Ling v Buckle

[Gullscorer]

I read someone on the Bristol Rovers Forum who said if PB gets the Stevenage job, with them doing well in League One right now, PB could be managing a Championship club next season!

[AustrianAndyGull]

I can't disagree with any of your conclusions or indeed any of your hopes wishes and fears. It's a difficult one and as I said previously, as much as I was infuriated at the time of the play-off final you can certainly understand why a Board more informed of the financial constraints would be inclined to feel that promotion wasn't a good thing for the long term stability of the Club.

I'll always want promotion as a fan, without that hope I don't see the point of competing but then looking at the bigger picture what is the harm of a few seasons of consolidation?

Going for promotion is a priority. To say that it would be better if we stayed where we are because there are more southern teams in league 2 is frankly laughable. What the hell, we may as well restrucure the football league and have regional leagues then so it suits us? We are where we are and need to forget about what other clubs are doing. If we were denied the opportunity of promotion simply because the club wanted to balance the books or wanted to 'play it safe' then that would be it for me as a Torquay fan. Torquay may as well go and play in some sort of 'fun' league where it's all about the taking part and not the winning. Whilst the club are taking money from fans they must do what is reasonably acceptable in terms of taking the club forward and trying to be successful otherwise there is no point IMO. There is no harm in a few seasons of consolidation Dave but so long as the club and players are striving to be the best they can then that's ok. Back onto Ling v Bucks then i'll reserve judgement to the end of the season but if Martin can get this team in the play offs i'd say it surpassed Bucks for achievements at L2 level definately.

[HRG]

Just had a bit of a shock: I read someone on the Bristol Rovers Forum who said if PB gets the Stevenage job, with them doing well in League One right now, PB could be managing a Championship club next season!

I do enjoy reading the Rover's forum, mainly because one of the more frequent posters comes across as being a bit of a loon, and has appointed himself as the forum police. Bless him, he says new members must 'prove their heritage', if any posts by these new members are subsequently deemed unworthy by this forum god, they are then labelled a City fan. It's all a bit too serious. But amusing as an outsider.

A bit more quoted post related: If Stevenage were to appoint Buckle they would be mad. But he has such belief in himself and his 'abilities', that of course he would apply for a job managing League One play-off contenders, after leading pre-season League Two promotion contenders into a possible relegation fight.

[Trojan 67]

Buckle at "weightlifters have small dicks Boro" really would be something.

Image the intimidation he would feel with those monsters towering over him.

He would soon put the record straight at the earliest opportunity. He would strip off after the first training session, join them in the showers then arrogantly boast, "Who's the littlest dick now !"

In unison, the playing staff of "weightlifters have small dicks Boro" would say, "You are short arse at 5' 7" !

[AustrianAndyGull]

If Ling gets us up automatically then IMO he will be the best manager i have seen at the club ( since Leroy ). Better than Buckle and better than Leroy. He is already on a par with Buckle at the moment. The achievement of promotion this season whether via the play offs or automatic would also have Martin down as the best i've seen.

[Trojan 67]

Our manager crosses each bridge as it comes. We went over the safe from relegation bridge some time ago.

The next up and coming bridge, should we cross it, will be play-off spot secured bridge. Next bridge after that, should we cross it, will be automatic promotion bridge. Next bridge, should we cross it, will be League 2 runners up bridge. And the final bridge to cross will be League 2 Champions bridge.

I've lost count now of how many bridges we need to cross. How many of them (with the exception of the one bridge we have crossed) are a bridge too far ?

[usagullmichigan]

Three very good managers in my time. Knowles, Leroy and Ling. Sorry Buckle is nowhere near any of these three. Ling is well ahead of Buckle already no matter where we finish.

[AustrianAndyGull]

I was just talking in terms of comparative achievements rather than their personality and whether we like them or not. You can't say Ling is better than Buckle as of now no matter how much we hate buckle.

[alcohorse]

Sorry if ive missed this on another thread but were the rest of you as stunned as I was to see just how low bucks was prepared to stoop in his recent interview with radio devon? I like a joke about buckle but also believe its old news and should be put behind us. I guess its like getting a cracking new missus and banging on to her about your old one! Anyway, I found it refreshing then to read the headline of this interview suggested the mighty buckle was actually offering praise for his successor! Very humble indeed I felt, particularly in light of having lost his own job. I should of course have known better! As anyone who heard the interview will know, this was yet another selfish, self-inflated stunt to further the mans own (wilting) career. It basically claimed ling is doing a great job BECAUSE of the foundations buckle had laid. Rubbish. Paul buckle, you left this club in a complete mess and many fancied us as relegation candidates pre-season. The king of the berks didnt stop there tho, shining light on lings poor spell with cambridge after a good spell at orient, in an attempt to try and draw comparisons to his own success at torquay before his failing at rovers. So, praise for ling then? Hardly. A complete weasel of a man. Absolutely no class. To me a managers relationship with his fans is also important, not purely results and the honesty and character ling displays week in week out means hed have to go a hell of a way to put him behind buckle in terms of managers weve had. As ive said from Dingers first interview, I like the cut of the mans jib and that was before the results came! Buckle, shut your mouth and listen to how a manager like martin ling conducts himself-you have much to learn.

[Plymouth Gull]

I was just talking in terms of comparative achievements rather than their personality and whether we like them or not. You can't say Ling is better than Buckle as of now no matter how much we hate buckle.

I think we can. I won't do a huge reply as it's been done to death but Ling is on a much more restricted budget than PB, yet we're 2 points behind what PB got last season, with 10 games left. I don't think we had a real chance of top 3 last year, Ling has given that to us now. I don't think any TUFC fan expected us to be sat in 2nd place with 10 games to play, so for that reason Lingy (and Shaun Taylor, must be doing something right with the defence!) are doing much, much better than Buckle.

[AustrianAndyGull]

I take your points Nick but i'm talking in terms of achievement. For all we know we could fall apart in April and finsih outside the play offs (highly unlikely but i'm just highlighting the fact to emphasise my point) and then Ling will have not achieved anything tangible in terms of a promotion or play off spot. Yes you can argue that even if we finish out of the play offs it has still been a remarkable season and a great achievement from Ling but if that were to be the case would it be better than PB did? After all, i didn't expect us to get anywhere near the play offs LAST season but we did so surely Bucks deserves a bit of credit despite being a total cock?

[Gullscorer]

Sorry if ive missed this on another thread but were the rest of you as stunned as I was to see just how low bucks was prepared to stoop in his recent interview with radio devon? I like a joke about buckle but also believe its old news and should be put behind us. I guess its like getting a cracking new missus and banging on to her about your old one! Anyway, I found it refreshing then to read the headline of this interview suggested the mighty buckle was actually offering praise for his successor! Very humble indeed I felt, particularly in light of having lost his own job. I should of course have known better! As anyone who heard the interview will know, this was yet another selfish, self-inflated stunt to further the mans own (wilting) career. It basically claimed ling is doing a great job BECAUSE of the foundations buckle had laid. Rubbish. Paul buckle, you left this club in a complete mess and many fancied us as relegation candidates pre-season. The king of the berks didnt stop there tho, shining light on lings poor spell with cambridge after a good spell at orient, in an attempt to try and draw comparisons to his own success at torquay before his failing at rovers. So, praise for ling then? Hardly. A complete weasel of a man. Absolutely no class. To me a managers relationship with his fans is also important, not purely results and the honesty and character ling displays week in week out means hed have to go a hell of a way to put him behind buckle in terms of managers weve had. As ive said from Dingers first interview, I like the cut of the mans jib and that was before the results came! Buckle, shut your mouth and listen to how a manager like martin ling conducts himself-you have much to learn.

As I heard it, the interviewer not Paul Buckle drew the comparisons, and many of Buckle's signings remained at the club when he left, players with the potential eventually brought to fruition by Ling. But, as you said early on in your post, it's old news and should be put behind us..

[Southampton Gull]

Sorry if ive missed this on another thread but were the rest of you as stunned as I was to see just how low bucks was prepared to stoop in his recent interview with radio devon? I like a joke about buckle but also believe its old news and should be put behind us. I guess its like getting a cracking new missus and banging on to her about your old one! Anyway, I found it refreshing then to read the headline of this interview suggested the mighty buckle was actually offering praise for his successor! Very humble indeed I felt, particularly in light of having lost his own job. I should of course have known better! As anyone who heard the interview will know, this was yet another selfish, self-inflated stunt to further the mans own (wilting) career. It basically claimed ling is doing a great job BECAUSE of the foundations buckle had laid. Rubbish. Paul buckle, you left this club in a complete mess and many fancied us as relegation candidates pre-season. The king of the berks didnt stop there tho, shining light on lings poor spell with cambridge after a good spell at orient, in an attempt to try and draw comparisons to his own success at torquay before his failing at rovers. So, praise for ling then? Hardly. A complete weasel of a man. Absolutely no class. To me a managers relationship with his fans is also important, not purely results and the honesty and character ling displays week in week out means hed have to go a hell of a way to put him behind buckle in terms of managers weve had. As ive said from Dingers first interview, I like the cut of the mans jib and that was before the results came! Buckle, shut your mouth and listen to how a manager like martin ling conducts himself-you have much to learn.

Couldn't agree with you more, perfectly summed up for me.

[Glostergull]

I hate to keep resurecting this thread because i think we should be concetrating on how our team is doing now not on how much we hate Buckle. Maybe a new thread should be made about Manager success. Then we can concentrate on the 4 managers who we think are at the top of the United Tree. And Buckle isn't in that 4.
so far I think the number one is a manager most fo you won't have ever seen.
Frank O'Farrell.
No2 Leroy for automatic promotion and the style he promoted to get us there
Cyril Knowles for being a legend and getting us to a final
Martin Ling who hasn't yet done it but may well climb up this tree. If we get to the playoffs and win then No. 3
if we get automatic promotion then possibly no.2 providing we don't get immediatly relegated. If he can consolidate us there and keep up up for two or three seasons and even challenge for the playoffs then he could be no. 1.
Easily definable targets.

[AustrianAndyGull]

If Ling gets us up automatically then he surpasses anything Leroy did IMO. Leroy had David Graham, an on form Martin Gritton and Tony Bedeau and Joe Kuffour. Our current team has nowhere near this in terms of attacking potency.