Torquay United Fans Forum

Credit where credit's due to Billy Bodin yesterday. He's had some knockers this year - I suppose that price tag heaped extra expectation on him.
He made the goal out of nothing, and twice nearly made the winner with jinking late runs.
He had the confidence to trick Southend's full back and skin him and his cross was inches from Rene's head, but got to Manse who with Labadie did well to get in the box for the goal.
Then Billy twice skinned the right back when he ran at him - full back didn't know whether he'd go left or right as he threatened both ways - once pulling back from the byline when only a last ditch block save Southend, and on the second occasion Southend's keeper made a last ditch save with his legs.
While Billy doesn't have Rene's ball-winning/holding srrength, he can produce moments of class above the average that can crack open a defence and make a goal. It might not work always but running at people he's more dangerous than Rene or anyone else.
Shame he's missing now for two. And Rene got booked again, so is bound to be suspended now as he'll get another booking. As they are so different, I feel we need them both.

The most encouraging thing right from the off was that the players clearly are still fighting - when, after the hammer blow of that sending-off, could have seen us 3 down by half time if they'd felt sorry for themselves. The quality was somewhat lacking in the first half but they still kept battling and stuck in there, and second half, well, it was all good - spirit, tackling, runnning, decent moves and chances. For all those who've been criticising Torquay performances, what would you have made of being a Dagenham fan with their total inability to get a grip in the second half with a man extra. Much of their passing was poor and we were winning nearly every challenge. Great to see Labadie celebrating so joyfully - he seems up for it - and also Rene's faceafter the goal and at the final whistle (as well as his running) showed he really cared. And while I haven't seen enough of Oastler this season, after what I've read here, you can't knock him for courage today. He was bravely getting stuck in and winning almost every 50/50 challenge.
Oh, and people in line with Dagenham's second goal said he was a good six feet offside. Well done lads.

Maybe there is a time for reminding players they need to give 100% (although that’s in terms of running as no player intends to misplace a pass or shoot wide), but now certainly isn’t it when the two things our survival relies on are effort and confidence.
To be honest, I don’t think these players ever did drop effort levels at least until the negativity of the last few weeks – you only need look at their battling at Exeter. And interestingly our goal difference is far superior than most teams at the bottom because we haven’t been getting spanked like a team that’s outclassed and then throws in the towel when they are losing.

But for the rest of the season now we totally rely on the players fighting 100% for this club, which is a difficult one as whereas the fans can’t change club, and perhaps the backroom staff and everyone else working there, the players are in an odd position where they don’t rely on Torquay Utd. So I’m afraid regardless of anyone’s views on whether they should or shouldn’t be criticised, we need to have them wanting to play now for the fans as our only hope - so we can only encourage them now to do that. Get on their backs and it’s over.
In football when quite a few aren’t trying or having a stinker it spreads to others, so the last thing we need is to upset any one of them now. I only hope none of them are in a position where they’re disliking the fans, or what would they be playing for?
A good player is no good if they’re not trying. In our situation I’d rather have less talented ones giving their all even if it means making mistakes. Perhaps if you really were convinced these players were the best in this division and yet landed themselves in our current situation, you might start questioning/criticising them. But if people think they are average or less than how does that help, as the only way up a league would be to get them to play above their ability and level.

Football is quite an easy game to “hide” in to avoid the ball and responsibilty without looking terrible by making glaring mistakes, but that doesn’t help the team. You can just avoid getting in places were you have the ball, avoid taking people on, avoid the opportunity of a killer pass that might not work etc etc. Yesterday I guested for a team about 3 levels above my usual one and they were all very talented players who took it very seriously and criticised any team-mate for a wrong decision or mistake. While I might have just about held my own anywhere but left back - when I’m totally right-footed - I found myself not really wanting the ball as I’d have to distribute it with my left and probably make a mistake and let them down. So I was happy to just run and tackle. You can sit back, not find space etc, and then when you get the ball just hurriedly play the simple pass to another team-mate, content in the knowledge if the ball reaches their feet you’ve passed the buck, although they might not be in a good position. And if you’d taken your time or run with the ball you might have found a better option. There’s the chance you may have given the ball away too, but if everyone avoids risks, doesn’t shoot/cross, passes backwards, sideways, you will lose. So now is not the time to build up confidence, not destroy it.

Incidentally, at no time in the past would I have dreamed of advocating Chris Zebroski’s return, but perhaps needs must and we could do worse. Not because he’s the hugely match-winning super player (who we won’t get anyway), but we just need people who will now care for the club enough to fight. Benyon hopefully will do that because he feels an affinity. And perhaps Zebroski, who we certainly could do worse than talent wise, hopefully would still retain feelings for the club and fans if people got behind him, and would give it everything. He always gave 100% and with Howe I reckon we could pick up some points. It wouldn’t have to be long-term, but perhaps he would respond to the challenge of a saviour rather than some loanee who doesn't have many other options, and is plunged into a negative atmosphere and who it doesn't really matter to at the end of the day. (that's not meant to mean Labadie who on paper looks a decent recruit)

Oh and also before anyone criticises the board, I know at several games recently they've been forced to get out their chequebooks and give more of their money than they were budgeting for. Like anyone perhaps they made a mistake by not realising a bit more money could have been spent to strengthen when we were in a better position to spend it, but it's a fine balancing act between spending (money which you may not have) and saving for another time on our budgets. A big debt would have really finished off our club quicker. Their hearts are with the club and I don't think anyone else with the same money could have done better.

Six successive Devon derbies without defeat – don’t suppose we would ever have expected that in the past. Is it a record?

Although there were some great defensive performances, Rene doesn’t half stand out like our version of what Drogba did for Chelsea – winning balls he shouldn’t by muscling off defenders, great control with feet or chest, holding the ball and always looking to do something good with it rather than panicking or giving it away cheaply. It just fills you with confidence when the ball is near him. I do worry about us losing him.
And I think people need to be a bit more patient with Billy Bodin. He is still very young, but has been burdened by the price tag which wasn’t his fault. He still has moments of class and skill that lead to goals like winning Monday’s penalty. Once he’s a bit stronger I reckon he’ll be a really dangerous striker. I remember chatting to Mark Elliis when Bodin was on loan last year, and he said the things Bodin does in training and his finishing were outstanding, so there’s obviously something a bit above league 2 there somewhere.

Regarding the late goals we give away, the management denies it’s a fitness thing, but there were players going on Twitter saying how their legs were shattered after 90 minutes on Monday. Great that they put that much effort in, but 90 minutes is their job – although in some cases they can be excused when they have to be rushed back into the team after a sustained period out with injury like Jarvis. I suppose that’s the importance of regualar reserve games rather than every Saturday on the bench.

Apologies if this has already appeared (I can't see it on the site), but how is it fair that Bradford have been allowed back in the FA Cup for fielding an ineligible player when us and Hereford were docked points last year when we just wanted a fine. I know this is the FA and that was the League, but they moan about inconsistency with refs. Bradford now have a £1,000 fine - I'm sure that will worry them on their £1.3million Carling cup run. And anyway, the FA previously threw Droylesden and one other side out the FA Cup for fielding ineligible players so those two clubs must be outraged.

How fair is this (and they moan about refs being inconsistent).
The FA have allowed Bradford back into the FA Cup on appeal after expelling them for fielding an ineligible player. Instead they're fined just £1,000 (that'll hurt after a cup run earning them £1.5million). I know it was the Football League who judged on us playing Robinson against Hereford, but how we just wanted a fine, but both clubs were docked points. So completely differing views on the seriousness of the offence. And the ones who will really be angry are Bury and Droylesden who I believe were both kicked out of the FA Cup by THE FA previously for fielding ineligible players and had no luck with appeals. So how can they they treat Bradford so differently?

Nice to get a good club like yourselves. You'll have plenty of tickets. I think our away end held 1,100 last year but we have a new extra stand so you should get a few hundred more. And if we don't sell it out they could easily add blocks.
The easiest place to drink is the club bar Boots and Laces, and there's also a bar upstairs in the same stand. Away fans always come in there and there's never trouble. (it would also help us skint minnows keep more players in return for giving some of our beer!)

Crawley sell Matt Tubbs to Divison ONE Bournemouth for £800,000.
Olejnik goes straight in at Championship level.....will we even get £500,000 ?
And that makes £175,000 for Eunan look pretty undervalued. Bit of a coincidence Crawley are offering just what Eunan's "release" figure is. Obviously trying it on and assuming Eunan will want to join them for higher wages and so Torquay will just cave in and wave goodbye and good luck. The release clause only allows him to talk - it doesn't mean we have to sell him for that figure surely. I'm sure Crawley have just come in with their lowest offer and would go higher. They were said to have been keen Billy Kee for 200-300,000 as soon as they got the Tubbs money, so surely Eunan should go for more. Let's hope we're not relying on a totally risky hope of a sell-on.
Bristol Rovers recently rejected a bid for Carayol from a higher division, Oxford have rejected 2 Bristol Rovers' bids for Constable and there are other cases - we don't have to always say yes.

numpte wrote:Lets hope Argyle get stung for a large amount then at tribunal, if Carayol can provide a windfall of what was it 30 or 40 k after a handful of appearances, Ellis notching 100+ after 5 years must be £ ker ching.

If only. Carayol was sold by Lincoln to Bristol Rovers for somewhere between 30 and 50k. Our cut we thought was 10k which Lincoln were refusing to pay. Would be interesting to know if Lincoln were on for a cut from Rovers when they sell, as Rovers now value him at 250K minimum and if part of Lincoln's sale deal renumeration involved a cut, then surely we are entitled to part of that - however if they refuse to pay that's another matter.
That's why sell-ons are such a risky waste of time in my view. I'm not 100% certain on this one, but I do know we were on for a payment for Akinfenwa if Swansea got promoted. He played part of their promotion season, was injured for part, but I think they sold him before their final game, so we got sweet FA for their promotion even though he contributed towards it.
I just hope if Eunan goes, I'd rather have 400K in the bank, than 200k with some pipedream that if he went for a million one day we'd get another 500K, as with players going for next to nothing as the clock ticks away to the end of contracts and relegations/promotions/injuries all meaning the sale price may not reflect the player's value, this hope of a future windfall can go very wrong. (perhaps there' might be tax reasons for trying to spread the money so you don't make a big profit in one tax year)

One feeling I did take away from Plainmoor on Thursday was that all those fans who were there should take a bow.
Not only did they not sit watching it on TV, but the support was amazing.
They cheered and cheered from first minute to last, and 10 minutes beyond. Yes, a misplaced pass or mistake - err, Man City make them too - obviously drew quiet sighs of frustration or disappointment, but no-one around me ever turned to knocking any player rather than urging on the team (no doubt there were a few somewhere but they would have been in a very small minority).
And even as the minutes ticked away, the ground never fell silent, which is in stark contrast to Shrewsbury's fans when we took our 2-0 lead there last year. Yes, they were loud before kick-off, but soon gave the feeling that they'd given up with a pained near silence.
The Plainmoor backing was far better than Cheltenham's at their place, where just a group of kids in a corner made much noise, until they got a bit excited by their second goal and thought they were going to Wembley, but it was hardly reverberating round Whaddon Road.
For all the sadness over the result, I felt strangely proud to be a Torquay fan, proud of my fellow fans, and proud of the effort our players put in and the loyalty and bond they have - particularly those regarded as our top assets who certainly don't seem too big for their boots - which all perhaps made it even a bit harder to take in a way.

An early goal like everyone says would be nice - but it's not absolutely essentia. we're not three or four down. Right now I'd take a goal 20 minutes from time, get the crowd really behind us and give us a good chance to get a second. Although the crowd will have to be right behind us all through and be patient - not just the first 10 minutes. If the early goal doesn't come it will be easy to groan and moan at every bit of miscontrol or pass that doesn't go just right (the sort of errors that just bring a tiny sigh when we're leading). That and the crowd going quiet will get through to the players and drain their belief while giving Cheltenham confidence. It's a night to just forget any mistake and keep urging them on. We could well be at leas one behind for quite a while.

I'm leaving south-west London about 8.30 for Sunday's game and going via A40 (although could switch to M4). Have space for 2 or 3 - if anyone wants a lift from London or en route call me 07831 314540. Alternatively if you're driving from London and want 2 extra people to come in and share petrol let us know. But I have to leave very soon after final whistle for work.

I don't blame Hereford players for wasting time. We'd do the same.
I don't blame them even for removing their ball boys to waste time. We don't do the same.

It's called home advantage - we just need to use that advantage when we're at home. And as someone said it's football - so we should be doing it.
And from the above posts saying we have statues for ballboys someone should tell them to shift their a***s if we're losing.
(I don't even think other clubs necessarily tell their ballboys to act to their team's advantage, it's just I imagine most ballboys are fans, members, youth team players of the club so it's natural they'll hurry if their team's losing and doze when they're winning. If I was a ballboy I wouldn't be able to help doing the same). Losing or gaining 5 minutes when one team is throwing forward theh kitchen sink in the final minutes can be crucial.

Swindon could end up anywhere in the division above - they could quite easily be bottom half and the way Di Canio throws his toys out the pram and chops and changes his team, which is going to happen more next year when they don't do so well, Eunan could feasibly end up spending half the time playing for a a mid-table div 1 team and half the time on their bench even though he's good enough to do much better than them.

Don't think the ref added any time for their time-wasting - the six minutes was for that very long stop when their bloke was stretchered off - I think one also went down a few minutes before and had the trainer on which is why the ref at first ignored the bloke who went down and was then stretchered off. Plus there were about 6 subs.

What I'm saying is that if opposing clubs or their ballboys take it upon themselves to be as helpful as possible when their team needs to get play going again, and as dozy (or in Hereford's case removing the ball boys and using their sub to keep the ball) as possible when their team is frustrating us and playing out time, then we should do our best to copy and see out a lead or hopefully, if behind, have time for a late equaliser.

Saturday it was only a matter of time before we would have scored again. It was looking like that with Crewe at the end at Plainmoor and it's pretty inevitable close play-offs will be like that.