Torquay United Fans Forum

I take your points tufc si, i may be worrying unnecessarily about Howe but at the end of the day he has had good portions of three games since he has been back, two against the worst teams in the league. The team hasn't changed it's way of playing so Howe will be familiar with it and can just slot straight i no probs so there isn't that issue to contend with.On top of that it's not like Howe has been out injured for a while. He has simply missed four games due to suspension so should be fit and ready to go again. I'm not having a go at Howe, all i'm doing is voicing my concerns as to whether he / or other attackers are going to start notching with regularity to help out the rest of the lads thats all. Tai can't do it, Ellis has got more goals than him, Stevens and Morris pop up now and again but thats it. If we had a serious goal threat in the shape of a new player then the pressure would not be on Howe so much but we haven't got that. Thats why it is vital for Howe to get scoring again as we don't have time to let him find his feet again. We're in the midst of an exciting promotion battle and if we carry Howe until he scores again then we may find ourselves dropping points. Again, not having a pop, just don't like making excuses for a players lack of form just because he has recently come back into the squad. He is a pro and should be tuned up whether he starts or comes on for 20 minutes.

Aussie wrote:"How long can we go on winning games by just the one goal" Excuse me! For ever would be good, 3 points is three points, deary me are we Barca all of a sudden? I can`t believe this thread and totally don`t understand why this thread even exists!

Haha it's simply a discussion and I'm sure if the mods agreed with you they would have taken it down when i posted it!! If you don't want to contribute to it then thats fine by me, no skin off my nose whatsoever!!

Don't get me wrong, I'd happily take 1-0 wins all the way through to the end of the season but it simply isnt going to happen is it?? Sooner or later were going to come unstuck, and it's more than likely going to be in the next few games when we come up against some of front runners!!

And andy that's what I mean, if we can't find the form we had before Howe got sent off then we might struggle. There's only so long our super star centre back can keep on winning games for us!! Thing is though you can't even call it a blip as we are still picking up the points and I'm sure it won't be long again before Howe can find some form, I mean it's been what, only 1 and a half games since he's been back!!

Gullscorer wrote:It's all quite simple. We have been going through a few weeks of poor form.

Last September we had a poor run of eight games without a win.

We are currently suffering another run where our form is poor because our forwards/strikers have not been scoring goals to the extent that they and we would wish, but we have still been winning.

But we shall soon hit a magnificent period when the whole squad will be playing at the top of their game. Every other team will be quaking in their boots at the mere thought of playing us, and we shall be defeating the likes of Southend, Swindon and Cheltenham by cricket score margins on our way to our rightful position as League Two Champions.

Steady son, or we will start sounding like Rovers and Norfampton fans

For as long as it takes. We have been fortunate to have played some poor sides recently whilst playing poorly ourselves and we have been fortunate that despite our strikers scoring at the rate of 1 goal every 4 years, other players like Manse and Ellis have kept us well in the mix. All said and done Martin MUST bring in another attacker and start giving him gametime otherwise we WILL start falling away . We simply cannot sustain a winning run when our strikers do not score. Indeed soon enough our luck will definately run out on that score. I am overwhelmed by the success we are having at the minute but either Howe starts scoring again or we become impotent up front without another signing. It is a massive concern for me and my only one. The rest of the team is absolutely spot on.

"How long can we go on winning games by just the one goal" Excuse me! For ever would be good, 3 points is three points, deary me are we Barca all of a sudden? I can`t believe this thread and totally don`t understand why this thread even exists!

The more you practise, the luckier you get..

Every team towards the top is riding their luck. There is a tremendous amount of luck in most games of football, skill is only half the battle. Some teams will "get lucky" more than others and end up the other half of the table despite being equally good. IF 2 teams played each other 100 times, the result would not be the same each time.

So yes we are riding our luck, so is everyone, so no i don't think it is "lucky". I think our team is skilled enough to deserve it, and likewise if we didn't have such a good team the we wouldnt be able to be where we are with any amount of luck.

Luck?

You make your own

Last season we would have drawn and lost at least two of those games

Why? Because we are learning to grind out results, just like the best do.

Look at man u they win trophies by stealing or grinding out 1 goal victories

1-0 to the arsenal was a mantra with good reason

And Liverpool did it so well for years

More 1 goal victories please rather than winning. One week by three and then drawing thenext!

Gullscorer wrote:It's all quite simple. We have been going through a few weeks of poor form.

Last September we had a poor run of eight games without a win.

We are currently suffering another run where our form is poor because our forwards/strikers have not been scoring goals to the extent that they and we would wish, but we have still been winning.

But we shall soon hit a magnificent period when the whole squad will be playing at the top of their game. Every other team will be quaking in their boots at the mere thought of playing us, and we shall be defeating the likes of Southend, Swindon and Cheltenham by cricket score margins on our way to our rightful position as League Two Champions.

I will now blame you for any downturn in form. =D

Obviously great news that we've hit the 50 point target with 18 games to go. If we average just one point per game now (relegation form) we'll match last season's haul of 68 points which was good enough to get in the play-offs (even with 1pt docked). I'd guess the play-off challengers will need a few more points this time, but even if we have a blip we should still be in the hunt by the end of the season. I'm normally quite cautious in my Torquay predictions, so just hope this isn't the kiss of death!

It's all quite simple. We have been going through a few weeks of poor form.

Last September we had a poor run of eight games without a win.

We are currently suffering another run where our form is poor because our forwards/strikers have not been scoring goals to the extent that they and we would wish, but we have still been winning.

But we shall soon hit a magnificent period when the whole squad will be playing at the top of their game. Every other team will be quaking in their boots at the mere thought of playing us, and we shall be defeating the likes of Southend, Swindon and Cheltenham by cricket score margins on our way to our rightful position as League Two Champions.

Let's make a passing nod to the many seasons with opponents always scoring the late winners and the occassional inept players making a slip which cost us.It seemed for years we were the poor relations and I think most of us deep down believed and accepted it.
Now we have a rock solid defence, an excellent keeper, a solid and creative midfield set up and goals coming from throughout the team. When teams like Dagenham roll up and try and stifle the play we still have the wherewithal to grind a victory.
All successful teams have to ride their luck a bit but I think we are in a position to give a mighty blast on our own trumpet for once mainly through the teams quality and ability .
I thought Northampton were a decent side with the addition of Gutteridge and yet we soaked up the pressure when necessary and came back strongly in the second half. Personally I'm happy to bask in this situation and only worry about how long it will last!

We start from the back with a superb keeper and a back 4 that are clearly on superb form. The way we play is probably more suited to playing on the break. The last two games have been a struggle but I don't think there are any particularly bad teams in league 2 this year and at the end if the day we have got the results.

The previous three away games were a lot more comfortable wins than the scoreline suggested.

Roll on Rotherham - we can win that. Shrewsbury and Cheltenham will then show whether we are top 5 or top 10. I think we have the quality at both ends to be top 5

I dont actually think the team is riding its luck at all they have defended well, and taken a chance when it came along, can ask no more, yes the performance against Dagenham was poor, and the first half today the team were not at there best, there are possible reasons for that.

Firstly coming off 3 straight away wins, followed by two home games in a week against the bottom teams, brings pressure all of its own, wieght of expectation not just of the fans, but the players themselves as well, they would have realised this week was a big chance to haul themselves into the mix.

Also think with such a small group of players , there is a possible element of tiredness, and mean that across the season as a whole, today for the first time, I felt as a fan the squad needed freshing up a bit, if the club are seriuos about mounting a promotion challenge, then atleast one, maybe two players needed in the loan window.

Get in another win! You need a little bit of luck and we got some today just like chelsea got that lucky penalty decision at QPR today. Lets just enjoy it! " onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;