Torquay United v Dagenham & Redbridge - 1/12/12

[LukeGull]

Billy will go and get a hat-trick against Bradford, beat Tom Pope to top goal scorer and go to Manchester United for £10m at the end of the season. You watch

[AustrianAndyGull]

Yeah no worries Dave. I know you are a very reasonable bloke and try to see things both ways. What we must keep in the back of our minds despite our strong opinions is that they are just opinions. Nobody is right and nobody is wrong. Some people are a bit more generous and forgiving than others but even so neither takes precedence over the other. I'm gradually getting used to how a forum works although it doesn't take much to get me narked!

[AustrianAndyGull]

Billy will go and get a hat-trick against Bradford, beat Tom Pope to top goal scorer and go to Manchester United for £10m at the end of the season. You watch

I'd take the hat trick on saturday Luke as a good start!

[Dutchgull]

What really irritates me in this Billy Bodin debate was that yesterday in the Bench behind me were two muppets who would cat call Bodin if he put a foot wrong but they would not say a word when anybody else misplaced a pass. It was so bad it was ridiculous.

Watch Gulls Player and see the clever touches that Billy has contributed to each of the last two games just for starters.

A friend of mine who sits in another part of the Bench also has some OTT "supporters" near him who now that Ian Morris is out injured have transferred their abuse to Billy Bodin.

I guess some people are only happy when they are moaning !!!

[LukeGull]

Yeah, I stand over on the pop and there are some people who are constantly on players' backs. It was Ian Morris and Danny at some points and now as you say it's Bodin. Often people get fed up with them and tell them to support the team rather than go off on one at them.
I personally think that at times we have missed Morris, we all knew he wasn't an out and out winger in a 3 up front, but I reckon he is suited for that attacking midfield role. It was Ling's choice to play him on the wing and Morris even said he would prefer being in the middle. Anyways that's the past, but it's always the same, fans finding a scapegoat to vent their frustration at, even though it is often the whole team not playing well rather than an individual.

[Alpine Joe]

austrianandygull

If Crewe thought he was any good they surely would have signed him up, especially given the relatively low transfer fee

In years gone by that may well have happened. The buying and selling clubs would agree a deal and the player had little option but to go along with it.
The fact that Crewe wanted him and that a relatively low fee was involved all counted for nothing once Billy told them 'No thanks'.



'Swindon-born Bodin's pride was perhaps stung when he was then allowed to leave his home-town club, but he turned down the chance to join Crewe and opted instead for another season of League 2 football with Torquay.

The young player's decision to choose the lower division was not taken lightly and took long consideration after taking advice from his father Paul, a former Swindon and Wales defender who is now the Robins' youth team coach.

"My dad told me to do what I wanted but his advice did have an impact on my decision," said Bodin junior. "My own feeling was that I would get more games at Torquay and to be playing week-in, week-out, was very important to me."

http://www.football-league.co.uk/featur ... 07_2989485

[brucie]

It is a nonsense to suggest that Bodin cost 20k - he cost 70k even though someone coughed up the largest part of the fee.
We look to have been seen off on what he has done so far this season.
He played really well against Cheltenham and Rochdale but basically has done sod all since apart from missing sveral gilt edged chances.
He has got ability but its time he fronted up and showed something.
He hasn't commanded a regular place at Swindon or Crewe for a reason though.

[AustrianAndyGull]

First of all in response to Luke about Morris. I like Ian a lot and have no idea why he gets abuse. We miss him terribly. On many occasions he is the only one ( other than manse ) who i have actually seen physically gesticulating encouragement to the other players and trying to gee them up. Good player Morris and the sooner he can get back in the side the better.

Secondly in response to AlpineJoe. Bodin turned down Crewe so he could be guaranteed first team football. Crewe this is and not Chelsea. If Billy didn't think he was good enough to hold down a starting berth eventually at what were another league 2 club then he has low expectations of himself, as i do now. You could argue that he chose Torquay because we were a small club with limited expectations and his decent spell on loan with us would give him respite if he couldn't produce, which he hasn't to be fair. He may also say that Torquay would be ideal for his development as he is able to play every week. He got that wrong though as he gets abuse from fans at games all the time and his confidence has taken a battering, because we have a limited squad and the fact that Ling paid £70k ( or £20k whichever ) he has to play through the bad times and the abuse and actually be heavily relied on as an integral member of the team. He can't handle that at the moment and his development is being stunted due to a combination of factors.

Maybe he would have been better going to Crewe and flitting in and out of the side for a while before moving on to somewhere better than Torquay. Crewe certainly have a repututation for this and if you play for Crewe, are young and get mentioned in dispatches then you know there may be good opportunities for you eventually. At Torquay you rarely end up anywhere of any note afterwards. The only positive i can bestow on Billy is that he has forfeited better opportunities to take the path he feels is the right one. I admire that but by the same token i believe on this occasion it was a mistake. He'll either learn this the hard way in a season or so's time or he will be completely vindicated and really begin turning in some scintillating performances. I don't want Billy to have a few nice touches here and there, if they create opportunities then great but if that's all he has in his locker then we've got problems. Billy has to be a consistently effective and damaging part of our attack. He isn't, and hasn't been this season but i truly hope he can silence us doubters once and for all for the benefit of himself and for the football club.