torquay united v southend united - 14/4/2012

[PlainmoorRoar]

Hopefully not having to play midweek till the end of the season means we can have a couple more rest days!

[dazgull]

We all want Eunan back on form but the problem is he is running on empty and he is not alone. We may have been lucky with injuries this season but it means quite a few of players have played a lot of games and hardly missed many. We know Howe hasnt trained the last three weeks and probably wont again this season and add Lathrope to that too, he wouldnt be playing if it was earlier in the season.

Todays performance was similar to the second half at Oxford where we couldnt really get going, the effort is certainly there and you can see the lads giving their all. Unfortunately it looks now as if it will be the playoffs and I find it hard to see that our squad will get through another couple of games let alone a possible final on a energy sapping Wembley pitch.

One thing we havent had is any change to the bench each week, the same three subs come on and doesnt give any change to our pattern. We really could have done with another loan player just before deadline day. Not necessarily to go straight in to the team but someone with a bit more fitness and hopefully pace who would have helped us out in many of these tense one nil wins we have.

[bixieupnorth]

yeah I've not seen him post in here once! if he's serious about his career and our promotion then he needs to be starting at least three interesting threads per week!

[Wisconsin_gull]

One thing we havent had is any change to the bench each week, the same three subs come on and doesnt give any change to our pattern. We really could have done with another loan player just before deadline day. Not necessarily to go straight in to the team but someone with a bit more fitness and hopefully pace who would have helped us out in many of these tense one nil wins we have.

Do we still have Macklin and Craig with us - surprised that neither of these two has made the bench.
Also if Rene is not training, wouldn't you bring him on for 20min at the end and let Atieno do a shift?
This will be an interesting last 3 games whatever the outcome - one thing is for certain , we must all pull together and give the lads the full support this season has deserved.

COYY

[ferrarilover]

Agree entirely with our NASCAR lovin' brethren, Atieno needs to start with Rene coming on if needs be. Rene approached the bench as Tai was waiting to come on, presumably to confirm to Dinger that he was ok to carry on. He clearly wasn't, since he was hugely ineffective all day. Couldn't jump, couldn't really run, couldn't bully his man as per his normal self, needed to go off and have a bit of a break.

Matt.

[brucie]

Its wrong to say that it was a poor peformance by us. We dug in well and with tired players and some not fully fit it was a good point. Unfortunately the referee was pathetic and we seemed to be playing twelve men. Mansell got booked for heading the ball.
I actually think we missed Morris today although Jarvis tried really hard as did all our players.

As for the poor attendance - well as was mentioned elsewhere this game should NOT have been all ticket. Mind you is it any wonder anyone turns up really with the arsehole stewards that we have,
Outside the popside turnstile my son had three ten pound notes in his hand which he had to give me for two ticlets I had purchased on Thursday.
He was then pounced on by a steward who accused him of trying to buy a ticket - strange as he was holding the two tickets in his other hand.
Are these idiots power crazed, thick, retarded are a combination of the lot?

[Rach]

The last time we got automatic promotion I moved house a week before the last game of the season. Guess what I'm doing next week....just saying!!

woooohooo!!

[Dutchgull]

Agree with you Brucie a fair amount of the stewards are a complete disgrace. Full of their own self importance and worrying about petty shit which they do not need to worry about.

[lucy6lucy]

After reflection its hard to be downbeat on yesterdays results, we could have won, but equally Crawley should have won which in theory would have made no change to the actual table we see at present. I have always said Shews would be 2nd behind Swindon, so its now between us and Crawley for the 3rd spot. Another sent off and another 3 match ban, so they are really having to re-structure their squad. Glad Northampton lost as they will be bollocked and have to prove themselves come Tuesday. Tuesday in my opinion will be decisive in our season. Come on Northampton. On the positive for us is many chances Crawley had with 10 men, so with 11 gulls nest week it could be a real chance to rectify the goal diff scenario

[divingbboy]

I will say that it's a damn shame that Tai wasn't brought on earlier. As much of a fan of Rene as I am, he wasn't making much impact today (though he worked his socks off, as usual). I thought Tai looked bloody good and a threat when he came on. Shame he only got to play 20 minutes, or so.

[ferrarilover]

Its wrong to say that it was a poor peformance by us. We dug in well and with tired players and some not fully fit it was a good point. Unfortunately the referee was pathetic and we seemed to be playing twelve men. Mansell got booked for heading the ball.
I actually think we missed Morris today although Jarvis tried really hard as did all our players.

As for the poor attendance - well as was mentioned elsewhere this game should NOT have been all ticket. Mind you is it any wonder anyone turns up really with the arsehole stewards that we have,
Outside the popside turnstile my son had three ten pound notes in his hand which he had to give me for two ticlets I had purchased on Thursday.
He was then pounced on by a steward who accused him of trying to buy a ticket - strange as he was holding the two tickets in his other hand.
Are these idiots power crazed, thick, retarded are a combination of the lot?

No point in them being there if they aren't going to be proactive. Imagine the junior HAD been trying to pay on the gate and you'd been stuck behind him while the poor turnstile operator explained that he had to go back out to the ticket window, then you all had to back up out of his way. You'd be whinging that the stewards should have spotted the problem and done something about it.
It takes a polite conversation:
Steward - "Hang on there, sonny Jim, you're not buying a ticket with that money, are you?"
Nipper - "No sir, it's for sweeties and pop in the ground, sir. Honest sir."
Steward - "Be on your way then lad."

No dramas, no trouble, no need for anyone to feel aggrieved.

Same with the all ticket situation - if we'd had an hour long queue round the block to get in because it wasn't all ticket and 8000 people had turned up, you'd be complaining about a lack of foresight from the club. They can only act as they see fit. I didn't see anyone (especially you, grumpy) on here, telling us how you'd met up with Doc Brown and Marty McFly, borrowed the DeLorean and nipped forward to Saturday afternoon and that only 3500 turn up, so no need for all ticket. I have it also on good authority that Simon Baker does, in fact, have a crystal ball, but it was at the menders all last week, so he had a choice to make and he duly made it.

Jeez, give it a break, complain when we have something to complain about.

Matt.

[usagullmichigan]

The last time we got automatic promotion I moved house a week before the last game of the season. Guess what I'm doing next week....just saying!!

Can I help you move? I will bring beer aswell.

[usagullmichigan]

I think we are really struggling now. Manse has been below par as has Eunan, Stevens and now seems Howe. We need the autos or I think we are done. Maybe Jarvis needs to step up aswell as Tai. Can we not give Craig a risky try?

[ferrarilover]

Jarvis had a rare off day, he's usually impressive. You're right about the others though, Eunan especially. It's only a blip, that is for sure, but it could do with having blipped itself out by 1459 next Saturday.

Matt.

[gullintwoplaces]

I honestly don't think that ticketing or the crowd was the issue yesterday. The only difference with the Accrington game was that we had no part of the away end and there was less space for home fans as a consequence. I think the Crewe game will be as close to a sellout as it can be, although again the away end probably won't be full. If our new stand had been ready things would be different, but it ain't.

The issues as I saw them yesterday were, as I said in a previous posting when I got back after the game:

- Some tired players. Rene was given a very hard time by the Southend defence and appeared to be less able to deal with it. He had NO PROTECTION from the t*at of a referee, and even got booked after dickhead Belford in the Southend goal got in the ref's face (disgraceful behaviour from him, trying to get a fellow professional booked). Eunan also looked tired and a bit below par. Both Eunan and Rene did, however, make significant contributions to the game. A week without a game will, I am sure, help, but I think Tai perhaps should start up front next week just to have Rene a break.

- Awful behaviour from the Southend players, who got in the ref's face time and time again. Their timewasting, bullying tactics were a disgrace and they are about as far from a footballing side as it is possible to be.

- The weather became horrible for a large part of the second half, making it difficult for the players (and the poor buggers in the crowd near the front!).

- Finally, the referee. I have been going to Plainmoor since I was a little boy in 1964. I have never before seen a referee who couldn't cope in such an obvious way at Plainmoor before. His performance was truly appalling, dreadful. He gave no protection to the Gulls players, succumbed to the "in your face" tactics of the Southend team (a la Crawley), and appeared to listen to their whinges and moan by giving virtually every decision against the Gulls. I felt genuinely sorry for Rene when he was booked, as he had done nothing at all and had in fact been battered throughout the game. The fact that Southend should have spent the second half with 10 men on the field was sickening. In my mind, this man ruined the game and sadly there is no redress.

I have not lost heart at all. I think we are still in with a great chance of going up automatically, dodgy refs permitting.