Torquay United v Eastbourne Borough 13/4/19

[lucy6lucy]

Bet365 have us 1/50 for the title, surely Torquay can’t do this the simple way, us fans aren’t used/prepared for this scenario. However after going Woking I am beginning to think we might. The gods and belief are certainly with us this season ( since Johnson took over that is). Hopefully with no midweek match the lads will do the job on Saturday against a poor Eastbourne side, so then it turns to the Chelmsford v Woking match, if Woking lose we are champions a draw and we are mathematically champions, although I type this as you will know this scenario already. I’m predicting a 3-1 win. COYY

[Plainmoor78]

Hopefully with no midweek match the lads will do the job on Saturday against a poor Eastbourne side, so then it turns to the Chelmsford v Woking match, if Woking lose we are champions a draw and we are mathematically champions,

If we win and Woking draw then we will have a 9 point lead with 9 to play for. That is not mathematically champions.
Mathematically champions is when it is mathematically impossible for Woking to catch us. If Woking trailed by 9 points with 9 to still to play for they could still theoretically catch us , although it is unlikely.
To be mathematically champions on Saturday Woking must lose while we win.

[SuperNickyWroe]

If we win and Woking draw then we will have a 9 point lead with 9 to play for. That is not mathematically champions.
Mathematically champions is when it is mathematically impossible for Woking to catch us. [highlight=yellow]If Woking trailed by 9 points with 9 to still to play for they could still theoretically catch us [/highlight], although it is unlikely.
To be mathematically champions on Saturday Woking must lose while we win.

Er, unlikely??? I'd say impossible - mathematically and theorectically impossible - the GD...<cough>

[stefano]

Er, unlikely??? I'd say impossible - mathematically and theorectically impossible - the GD...<cough>

Plainmoor78 is correct on this one which is a pleasant change. Mind you I haven't forgiven him for posting nonsense on another thread debunking our 1927 title win which got us into the Football League in the first place on the basis it was Southern League West so a regional league. What the hell does he think National League South is?

[Plainmoor78]

Stefano, I simply pointed out we didn't actually win the overall Southern League title. The Southern League Western Division wad on a par with the Eastern Division. Brighton beat us in the play off.
I'm not debunking it, we were champions of the Western Division.

[PhilGull]

Stefano, I simply pointed out we didn't actually win the overall Southern League title. The Southern League Western Division wad on a par with the Eastern Division. Brighton beat us in the play off.
I'm not debunking it, we were champions of the Western Division.

Brighton reserves I think.

[Rjc70]

Brighton reserves I think.

Reading elsewhere that many of our first team didn’t play in that ‘play-off’ in 1927 as it was very much an after the event Charity Shield friendly sort of affair played long into the following season.

From Jon on TFF:-

“There is also a bit of a silly story going around that our league title win in 1927 does not count because we "lost the play-off". As I have documented on here before, the 1927 match with Brighton was not a high-stakes end-of-season winner-takes-all decider. It was a low key glorified friendly played in midweek well into the following season. Torquay did not even bother to field our first team and included a couple of trialists. It certainly did not decide anything.

If you argue that Torquay did not win the entire Southern League in 1927, then you would have to say that we certainly will not win the entire National League in 2019 - that will probably fall to Leyton Orient or Salford. We do hope to emulate the boys of 1927 by finishing top of the league in which we played - winning a championship by any sensible definition”.

[stefano]

Stefano, I simply pointed out we didn't actually win the overall Southern League title. The Southern League Western Division wad on a par with the Eastern Division. Brighton beat us in the play off.
I'm not debunking it, we were champions of the Western Division.

Well I have been supporting now for 56 years but still can't claim that I was there, so I have to rely on the research of the most knowledgable man I have ever met in matters Torquay United. He confirms that there was a game between Torquay and Brighton but that it was not a play off and no play off system was in operation. The game was a midweek friendly well into the following season and as Torquay were then playing in the Football League they did not even field their full first team.

I suppose it can be argued as to which is the most significant of the two 1927 or 2019 (when it is finally achieved)

The 1927 title was in a league one step below the Football League and led to the election of the club to the Football League for the following season.

2019 is significant as it is happening now and we have no memory of the last time, and it also arrests our worrying slide down the pyramid which looked at the start of the season as though we could be heading down again to the Southern League. It is though still two steps from the Football League. The same next year would certainly make it as significant.

It is nice to see smiles at Plainmoor again, and we haven't had to wait since 1927 for that as although there have been numerous low points there have been a lot of good times as well.

[gullno4]

Nice to hear Opi could be back

[Uptongull]

Still think there could be a twist. When do we ever do it easy? Got a feeling Woking will win at Chelmsford. The Clarets lost again on Tuesday to East Thurrock in the Essex senior cup final and their manager seemed to imply his players are letting problems in their personal lives get in the way of their football. I'm gonna put the cat among the pigeons and say we draw Sat and Woking win. Then the big away following at Chippenham motivates the home side just as much as us, then who knows how that could go. But then again I have had nervous feelings since the Billericay away game and have been proved wrong since so let's hope that continues. It would just be ironic if our tough run of games against play off contenders, which we have won and drew, is book-ended by the Weston defeat and a draw/loss to Eastbourne.

[Teigngull]

Still think there could be a twist. When do we ever do it easy? Got a feeling Woking will win at Chelmsford. The Clarets lost again on Tuesday to East Thurrock in the Essex senior cup final and their manager seemed to imply his players are letting problems in their personal lives get in the way of their football. I'm gonna put the cat among the pigeons and say we draw Sat and Woking win. Then the big away following at Chippenham motivates the home side just as much as us, then who knows how that could go. But then again I have had nervous feelings since the Billericay away game and have been proved wrong since so let's hope that continues. It would just be ironic if our tough run of games against play off contenders, which we have won and drew, is book-ended by the Weston defeat and a draw/loss to Eastbourne.

The last time I looked Gary Johnson was still our manager, not Hargreaves, Nicholson, or Owers , don't be so pessimistic, have a little faith, but I do know how you feel Upton. After all we are Torquay United after all

[Uptongull]

Yep that is the thing I keep reminding myself of. A much more professional feel about things than in recent years.

[Teigngull]

Yep that is the thing I keep reminding myself of. A much more professional feel about things than in recent years.

That's better, positive mental attitude.in GJ we trust.
Coyy

[tufcyellowarmy]

Completely random I know, but I’ve just watched GJ,s preview of the Eastbourne game. Apart from his obvious managerial acumen he can’t fail to attract admiration in the way he conducts himself on camera. He is always so positive and comes across as a man who says what he actually think rather than dishing out the usual sound bite drivel expected from managers in such interviews.
I am proud he’s our manager and I feel he genuinely has developed a real bond with us fans. I just pray we can keep him for at least another season.

[gateman49]

The last time I looked Gary Johnson was still our manager, not Hargreaves, Nicholson, or Owers , don't be so pessimistic, have a little faith, but I do know how you feel Upton. After all we are Torquay United after all

No, don't look over your shoulder at history because it doesn't make things any easier. I bitterly remember 67/8 when, with Frank O'Farrell, we were clear at the top of the old Div 3 at about this time of the season and favourites to go into what is now the Championship. We only won one of our last four and fell away finishing fourth (no play offs then).

Up to now it's been a matter of trying (and succeeding) to outgun Woking.

It's quite possible that the team will think that, having got them out of the way, they have achieved it or that they will suddenly realise that history beckons and they might freeze. The last thing that they want is for me to give them a team talk on Saturday!