Expectations 2018

Teigngull · Post by **Teigngull** » 27 Dec 2017, 18:04

With the new year rapidly approaching & the club in turmoil once again on the pitch & getting further away from the pack in the league, what do you expect the club to do about the situation we find our fine club in ? We all know what we would like them to do but is the reality of it a different matter ?
I don't expect any significant signings but more of the same of what we are used to with inexperienced youngsters coming in to keep squad numbers up , I fear we've used all our luck up over the last two escapes & relegation is inevitable, I just hope this lot can prove me wrong.

kevgull · Post by **kevgull** » 27 Dec 2017, 18:35

Publish over budget figures and relegation.

I’m not a pessimist, I’m just an optimist with experience!

nickbrod · Post by **nickbrod** » 27 Dec 2017, 18:46

I suggest we all reserve our judgment until we see how Owers' shopping pans out in the upcoming transfer window. I expect him to come up with some decent signings so let's wait and see - and hope! But there are other considerations. Don't forget he's got decisions about current loan signings: Efete, Davey and Andresson all of whose loans are up next week. Will Barnum-Bobb stay or go?
Then there's Dorel whose short term contract is coming to an end.
Also factor in any outgoings - McGinty? Davis?

lucy6lucy · Post by **lucy6lucy** » 27 Dec 2017, 19:34

nickbrod wrote: 27 Dec 2017, 18:46 I suggest we all reserve our judgment until we see how Owers' shopping pans out in the upcoming transfer window. I expect him to come up with some decent signings so let's wait and see - and hope! But there are other considerations. Don't forget he's got decisions about current loan signings: Efete, Davey and Andresson all of whose loans are up next week. Will Barnum-Bobb stay or go?
Then there's Dorel whose short term contract is coming to an end.
Also factor in any outgoings - McGinty? Davis?

We need to keep dorel that's crucial. What is concerning is that our new center forward is not being played. So he should go back to Iceland or whether he lives. Obviously Owers sees him unfit or most probably he's no better than what we have. The only answer to survival is to get a proper/proven striker on board that is out of contract in the summer with a championship/l1 club.

nickbrod · Post by **nickbrod** » 27 Dec 2017, 19:54

I'd go with a striker who lives up to the name no matter what division he comes from. Even Landricombe at Tiverton.

Burnhamgull · Post by **Burnhamgull** » 27 Dec 2017, 20:19

lucy6lucy wrote: 27 Dec 2017, 19:34 We need to keep dorel that's crucial. What is concerning is that our new center forward is not being played. So he should go back to Iceland or whether he lives. Obviously Owers sees him unfit or most probably he's no better than what we have. The only answer to survival is to get a proper/proven striker on board that is out of contract in the summer with a championship/l1 club.

Dream Big Lucy!

If I was a Championship striker, coming towards the end of my contract, I think I'd aim higher than a club in the bottom 3 of the Conference. Nice idea though.

lucy6lucy · Post by **lucy6lucy** » 27 Dec 2017, 20:30

Burnhamgull wrote: 27 Dec 2017, 20:19 Dream Big Lucy!

If I was a Championship striker, coming towards the end of my contract, I think I'd aim higher than a club in the bottom 3 of the Conference. Nice idea though.

I'm not dreaming. It's more of a solution, we need someone big to get us out of this mess and it's going to cost us some money. There are surely plenty of bench warmers in the championship and league one that would relish bagging a load of goals and having the opportunity to secure a contract on that basis. The only other option is we do nothing and get relegated by early march as the current crop is crying out for help upfront.

Burnhamgull · Post by **Burnhamgull** » 27 Dec 2017, 21:06

The wages Torquay pay, won't continue to pay for the mortgage I'm tied into, based on my salary at a Championship club.

merse btpir · Post by **merse btpir** » 27 Dec 2017, 22:37

Teigngull wrote: 27 Dec 2017, 18:04With the new year rapidly approaching & the club in turmoil once again on the pitch & getting further away from the pack in the league, what do you expect the club to do about the situation we find our fine club in ? We all know what we would like them to do but is the reality of it a different matter ?

I think the reality is that the club is now more willing to resource it's manager than it was with somebody else's choice as the boss, but several of the multiple targets he hints at having are looking for somehing better than committing to a club in a relegation fight to avoid going into regional football next season.

It is for that reason I am not expecting any significant number of signings until the end of the transfer window because any player worth his salt will be hanging out for a move to an English Football League club or at least a National League club that is challenging for promotion ~ and there are a significant number of those this season with six play-off places available.

I think the only player even remotely likely to attract any buyer is McGinty and there is always the spectre in the background of Nicholson lobbying on behalf of some of the players he lured to Plainmoor to lend them 'his back' as he is so fond of repeating; thus trying to get them a move away to better things. He's not ~ and won't be~ finding any managerial work to keep him occupied, so don't be surprised at that. Remember the toxicity of Hargreaves' legacy of getting fired here and he's still nowhere near any management job well over two years down the line.

Would anyone come in for Young? I doubt it because anyone watching him play away from home would see a player not really exerting very much match winning influence and if you are paying money for a midfielder surely that is something you are looking for to get value isn't it?

I think any of this disparate bunch of losers we have at the club has to accept that they are not really going to be flavour of the month anywhere merely by association with the dreadful dilemma they have got this club in......do any of them genuinely deserve a raise in status? Well not in my opinion; no!

westyorkshiregull · Post by **westyorkshiregull** » 28 Dec 2017, 08:33

Can't think of anything past the end of this season. It's clearly a dire and bleak situation and although I feel positive owers and kurl will get this situation turned around. Like my dad says it's the last bit that counts , well that bit for us is 20 odd games , we need to use them 20 games as a luxury because other years the SOS has only kicked in with about 6 games left. We need to treat every game like it's the last game of the season needing a win to survive. Key words for me are ~ urgentcy urgentcy urgentcy.

tufcyellowarmy · Post by **tufcyellowarmy** » 28 Dec 2017, 09:53

westyorkshiregull wrote: 28 Dec 2017, 08:33 Can't think of anything past the end of this season. It's clearly a dire and bleak situation and although I feel positive owers and kurl will get this situation turned around. Like my dad says it's the last bit that counts , well that bit for us is 20 odd games , we need to use them 20 games as a luxury because other years the SOS has only kicked in with about 6 games left. We need to treat every game like it's the last game of the season needing a win to survive. Key words for me are ~ urgentcy urgentcy urgentcy.

I agree with you on your last point completely. Every game from now on is the cliched cup final .
Don’t agree regarding Owers and Kuhl though, as the results need to do the talking and the table doesn’t lie. Their acquisitions so far have been underwhelming.
We all know we need a striker and we have done for some time. We signed Guy ,I thought to come straight in to the side and give us what we’ve been lacking. Presumably they were satisfied having done their homework (due diligence) that he was better than we have already got.
I would go for a lower league upstart with a hunger for goals rather than a has been with an ego and nothing to prove.
If he is out there can someone please get him on board asa bloody p .

nickbrod · Post by **nickbrod** » 28 Dec 2017, 11:39

Over the last few seasons a number of us have suggested the club should take a punt on giving a lower league striker the opportunity of being a full-time professional. Other clubs do it even though it might be a gamble.
So yesterday I posted why not give Levi Landricombe at Tiverton a chance as he's already scored 20+.

westyorkshiregull · Post by **westyorkshiregull** » 28 Dec 2017, 11:53

Well my opinion with owers is that I'm assuming it was the best we could get when the vacancy came up. I'd hate to change managers now it would feel like a circus. There has been improvements.

tufcyellowarmy · Post by **tufcyellowarmy** » 28 Dec 2017, 12:02

westyorkshiregull wrote: 28 Dec 2017, 11:53 Well my opinion with owers is that I'm assuming it was the best we could get when the vacancy came up. I'd hate to change managers now it would feel like a circus. There has been improvements.

Or maybe a pantomime given the time of year !!!

Cruisinho · Post by **Cruisinho** » 28 Dec 2017, 13:33

My expectation is that this season, is 1 battle too many and unfortunately will not survive this time. I hope the team can, but I can’t see it for a few reasons.
Firstly, for us to only win 4 from the first 26 games, and people expecting us to win a minimum of 8 from the last 20 is delusional (in my opinion). Secondly, with all the loans coming to an end, how many do we expect to stay? And who will replace the ones that leave? They will need to hit the ground running, especially if it leads to us having a completely new back line.

Draws are no longer good enough, as said above the remaining games should be treated as cup finals. Keep in mind we need 4 games to catch up with the team above (assuming they pick up no points). Can anyone see us winning 4 games more than any other team?

It’s a tough ask, but let’s hope they do it!

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