Torquay United Fans Forum

Welcome Billybobgull from a new-ish poster. I suspect what you're thinking is that other clubs are making signings but nothing appears to be happening at Plainmoor. Don't worry - this happens every season. There will be a flurry of activity - players out, players in - at the end of June/beginning of July. We just have to be patient and r e l a x !!! I am confident that Alan Knill and, hopefully, Chris Brass will 'do the business'.

As Dutchgull said, six pages on Rene ..... wow! I'm doing my bit to take it to a seventh page? Well, here's what I think. I will be sorry if Rene Howe doesn't sign because as Regiment wrote about four pages back, good strikers are hard to come by. All clubs from Premier down to Upton Athletic are looking for them. Rene is a good Div 1/2 striker and with the wages we are able to offer, he will be difficult to replace if he doesn't sign. The other point is that football is a short career (and even shorter for those who pick up a serious injury) and so players have to make what they can when they are at the top of their game. It's not a case of loyalty or whether or not they want to play for the club, it's a case of needs (mortgage etc) must. When I were a lad, players like Sammy Collins, Ronnie Shaw and Dennis Lewis played for the club season after season. The face of football has changed in the past two decades or so and there are very few players like Jamie Carragher and Paul Scholes ..... and Kevin Hill ..... who stay with the same club. So don't knock Rene. He's only doing what you, me or anyone else would do if we were professional footballers.

Come on lads - why are we still looking over our shoulders ?? What we want now is to ...... FINISH ABOVE BLIDDY ARGYLE !!!

We should be okay, but ...... a draw next Saturday would mean we're definitely okay. But please Messrs Knill, Brass & Taylor and the lads, don't put us fans through the wringer by playing for a draw. Go out to WIN as we did against Barnet.

Yes, really Saahsy, the one that got away was this big. Now, we'll have to stop our chat about fishing or else the bliddy ref will add on five minutes for time-wasting"

"Do the same at Morecambe, Bri, and your pay cheque will be this big"

Downes
Saah
Mansell
Lathrope
Benyon
most importantly, 11 players who looked as if they were up for the battle right from the first whistle. Let's have similar commitment at Morecambe, lads !!

If you live locally Eduk12 and were out of bed by say, 10 am on Saturday morning, you would have noticed that it was raining steadily but probably not enough to put the match in jeopardy. As the morning wore on, the rain became heavier and this was the reason for the very late pitch inspection. Torrential rain like that wasn't forecast the night before. Had the ref decided the game should go ahead, it would have been a farce and would no doubt have had to be abandoned as the rain continued all afternoon. Now let's put this nonsense to rest. The groundsman nor anyone else has any say in what the Football Gods throw at us !!

To answer Andy's intended question !! I'd go for - Poke/Rice, Ostler, Downes, Saah, Cruise: Jarvis, Mansell, Lathrop; Benyon, Howe, Bodin. Subs: Rice/Connor Thompson, Nicholson, McDonald, Craig, Morris, Yeoman, Macklin (or Niall Thompson). Why? I think it's such a vital game that we have to go for experience (except for left back where quite simply Tom Cruise is playing better than Kevin Nicholson). I believe Barnet are strong in midfield so we must have some battlers to counteract that threat (Mansell and Lathrop). I would include Billy Bodin in the hope that just for one game this season, he will turn up. Any other thoughts?

Note to Josh Ilan (who started this link). I've read your piece in The Times today and can sympathise with your frustrations (and also those of many Torquay fans who travelled long distances) at Saturday's game being called off. Many years ago, I was on a coach for a F.A. Cup replay at Spurs and we learned the game was off when we were literally 10 minutes away from the ground. However, in defence of Torquay AFC, rain was forecast for Saturday but nobody forecast such heavy rain from about mid-morning. Had the game started, it would have been farcical and would surely have been abandoned because the rain continued relentlessly throughout the afternoon. I'm certain that if Exeter or Plymouth had home fixtures, their games would also have been called off.

You will not be surprised to learn that we hope you lose tomorrow night, but wish you good luck in your last two games and that both of our teams will survive to fight another season in League 2.

Andy - good luck in your new role and well done for sticking your head above the parapet by posting on the Forum. In the present situation we find ourselves in, this is a very, very minor point. Half Time collections - there is no longer an announcement on the Tannoy for whom the collections are for (it used to be announced before Half Time was taken over by trying to find someone with a ticket for the Cross Bar challenge). There was a poor lad on the Pop side with a bucket at the last home game - nobody knew what he was collecting for !

I had no problem with Simon Baker being chairman. I have no problem with Thea Bristow becoming chairperson. What I do have a problem with is the timing of all this. Why couldn't this have waited until after 27th April (last day of the season)? All very bizarre as several posters have already said.

brucie wrote:You are completely barking mad. We have been knocked out of every cup competition in the first round (including Harrogate) - no doubt we deserved to win that one as well. Our away record is atrocious and we have lost EIGHT games at home in the league.
As well as this we have to find wins from somewhere with Coco the Clown in goal and every chance that our main striker will be suspended after tomorrow.
No doubt you will be telling us that one or two of our players will be picked for the next England squad. Complete buffoon.

Hmm ..... the great Brian Clough once called a Polish goalkeeper a clown before a World Cup qualifying match against England. England didn't qualify and the so-called clown kept out everything. So we shall see what happens at Gillingham .......

That's a great posting, Matt - summarises exactly the circumstances that have put us in the position we're in. If only we had hindsight, eh ??

There will be several twists and turns between now and the 27th April (not long is it ? just SIX hours of football left !! oh ..... plus injury time !). Keep an eye on Dagenham. They're away to Exeter on Saturday and I can't see City losing three games in a row. They also have to play York and Accrington (not sure who their fourth game is against). Wimbledon's home defeat against Barnet last Saturday drags them back into the mire and their goal difference is the worst of all the strugglers.