Halpin / Baker /MacKenzie

[Magpiegull]

The Western Morning News also believes that Halpin & Baker are off on loan to Bideford with MacKenzie going on loan to Taunton. Obviously clearing the way for some incoming loans.

[MidDevon]

That is good news. Bideford play a pretty high standard, and are only 3 divisions behind Torquay and Devon's 4th highest team. When Ray Spear went there he struggled to get match time so it is not a forgone conclusion that these players will be getting 90 minutes each week, they are going to have to fight for their place which cannot be a bad thing.

[CP Gull]

Sensible move by Knill ... the sort of move that should have happened months ago though.

Could mean that that is the last we will see of Halpin and Baker, with both their contracts running out in the summer, we shall see. Like others, a bit surprised that young Kyrtis is playing at that level but at least it's some game time for him .... should be a bit different from marking Tom Pope though!

[AustrianAndyGull]

Agree with others, ditch Halpin and Baker. MacKenzie has got real promise though and is clearly league 2 level currently if mightily inexperienced. It will be good for him to get gametime wherever though and he is a real assett to the club for the future.

[MidDevon]

I always get surprised at other posters when they feel levels 3 and 4 of the pyramid is too poor a standard for our players struggling to get 1st team football, especially as we spent 2 seasons at level 1 non league ourselves.

These 3 players are clearly not ready for professional non league i.e conference so where exactly should they be going?

Look at any non league programme at that level and you will see in the pen pics of the away team show player after player either released by a league club or having played football at league level or senior non league level. At Bideford you have the likes of Matt Hockley, Ellis laight and Matt Bye, who was of course the golden boy at Exeter City just a few years ago plus a host of others.

These players have had far more experience of higher level football than Halpin, Baker and MacKenzie may ever achieve

It's semi professional football, the players get paid (and a reasonale amount at many clubs) the crowd pay to get in and expectations are rightly very high.

[brucie]

Believe me they will get game time at Bideford. The standard is actualy bloody appalling

[Richinns]

MacKenzie has done nothing to indicate he cannot produce for Torquay in the future, the other two must be looked at as on the way out I would think.

[stevegull]

If my memory serves me correctly Yeoman went to Bideford and notched loads of goals in one of those 'work experience loans' that always goes under the radar. Hope it works out for them.

[MidDevon]

Yeoman did play at Bideford and did well, but they were in The Western League at the time, after this he also spent time on loan at Tiverton and did not make such an impact.

To Brucie - things are always "bloody appalling" in your world so I ignore your comments other than to say that I have watched Bideford a number of times and they are far from it.

[brucie]

If you ignore my comments then why bother replying to them. The standard of the football inBidefords league this year is terrible.

[Dockers Pal]

Good news for these three players. Of course it would be better if they were getting game time at a Conference club but this must be better for them than playing occasional 'development' games and the Devon Bowl.
Mackenzie going to Taunton will be a challenge as they have the 2nd worst defence in their division - I hope he gets to play every match.
Halpin and Baker have barely figured this season so I hope that they show that their training and time at Torquay can be put to good effect at Bideford because they've had little chance to play in competitive matches and, as others have implied, they may be in the last chance saloon.

[GazTheGull]

If you ignore my comments then why bother replying to them. The standard of the football inBidefords league this year is terrible.

Seen them play a few times this year and terrible isn't a bad enough word to describe it. Maybe Halpin and Baker could provide some sort of change to that though?

[Dave]

I know I have said this season, I am no fan of using the loan market, however think this season has shown how wrong I am. We have had injuries and we have little or no money, so having a squad full of players along the lines of Halpin and Baker who lets face our never going to be good enough for League2 and therefore a waste of space, has highlighted a problem.

It is important for us to have a good youth system and MacKenzie still needs to time to see if he will flourish, for me get rid of all the dead wood Halpin/Baker etc, etc, run a much smaller/leaner squad and use the loan market to our advantage, as so many other clubs including Cheltenham (16 players) have done.

[brucie]

Yes agreed - we have to many players who are not good enough and that has been the problem all season.
I would actually only keep the following players from our squad and ditch the rest.

Poke,Nicholson,Leadbitter,Saah,Downes.Mansell,Bodin,Howe,Jarvis and Yeoman.

[Scott Brehaut]

Interesting that you would keep Nicholson and Bodin given that many have said that they have been very poor this season....Nico especially.