Fans getting angry.....

[ROADRUNNER]

tell me about it, i try to get the fans going down the family stand end of the popside, its like trying to draw blood from a stone with some of them, if only we could get the atmosphere going it might just help the team, although arygle fans say there place is like a morgue and they get 6000+ gates, i just think a lot of home clubs are the same and most seem to sing better away from home and we are one of those clubs

[SBP]

The board need to address match day experience before no one turns up. They have no idea how to treat customers. There's not alot of cash floating around in Torbay. You have to do alot better to attract people in and keep them there. What happened to the group who where gathering every month to address any issues and basically help with ideas etc??
I stand in the pop side down towards the family stand and there is very few moving down after half time. I ve certainly noticed that.

Plainmoor does feel dead, and it will get worse with results and performances of late. I dont see any players engagement with Torbay, what happened to a player turning up at a school or hospital or anywhere to attract the locals. They should be doing something every week. I bet most kids at the local schools who play football dont know any of the players, no role models!

Sorry it feels like a Monday morning rant but its driving me mad.

[AustrianAndyGull]

tell me about it, i try to get the fans going down the family stand end of the popside, its like trying to draw blood from a stone with some of them, if only we could get the atmosphere going it might just help the team, although arygle fans say there place is like a morgue and they get 6000+ gates, i just think a lot of home clubs are the same and most seem to sing better away from home and we are one of those clubs

This is on the whole true RR. I was at Rochdale a couple of weeks back and no word of a lie, they cheered when they scored and that was it, it was flat, dead and the quietest i'd heard from a home crowd in a long time. At least at Accy there were a few lads at the back of the home end trying to get something going in a crowd of just over 1000. So i wouldn't blame people on the pop for not singing. It's the old argument again about singing / not singing. Although it would help the atmosphere if everyone sung, people are different and they should be able to go to games and not feel under pressure to sing if they don't want to.

I sing at every away game i go to with the singers as i like to get involved, shout a lot and support the team and it releases stress and even with the minimal amount of away fans i certainly have a much better experience than i've had at Plainmoor in the few times i've been but i think generally that's how it is.

In terms of matchday experience, i like it because i enjoy it but there are so many ways to make it more fun and enriching for the fans, even i can see that and it is about time someone behind the scenes got their thinking caps on and took some action by implementing some ideas. Hell they don't necessarily need to be innovative, lots of things that other clubs do could be done and that would be a start.

[Glostergull]

[quote="austrianandygull"] I've got a fat head! :~D

He he. does it now matct the the lower half now. lol

[ROADRUNNER]

edd, i see what you are saying and you are right to a degree, but as yellowsmiffy says getting on there backs when the chips are down really aint going to help, sometime people just need a bit of a pat on the back to help them along, if the crowd get behind them it does help, taliking to one certain player he did say to me that when the crowd are loud its really helps them.

[SuperNickyWroe]

edd, i see what you are saying and you are right to a degree, but as yellowsmiffy says getting on there backs when the chips are down really aint going to help, sometime people just need a bit of a pat on the back to help them along, if the crowd get behind them it does help, taliking to one certain player he did say to me that when the crowd are loud its really helps them.

to be honest, i think they have already had that.

and im not angry - just annoyed that it has come to this again in such a short space of time.

[Gullscorer]

I agree with Smiffy. Nobody has the right to shout abuse and insults at people, whatever the reason. If somebody is falling short in their job, it usually needs just a quiet word from the boss, and perhaps a little retraining, or moving the square peg out of the round hole into a more appropriate role, or maybe the boss should look in the mirror and realise that the employees have not been properly organised. Many bosses couldn't organise a booze-up in a pub! Otherwise, the workers could organise themselves better, but if all they get is abuse from the customers, where's the incentive, when they know the bosses may be giving them the push in a few weeks' time anyway?

[ROADRUNNER]

well said chaps, we need to get behind them between now and the end of the season or we are finished, we have to at least try and do our bit regardless, lets at least try to help rather than get on there backs.

[londongull63]

Maybe there is a time for reminding players they need to give 100% (although that’s in terms of running as no player intends to misplace a pass or shoot wide), but now certainly isn’t it when the two things our survival relies on are effort and confidence.
To be honest, I don’t think these players ever did drop effort levels at least until the negativity of the last few weeks – you only need look at their battling at Exeter. And interestingly our goal difference is far superior than most teams at the bottom because we haven’t been getting spanked like a team that’s outclassed and then throws in the towel when they are losing.

But for the rest of the season now we totally rely on the players fighting 100% for this club, which is a difficult one as whereas the fans can’t change club, and perhaps the backroom staff and everyone else working there, the players are in an odd position where they don’t rely on Torquay Utd. So I’m afraid regardless of anyone’s views on whether they should or shouldn’t be criticised, we need to have them wanting to play now for the fans as our only hope - so we can only encourage them now to do that. Get on their backs and it’s over.
In football when quite a few aren’t trying or having a stinker it spreads to others, so the last thing we need is to upset any one of them now. I only hope none of them are in a position where they’re disliking the fans, or what would they be playing for?
A good player is no good if they’re not trying. In our situation I’d rather have less talented ones giving their all even if it means making mistakes. Perhaps if you really were convinced these players were the best in this division and yet landed themselves in our current situation, you might start questioning/criticising them. But if people think they are average or less than how does that help, as the only way up a league would be to get them to play above their ability and level.

Football is quite an easy game to “hide” in to avoid the ball and responsibilty without looking terrible by making glaring mistakes, but that doesn’t help the team. You can just avoid getting in places were you have the ball, avoid taking people on, avoid the opportunity of a killer pass that might not work etc etc. Yesterday I guested for a team about 3 levels above my usual one and they were all very talented players who took it very seriously and criticised any team-mate for a wrong decision or mistake. While I might have just about held my own anywhere but left back - when I’m totally right-footed - I found myself not really wanting the ball as I’d have to distribute it with my left and probably make a mistake and let them down. So I was happy to just run and tackle. You can sit back, not find space etc, and then when you get the ball just hurriedly play the simple pass to another team-mate, content in the knowledge if the ball reaches their feet you’ve passed the buck, although they might not be in a good position. And if you’d taken your time or run with the ball you might have found a better option. There’s the chance you may have given the ball away too, but if everyone avoids risks, doesn’t shoot/cross, passes backwards, sideways, you will lose. So now is not the time to build up confidence, not destroy it.

Incidentally, at no time in the past would I have dreamed of advocating Chris Zebroski’s return, but perhaps needs must and we could do worse. Not because he’s the hugely match-winning super player (who we won’t get anyway), but we just need people who will now care for the club enough to fight. Benyon hopefully will do that because he feels an affinity. And perhaps Zebroski, who we certainly could do worse than talent wise, hopefully would still retain feelings for the club and fans if people got behind him, and would give it everything. He always gave 100% and with Howe I reckon we could pick up some points. It wouldn’t have to be long-term, but perhaps he would respond to the challenge of a saviour rather than some loanee who doesn't have many other options, and is plunged into a negative atmosphere and who it doesn't really matter to at the end of the day. (that's not meant to mean Labadie who on paper looks a decent recruit)

Oh and also before anyone criticises the board, I know at several games recently they've been forced to get out their chequebooks and give more of their money than they were budgeting for. Like anyone perhaps they made a mistake by not realising a bit more money could have been spent to strengthen when we were in a better position to spend it, but it's a fine balancing act between spending (money which you may not have) and saving for another time on our budgets. A big debt would have really finished off our club quicker. Their hearts are with the club and I don't think anyone else with the same money could have done better.

[taxilady]

just picked this up off Wikipedia :After helping the club avoid relegation from League Two during the 2009–10 campaign, Zebroski scored 438000 league goals[citation needed] to help the club finish seventh and reach the play-offs the following season.
Love it ! Can we have him back now please? 438000 goals in the next 10 games should just about do it I reckon!!!!!

[Dave]

Already said it, the more mistakes Oastler made Saturday, the more the crowd got on his back, the more nervous he became and as a result made more mistakes. You can cut the atmosphere witha knife right now at Plainmoor it is like some are just waiting for the first mistake, first goal to go against to just kick-off, right now I actually think we have more chance picking up the pointss we need away from home.

There is a young lad who stands near me who after Poke error against Rotherham spent the next 20 odd minutes shouting, your F/ing usless Poke, etc, etc. Saturday after Poke saved 3 one on ones was clapping and cheering pokey, and as soon as Oastler stuck the ball on a plate for Oxford to score, off he went again this time just swap Poke's name for Oastler.

Jeez just support the team in a positive way, we can not be relegated.

[ROADRUNNER]

im just sick of listening to all the negativity, jesus christ have some of you lot heard yourselfs, im suprised any of you still bother turning up, you have clearly given up already. , what chance have we got, NONE WHATSOEVER, LETS ALL FIND THE NEAREST TREE NOW.

[RussianGull]

I didn't go at the weekend because of lady trouble, but I fully intend on going to all the remaining home games.

There's only one way out of this and that's to sing the gulls to victory. The Gulls Are Staying Up has to make a comeback.

The rot will stop. The gulls are staying up.

[ROADRUNNER]

WELL SAID RUSSIAN THATS TWO OF US THEN.

[Modgull]

WELL SAID RUSSIAN THATS TWO OF US THEN.

I am with you too Roadrunner! Well said in both this and the Conference thread!