Torquay v AFC Telford

[tommyg]

Whilst CH is very supportive publicly of his team, and probably quite rightly so, it is more than obvious that a hierarchy has built up in the squad that is unhealthy.

Whilst Ling was not loved by all on here, he did instill a belief in his players that loanees were "a last result" and if you were in the squad, you were good enough. Squad players were kept motivated and generally did well when coming in. It was a tight team and much of that started in the dressing room.

...now just imagine if you were Ashley Yeoman or Louise Briscoe, deemed not good enough to make the starting lineup and replaced by two loanees, one clearly not interested in being here and the other putting in a shift each match, but not getting anywhere. OK, Yeoman may not be good enough, but he was given 8 minutes yesterday to prove he was !

I am getting sick of hearing from Hargreaves how great Luke Young is, since Hemel away he has been totally ineffective and not worthy of his place in the team, let alone the captains armband....but he appears untouchable. The same good be said for young Ives and Pearce

So when you consider the "A team" who know they are in the team week in week out, the loanees coming into the club and add to that the difference in pay from £90K a year to players playing for free is it no wonder we are in a mess?

The best managers are great "conceptual thinkers" a bit of business language may be, by that I mean they can see the bigger picture and how each action has a resulting reaction within a team of people.

I've no doubt at all that Chris can spot a player good enough for the Conference, but he needs to toughen up and toughen up quickly rather than coming across as a friend to all , a lover of some and a manager of none.

In Hargreaves' defence (oops I said yesterday I wouldn't defend him any more), the reason Campbell and Reid have been brought in on loan is because Yeoman hasn't taken his chances this season and Briscoe can only last an hour (that's another debate entirely). Neither of them can really complain.

The only reason Ives is playing every week is because he's the only left-back who is available as Cruise is injured. And while Young has been well below-par, who would you play instead? Richards and McQuilkin? No thanks. Sicknote is apparently back from injury but now has the flu (insert shaking head) so it's not like there are many other options. You could argue that instead of loaning Campbell and Reid we should have gone after a centre-mid and left-back but then others would have complained that we needed more firepower.

[wodger of awabia]

Quite shameful that a so called fan couldn't wait to come on and gloat after a defeat he must have been craving.

Despite the hysterical responses from some it still stands that Hargreaves isnt responsible for us being where we are now. The rot set in while the dynamic duo of Baker and Phillips were running things.

when they sacked Ling instead of offering him support!

[Dave_Pougher]

I was probably feelin exhaustupated yesterday morning when my wife pointed out my nephew was blaming for Brixham seconds against TICS seconds. So TUFC lost my entrance fee and I attended that match instead.

I suggest, as they have been known to appear at the Grand Hotel when a free lunch is on offer, that CH takes the players there for training for a period. They mayjust learn what passion is.

[wodger of awabia]

according to CH on Radio Devon we will get a reaction game on Tuesday night against Chester. Trouble is , I was expecting a reaction game today, not more of the same .......

I think that what he means is an itch, or even a rash.

[Dan_AFCTU]

Hi gulls, Telford fan in a peace

Just to say thanks for the 6 points we really need them

I'd got to say that was one of a few great performances this season, it's been a little rough in Shropshire.

I enjoyed my stay in Torquay on Friday night till Saturday evening

As for the match I'd thought over 90mins we were the better team( I haven't used this statement for a while) we were more organised and better defensively, our goalkeeper usually has more leaks than BP, but yesterday he was unbeatable and it gave the team confidence to play and actually attack you guys. As for your situation well. I don't think most of you have really seen ex football league teams struggle in the conference premier, just think you could of done a double relegation but you've now got some experience again in this league and you should realise MONEY OWNS THIS LEAGUE! Good luck for the rest of the season and hopefully we can take 6 more points of you next season

[gullno4]

they're in for training today, need a miracle to get us through Tuesday night! saved myself the embarassment by not going yesterday, same again Tuesday night! can't properly comment on the game as I wasn't there.....

[brucie]

SG - you are in denial. If you don't think this has anything to do with the manager then you are barmy. Hargreaves picks the team. It was his decision to go with Rice as his number one keeper this season, when any supporter could have told you that he wasn't up to scratch. He signed Briscoe - a good player but not alot of use when your too fat to be able to run around for more than ten minutes. Briscoe would be shown up in a north devon premier league side.
Then theres Bowman - should have been dropped months ago. Yes he gets the odd goal, but his all round contribution every game is about the sum total of bugger all, why should he bother, he will never get taken off, however bad he is playing.
Then theres Pearce - our best defender who has been let down criminally by the manager. Hargreaves seems to think that headless chicken Macdonald is a better player. According to the manager Macdonald is a "future captain" of the club. What planet is he on? Macdonald couldn't captain himself let alone the team - he is a fecking idiot, wants to fight everyone.
Then there is Harding - what a joke this bloke is - injured again, now he has got the flu.
Ives - almost up there with Rice for handing goals to the opposition. Too good for us apparently - he wouldn't get in any other Conference side.
Then there are Campbell,Mcquerkin and co - all useless.
According to the commentators yesterday we had players playng out of position and no tactics.
Crap against Wrexham in the first leg of the semi final. We were going to get a reaction in the second leg. We were even worse. Then we were going to get a reaction against Telford - guess what we lost again. Five wins out of twenty three - its a disgrace, its abyssmal.
If ever there was indictment of our no show against Wrexham it was yesterdays crowd of 1600 odd. God knows what the attendance will be on Tuesday I reckoon we will be lucky to see 500.
Believe it or not I had been offered a free ticket and and a free lift down to Tuesdays game. I turned it down (and that was before yesterdays result)
Thats how much I care about Torquay United at the moment.

[PL21gull]

We do have players who can perform - but they are just individuals and we need to play as a team. All any opposition needs to do now is string 5 accross midfield and reduce us to a hopeful long-ball game which can be seen on any public park.
There is no leadership on or off the pitch, no plan B, no-one willing or able to put their foot on the ball and control our game, too many single-footed players who have to stop/go back/get the ball on their favoured or only foot.
What on earth is done in training? - evidently not the basics like ball control, passing, support.
Why is 4-2-4 such a sacred cow, we are overwhelmed in midfield, the 'wingers' are producing no end result, how do we expect to score when we forever play in the air?
And yet we pretend we are a professional outfit....

[Southampton Gull]

Terry, you aren't going to any more games because you've given up on the team you supposedly support. Tell me this, why should I bother debating any issues with someone who gives up on his team so easily. The answers to your points are pretty simple but you're not really interested in the answers are you?

[arcadia]

SG your living in the past what is gone is gone, Chris new what he was taking on and thought he could do better than he has. I have only heard of one manager that does not shout at his players and that is Chris, perhaps he should change his ways as the soft approach is not working. I have managed youth teams and Western League sides and it's a fact of life the kids of today, get it too easy. The players like McDonald you respect in the dressing room because you know what your going to get out of him but players like Cameron need a grilling to wake him up to reality. You treat player as an individual in a dressing room ask Ferguson he was the expert. WHEN a change of manager takes place there is usually a reaction from the players but it's after 5,6 or 7 games when you find out if the change has worked.
Chris is not learning this is the problem and he's a lucky bloke getting the chance to manage at Torquay remember he craved it.

[Southampton Gull]

Yawn. Whoopy dooo you've managed a western league side. The way you drone on you'd think you've managed in the Premiership. Give me his management over Knills any day of the week. We've become a club whose fans think they can sack a manager every time we go through a bad patch. Newsflash, idiots like yourself with your armchair managers cap on get what you deserve.

[nickbrod]

For what it's worth and saddo that I am, I hung around after the game chatting by the players' tunnel. No Torquay players emerged and the word was that it was "all kicking off" in the dressing room. Nobody went in and nobody came out until Vevsey about 45 minutes after the match finished then followed by Briscoe, Gueguen and Yeoman who warmed down supervised by Hodges.
About 5 minutes later CH came out to go to give his Radio Devon interview.
I can tell you that he was livid and his body language said it all. I was amazed later to hear his comments on the radio as this did not tally with his real mood.
After his interview he returned to the dressing room looking like thunder. He's definitely hurting but so should those players who let him down big time. Those on the released list at the end of the season can wave goodbye to a professional football career because what other full-time team would take any on?
By the time I left no other players emerged. If they were called in for training today that's no less than they deserved.

[Dave]

I personally do not think a manager shouting at his players is the sign of a good manager, after all who wants to come to work just be shouted out, yes in football there is a time for harsh words to be said, but not all the time. Coach's and managers stood in their technical areas shouting, screaming and waving their hands around like a demented aeroplane controller, isn't a good sign either, usually means the team aren't following instructions, or playing well.

I do agree in part with Dave SG, however I do not think the rot set in when Martin Ling was sacked, I think it set in before that, I think it set in when ML sold over £600k worth of playing talent and got told to replace in part from our youth set up, which the biggest bullsh'tter at the club has people believing it's some way better than it is, or ever will be while he's running it.

But, I have to be honest with my opinions, our team is massively under achieving, Briscoe's fitness and conditioning hasn't been dealt with, we now have a number of players carrying weight, including, Rice, Yoeman, and now Ives, performances are going backwards, and the players look like they do not want to play for CH, with the quality we have compared to others currently in this division, we should be easily 10 points further up the league table.

[brucie]

Why would you take Hargreaves management over Knills - if anything Hargreaves seems to be worse ad thats saying something.
Presumably you were not at the Wrexham game last week - if you had been there you would understand why everyone is so irate, we were just clueless.
The issue is that Hargreaves seems incapable of changing things, this downward slide has been going on for five months or more.
Its all very well saying that we should not sack the manager but really where is the evidence that Hargreaves will address this slide or indeed do better next season.
So you either carry on with him regardless - or get in someone who can do the job properly. The only reason that people keep raising the issue is because of the appalling dross that is being served up week in week out.
At least Knill was managing a club in league 2, Hargreaves is up against teams that are nowhere near that standard most weeks and still cannot do anything.

[arcadia]

Yawn. Whoopy dooo you've managed a western league side. The way you drone on you'd think you've managed in the Premiership. Give me his management over Knills any day of the week. We've become a club whose fans think they can sack a manager every time we go through a bad patch. Newsflash, idiots like yourself with your armchair managers cap on get what you deserve.

It just shows you've got nothing between your ears as your comments are of someone who has no idea about football and hide behind a computer your pathetic. Don't knock what you don't know. As I SAID YOU ARE LIVING IN THE PAST AND HAVE TO BE RUDE TO MAKE A POINT. I have experienced more than you will ever know.