Torquay United Fans Forum

If the senior players go on strike then the junior ones should support them instead of scabbing. Game gets postponed.

I don't think the JPT is that bad for clubs. Play the reserves, give some kids a game in competitive matches, and if you get near the final take it seriously.

I'm not going though...

At the game yesterday and everyone else's points ring true.

What i will say is Martin Ling turned that game around for us. Instead of making wholesale changes at half time he opted for a tactical switch in midfield. Lately O'kane has been sitting back tyring to play a deep playmaker role while mansell goes box to box. And while mansell has benefited it has lead to o'kane having too much to do and unable to position himself properly. Anyway after half time the midfield swapped round, Mansell dropped back and played as a sweeper infront of the defence while Eunan was pushed forward. The result, our midfield dominated.
This is why I like Ling, he seems to be able to fix problems without resorting to kneejerk reactions. Hopefully this midfield change will stay for the start of the next match.

At the end of the Bristol match the players came over to applaud the fans, while Ling stood back letting the players soak up the plaudits. Good to see the manager giving the credit to the players, rather than being the centre of attention.

On a more important footballing matter, it is nice to see some of the problems that I saw in the first game against Burton fixed by the Rovers game.
Namely the link-up play between midfield and defence, Morris in particular was trying lots of balls that Howe and Kee would never have got to (as they're a bit slow) against Burton but buy next week he was playing to feet and trying to find room for a return. The defence was also much improved, with players seemingly more inclined to take responsibility and win the ball.

Well I've been following this thread for a while and read most of it. It wasn't directed at you or your last post, more at the sum of all the posts from Cambridge United over the last 10 or so pages.

The previews on this site are fantastic. Way more balanced and informative about the opposition than the majority of other fans forums. A real credit etc etc.

Anyway my first chance to see the Ling regime in action. I'm fairly confident we can hit the ground running and win 2-0.

Howe, O' Kane.

Christ alive, Martin Ling was rubbish at Cambridge. We get it!!

Fact is he ain't managing Cambridge United anymore, he is managing Torquay United and what we, Torquay United fans, have seen so far we approve of and we, Torquay united fans, are not going to change our opinion based on what Cambridge United fans say about his time at Cambridge United, because he is now managing Torquay United.
You get this different clubs thing I'm getting at?...
IF 2 months in to his tenure we are passing the ball regularly into the wreckage of the old grandstand while O'kane is loaned out to Exeter because of a falling out with Ling, then yes we will change our opinion of him and call him a crap manager. Thats the thing isn't it, opinions of players/managers must be built on their record for your club, in this case Torquay United, because we are Torquay United fans.

Sorry to be so obtuse, it's just this thread made me actually sign in rather than just lurk. You've no idea...

Roy Hogdson has been mentioned previously and he's the perfect example. Brilliant at Fulham on a limited budget and working with dedicated pros. Rubbish at Liverpool, but working with backroom turmoil and players who seemed unwilling to put in the hard graft. So Hodgson was able to work brilliantly in a stable environment but unable to work well when it wasn't, and Hodgson definetly contributed to the sense of doom around Anfield. So there you go, 2 different clubs with 2 different situations and a manger who was only good enough for one. Hodgson has now proven he is a good manager buy returning to a stable club without prima-donnas (West Brom) and doing an excellent job again.

andygull wrote:So sexy gull, i,m not having a pop i just want to ask if you as a 'customer' of TUFC are completely happy with the manner in which they have handled everything from shirts, ticket sales and the Buckle , new manager situation and lack of info on the OS?

No I'm not. I don't like the fact that fans are seen as customers but thats the way it is.
The shirt isn't great, but then pretty much every new shirt design gets slated anyway. The play off final ticketing was a farce for sure.
And what choice did the board have over Paul Buckle? Even if he isn't allowed to talk to other clubs while under contract, surely disciplining him or even sacking him for misconduct would just see him go to Rovers anyway except with a nice pay off.
As for the OS, surely as an official site, information only goes there when it is official.
What are they supposed to announce before the new manager decision is made? If they name their preferred choice they risk alienating other candidates and looking stupid if their choice doesn't want the job. Look at Gold and Sullivan at West Ham they're very high profile and it only serves to undermine the manager and spread confusion. I would rather the board made the right decision and then told us. I agree that they should give us a more detailed report on what has happened though.

I think they are doing a decent job all things considered, we're certainly much better off than we were before we got relegated.

No they dont, most fans think they know everything about the game but in reality they don't. (Myself included)
Listen to any football phone in and some twerp is outlining his tactical masterplan for England in the next world cup.
"Play Rooney in the hole!!" Thanks for that, someone pass it on to Cappello.
Most fans are incredibly blinkered as well. Just look at all the calls for Hargreaves to be our manager, despite any evidence that he'd be good at it. But he's a Torquay legend so go figure. Bring Sills back!

Football clubs are businesses and are run as such, we fans are treated as customers and all boards will come up with a plan that involves getting as much money from us as possible. Just as a shop sets it's prices as high as it can get away with. Yeah I'll have a moan at what the club is up to and I'll slate the manager from the stands if I think he's got it wrong, but really I know that it makes little difference. Besides anyone actually think that all those pathetic Liverpool protests against Hicks and Gillett, where they marched from the pub they'd be in anyway to the game they would be attending anyway, had any affect on the situation?

THE HORROR, THE HORROR!!

So he's had one success (Orient) and one failure (Cambridge). Seems like an even record to me. (He kept Orient up in L1 as well so perhaps that colours his win % there)
This board has seen a lot of mud thrown at BR fans, saying they're fickle and will turn on Buckle if they're not top by November. Well here we are 10 minutes after the appointment of Ling....
This club doesn't have much in the way of finances, prestige or even location. So lets at least have some optimism, we've had a shite 2 weeks but now we have a new manager who will be looking to bring in new players and new backroom staff. Give the man some chance to build, there are some awful teams in this division and we are not one of them.

Also on the plus side, at least this manager looks like he is actually older than all the players and doesn't have a stupid haircut. These things are important!!

I bet he does his top button up when on telly as well! There you go, 3 positives already.

Fans of lower league teams like to think we have escaped some of the less attractive elements at the top level. Gamesmanship, diving, buying success, aggressive managers trying to influence the ref etc. Crawely Town do all this and more and it's ugly.
I'm not saying all teams in and around league 2 are saints, far from it, but Crawley are a joke. Too all other league 2 fans, get ready for a very sour match at your place.