the ground so can't be too sure about stuff he did 2nd half)


Asa's introduction gave us more aerial and physical presence which until then had been only Wright beyond the back four, but Wright was having to take on the biggest defenders.

While we've got plenty to thank Boden and Waters for - not least two crucial great goals the last two games - and they certainly put the effort in, no defence in this division would cope with Wright, Kimpioka and Whitfield together - with Randell and CLE's ammo and Hall getting on the end of things. Andrews too has scored a few crucial goals and delivered a few great crosses, but Whitfield goes past people, carries the ball alone when necessary and has two good feet and I think poses a constant left-wing threat, especially if he had not only Wright but Kimpioka alongside for defences to think about. I think if those three were together it would be 3 goals minimum almost every game. Certainly Woking would have been tonked and our goal difference equal to Sutton's. Andrews has though shown himself as the best to have a pop on target from just outside the area.

Dare I say it, while Nemane's pace frightened teams in midfield and defensively his pace was a great addition, if there's one injury we can maybe live with I'd say it's him now Randell is proving such a threat wide right, well supported by CLE and Wynter today. If Nemane was on, probably Randell woudn't be in those positions as he'd be more central (and Gary would have a huge headache who to drop). Cameron too was outstanding until his injury, but apart from the Borehamwood horror Lewis, Sherring and now Warren have stopped his loss being too serious.

Could Moxey not play left midfield until Whitfield return. He's left footed, a great passer, very calm and assured and always looks for a sensible ball. If there's a reason he's at our level now it's age and pace, so it could even be a safer bet than left back. He may have a killer pass for the strikers in him, but we haven't had a chance to see. If he can't last a full game, he could always do half or an hour

1. Whitfield. Whenever he gets the ball you know it's not going to be wasted and he may well create danger. Being able to cross with his left and shoot with his right is a full-back's nightmare. I think I only recall once his control, passing, shooting wasn't perfect where there was a little misunderstanding over a short pass. Btw for our 3rd he went to take a long ball on his foot and it flicked up against his hand accidentally (is that a free kick these days?), but as Wrexham were gifted a goal-resulting corner and got away with a clear pen (all 3 things in front of me), we were still owed a goal

The other 10 of them

Although despite the praise Nemane's been getting I still found him frustrating. His pace over first few yards running at teams with the ball is great for causing panic, but often it ended up with him running into someone or the pass going to the opposition - unlike Whitfield. He was also on the edge of their area with the ball to shoot but again not the same end product as Ben. He has the natural assets, if he can improve. Having said that, although he's never going to win many headers, I do feel confident with him tracking back as he works hard as extra cover and no-one will go past him for pace.

Just watched all the goals (painful) on BBC and I don't think any stick for Covolan is very fair. Perhaps maybe the last went off an inside leg, but their guy was only 8 yards out. He got free of two centre-halfs which seems more culpable.

And when Asa kicked Randell in the head, Warren sort of stopped and put his arm up which left their guy too much space.

Another was a bit unlucky as the winger started it off hitting it through Wynter's legs and ran on to deliver the telling cross.

Perhaps a bit of a lack of pace at the back, but can't do much about that, and I'm not even sure that was to blame. Maybe, things shouldn't have been disrupted with Warren coming on, but who knows. Plus remember we've been scoring last minute and not minded too much.

Agree with the above, although I'm gutted, if ever there was a season to go out the cup this is it. Even if there are crowds in January it would be heavily-restricted crowds, so no great money-spinner from gate receipts and as said above, if we got a Liverpool away or home after all these years, we'd all be pretty fed-up if none or few of us could go.

The only way i can see it having been worthwhile is an easy tie next round to pick up more prize money, or keep getting home draws to get on TV, which I suppose may have been possible round 3 as the non-leaguers, but that still wouldn't happen with a Rotherham or Barnsley from the championship probably.
Being drawn away would have been pretty pointless, even against most championship sides as we'd probably not have been main game and the streaming numbers wouldn't have been huge. Would have had to be a Premier team, and the windfall would have been far less this year.

Whitfield
CLE
Cameron
Randell
Sherring

The rest all did fine too. Nemane reminds me of Paul Hall, has the natural assets and pace to go past people, but doesn't create the havoc you think he should. But he was also getting back well to defend last night. What impressed me about Whitfield that gives him an advantage is that he went outside the full-back and delivered some wicked LEFT foot crosses, which really gets the full back on edge, since he also likes to cut inside and shoot with his right, which I think is his preferred foot. Even players like Owen, Arjen Robben, and Sterling in the past were pretty predictable over which way they'd go.

I'm keeping fingers crossed that Nelson is a good striker as his background looks ok. If he is, then if Armani overcomes his injuries, I think we definitely are in with a shout as defence is looking better, and midfield would be good (with the youngsters only going to improve). Where was Umerah last night, as GJ said his "injury" didn't suit the all-weather at Bromley but it was grass last night. He and Koszela are young with promise, but we'll still need somone delivering now.
(btw not as much activity on here after last night as I expected, why is that, do satisfied people just wallow in their happy contentment, and get typing when they want to rant if things aren't going well!)

I didn’t go but as this thread has seen so few replies & credit must be due for a good win & performance I will add the ones Steve Woods said on BBC Devon

Warren
Reid
Nemane
Hall
& I will add Covolan for making a great save & catch when my nerves were being shredded listening to the last 15 minutes

Tues highlights make interesting viewing, showing several reasons for defeat at key incidents that havent been mentioned apart from Janneh's header above - perhaps attacking blunders as much as defensive. Their 3rd emanates from their short corner. We had been down to 10 when Whitfield (I think) is allowed back on at the OPPOSITE corner of the pitch. He immediately sprints 150 yards to try & get to the guy who receives the short corner (you see him just run into picture) but doesn’t have time to reach him before the guy has time to cross unmarked. Then comes out & a lucky deflection does us. But if Whitfield was on, goal wouldn’t have happened
Their 2nd Janneh wasn’t lazy, just naively enthusiastic, chasing the man Wynter is already on & losing his own runner.
Their pen is a cross heading probably to an unmarked attacker when Andrews handles. But at 0-0 we had a similar easier unmarked header for Janneh 5 yards out.
For some reason he heads tamely back across goal to no-one with their keeper in no mans land. Just had to nod it past him.
And Buse I think seems to miss an easy chance from a great Whitfield cross at 0 0 when it goes right across him a few yards out, although to be fair he did well to get up there. Score one of those & I reckon we’d have won. Maybe unfair to highlight players just on the penalty area incidents as they all do good & bad moments the other 85 minutes that could affect a match. Oh, and Ruari's 2nd penalty shout looks a good one as the defender goes into the batk of him and neither touches the ball

I do tend to trust GJ but finding a replacement regular goal scorer is a uniquely different problem. Duku was his striker find this summer & although I haven’t seen him to see for myself by all accounts people don’t feel he’d be our talisman.
Giving a player a “walk out figure” is very stupid of any club as that is all you are ever going to get when a big club come dangling big wages... unless you can trigger an auction between suitors. If it’s one club they know that’s all they have to pay ( even if the player has boosted his game considerably further since the figure was set)

Very true about the hypocrites @gullintwoplaces. And Holloway didn't go to rivals down the road. So much for the Argyle neighbourly love talk if out of hundreds of managers they could choose, they went for the only one that kicks their neighbour in the teeth.

All go on plymouthlive website's poll and vote for Holloway!!

In other situations you can accept players/manager advancing their careers, but not if this happened. You just hope GJ would realise what a stab in the back, or front, it would be after all the optimistic talk & mutual admiration to go down the road to them of all clubs, & how he'd totally relinquish his legendary place in the hearts of our fans. If he gets us promotion again, it would be almost inevitable he'd attract interest & grudgingly fans might have to reluctantly accept it then if a big club in another part of the country came in after that & he'd completed his stated aim. But at this point, if he went to Argyle it would be like your lifelong best mate shagging your missus....and then coming back to shag your 18 year old daughter! It would be far worse than Buckle to Bristol Rovers. Let's hope GJ can be loyal and patient, enjoy it here, and wait for better offers to come.

Here here @tomogull
No one should criticise diehard fans who put their personal money into the club which few of us do as a “donation”

I know one of them and he’s been a passionate totally loyal fan since boyhood about 50 years ago following us around the country as have his family. He stepped in when we were in a mess. He said some Saturdays after losing all of them had to write another five figure cheque to pay wages. And said his kids might not be too thankful one day that he drained his savings to keep us going a bit longer!!