Torquay United Fans Forum

Just in from the game and that was beyond poor. I said after the Solihull Moors HT 0-3 that it was embaressing and we are now beyond that level after a run of largely unimpressive wins with the odd great performance (Halifax away) followed by the bebacle of the last two months.

It is no disgrace to be beaten away at the team in second place, but this was not a defeat, it was a humiliation of the highest order. The only bright spot is that Yeovil didn't stay sharp enough to score double figures because they could easily have done that if they had taken a bit more care. Allinson the ref did NOT have a bad game and we can have no excuses - he even clearly felt sorry for us towards the last couple of minutes as he did not give a penalty for the most obvious and petulant push by Cundy in the box.

I had thought beforehand about perhaps trying Cameron at left back and was not too disappointed to see that. However, put a returning Asa alongside Cundy at the back was a disaster waiting to happen. Joe Lewis must have run over Johnson's Cat! He has to endure playing out of position and after admitidely failing to be goalside for the first goal against Chesterfield did as well as anyone on Saturday. His only centre back performance of the season away at Woking he was excellent.

So this is my take on the team today:

Macdonald - 3 - exposed for a number of the goals but lacks the presence and experience to command the box. He looks like a little boy in a very large goal. Not going down for treatment in the last 10 minutes when he was clearly struggling is unforgivingly unprofessional.
Wynter - 3 - I really like Wynter but he needs a rest. When all the talk is of stopping crosses he continues to stand aside to let the opposition cross. Good going forward (though not recenetly) but does not look the answer at the moment
Cundy - 3 - I have described him before as 'bambi on ice' and he is a calamity at the back - some good moments today (but only as you would expect from a competent CB) but too many times beaten through the channels and looks scared stiff out there
Asa - 3 - set up to fail by Johnson alongside Cundy - 3-0 down after 14 minutes, 2 more headers, say no more. He was blowing out of his arse after 60 minutes but Johnson had played his cards by the latter stage of the game
Cameron - 4 - so he is also not a left back (who next?) This guy is too nice - where is the nastiness in our defence coming from. Hopelessly exposed at times
James - 3 - anonymous and wayward - thought he was our best player against Chesterfield but seems to have caught the malaise very quickly
Buse - 3 - games starting to pass him by - like Wynter, looks as if he needs a rest
Evans - 4 - worked hard but holds onto the ball too long and any advantage he gains he seems to lose through selfishness. I am not sure he is as good as many suggest
Andrews - 3 - largely anonymous today and another who I am not sure is up for a fight. Just get the feeling the Bristol boys (and certainly Janneh included) think they are a little better than they actually are
Lewington - 4 - faded but some good physical presence and won a few headers. With support around him could possibly become a reasonable player at this level but no certainty
Whitfield - 6 - my MOM as he never stopped, worked tirelessly and seems to care. He can have a clear conscience and interestingly came closest to the fans at the end. He could reasonably look us in the eye as he couldn't have done much more
Neamne - 3 - looked lively first few minutes after half time then disapperaed. He is clearly not the answer
Keating - 4 - tried his best, couple of forceful runs and deserves a start - but that very fact shows we are in a desperate position
Kalala - 2 - not on long enough to properly evaluate but (and I will ask for forgiveness if I am worng) but whilst clearly a little uncomfortable when they walked past him for the fourth (or fifth?) goal, he made no attempt to track his marker and once they had scored he went down and then walked off as if he will never be able to play the game again - I have a feeling he was faking the seriousness of his injury. If he was not I will hold my hands up but it really looked as if he did not fancy it...

Johnson - 3 - got tactics wrong, did not acknowledge 993 fans who put up with that garbage and has possibly lost the dressing room. Where has the connection with the fans gone? Earn your respect back Gary by stayng connected and sorting this.

Finally, I accept the injuries have been a nightmare, but it does not excuse where we are. Davis and Little would make a big difference right now, but no-one else would be a game changer.

We won a part time league last season. Now is the time to see if Johnson still has his magic, struggling in an even playing field currently. He has a massive job to do - but he has got us into this position so there can be only limited sympathy.

I'll be there on Saturday cheering hard - but this team owes us big time now....

Just come out the ground - gutted - well done for a really spirited second half and it shows the quality is still good enough to compete even with 6 out - but I repeat that first half defensive display was NOT good enough - these are professional footballers - and that is what cost us. Onto Saturday - time to bounce back!

Don’t blame the officials..... we are powder puff.....

Our box - we are like bambi on ice with Cundy taking the lead role.....

Their box - we never get in there - four or five great crosses - no one in the end of them

Covolan spent the whole warm up roaring his name as he caught the ball - game started and he’s quiet as a mouse...... pathetic

I get the injuries but we are like little boys out there..... this is not good enough.....

Well that was fun!. Armani is such a loss!

And apologies for the misspelling of Saikou in the excitement of the best news for some time!

On Bristol live - quicker recovery from op and cannot go to league club until Jan 2020

Covolan - impeccable handling and great presence
Cameron - calm, assure an constantly won his headers / challenges
Davis - played at a great pace whenever possible and defended pretty well
Reid - worked tirelessly and nearly scored another worldie when hitting the post
Lewis - solid playing his natural position 9perhaps still needs to work on upper body strength)

Special mention to Whitfield ~ debut goal and worked hard
Also great to see a couple of Kalala special moves in the short time he had on

I would tend to agree with dawlishmatt.

For a number of our games this season I have been left frustrated (Solihull, Maidenhead, Barnet, Bromley) but today I was angry at the end. If ever a game was there for the taking, it was today - once we equalised we should have found a way, but we did not. And frankly, as has been pointed out, we were lucky to still have that opportunity at half time.

Johnson should not be above criticism - we are the customers and I agree he may have been over optomistic in resigning virtually the entire squad. Perhaps they are not as talented as we had hoped - but won many a game last season due to full time fitness. Now the odds have been evened out, we are being found out.

I think the signings of Little and Covolan are excellent and think they will both have big futures, at and above this level. I think Cameron can get there too but I am not sure any of the others can. CLE has potential but he will not affect the game being played where he is. I would try Keating there as Daku doesn't appear to have the heart for the battle... I would give Kalala the freedom of the park - and perhaps try him from the bench for 30-45 minutes against tiring defences.

Reidy continues to do well and I admire him for that..... I thought his ability was limited but he seems to be finding a way - many of the rest of the team need to do that quick or I can see Johnson mixing things up a bit with a cople of loans in and out.

Bad day at the office - let's see a reaction at Woking. 8 or 10 games to conclde? I think we are there already.....

Embarrassing first half. We have been bullied all over the park and look like a bunch of frightened little boys. Booed off at half time - this could be a massive reality check for GJ - I think many of our squad are going to be found out in the next few weeks - and if they are they will be farmed our on loan..... let’s see them make me eat my words second half. Not an overreaction from me - just a realisation how tinpot the league was last year.....

I was at the game tonight. Bath started very slowly and Wealdstone looked like the good side they showed to beat Plainmoor. At 0-2 Brunt made a horror challenge on the keeper and should have been shown two reds for it! I was later told by a Wealdstone fan that the keeper had skin hanging from his face. He did not move for several minutes and was thenstretchered off ~ an ambulance came to the ground. The 10 men then scored a lucky deflected looping goal and the final 10 minutes was frantic though Ryan Clarke managed to gift a third just before the end.

Wealdstone celebrated with 323 fans as if they’d just won the league _ they were also the walking wounded at the end.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see a criminal (or civil) charge against Brunt - it was sickening..... and although not important, Bath played better without him. Total crowd 2200 ~ Bath outsung all match!

So Woking next - and they’ve beaten them twice already this season.......

Special mention to Keating today who ran off without fuss when sacrificed for Sendles-White and showed very positive body language when obviously must have been a major disappointment to him. Many a player of his age may have shown some petulance but further indication of the spirit in the group. Thought Wynter was outstanding today ~ most improved player this season. Dickson looks a class apart all of a sudden - I think he may now get ahead of Andrews in the pecking order. Coupled with last week’s win, the best two performances of the season in many ways and sets us up well for the last eight...

I have read from a distance the last 5 or so years with great sadness. As a 51 year old professional man I still know the crazy child like feeling a goal, a win, a success from your true football team can give you and I feared that was gone forever.

I stopped attending games in the main when Hargreaves started getting above himself and continued my excile when (in many ways to be applauded) Kevin Nicholson took over - another novice at the wrong time. I think there is a good manager in their if Nico treads the right developmental steps - though not sure he gets that in Cornwall!

I then met a Bath City footballer on a train the week after Owers was appointed and he warned we would al be desperately depressed after 3 months - I see where he was coming from!!

Then Gary ‘left field’ Johnson arrives. I have seen every home game since he came, despite living 75 miles away - and a couple of away ones.

I was lucky enough to be a regular guest at Huish Park through his heady conference days and I have never seen better football played in my life. Pace in passing and attack, high energy pressing and commitment from every player for every minute.

I am seeing the start of the same with our team at Plainmoor now. The team is constantly improving, and so long as all the behind the scenes uncertainty doesn’t derail us, I would back him to have us back in the football league in 2-4 years and provide him with a great retirement gift.

Two things stood out for me against Welling (I sit directly above GJ in the Bench):

1. In the 94th minute he lambasted Saiko for not sprinting to close the ball down in the corner - that’s the attitude of a winner, and
2. At the end of the game, He repeated his fist clench salute to the Popside cheers when he came over to the Bench, clearly wanting To get the whole Stadium to the same feelgood factor.

Small things but it really felt like we’ve got our club back. Let’s hope the momentum continues and Osborne sees something in it. Not holding my breath, but if we carry on in this way it can surely do us no harm.

So to Gary - thank you - the miles are going back on the clock, Saturdays are taken again, the wallet is of course a little lighter, but all worth it for those big kid moments!

Comparing the brexit complexity to the restaging of a football match is just so way off the mark it’s frightening. In truth, a high proportion of people who voted did not understand the implications of their vote due to the complexity of all of this. Now that the reality is to some degree known, I believe we SHOULD ask the question again - but only when we have agreement as to the options and they have been explained clearly.

I appreciate that if the decision reversed there would be many millions of leavers disappointed but if more information fundamentally changed the minds of enough people to reverse the decision, then that would feel like democracy.

To use the football analogy I would say it is more like being asked do you want to back your football team to win, only then to find out later that actually they will be playing a rugby match!

4. He was once caught ONside