We must FIGHT...!!

[Gullscorer]

It appears supporters have given up, judging by many of the comments on this forum, and, given their obvious lack of self-belief and their easy capitulations to opposing teams, the players too have lost heart and given up.

Even Chris Hargreaves bemoans the bad luck which seems to afflict teams at the lower end of the table, specifically in relation to the referee's decision to book Labadie rather than award a penalty: http://www.torquayunited.com/news/artic ... 78492.aspx

But it is this defeatist attitude among supporters and players and throughout the club which, more than anything, is what will get us relegated. This acceptance of what may seem like the inevitable must stop immediately. It cannot go on, when there are still so many points to play for and the season is still far from over.

The original source of this quote is a matter of contention, but a certain golf player once said: 'The more I practise, the luckier I get'. And Samuel Goldwyn said 'The harder I work, the luckier I get'.

And (in the film 'Waterloo', at least) when Napoleon's generals, with enemy armies approaching France, asked him 'What can we do?' he replied: 'I'll tell you what we do. We FIGHT...!!'

In the battle for League Two survival, ultimately it all comes down to who wants it more. We, players and supporters alike, cannot and must not give up on every game before we begin, nor regard each little set-back in a game as a massive mortal blow. The players must play as they've never played before, and supporters must create the environment and atmosphere to help the team perform as if the game is theirs and no other team is going to take it away from them.

WE MUST FIGHT...!! AND KEEP ON FIGHTING...!! NEVER CAPITULATE; NEVER ADMIT DEFEAT...!!

[PlainmoorRoar]

I won't give up untill it's mathematically impossible, I love Torquay united too much and I'll be there next season no matter what division we are in

I believe we can do it, and pray the team fight tomorrow

[stefano]

And (in the film 'Waterloo', at least) when Napoleon's generals, with enemy armies approaching France, asked him 'What can we do?' he replied: 'I'll tell you what we do. We FIGHT...!!'

I think you'll find he lost!

[Gullscorer]

As Austrian Andy says, on the 'In the End' thread, get out of the traps, get players forward in droves, and get stuck in.

We'll leave ourselves exposed, yes, but we'll get beaten anyway, so go out and try and win the game. Do we want the win or not?

And don't give up at the first little setback. Come back even more committed and determined.

Go at 'em...!!

[Gullscorer]

I think you'll find he lost!

Not because he didn't fight. He got his tactics wrong.. And perhaps he should have fought harder. Which is what we must do. You get the point...??

[gullintwoplaces]

Not because he didn't fight. He got his tactics wrong.. And perhaps he should have fought harder. Which is what we must do. You get the point...??

He lost because he was too short. I don't think the Gulls have lost because of a lack of height. Oh, wait a minute.

[stefano]

Not because he didn't fight. He got his tactics wrong.. And perhaps he should have fought harder. Which is what we must do. You get the point...??

Yes. He made the same mistakes as we make week in and week out .... and lost

[wivelgull]

But surely you were there on Saturday? Nothing ever could be as bad as that. No wonder supporters are deserting in droves. This is a 2-way street, the team must give something to us.

[PlainmoorRoar]

But surely you were there on Saturday? Nothing ever could be as bad as that. No wonder supporters are deserting in droves. This is a 2-way street, the team must give something to us.

You say that but had we been awarded a penalty and scored it and went on to win 1-0 then it would be a completely different story

Poke made a good save in the first half but didn't have much else to do

[hector]

I suppose the only thing supporters can consciously do, is encourage players, not get on their backs, not call them wankers, try to create a positive atmosphere.

The players just do not seem to be able to perform at Plainmoor. It is like a morgue - that is not the fault of fans but I think now the whole atmosphere perpetuates the problem. If the players are now, almost scared of playing at home, perhaps they need our help. In the end, supporters perpetuating the problem is only going to make things worse. I do not normally agree with the sentiment that it is the fault of fans etc and I still don't but I do think that supporters can maybe make a difference...often Tuesday nights, when the team are kicking towards the Ellacombe End, the atmosphere has been good...

...tomorrow, even more so than the last two, is a 'must-win' game. It is probably less likely that the team will win if they are scared to make mistakes, retreat into their shells and are not brave. It is not the supporters fault that the team has been so poor but just maybe fans can make a difference to rallying the players. In the end, if supporters moan, harass and boo the players during the game and call them names, well, I cannot imagine that the team is going to play better and then we all lose out.

[PlainmoorRoar]

I suppose the only thing supporters can consciously do, is encourage players, not get on their backs, not call them wankers, try to create a positive atmosphere.

The players just do not seem to be able to perform at Plainmoor. It is like a morgue - that is not the fault of fans but I think now the whole atmosphere perpetuates the problem. If the players are now, almost scared of playing at home, perhaps they need our help. In the end, supporters perpetuating the problem is only going to make things worse. I do not normally agree with the sentiment that it is the fault of fans etc and I still don't but I do think that supporters can maybe make a difference...often Tuesday nights, when the team are kicking towards the Ellacombe End, the atmosphere has been good...

...tomorrow, even more so than the last two, is a 'must-win' game. It is probably less likely that the team will win if they are scared to make mistakes, retreat into their shells and are not brave. It is not the supporters fault that the team has been so poor but just maybe fans can make a difference to rallying the players. In the end, if supporters moan, harass and boo the players during the game and call them names, well, I cannot imagine that the team is going to play better and then we all lose out.

Spot on!

[Colorado Gull]

If we go down, we must go down fighting! ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK!!!!

[AustrianAndyGull]

It's funny Danny because I totally agree and I'm sure everyone else does. The tempo from kick off at Plainmoor needs to be cranked up to the max. This isn't rocket science management, it is just getting 11 players up for a game of football so much that they are prepared to run through brick walls. No tactics, no clever formations. It's league 2 not champions league. I accept that it can't be done every week but we need to do it tomorrow to get the points. We've said this about Ling, Knill and now Hargreaves. We need umph, we need urgency and we need runners to run at people and shoot from bloody well anywhere. Playing with our backs to goal or not getting players forward in attack quick enough is now unforgivable. I really can't see why Hargreaves cannot get this happening. It is basic motivation. If Hargreaves can't achieve this then perhaps it really is the players who do not really give two sh*ts about us or our football club. Like Danny says, just attack attack attack and see where we go from there. Alternatively we can push the ball about limply, lose any urgency or belief we have as the game wears on and then wait for the inevitable Burton goals.

[AustrianAndyGull]

True Edd. The fans that were there on Saturday were just waiting for a spark, a chance, a flowing move, a change in tempo but all we got was more tepid toothless football which saw the minutes tick by at an alarmingly slow pace. I wanted to leave mid second half in all honesty and it was still 0-0! We need men out there who shout and scream at each other and who encourage each other to get forward and not worry about things. We don't need safety behaviours or players who hide because the more you hide the more obvious you become to the fans so it is counter productive. The fans will appreciate players for getting stuck in, giving it a go, showing desire and a willingness to move forward, trying things. If they don't work then fine. We don't appreciate making Accrington look like tactical geniuses because that is what happened on Saturday. They didn't have to break sweat and even with someone like Odejayi up top who fell over the ball each time they still managed to get one over on us. ATTACK FFS!!!