Torquay United Fans Forum

Managers in my time as a Torquay fan:
[b][u]Mike Green[/u][/b] - his team of 1979/80 is one of my all-time favourites with John Turner in goal, Richard Bourne in defence, Donal Murphy, Tommy Sermanni, Peter Coffill in midfield and the legendary pairing of Steve Cooper and Les Lawrence up front. Just a shame the team went 15 games without a win in the spring as up until then we were likely promotion candidates. Probably all went wrong when the club refused to let Green go to Bristol Rovers when they were in what is now the Championship and then sacked him a year later.
[b][u]Frank O'Farrell[/u][/b]- not the 1960s version but the 1980's one and it didn't really work out.
[b][u]Bruce Rioch[/u][/b]- one of my all-time heroes at Torquay and was looking a promising manager on very limited resources until Colin Anderson nutmegged him. I guess his subsequent career as a manager proved what we all could see. A real shame.
[b][u]Dave Webb[/u][/b] Hated him. I would use a very strong word to describe him but it is offensive.
[b][u]John Sims[/u][/b] What a waste of time. It was the support of thing - appointing him - that Mike Bateson would repeatedly do a few years later.
[b][u]Stuart Morgan[/u][/b] Had a good eye for a player, if you think of the players that he signed that essentially became Cyril's near promotion team but never really cut it as a manager.
[b][u]Cyril Knowles[/u][/b] 1987/88 is still probably my favourite season even though we didn't get promoted but after the Webb years and the Bryn game against Crewe, it was just so amazing to have this winning team. I will always remember that year. Beating Spurs, murdering cup-holders Coventry (even though we lost), Dave Caldwell, Jim McNichol et al
[b][u]Dave Smith[/u][/b]Right man at the wrong time. Bateson wanted to make his mark so Smith was forced out too early in my view.
[b][u]John Impey[/u][/b]Dead-cat bounce got us promoted. Was so clearly out of his depth in what is now League 1. First of Bateson's cheap yes-men.
[b][u]Wes Saunders[/u][/b] His caretaker manager role lasted so long that he can effectively be classed as a manager. He was poor. Out of his depth. Another Bateson cheapshot. Surely he would never make the same mistake twice.
[b][u]Ivan Golac[/u][/b] Appointed far too late to have any chance of keeping us in what was then the Third Division.
[b][u]Paul Compton[/u][/b] A stain on the hsitory of TUFC. A shocking shocking choice by Bateson but typical of his lack of footballing knowledge and lack of care. Our worst ever manager.
[b][u]Neil Warnock[/u][/b] If only he could have stayed.
[b][u]Don O'Riordan[/u][/b] Did a good job on very limited resources. I don't blame him for the 1-8 loss at home that saw him sacked. What was he supposed to do with a forward line of Byng and Laight?
[b][u]Eddie May[/u][/b]Just a Webb clone and just as crap. Bateson could have appointed Gary Megson or Mick Buxton but against all sense, he went for May.
[b][u]Kevin Hodges[/u][/b] Did a really good job on probably the smallest budget of any Torquay manager.
[b][u]Wes Saunders[/u][/b] I was so pi55ed off with Bateson when he appointed Saunders again and it predictably went pear-shaped. Utter stupidity to repeat what had been crap the first time.
[b][u]Colin Lee[/u][/b] That is what happens when you appoint a proper manager. Whatever has happened since, his professionalism and vision saved us.
[b][u]Roy McFarland[/u][/b] Got lots of unfair stick after he was given the job late on and had to scratch around for players but sowed the seeds of our promotion winning team under Leroy.
[b][u]Leroy Rosenior[/u][/b] You could argue that he was indebted to McFarland and Plymouth Argyle for giving him the players that got us promoted but we did play such beautiful football. Looked set for a glittering managerial career but he just could not recruit on his own and it all fell apart. Those who ask for him to come back every so often should consider what he has done since 2004.
[b][u]John Cornforth[/u][/b]Bateson was just taking the pi55 when he appointed Cornforth. I refused to go and joined the boycotters for much of this and the subsequent season.
[b][u]Ian Atkins[/u][/b] Did a brilliant job for us on limited resources. My only bug-bear with him is that he failed to sign Ryan Harley (and this is not me being wise after the event - it was clear that pre-season that Harley had talent) to sign Carl Motteram instead.
[b]Lubos Kubik[/b] Not even sure if I have his name right. I didn't go during this period. Having Hancox so firmly back in the fold put pay to me giving my money to Roberts/Bateson.
[b][u]Keith Curle[/u][/b] Not really enough to judge him on.
[b][u]Leroy Rosenior[/u][/b] His ten minutes -just bizarre. It marked that funny period of the old regime clinging to power whilst the new brigade were coming in. Mervyn Benney being Colonel Gaddaffi.
[b][u]Paul Buckle[/u][/b]You cannot argue with the job he did but perhaps the way he did it and I have to be honest, I am rather enjoying seeing him get his reward at Rovers.
[b][u]Martin Ling[/u][/b]I had misgivings the start and then after the 8 game run but really hoping he continues to prove me wrong.

So that is why you are on the naughty step Trojan.

The Hollywood years meaning you were acting up? and consuming too much American amber nectar?

Mike Bateson went missing during some of Leroy’s tenure as well.

Well you both missed a treat, culminating in that glorious day out at Rootes Hall in May 2004.

Leave those magic mushrooms alone, Bud ;-)

I went missing during Leroy's watch. :Oops:

That particular time in my life was known as Trojan : the Hollywood years.

Don't ask, it's a very long/short, short/long tall story. ;-)

That tall story included the pseudonym of Bud Lightbeer.

Any wiser bud ? ;-)

Agree with positions 1 and 2 me old horse, but in third place for me is Leroy.

The manager during our second automatic promotion in 2004 (37 years after Frank O’Farrell) at a time when we played entertaining football of a high order.

Buckle has his place in TUFC history but mainly as a non-league manager with a big budget.

In the time I've been going to Plainmoor, three managers stand out above the rest :

In first place . . . Frank O'Farrell :bow: who built a promotion winning team in 1965/66 (the first TUFC promotion that I witnessed). The nucleus of the side that Frank built remained in Division Three (created together with Division Four in 1958) for it's longest ever spell in that Division (six seasons 1966/67 to 1971/72).


In second place . . . Cyril Knowles :bow: who turned around the disastrous David Webb era to build a very hard to beat football team. Cyril being the first manager to take TUFC to Wembley in 1989. It was my first trip to the Twin Towers with TUFC.


In third place . . . Paul Buckle :bow: the first manager in TUFC history to take the Gulls to Wembley twice on the trot and the first manager to qualify for three end of season play-offs on his watch.

I remember the Frank O'Farrel era too. It was good steady prgress leading to a a great team evolving into the great promotion team that kept us up for some 5 or 6 years. Although I started watching the Gulls in the says Of Webber it was O'farrel that was in the headlines and I really noticed the faces and personalities. The one that real;ly stands out for me was leroy Rosenier. A humble personality who never let success go to his head and in all the days of watching United it was Leroys team that had me the most excited. His brand and style of play soon earned the richly deserved accolade of Brazil of the West Country. We beat far bigger teams and were feared in the league. Our ground becoming a fortress. It is still a shame that he left in somewhat unusual circumstances. It was never really clear whether he was pushed or lost the glint in his eye.
I still remember hugging him on the pitch and then telling him that it was going to be his greatest achievement because despite what else he would do with all the resources that would be available to him, He took The Gulls up with practically nothing. To take a skint football club to promotion with no money really takes skill. He thought for a moment and then said "Yes I see what you mean. it was great wasn't it"

[quote="Northumbergull"]As a tangent to the current "Credit...Martin Ling" thread, I thought I'd ask folks to pass comment on all our past managers, as far as folks can recall.

I go back as far as the latter part of the Eric Webber era though,[color=#FF0000] in reality, I begin my memories with Frank O'Farrell. [/color]
Most of the men who have held office have made little impact on my memory, save for when we've been either at one of our peaks or troughs. Cyril Knowles would tie in with the former, Wes Saunders the latter. Most often, though, they've just been the guy that coached the players and picked the team which, to my mind, is exactly their role.

One thing, though, is that only a very few had the ability to motivate AND be personable. Many teams have had tyrannical managers that'd bludgeon a performance as a one off, then wonder why the players turned on them. Mind,it's the same in all walks of life.

That's why Martin Ling seems to be garnering a little affection just now, I reckon. A good half-time talk against the Pilgrims, followed by an amiable presentation to the cameras not pushing his own abilities to the fore.

Any thoughts about the others?

Cheers

Bruce[/quote]

Bruce you surprise me. I thought your memory was failing. didn't your missus call you senile last week lol :lol:

I think Eddie May was the manager in charge when I first went to see Torquay with a mate, but I didn't start going on a regular basis until Kevin Hodges took over. I remember having some great away days with Wes Saunders in charge (again) and the greatest signing of Neville Southall, but I may have to agree with some of the younger fans on here and say that Leroy has to be my hero of choice.

Bleedin' Mk Dons and their 95th minute winner.. :(

Le-roy Ro-senior! Le-roy Ro-senior! Le-roy Ro-senior! Le-roy Ro-senior! ad infinitum..... [makes me smile even now, thinking of the pop side belting out his name at the end of every game]

He had it all. Charisma, a good rapport with the fans and a team that played football the right way. He nearly did the impossible and kept us up too!

There's no doubt he'll always be held in the highest regard by Torquay fans.

Don O'Riordan and Kevin Hodges are two that spring to mind, both having taken us to the playoffs.
I can't remember who signed all the great players, but the money we made from selling them kept us afloat for a few years after.

As I was a kid at the time it's those players that always spring to mind when thinking of my favourites: Wayne Thomas, Alex Watson, Rodney Jack, Gregory Goodridge, Charlie Oatway, Paul Buckle...

My favourite manager by far has to be Leroy. A real football man who led us to automatic promotion.

I see on this thread that some credit is going to Ian Atkins, which is a fair point. But I think some credit should go to Roy McFarland. Not for the dour football he provided us with at the time and some questionable decisions, but at a time when the Club was in real 'transition' after nearly dropping into the Conference, he steadied the ship and provided us with some excellent signings that went on to form a promotion winning side: Alex Russell, Jason Fowler, Kevin Dearden, Steve Woods, Reuben Hazell, etc.

[quote]Many teams have had tyrannical managers that'd bludgeon a performance as a one off[/quote]

That probably sums up Atkins managerial style quite well!!! :whip:

I quite liked Dave Smith and particularly Hodgy, as well as the legend that was Fo'F

edit: Good call Phil, I forgot Dono. Smashing bloke. Cracking manager

If we hadn't had the circus in charge upstairs, Atkins would have stayed and we'd comfortably have stayed up. A very good lower league manager that gets the best out of players. a quick wiki says he's coaching at Sunderland, i wouldn't have been against him getting the job in the summer in all honesty. Ling's doing fine now though :)