Torquay United Fans Forum

Minneapolisgull wrote: ↑14 Oct 2018, 17:17 Fantastic odds, A great bet.

Well, I can tell you that I, likewise, had a little flutter before the Woking game (blame the “Johnson effect”) on us at 25-1 before the Woking game and although we didn’t win that game and ultimately dropped into the bottom half of the table as a result - I was still surprised that on the Sunday when I looked again, our odds (with Bet 365) had drifted out even further to 33-1 ... so, even though I am in no way “a betting man” I couldn’t resist another flutter! So, I am really quite surprised to see our odds drop quite so dramatically after the wins against Brightlingsea and now Eastbourne - to the extent that, at least with some bookies, we are now 4th favourites behind Billericay, Woking and Welling! I certainly see them (along with perhaps Bath City) as our biggest threats - but those three are certainly our biggest challengers as things stand. I just hope that, if we cant win it, we at least manage a top 3 finish (for obvious reasons) as my bets were on an each way basis.

Come on you Gulls

The 929 in attendance yesterday was the highest attendance (just) of the season so far for Eastbourne Borough - it eclipsed their previous best of 927 v Woking .... so well done to those extra two that made the effort yesterday! It keeps the sequence going of Torquay United drawing the largest attendance of the season to date, for EVERY ground we’ve visited so far .... Slough Town (1244); Chelmsford City (1058); Eastbourne Borough (929); Gloucester City (720); Hungerford Town (620) and Oxford City (520). It goes without saying it will have been a similar story at both Lymington and Brightlingsea Regent too.

Quite remarkable when you consider our geographical location, but as we all know, a large part of those travelling fans are made up from exiles based in the South/South East and even further afield! But each and every one of those travelling fans will have had to make a special effort to turn up and support our team, wherever they are based, and fair play to them all for turning up in such numbers! No doubt the Owners and Chairmen of each and every one of the teams we face in the NLS are grateful to you as well!

Of course, a word for the “home” fans too .... we are currently top of the average attendance table as well, with an average of 1747, and surely that figure can only rise if we continue our current rich vein of form!

As we have barely seen any action at Plainmoor this past month - it would be nice to think we might get close to 2000 for this one surely?

Nightrider wrote: ↑21 Sep 2018, 16:13 Is this the guy who scored against us in the preseason friendly?

No, but he IS the guy who SHOULD have scored against us in that PSF!! He was on the end of a pinpoint cross and his header was on target, only for him to be denied by a wonder save from the trialist keeper who was with us at the time (Burton) who has since returned to Lydney - who could have been our FA Cup opponents on Saturday if they hadn’t lost their replay to Lymington!

But for Burton it would have finished 4-1 with goals from Edwards (2), Andrews and Janneh .... amazing to think that ALL THREE are now playing for us!!! I said at the time that these three stood out in that young BCFC side for me .... and cant quite believe that all of them are now here!!!

Hammdog2601 wrote: ↑20 Sep 2018, 19:04 If available for Saturday, then who misses out on the bench?
I think itll bs Bawling or Banton

They might both miss out as we also have Koue-Niate back fit and available. One other possibility, if we go 3 at the back, is that Wynter (who started on the right of a back 3 on Saturday, I believe) could also miss out - with Opi Edwards taking his position as a more attack minded wing back?

Good signing! I hoped we might get him when he was released by Swindon a while back!

A very interesting recent article about him, and the trials and tribulations of trying to earn a career out of football, here ....

https://thesetpieces.com/interviews/its ... he-season/

He was clearly hoping for an offer “higher up the pyramid” and so were lucky to get him, I think.

Not quite what we were expecting, another centre half, but a solid addition to the squad and a direct replacement for the recently departed Gowling I guess.

.... not to mention the fact that we have also never beaten a side managed by Steve Evans, in the Fourth Round of the FA Cup before!

View1 wrote: ↑13 Sep 2018, 21:50 Gowling has no plans to return I'm afraid. May not be his choice I appreciate.

Oh good, I take it that means we don’t have to pay him his (no doubt sizeable) wages anymore then?

I was no great fan of Owers, but Gowling has built up quite a reputation for himself in recent years of being a player who regularly causes problems for Managers he falls out with .... just ask Grimsby fans what he’s like!

Good riddance!

ACW2IOW wrote: ↑13 Sep 2018, 12:08 Asa Hall will know him well................................

As will Ryan Dickson, Liam Davis and Jakub Sokolik from his Yeovil days ... and even Jake Andrews was with him at Cheltenham last season.

It’s been a long, long time since we appointed someone to manage our football club, with such a high profile in the game. He seems to love the Westcountry and all his best achievements have come when running the likes of Yeovil (twice), Bristol City and Cheltenham. The only real “blip” during his managerial career was an unhappy and unsuccessful stint at Northampton and a short lived stay at Peterborough .... but when it comes to the Westcountry he has had some amazing success. Let’s hope that continues now with us!

Whilst I would have quite liked to see the appointment of a younger man, with knowledge of this level. The reality of that is that it would almost inevitably have meant bringing someone in from well outside this area and there is always the danger that that individual might not be able to replicate any past successes in the environs of South Devon!

I believe that this appointment, at a time when we are at our lowest ebb, is one of the most important in the club’s history - we have been in decline for the last six seasons or more and the rot has to stop! For that reason, it was probably a sensible decision to run with a more experienced Manager and we certainly have that in Gary Johnson.

I think I am right in saying that quite a few of our players will already be familiar with him as the likes of Ryan Dickson and Liam Davis (Yeovil) , Asa Hall and more recently Jake Andrews (Cheltenham) will all have played under him I think.

Of course the fact that his son Lee is currently Manager at Bristol City cannot but help our cause too - hopefully the likes of Andrews and Edwards stay with us will now be extended beyond the initial month and who knows, there may be more to come from that source.

Well done to all concerned, a fantastic appointment .... and it only took 36 hours!!!

Southampton Gull wrote: ↑30 Aug 2018, 18:42
Unfortunately Chris, we can't play us every week

Ha! If only, if only!

Interesting take on things from some on here! Whilst our forwards have been misfiring, I don’t think the rest of the team are blameless when it comes to our lack of goals!!! It is, after all, a TEAM game! The midfielders haven’t created enough and not scored a single goal in seven attempts either!

Personally I don’t think the wing backs have been delivering enough quality crosses into the box on a regular basis either.

These two signings may see a switch to a 4-4-2 I suspect, or perhaps a 4-4-1-1?

Anyway, personally I’m excited at the signing of these two, who were both quality against us on the recent PSF and between them managed to score THREE goals in 90 minutes at Plainmoor ... the same number of goals our WHOLE team has mustered in SEVEN games!

Finally it’s not just strikers that score goaks, I mean technically speaking, neither Salah, Hazard or Alli are strikers ... but how important are they to their teams, and how many goals do they score!

__quiet__gull wrote: ↑12 Aug 2018, 22:08 =D

Well it seems I might have to concede to being wrong on this one .... but still no confirmation either way as things stand!

I’m pretty certain that he wouldn’t have been first choice - indeed even Dave Thomas went on record as saying someone else had been approached, but had turned the job down.

Owers met with Osborne to discuss what sort of “package” might be available to offer any potential new incumbent... and maybe following that, they have decided to move in a different direction and stick with an “in house” option - and potentially a “cheap” one at that given that there would be no need to relocate.

Bloggy wrote: ↑01 Aug 2018, 13:28 Thanks Richinns
Just Regis and Koszela then.
No news on the trialists either? I'm guessing that Dembele, Roberts, Burton, Tanner and Leitch didn't quite do enough.

Think Regis has got the 20 shirt - not sure if Olaf has a squad number as he was with us before squad numbers were announced but not allocated one.

My impression through speaking to Gary Owers last night is that its unlikely any of those trialists mentioned will be offered deals.

__quiet__gull wrote: ↑01 Aug 2018, 09:13 Could it be Shaun Taylor? Just a guess...

No, wont be him ... if it was going to be him, he would have been appointed by now. Taylor has a job with the Academy and is probably more suited to that, in my opinion.

Owers did mention to me that he has someone in mind, but these things take time, and will almost certainly mean someone having to uproot from another part of the country. Highly unlikely to be a player/coach though .... he did say that if it had happened (Kuhl moving on) at the end of last season, then that would probably have been the route he would have gone down, but feels its too late now.