On paper…….

[Richinns]

Now Jayden Stockley is on-board the team we can field seems to me to be very strong and should be extremely competitive in League 2 standards.

Stockley was taken by the leaders of the league above and although he was not a regular he still got playing time for them. Marquis has a greater pedigree than league 2 which then leaves Benyon on the bench - and how many would have accepted Benners being a player we can put on the bench last season?

Mozika (once fully up-to-speed) is quality for this league and Harding + Manse have been involved in teams which have made the playoffs in recent years.

Chapell is mustard when he is on it and now Craig is in the team he has great quality in delivery and free kicks (and as we all know set pieces are often key to who wins or loses a football match).
We also have Bodin coming back who bigger teams wanted to sign when he became available and also a player in Cameron who we have yet to see anything from but who we know has quality.

Downes , O'Connor and Pearce would walk into most teams in this league.

Granted the full-backs have not shown an awful lot but Cruise is now getting his chance and if he can improve his game positionally then he would be very useful for this level and you can state that Tonge has experience in League 2 and has already shown he is very capable.

Knill has made mistakes in the market (Hawley being the main example) but truth be told the players are of far greater quality than what we ended last year with and overall has done a very good job in recruitment.

I look at this group of players and cannot feel anything other than positive so the next question has to be – where is it all going wrong?
There is clearly something which is causing the performances that we have put in this year- other than the players calibre.

There could be several reasons from the mangers tactics (or lack of perhaps), the players and Knill’s relationship and respect and perhaps a breakdown of this, senior player power fighting the regime, the knock effects of the sacking of Ling and how certain employees of the club feel about this and of course – the negative mentality which has been ever-present from the fan base.

It is a probably a combination of many of these factors but certainly something is preventing the results coming.

If only the game was played on paper – as if it was I honestly think we would be the top team in Devon this year and troubling the top 7.

[brucie]

Are the players of really greater quality though - if they are why cannot we win games? With all due respect to Stockley and Marquis they both lack much experience. Stockley may have been on loan to Orient but I don't think he played much. Loan spells at Accrington and Woking wouldn't necessarily fill me with any great enthusiasm to be honest.
I am pleased that he has been brought in as I do think we need another forward but is Knill realy going to drop Benyon after playing well and scoring against Plymouth? - that would look like really muddled thinking to me. Benyon has been there and done it at this level and in my view remains the forward who is must likely to dig us out of the shit.
Yes O'Connor,Pearce and Downes are good players but Pearce cannot get in the team - that looks another dubious decision by the manager. Play all three with O'Connor at right back.
I havn't seen Mozika yet but agreed he should get stronger the more he plays. The imminent return of Bodin makes us stronger although I am not sure what has happened to Harding - he was supposed to be back from injury about three weeks ago.

[AustrianAndyGull]

To be honest I've now put my main gripe to one side for this season. It was that I wanted Knill to find his best 11, stick with them and gradually get things moving forward. With nearly half the season gone, us in the bottom 2 and more loan signings I've shelved my opinion on this. Consistency and team understanding cannot now happen with the constant turn over of players and I now have to accept this. It really is now just about getting as many points on the board as we possibly can with what we've got and whoever we bring in regardless of performances. Each game counts starting with Scunny.

I've come to the decision that I don't really care who plays, who plays where and how we play because for the remaining 20 odd games I just want points. No point in arguing against odd team selection or decisions from Knill because they will continue to occur, so long as he gets the job done that that's all that is important. It's about survival.

On paper we have a good squad but when the loanees go back and we're left with what we have it's not great to be honest so on one hand maybe I was a bit hasty on Knill and have to say that this over use of the loan market is at least getting us goals and making us look stronger despite the disruption but on the other hand it also points to his summer recruitment being atrocious. Chappell and Pearce aside. The jury is out on Mozika too although he is unfit and will improve. I just don't want people to expect too much of him because they could be disappointed.

Oh and the imminent return of Bodin makes us no stronger.

[sam_]

I don't think the results are coming because a differant team is being fielded each week, and we're getting a loan signing every five minuits, there's no stability. If we play the same team consistently, they will start to gell, and results will come. On paper, this is a much better team than last season, but obviously, Knill doesn't know his best line-up yet. A result against his former employers on Saturday, and building on from a good point against the Cornish, would give everyone at the club a massive boost. Lets hope our season turns around. I mean, lets be honest, look at Crewe a couple of years ago, similar situation as us, and kept winning to the point they won the play-offs. A bit more backing wouldn't do the team any harm

[sam_]

I don't think the results are coming because a differant team is being fielded each week, and we're getting a loan signing every five minuits, there's no stability. If we play the same team consistently, they will start to gell, and results will come. On paper, this is a much better team than last season, but obviously, Knill doesn't know his best line-up yet. A result against his former employers on Saturday, and building on from a good point against the Cornish, would give everyone at the club a massive boost. Lets hope our season turns around. I mean, lets be honest, look at Crewe a couple of years ago, similar situation as us, and kept winning to the point they won the play-offs. A bit more backing wouldn't do the team any harm

Not suggesting we would look at play-offs this season!

[Plymouth Gull]

Oh and the imminent return of Bodin makes us no stronger.

Well, it does.

[AustrianAndyGull]

I don't think the results are coming because a differant team is being fielded each week, and we're getting a loan signing every five minuits, there's no stability. If we play the same team consistently, they will start to gell, and results will come. On paper, this is a much better team than last season, but obviously, Knill doesn't know his best line-up yet. A result against his former employers on Saturday, and building on from a good point against the Cornish, would give everyone at the club a massive boost. Lets hope our season turns around. I mean, lets be honest, look at Crewe a couple of years ago, similar situation as us, and kept winning to the point they won the play-offs. A bit more backing wouldn't do the team any harm

That's what I said Sam but my point is that it really is getting too late in the day to still be faffing and trying to get some consistency when we're in the bottom 2. If we were mid table then we have some leeway to work with but Knill now just has to dig out results however he can regardless of whose fault it is and if we're still in league 2 next season and Knill is still here then he can start from the beginning again in the summer and we can all forget this nightmare season.

Points are paramount now above all else. We've played 18 games most of them have been appalling to watch so we cannot now expect the next 18 to be better. We should all accept this and it's about the bigger picture, retaining our league status by getting more points than 2 other clubs. It starts at Scunthorpe.

[AustrianAndyGull]

Well, it does.

Ok

[sam_]

Ok

Bodin on form makes us stronger, and he has been good this season, one of our stand out players, a very small list of stand out players

[Richinns]

Ok

I think he is the reason why Azeez has gone back and Stockley has come in as it is another option on the wing. Granted he has to earn the right to a starting place but he must add strength (if at worst it is strength in depth).

[Gullscorer]

Loan signings sometimes become permanent ones. And with injury problems easing, I believe our season will turn around; perhaps it is already doing so. The problem with many fans is that they want instant success, and that's not realistically possible for clubs such as Torquay United. But it's not unknown for teams to have a terrible run of form before Christmas and end up challenging for play-offs (don't ask for examples, I can't remember). And even if the Gulls don't achieve that, they will certainly win all their December games and Alan Knill will be named Manager of the Month..

[arcadia]

To be honest I've now put my main gripe to one side for this season. It was that I wanted Knill to find his best 11, stick with them and gradually get things moving forward. With nearly half the season gone, us in the bottom 2 and more loan signings I've shelved my opinion on this. Consistency and team understanding cannot now happen with the constant turn over of players and I now have to accept this. It really is now just about getting as many points on the board as we possibly can with what we've got and whoever we bring in regardless of performances. Each game counts starting with Scunny.

I've come to the decision that I don't really care who plays, who plays where and how we play because for the remaining 20 odd games I just want points. No point in arguing against odd team selection or decisions from Knill because they will continue to occur, so long as he gets the job done that that's all that is important. It's about survival.

On paper we have a good squad but when the loanees go back and we're left with what we have it's not great to be honest so on one hand maybe I was a bit hasty on Knill and have to say that this over use of the loan market is at least getting us goals and making us look stronger despite the disruption but on the other hand it also points to his summer recruitment being atrocious. Chappell and Pearce aside. The jury is out on Mozika too although he is unfit and will improve. I just don't want people to expect too much of him because they could be disappointed.

Oh and the imminent return of Bodin makes us no stronger.

Bodin must be happy as you have made more u turns than Maggie Thatcher I feel sorry for you if you don't think he'd make us stonger, last week it was Craig come on we've got to be united and get behind everyone and I will find it hard but Knill has actually chosen a side that I would have started with.

[AustrianAndyGull]

So good you posted it lots!

U turns?

I guess you've not been reading the site until recently? It is common knowledge that I have pretty much thought Bodin isn't very good since he signed for us, my opinion hasn't changed. It is based on what I've seen.

Craig has been shocking whenever I've seen him play (admittedly out of position each time) and I have said as much and I have never said he was good in the first place so how is that a u turn?

[AustrianAndyGull]

I will praise either player on a good performance (as I have done with Billy on quite a few occasions but it was primarily for workrate and effort than for anything creative or goals scored).

[arcadia]

So good you posted it lots!

U turns?

I guess you've not been reading the site until recently? It is common knowledge that I have pretty much thought Bodin isn't very good since he signed for us, my opinion hasn't changed. It is based on what I've seen.

Craig has been shocking whenever I've seen him play (admittedly out of position each time) and I have said as much and I have never said he was good in the first place so how is that a u turn?

I was on about Knill, you wanted him out last week and Bodin could be a change of mind as well.