Torquay United v Exeter City - 29/12/13

limbsofsimb · Post by **limbsofsimb** » 30 Dec 2013, 01:25

Lol Andy. Pokey is our saviour

! Someone teach Dale how to defend, it was south Devon league standard today (again). Obviously the Saah factor is the reason why Aaron looks a different proposition this season, need a commander in there.

nickfrench82 · Post by **nickfrench82** » 30 Dec 2013, 01:29

SuperNickyWroe wrote: quote around fans? as i said you must be touchy.

condescending? it is thick and thin. you have said it yourself!

its nothing to do with attending all games.

and whats anyones wife got to do with it? this is football.

Look, you were having a pop at someone, it came after my comment about not attending the Plymouth game, it's a fair assumption that you were talking about me, perhaps amongst others, but what makes you the judge of who is and who isn't a "fan"?

We may not agree on this, but when money is tight, I am entitled to spend what little I have available any way I see fit.

I was there today/yesterday and I will be back at Plainmoor on Saturday and maybe I am touchy, but I felt like I was being challenged because I wasn't a "fan" as I wasn't going to the Argyle game and feel very reluctant to part with my money, especially giving it to another football club entirely.

I thought you might've been able to understand the analogy I was going for with my last line, if not, I apologise, it has nothing to do with football, it was more to look at it in a different way of something that hurts you, but you being pushed once too often.

If you don't want your comments to be misconstrued, then maybe be a bit more specific as to whom you are referring.

AustrianAndyGull · Post by **AustrianAndyGull** » 30 Dec 2013, 01:30

[quote="limbsofsimb"]Lol Andy. Pokey is our saviour

! Someone teach Dale how to defend, it was south Devon league standard today (again). Obviously the Saah factor is the reason why Aaron looks a different proposition this season, need a commander in there.[/quote]

Pearce perhaps, I know it's out of leftfield but he could just be the answer. First game back after his illness at Wycombe, he was f*cking awesome if somewhat subdued which was understandable then Knill goes and f*cks it up with odd subs.

I'm being sarcastic obviously but it's glaringly obvious to all but Knill.

(Cue Knill sees Pearce every day in training so he must know what he's doing remark)

WELL CLEARLY HE F*CKING DOESN'T BECAUSE WE'RE IN THE BOTTOM TWO EGGHEADS!!

nickfrench82 · Post by **nickfrench82** » 30 Dec 2013, 01:31

AustrianAndyGull wrote:

I'm not sure what they're doing in training, but it certainly isn't anything to do with football. Unless they just watch a recording of match of the day over a pint!!!

AustrianAndyGull · Post by **AustrianAndyGull** » 30 Dec 2013, 01:34

PlainmoorRoar · Post by **PlainmoorRoar** » 30 Dec 2013, 01:47

Cruise was clearly struggling today, every break in play he was holding his knee,

Thought at the time poke let the ball go through him for the 2nd and 3rd goals just needed to stand big a bit longer

Bodin had a great game, he should have shot when he had the chance to in the first half

Mokiza was also very good especially in the first half. Hawley taking the penalty was a mistake, if it goes in it's a completely different game

Crowd - disgraceful booing of the sub

Robiberto22 · Post by **Robiberto22** » 30 Dec 2013, 03:08

SOOOOOOO frustrating today as i'm sure you will all agree - never like losing to the greeks especially in our current situation - still we are in a better position than we were a couple of weeks ago really need a win at plymouth now!

Fort both Cruise and Tounge were poor today - knill will not bring nico back so would really like to see a back 4 of

O'Connor - Pearce - Downes - Cruise

we really arn't too far off the finished article for this level guys ... i'm convinced we'll be fine in the end!

Keep believing gulls!

brucie · Post by **brucie** » 30 Dec 2013, 08:50

I think the booing of the sub wasn't anything to do with MacCourt - it was because Hawley wasn't replaced. Poke had no chance with any of the goals.

Richinns · Post by **Richinns** » 30 Dec 2013, 10:01

Quick synopsis of yesterday:
Feared the worse when I heard both Marquis and Stockley were out but thought we were decent.
Bossed the first half as deserved far better. Bodin and Mozika were brilliant in the first 45. Great hit but Poke should not have been beaten on his near post. Toss penalty by Hawley. Second half was closer but I still think overall we had the better of the game.
Problems were - we got in great positions on many many occasions yesterday but the final ball was very poor. All Exeter goals were due to errors by us and the second and third were like the red sea parting for them which is wholly unacceptable.
Bodin was by far the best player on the pitch but has a habit of beating his man twice and then wanting to beat him again.
Overall - the result was poor BUT encouraging display in truth.
For the future - we need Marquis or/and Stockley fit and able to return as the midfield three of McCourt/Manse and Mozika looked great but Hawley is not the answer in this formation.

Final note - the chant and booing when we put Benyon on for McCourt was just completely insane and unhelpful. Yes McCourt was decent yesterday but when you are 2-zip down you have to throw another striker on so who exactly was he supposed to replace?
It had to be a midfielder and no way would you take Mozika off as he is a threat in the air (something we lacked in attacking play without the two loan strikers) so it had to be McCourt or Manse.
Quite honestly a pathetic reaction from many.

hector · Post by **hector** » 30 Dec 2013, 10:32

Richinns wrote:
Final note - the chant and booing when we put Benyon on for McCourt was just completely insane and unhelpful. Yes McCourt was decent yesterday but when you are 2-zip down you have to throw another striker on so who exactly was he supposed to replace?
It had to be a midfielder and no way would you take Mozika off as he is a threat in the air (something we lacked in attacking play without the two loan strikers) so it had to be McCourt or Manse.
Quite honestly a pathetic reaction from many.

I thought the booing and chanting was fully justified. It was typical inertia from Knill yesterday. It is almost a futile gesture to become more offensive once the game is almost lost at 0-2. People had been calling for him to do something for ages beforehand. You never know, had he made a change when it was still 1-0 the result may have been different but I am fed up of reading and hearing all season things like 'if we had scored then, if we had scored that penalty, their goals came from our errors, blah, blah, blah etc.' It is self deluded nonsense, spouted by people in denial, who cannot accept that the football club they love, is badly run and badly managed and stuffed with underachieving players. Why can't people just see it for what it is? The feeling on the Pop Side yesterday was very clear that people want rid of Knill and the longer he remains in situ the more rapid the crowds will shrink.

Good teams don't make so many errors - certainly not THREE in one game. We are not unlucky. We are crap. Hence our 23rd place position and only 5 wins. By many accounts we have some decent players, but for 23 games, half a season...and pretty much a 3rd of the previous season, Knill has shown himself to be someone who either struggles to motivate players or struggles to impose a winning strategy upon the team. The two wins against Southend and Dagenham are more likely just papering over cracks, rather than hinting at promise to come.

Post by **Dave** » 30 Dec 2013, 10:35

Roar/Richinns, respect your opinions and normally as in the past be the first one to jump in and agree with you, yesterday for the first time I actually agreed with the fans booing to be honest (seriously thought I'd never say that) We've got to get over this fixation it was to do with the tactical change , was nothing to do with that, and I was stood right next to the section that booed.

You can hear the voices in the crowd talking, every little group fans around me were all saying AK should go 2 up top, also you could hear many saying McCourt was the pick of the 3 central midfielders, there was a few minutes before Benyon got on, so me and the group I stand with played a little game, lets work out the most ridiculous substitution, at,1, was a like for like change Benyon for Hawley, but we dismissed that, as beyond the comprehension of anyone born in the parallel universe known as Alan Knill world.

At, 2, in the ridiculous substitution charts was Benyon for McCourt, we decided that's what he would do, as it would make the most sense in Alan Knill world, and we got it spot on, that's the reason why many around me booed the substitution, in my and many others opinion he took off the wrong central midfielder, stevedeckchair has alluded that McCourt may have had a knock, if so then fair enough, personally didn't see any evidence of that during or after the game when he came over to the popside.

Other things that have irked me some what, how on earth did Aaron Downes get sponsors man of the match, he's had a few plaudits on here as well, for a start we've conceded 3 goals, 2 of them straight through the middle of our defence, ok 1 wasn't his fault, however 1 to me was down to him, there were 2 further occasions Pokey was left exposed through the middle of our defence in the second half, only to be saved by the offside flag, how can you give m-o-m to a centre back. Billy Bodin was by some way our best player yesterday.

Damien Mozika, yes he has played very well of late, he had a first class game against Rovers, that continued in the first half, in the second though, Mozika ran around that pitch like a headless chicken getting in everyone's way, 3 times he jumped for the same ball as Hawley(Hawley's ball to win) Then blow me down not a few minutes later he jumped for same ball as Dale Tonge and got in his way, how's he getting plaudits for yesterday.

yesterday I totally agree first half we were by some way the better side, and the best 45 minutes of football I've seen in a long time from us, however we didn't turn up in the second half, Grimsdale made a few tactical changes at half time, and not for the first time did a TUFC manager up like a kipper.

AustrianAndyGull · Post by **AustrianAndyGull** » 30 Dec 2013, 11:09

Another weird but interesting aspect to the season is that for the first 12 games or so we always seemed to play badly first half and then improve in the second and now it seems it is always the other way around. We start really well and then end up gradually fading away as the game wears on. I think that is why Hawley's penalty miss was such a factor in how the game went yesterday. In addition I think we went 8 or 9 games without taking the lead and the past couple of months we have taken the lead a number of times. Before Exeter 3 in a row!

brucie · Post by **brucie** » 30 Dec 2013, 11:25

Hector is spot on as usual. Its all very well Knill spouting that we are going in the right direction but its all claptrap more or less what is written on here.
Poke for a start did not have a cat in hells chance with any of the goals. Not really sure why Downes is getting the blame but the first and third goals were down to O'Connor - got himself injured with a needless challenge for the first and basically abyssmal defending for the third. Its hard to blame him really because for a young bloke he has been excellent since he has been here but as i keep saying he isn't quite big enough or dominating - its been crying out for Pearce to return for weeks.
We lost the game yesterday because we made too many basic errors. Missed the penalty. And basically played crap for the first 20 minutes of the second half.
Yes we played well in the first half but had completely run out of ideas in the second half.
Bodin was excellent and Cameron I also thought did well.
The clue was there for Knill to see but as usual he didn't grasp the nettle. Benyon and Chapple should have been introduced ten minutes earlier when it was 1-0. We should have matched Exeters 4-4-2 and gone gung ho for the equaliser.
It was too little too late. With five minutes to go the game was lost the crowd had walked out. Really in a local derby that wasn't excellent it was quite the reverse.
Really though our players are not that bad - Poke,Downes,Pearce,Mozika,McCourt,Benyon,Bodin,Chapple, - I havn't seen the team win yet this season so there has got to be something wrong somewhere

brucie · Post by **brucie** » 30 Dec 2013, 11:28

It wasn't really that wierd. Exeter were bound to improve in the second half kicking towards their own supporters. They couldn't have got any worse. The game was lost in the first 20 minutes of the second half because Knill didn't make his substitutions quick enough.

Gullscorer · Post by **Gullscorer** » 30 Dec 2013, 11:32

Substitutions as always too little too late, the sign of an over-cautious or indecisive manager who lacks confidence and/or doesn't know what to do..? To be fair, most managers in the lower levels seem to have this problem.

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