If I were a Director....

[arcadia]

yes, he most certainly did! it was quite a big thing at the time as i remember, drawing much comment, and considered quite unusual, radical even. a few years later england adopted a similar system at italia 90 which also drew much comment.

would it really hurt to try something a bit different, it would be better to do it now than when its too late.

i didnt go yesterday but the amount of times i heard it said on the radio that there is no movement from our players, they dont manage to string more than a couple of passes together or they play like strangers. this is all things i have said myself when watching this team. there is one more phrase i heard yesterday which is similar to what i have said many times myself and if i were a director i would be breathing down alan knills neck right now asking him - "WHAT DO THEY ACTUALLY DO IN TRAINING".

the board should be asking questions right now, they should be all over him like a rash wanting to know what is going on and what he is going to do to put things right. in any other profession if the performance of staff is poor, questions are asked and heads might roll. if he doesnt like it if they question him, he can always walk.

That should have been done a month ago. If he walked the loan players could go back to their clubs after a month and we may see a side that is all Torquay players. It would be best for all parties if he walked.

[Scott Brehaut]

Of course. You know this, we all know this. Ling was sacked for being sick and a liability that we weren't willing to carry. Sacking a bloke for 'footballing reasons' is perfectly legitimate. Sacking him for being sick makes the club liable to an out-of-Court settlement up in seven figures.

Matt.

So, in essence, the club lied and are, thus not being ethical.

[brucie]

Yes we have some decent players. At the moment I would say these are as follows:

Poke (injured all season)
Downes
O'connor
Pearce (not in the team)
Chappell
Bodin (injured)
Benyon (be ok with some decent support)
Yeoman (scoring goals for fun at Bideford)

Other than that we are really struggling because there are not enough good players in that team to make a functional unit. Clearly Pearce should be in the team because he is one of our better players. O'Connor is fitter,stronger,quicker and a better player than Tonge so he should be in at right back.
Rather than sign umpteen loan forwards Knill should send Azeez and McCallum back, recall Yeoman (who believe me is no worse than the two aforementioned loanees).
He should then sign a decent left back on loan, then at least the defence will be sorted.

[wodger of awabia]

Yes we have some decent players. At the moment I would say these are as follows:

Poke (injured all season)
Downes
O'connor
Pearce (not in the team)
Chappell
Bodin (injured)
Benyon (be ok with some decent support)
Yeoman (scoring goals for fun at Bideford)

Other than that we are really struggling because there are not enough good players in that team to make a functional unit. Clearly Pearce should be in the team because he is one of our better players. O'Connor is fitter,stronger,quicker and a better player than Tonge so he should be in at right back.
Rather than sign umpteen loan forwards Knill should send Azeez and McCallum back, recall Yeoman (who believe me is no worse than the two aforementioned loanees).
He should then sign a decent left back on loan, then at least the defence will be sorted.

Yes, but you are failing to recognise that the manager is very poor & does not know what he is doing, or even which players to include in the team. He had his "star" signing ( Mozika ) on the bench yesterday, but did not bring him on. Doh!

[Scott Brehaut]

In fairness, I don't think Juan has ever come out and said Mozika was/is our "star" signing.

Granted, lots has been made of it on here, but never uttered from the lips of the manager.

[wodger of awabia]

In fairness, I don't think Juan has ever come out and said Mozika was/is our "star" signing.

Granted, lots has been made of it on here, but never uttered from the lips of the manager.

Well, it was me that suggested that IMO Mozika was his star signing, IMO Knill has no idea who his best players are, how to use them, or were to play them.

[ferrarilover]

So, in essence, the club lied and are, thus not being ethical.

Welcome to the real world. It's **** all like Disney promised you it would be.

Matt.

[Sunnysideup]

"The 'footballing' reasons for sacking Martin Ling, and how we would take the form the team was showing when Ling went sick in exchange for the disaster we have now.

That would be the 2 wins, 4 draws and 6 defeats in his last 12 matches then??

[Sunnysideup]

Of course. You know this, we all know this. Ling was sacked for being sick and a liability that we weren't willing to carry. Sacking a bloke for 'footballing reasons' is perfectly legitimate. Sacking him for being sick makes the club liable to an out-of-Court settlement up in seven figures.Matt.

There was at least one director that thought we had the wrong man in the hot seat before Christmas last year so "footballing reasons" is valid, despite what you may think.

[ferrarilover]

How is that, in any way, any sort of even slightly not shit evidence? Some random heresay about one member of a 10 man Board not thinking the manager was quite right?

Matt.

[Dave]

I can't believe we are still having a Ling.v.Knill debate. Alan Knill may not be the answer that, I, or many others on this site thought he was going to be, however Martin Ling was not the answer either, yes his first season was fantastic, however ML had the components, he had a goalkeeper in Bobby.O who game in, game out, saved so many certain goals. And how many games did we win 1.0, he had the benefit of Eunan O'Kane as well.

I am finding it pretty tiresome the numbers of times I've heard, read, look at where the team was in the league when ML went sick, our league position at that time was papering over a massive crack , Hector and others, as already been said by Sunnysideup, Martin Ling managed just 2 wins from his last 12 games and knocked out of the cup by Harrogate after playing his normal defensive lets bore them into submission tactics, all very well in League 2 when you need the points , but Harrogate, Really. Was the huge dip in form leading up the end of Martins Ling's reign, due to this mystery illness, did it cause the illness. Or was Martin Ling ever ill, all the way along, who knows.

[Sunnysideup]

How is that, in any way, any sort of even slightly not sh*t evidence? Some random heresay about one member of a 10 man Board not thinking the manager was quite right?
Matt.

I really dont give a toss what you think TBH. You can choose to believe it or not. Feel free to carry on being an obnoxious tool to anyone that has a slightly different opinion to yours.

[ferrarilover]

A fine counter.

Matt.

[Scott Brehaut]

Welcome to the real world. It's f**k all like Disney promised you it would be.

Matt.

I'm fully aware of that.

If the club, therefore, had the "balls" to sack a sick man on "footballing" grounds, surely they can do the same to Knill....Martin's first season here was excellent - granted, he had good players, but he also got the results.

Juan hasn't got the results, and has also been provided with the financial backing (albeit, not as much as Ling, but still has been backed).

Tough times for the Board - damned if they do, damned if they don't.

[PlainmoorRoar]

But let's berate them whatever they do