Torquay v Shrews 1st leg

[Enzo]

Contrastingly, a post match comment on Twidder from Jake Robinson is somewhat disconcerting.

Matt.

What was the comment?

Thanks

[Southampton Gull]

Southampton Gull, I was responding to the above comment

In response to an above comment I think it is the Torquay fans underestimating Shrewsbury not the other way round, most probably influenced by their 5-0 win, but Torquay's form has been pretty uninspiring of late as well. Personally if we come through the first leg, we should be ok. I also think Stevenage will be the team to get through in the other tie, they are the one team Accrington struggle to come to terms with.

So may I ask how you made your deduction from what he said?

As I've stated previously, I doubt you'll find anyone on this site who thinks we're already in the final. The one thing you'll soon understand about us Torquay fans is that we're never under any false illusions, we're used to heartbreak, when we have the rare moment of success we'll enjoy it, but we're humble when it comes to where we think we fit in as a club.

You'll start as favourites, you'll be tough to beat, but so will we. May the BEST team win.

[AlexGulls]

I think we need to put Mansell back in midfield personally. We need expeiriance in there and he has that! I think Lathrope and Oastler are good players but they lack the vital expeiriance we'll need in these games in these games with Shrewsburys thats where we got the better of them in the two games in my opinion.

Have to admit I'm not confident about the games with them (Though saying that I'm a pessimist all the time anyway!) they will want revenge after we trounced them 5-0 and this time we have to do it without Wroe (Who played well in the away game at Shrewsbury) and Stanley who was class as always in the 5-0 win and helped control the midfield at Plainmoor.

[brucie]

I am not confident either. We cannot possible go with Oastler and Lathrope in midfield. Stanley is a better player than Wroe but Wroe is twice as good as either LAthrope or Oastler.
We need to totally change our midfield pairing which must be O'Kane and Mansell.

[Benno]

442

----------------Bevan----------------
--Robertson--Ellis--Branston--Nicho
--Zebroski--Mansell--OKane--Robinson
--------Tomlin-----------Kee--------

That's what i'd go with.

[RussianGull]

Benno I like that formation.

Though I fear we're very limited on the bench; Oastler, Lathrope and Halpin are not impact players. The only hope from the bench is Danny.

[ferrarilover]

The comment from JT was that this (TUFC v STFC) was the worst possible result for him.

This is worrying since there are 20 different things he could have said which would have been better from a TUFC point of view.

We all know PB won't play 4-4-2, because he hasn't all year. It's 4-5-1 without and 4-3-3 with. What must cease and desist immediately is this new fad of having Zedders in the middle and Kee on the wing. That is a dumb assed idea for SO many blatantly obvious reasons.

As for our bench, (many won't agree with this) but we would also have LRT who, for me, is able to directly influence a match for our benefit. I guess the odd person (or should that be people?) will point also to Lloyd Mackrel, not my cup of tea, but each to their own.

Shrews fans, you seem to be confusing us with Northampton Town fans. Not a single TUFC supporter has any delusions of grandeur what so ever. We are still amazed at having got to this stage. We won't fear you on the pitch or in the stands, but we will pay all due deference to the size and ambition of your club both before and after these two matches.

You are a good side, the table doesn't lie, but so are we. As I said early in this thread, the best team will win over the two legs, of that there can be no doubt. It happens to be my opinion that it will be Torquay who appear at Old Trafford, not because I think Shrewsbury are shit, but because I think we have the recent experience of the big matches and we have acquitted ourselves almost flawlessly throughout. We learned from our early mistakes and applied those lessons with great success. Further, I have seen us do some terrible things to the better sides in this division. Wycombe (twice), Bury, Yourselves, Chesterfield, Port Vale (twice), it's the lower ranked teams against whom we struggle, with their time wasting and 'accommodating' officials.

As an aside, but for the woodwork (you'll see it now has it's own thread) we would have had the championship trophy in the cabinet by mid February, the statistics on the points the post has cost us this year are terrifying and hilarious in equal measure.

Matt.

[thesensationaljaytee]

Ow do, lads. Town fan here. I think this is too close to call personally. We certainly won't make the same selection mistakes as in the game at Plainmoor earlier in the season. (Nice weekend though).

[Modgull]

Another stat to add to the woodwork one. We have the second worst record in the division for throwing away points (29) from a winning position -Northampton were worst.

[basil75]

The main difference between the two sides is that Shrewsbury have won the games they should win, whereas we haven't (see both legs against teams like Macclesfield, Aldershot, Morecambe, Hereford where we got 1 point at most) - see http://stats.football365.com/dom/ENG/D3/vbothalf.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This is something Buckle really needs to work on next season IMO as I remember this also being a big problem in the BSP

http://stats.football365.com/dom/ENG/D3/vtophalf.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We have actually done better against the better sides in the division than Shrewsbury - so let's not get all pessimistic thinking Shrewsbury are a far better side than us.

Indeed, we also do better against to half sides on a good run of form than those on a bad run of form (Port Vale, Rotherham)

Finally, in regards to current form - yes Shrewsbury's is better - but we were playing teams with something to play for, with exception to Rotherham. The only team they played with something to play for was Accrington - and that was the one game they didn't win.

[yellowmonkey]

I cant see us winning too much as we have been to reliant on loanee players, last saturday just proved the point. The board openly stated their ambition this year was to consolidate with a push being made next season. Think the Shrews gonna cane us this time round.

[MattSTFC]

As an aside, but for the woodwork (you'll see it now has it's own thread) we would have had the championship trophy in the cabinet by mid February, the statistics on the points the post has cost us this year are terrifying and hilarious in equal measure.

http://www.football-league.co.uk/page/C ... 26,00.html

We've had a pretty hard time there ourselves, joint second with Port Vale behind Torquay on that particular statistic. Only three penalties all season too which beggars belief for such a attacking side, at a very conservative estimate i'd say we should have had twice as many.

Then there was the little matter of a certain goal that you may have seen and heard about. :no:

Fair to say we think bugger all has gone our way so far this season and what we've got we got the hard way!

[gullsflyinghigh]

I cant see us winning too much as we have been to reliant on loanee players, last saturday just proved the point. The board openly stated their ambition this year was to consolidate with a push being made next season. Think the Shrews gonna cane us this time round.

That's a bit pessimistic. And this point about consolidation and pushing on next season has already been discussed and dismissed as garbage. You know as well as I do that this is not a league where you can pick and choose when you want to get promoted - in fact you can't do that in any league. There's an opportunity here to gain
promotion - we need to try and grasp it with both hands. It won't come around again quickly. Buckle will tell the players this as well, we need to give it our absolute all.

Also Matt, I totally agree about Billy as a winger. He's a centre forward, definately not a wide man. Zebroski and Robinson were lethal together on the wings, swapping regularly etc. We need to reinstate these two as wingers on Saturday.

[YellowMurphy]

Id go for

Bevan

Nicho
Branston
Robbo
Mansell

Robinson
Lathrope
Oastler
O'Kane
Zebroski

Tomlin

- For the 1st leg

With Zebroski and Tomlin regularly swapping every 20 minutes in the 4-5-1/4/3/3 formation, we will have kee (and stevens ) on the bench, and I think we really need to attack at home, think. Both times exeter got to the final they played away 2nd leg. The time we got to the final we played away 2nd leg. Theres just something about that pressure of delivering in front of your home fans. I fancy us to nick it here. The final seems a much more daunting prospect, god forbid we get there.

[thesensationaljaytee]

Unless one of us is more than 2 goals ahead after the first leg, it's all to play for. It's speculation at this stage. A goal lead to either side is easily overturned.