Chris Hargreaves, Has he got what it takes in the Conference

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Chris Hargreaves, Has he got what it takes in the Conference

by Gullscorer » 06 May 2014, 02:11

If there's one thing above all else that CH can do to prove he has what it takes to get us out of the Conference, it is to instil some permanent fighting spirit into the Gulls squad.

Yesterday, Mark Selby beat Ronnie O'Sullivan 18-14 to win the World Snooker Championship after fighting back from being 5-10 down. Because, as Selby himself said, he never gave up, he just kept on going. And Crystal Palace, 0-3 down at home to Liverpool, fought back to a 3-3 draw, because they never lost their fighting spirit, their determination to compete.

Yet how many times over the past eighteen months have we seen the Gulls drop their heads after conceding a goal, and going on to meekly capitulate and surrender the game, with no confidence, no bottle, no guts, no backbone, no desire. That, more than anything else, had been their undoing for far too long, until CH began to re-introduce some real, albeit fleeting, fight and determination into the team over the last few games of the season.

It takes both time and changes in personnel to alter that kind of ethos and to install character into a squad. CH has now had the time to determine what is required and where changes must be made, and his actions over the next two or three months will demonstrate his commitment to making those changes.

We cannot and should not expect him work miracles, but if he can produce a squad of players who are hungry for success and determined to achieve it, that alone should be sufficient to win the support of Gulls fans over the coming months. That is the very least he must do, and I believe he will do it.

Chris Hargreaves, Has he got what it takes in the Conference

by hector » 04 May 2014, 08:52

DTG wrote:Listening to the after match interview on RD I would say the CH is pretty damn well pissed off and so he should be. I think he is going to swing the axe deep and hard. Let's see what he's made of now. Good luck Chris.
I hope that he clears them all out but I suspect there may have to be some tempering of wishes so it is not a case of throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

I suspect it will be a lot about attitude. However appalling that team has been, there are players there who should be able to be decent Conference players at the very least, whilst there are others who are clearly not.

Whilst there are obvious cases like Nicholson, Cruise etc, who you cannot imagine for one moment, would be retained, what about someone like Lathrope?

I imagine his attitude is pretty decent and as he showed at Hereford, earlier this season, he is a decent performer at Conference level. Could we get better than him? Is the same true of Harding? There aren't many others, though, who are worthy of keeping.

I suspect Martin Rice will be staying. When shaking hands with supporters on the Pop Side, he was saying 'We'll bounce back!' and whilst he has had a decent season this year, I still am not convinced that he is the solid keeper we need but his performances and attitude probably warrant a new contract, even if it means he has to compete for the no.1 shirt with someone else.

As for Mansell, it seems, if the other thread is true, that he is going. I cannot imagine that Mansell is one of the 3 that Hargreaves has been happy with and whilst he could be ok (although probably not) in the Conference, we need a sense of renewal, just to give that sense of a new direction, and retaining him would not really enable that to happen.

The early bird season ticket offer finishes on Friday (although a part of me wonders if they will extend the offer, like they did last year - they would be mad not to or else Friday's sales will likely be their last) - I cannot imagine too many have taken the club up on it just yet - but it will require a pretty dramatic retained list to persuade people it is worth shelling out.

Chris Hargreaves, Has he got what it takes in the Conference

by DTG » 04 May 2014, 03:47

Listening to the after match interview on RD I would say the CH is pretty damn well pissed off and so he should be. I think he is going to swing the axe deep and hard. Let's see what he's made of now. Good luck Chris.

Chris Hargreaves, Has he got what it takes in the Conference

by tomogull » 03 May 2014, 23:39

I think Hargreaves has got what it takes to get us back in the league ...... BUT we fans have to show a bit of patience because I feel it's going to take two or three seasons to re-build the team. Don't forget that we have dead wood with the likes of Tonge, Hawley and Harding on two year contracts (gee - thanks Knill). The other BUT is the Board of Directors. Good people and ardent Gulls fans they may be, but do they have the knowledge (for want of a better word) to run a football club ?

Chris Hargreaves, Has he got what it takes in the Conference

by yellowforever » 03 May 2014, 22:44

ferrarilover wrote: The whole thing's pretty flimsy, but point C is especially mirthworthy.

Matt.
Indeed, if only we had a manager who could get players in on loan from clubs like Tottenham and Manchester United...

Chris Hargreaves, Has he got what it takes in the Conference

by ferrarilover » 03 May 2014, 21:34

Sesimbra wrote:When Hargreaves was appointed I stated on another thread that I thought it was a big gamble due to (a) No managerial tactical experience (b) Too close to players (c) Doubtful if he has sufficient contacts.
At the end of the season I have no reason to question or alter my comments.
The whole thing's pretty flimsy, but point C is especially mirthworthy.

Matt.

Chris Hargreaves, Has he got what it takes in the Conference

by nickbrod » 03 May 2014, 21:34

The big positive about Coulthirst is that he made the opposition defend so their defence had to play deep thus allowing us to attack. Without him (or someone like him) we were impotent.

Chris Hargreaves, Has he got what it takes in the Conference

by AustrianAndyGull » 03 May 2014, 21:27

Coulthirst made all the difference at Mansfield and his energy and tireless running rubbed off on the other players I felt. I think when Bodin plays the others know he's going to do **** all and probably lose possession and so it has a negative effect but with Coulthirst each time he got the ball he looked to do something with it and never gave up. Most of the time he was consistently productive. Once you have a player like that then the rest of the team play better. Like Spurs under Bale. They looked for him every time to receive the ball as they knew he was going to drive forward and invariably do something with the ball.

If we signed Shaq a few months back we'd be a football league club. No doubt in my mind. Never mind, we still have designs on re-signing Bodin.

As for today, I just think the players threw the towel in. It was a dead rubber, they are thick skinned and can put in another 90 minute shocker, grit their teeth and when it's game over they can forget about football and go and pick up their 'earnings'.

Chris Hargreaves, Has he got what it takes in the Conference

by nickbrod » 03 May 2014, 21:18

Agreed Chris only a cull of the current squad will give us fans the hope that next season will be different. Given the right budget I believe CH is the right man to bring back better times.
Having been at Bristol Rovers, Exeter and Mansfield I cannot believe I was watching the same team (less Coulthirst) today.
Next season could be great as long as we can return to fortress Plainmoor.

Chris Hargreaves, Has he got what it takes in the Conference

by AustrianAndyGull » 03 May 2014, 21:14

CP Gull wrote:The ONLY positive to take from today's woeful performance, in my opinion, was the post match interview that Chris Hargreaves gave on Radio Devon. For once, understandably perhaps, he sounded like a REAL fan, he genuinely told it like it was and sounded as hurt as the rest of us.

I truly hope that he follows through with his comments with actions. Today, if nothing else, proved that we have a group of players who are simply not up to the task. We need to make wholesale changes to the squad and his comment that very often since he took over there have only been three or so players that he has been happy with during games speaks volumes.

I have a feeling that one or two who might have been offered a new deal before today's game may have blown it ... daft though that may seem. Most at risk, to my mind, would be the likes of Yeoman who was totally ineffectual today and Craig who likewise offered nothing when he came on.

As for the Board, I think they need to take a long hard look at themselves after the disastrous season we have had. Much as I respect many of them and will always be thankful for them stepping in at our lowest ebb and in our hour of need, I just think that there are too many of them now and I do wonder what impact that makes on the decision making process. Quite simply, it is surely not unlike any walk of life in that the idea that you can get 10 or more (quite literally I have lost count of the numbers involved) people to agree on anything in life is extremely difficult and I just feel that that is where we are at right now.

Not only that, but with the best will in the world and being totally honest, I feel like our football club is being run more along the lines of a golf club at the moment ... we need to change that ethos otherwise it will be a long, long time before we return to the Football League ... if ever.

As for Chris Hargreaves, he continues to talk a lot of sense in his media dealings and I for one am prepared to give him the chance to build HIS squad for next season. Quite simply it is not fair to judge him on what is basically the squad that he inherited. That said, I await with interest, to see what his retained list will be in this coming week and as far as I am concerned the deeper he cuts in terms of the current squad, then the more impressed I will be. His words in the RD interview gave me some encouragement ... but only following that through with actions will give me real hope for a brighter future.
Spot on CP and as usual a thoroughly more intelligent and succinct way of getting your point across than myself could ever hope to do. :bow: This is the kind of thing I was trying to get across on the other thread about who does what on the board. Ok so I made my point childishly but CP hits the nail on the head. It feels to me like they would have jolly boys outings and golfing holidays and all that sort of spin off from being board members.

Chris Hargreaves, Has he got what it takes in the Conference

by CP Gull » 03 May 2014, 21:06

The ONLY positive to take from today's woeful performance, in my opinion, was the post match interview that Chris Hargreaves gave on Radio Devon. For once, understandably perhaps, he sounded like a REAL fan, he genuinely told it like it was and sounded as hurt as the rest of us.

I truly hope that he follows through with his comments with actions. Today, if nothing else, proved that we have a group of players who are simply not up to the task. We need to make wholesale changes to the squad and his comment that very often since he took over there have only been three or so players that he has been happy with during games speaks volumes.

I have a feeling that one or two who might have been offered a new deal before today's game may have blown it ... daft though that may seem. Most at risk, to my mind, would be the likes of Yeoman who was totally ineffectual today and Craig who likewise offered nothing when he came on.

As for the Board, I think they need to take a long hard look at themselves after the disastrous season we have had. Much as I respect many of them and will always be thankful for them stepping in at our lowest ebb and in our hour of need, I just think that there are too many of them now and I do wonder what impact that makes on the decision making process. Quite simply, it is surely not unlike any walk of life in that the idea that you can get 10 or more (quite literally I have lost count of the numbers involved) people to agree on anything in life is extremely difficult and I just feel that that is where we are at right now.

Not only that, but with the best will in the world and being totally honest, I feel like our football club is being run more along the lines of a golf club at the moment ... we need to change that ethos otherwise it will be a long, long time before we return to the Football League ... if ever.

As for Chris Hargreaves, he continues to talk a lot of sense in his media dealings and I for one am prepared to give him the chance to build HIS squad for next season. Quite simply it is not fair to judge him on what is basically the squad that he inherited. That said, I await with interest, to see what his retained list will be in this coming week and as far as I am concerned the deeper he cuts in terms of the current squad, then the more impressed I will be. His words in the RD interview gave me some encouragement ... but only following that through with actions will give me real hope for a brighter future.

Chris Hargreaves, Has he got what it takes in the Conference

by nickbrod » 03 May 2014, 21:00

I believe CH knows what it takes to get out of the Conference but he would be helped if there was a football man on the Board who has been there and done it - a mentor of some kind.
Next week's retained list will be very telling leading to a revamped squad for next season.

Chris Hargreaves, Has he got what it takes in the Conference

by nickbrod » 03 May 2014, 20:43

Pretty shocking today, at least CH said it as I saw it: a disgraceful performance. Yes only three players performed this afternoon: Cameron, Cargill and Rice.
Having spoken with Cargill's dad after the game he hopes his son won't be back here.
Nico told us he has a meeting with the manager on Bank Holiday Monday and he doesn't expect to be here next season.

Chris Hargreaves, Has he got what it takes in the Conference

by Dave » 03 May 2014, 20:38

Haven't voted, as not sure. What I do know, is after watching todays game CH has a truly massive job in his hands and may have to pretty much can off the entire squad, you could see it clearly today, there quite a few either not good enough or just don't want to be here any more, sadly some still under contract.

Chris Hargreaves, Has he got what it takes in the Conference

by brucie » 03 May 2014, 20:34

I cannot see for the life of me that he will retain Craig - he lasted the first half against Exeter and that was it.
If Tonge moves then that will be a good move for him and us.

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