Torquay United Fans Forum

Better get used to looking at the National League South because that's where we are heading. Once again most of the game was stifled. Where are these Marquee signings? What happened to the 5 year plan? Is it time for change?

If a team can stifle another team it means the other team has no threat!
Scoring goals is the only threat and now we are down to Aaron and Tope as Lewis and James are sidelined, it's a good job we had four and not two strikers.
Without the training for the strikers "Gary's way" will always be stifled at each and every opportunity as todays result shows.

So James Crole has an ankle injury in the strikers department where we NOW have Aaron, Tope, Lewis and James.
James Crole being out of action introduced Lewis Collins on the bench even though he was on the 'radar' and had only just joined the club.
This is an explanation of why JC has been missing but it doesn't say why you would play a player that you would take off before half time, you don't put your man on knowing he would be a weaker link because of a situation when he is stronger when the game progresses.
Were the tactics and lineup wrong? Well obviously because it was a losing game.
To put the onus on a young striker to stop a 'marauding' now seasoned pro who went from us to them when he should be playing much higher, and telling him, he's "going to be taken off before half time" must have been the greatest demotivational talk he's ever had!
GJ is always on about entertaining yet we've been on two strikers up until now!
We now have four strikers, perhaps I should of named this thread as so, but it's no good naming when there is no one who can attest the strengths and weaknesses of the forward line which is obviously missing.
We may just scrape through this season with the team and staff we have but it needs another attacking influence off the pitch.
Small margins are what it takes to win or lose and it's obvious we are missing a backroom link because it has taken until now to realise.

He was lucky he stayed on till the 30th minute, let along the half, as he hardly moved after the 10th minute. He looked totally out of gas by then, and Collins was never going to start after Topes goal on Tuesday. So Gary did the right thing, but Topes fitness wasn't up to 3 games in a week.

UnitedinDevon wrote: 04 Feb 2023, 19:11 drivel
he was knackered, he had to come off - you'd be moaning if he had stayed on saying "why didn't he bring collins on!"

asking what else there is on the bench is rubbish too - who were you expecting to see on the bench today?

How the hell could someone say "why didn't he bring Collins on!" when not one of us has even seen Collins play!
If he was knackered what was he doing on the pitch?
Drivel, yes good word when used in the right context.

I thought the same. Seemed to be hustling quite well up there. Seems that a lot of people on here thought he was unfit. I was a bit baffled by the timing of the substitution, I would have at least given him until half time.

Johnson’s tactical reason given seemed to make sense. Tope plays across the pitch. Collins apparently plays deeper. If the Notts hadnt got a questionable penalty we might have got a point.

Stickingitin wrote: 04 Feb 2023, 19:01 V Notts County
Is this management team clutching at straws?
Taking Tope Fadahunsi off after 30 odd minutes into a game where the only player to have one assist and a goal in the last two games, is like taking the Queen off a chess board 21 moves in!
Just because a STRIKER doesn't show his full game to a defender early on in a game, is the reason why a defender doesn't know how to handle him when he does.
When the opportunity presented itself and to be able to get back at least a point, there was no gas left in the tank and sweet fanny addams all on the bench! WHY?
I can't believe that Fadahunsi was unfit because if he was, then he wouldn't of even been on the bench, and if he was unfit, then who the hell is in control of the team?

drivel
he was knackered, he had to come off - you'd be moaning if he had stayed on saying "why didn't he bring collins on!"

asking what else there is on the bench is rubbish too - who were you expecting to see on the bench today?

V Notts County
Is this management team clutching at straws?
Taking Tope Fadahunsi off after 30 odd minutes into a game where the only player to have one assist and a goal in the last two games, is like taking the Queen off a chess board 21 moves in!
Just because a STRIKER doesn't show his full game to a defender early on in a game, is the reason why a defender doesn't know how to handle him when he does.
When the opportunity presented itself and to be able to get back at least a point, there was no gas left in the tank and sweet fanny addams all on the bench! WHY?
I can't believe that Fadahunsi was unfit because if he was, then he wouldn't of even been on the bench, and if he was unfit, then who the hell is in control of the team?

As Aguiar leaves us and Collins joins the belief that we can get one extra goal is there, the defense ain't looking too bad either!

I see the fine margin team of the NL just thumped Chesterfield 3-0, we won 1-0 because of the backup in the belief of the defenders and the strikers that is lacking!

The whole result can and does often balance on the quality of the referee.

I agree with this cognitive stuff and this fine margins claptrap, sorry, stuff.

Just so long as the gulls win by a fine margin or a cognitively acceptable margin. Else, it's all claptrap.

Marginally speaking of course.

Stickingitin wrote: 20 Jan 2023, 17:20 If it is a question of quality in the team then three forwards/strikers is better than one or two.

Not at all. You are arguing for quantity over quality. One really quality striker is better than three, four or five mediocre strikers.

Cheddargull wrote: 20 Jan 2023, 17:06 If it was simply a case of "fine margins" it would also be a case of some you lose, some you win. In other words it would simply be down to luck and in that scenario we would probably win as many as we lose. But that isn't the case, it is a question of quality in the team and in most positions we don't have that. It is also not about the number of strikers we have but also the quality of service they get from midfield.
Your outlook is too simplistic.

And yet it must be a game of fine margins as as you point out the game isn't totally random!
If it is a question of quality in the team then three forwards/strikers is better than one or two.
Too simple for many.