Torquay United v Maidstone

[desperado]

Totally agree

[North Curry House]

Four of the last five at home have been drawn, EIGHT points lost, even if we had won just two, we would be top., not that it means anything in November but...... We were awful again tonight. No one to put their foot on the ball and dictate play. We never looked like scoring but their keeper, appeared to palm the ball into his own net, to gift us a point. Only bright spark was Will Jenkins Davies, who was "head and shoulders" above anyone else on the pitch. No cohesion about our play, we can not continue playing, as we are!

[numpte]

Very frustrating and largely boring to watch which has been the case for a good number of games ive either attended or paid to watch on tv (9). Its not entertaining and im amazed the crowds have been consistently as high. The signing of Young and his anonymous showing last night just highlighting it may not be the players, rather the system. Spend all that money and hes as ineffective as Ash and Seymour have been. No service, no goal scoring opportunities, no goals. That cannot be lost on the club leadership. (the entertainment factor and attendances). Dont want gung ho football but do want to see some consistent chances created.

[leetufc]

That was another difficult watch. Maidstone rarely threatened our goal and scored with a good free kick, however we also didn't look like we knew how to put an attack together and got lucky with our goal.

5 at the back - it feels like Wotton's first priority has been to shore up the defence, and this is something he has done compared to the horrors of last season. However we are so limited in attack. We should be using the wing backs more effectively with the LCB/RCB overlapping, and the other side tucking in, but it doesn't happen. Felt for Carson last night - he was often in good positions out on the left but we never used him.

Our attackers were poor, but as others have said, is it a system/style issue? The first half of the Chelmsford game was positive with Young and Mussa making good combinations, but both were poor on Saturday and today. We lump the ball up to Cooke but he rarely wins a good flick on or holds it up well.

One of our better players in the last two home games when he has come on has been Palmer, and no offense meant to him, but that's a problem.

Some positives - defence played well overall, Hayfield had a good game in the holding role, and WJD showed a few glimpses with promising runs.

[culmstockgull]

Arriving to find the wind blowing a hoolie I imagined we would be at an immediate disadvantage with our hoof ball game, but give the lads their due they did manage to keep it on the deck a lot more than usual, first 25 we pressed hard and restricted maidstone, then it seemed someone in a torquay shirt said well thats enough of that and we retreated to the half way line.and for the rest of the half maidstone played us off the park, didnt get a good look on the free kick that led to their goal but I know the ball was in the net before hamon moved his size ten's,but second half he more than made up for it by saving two certain goals.
The Hasani/Mussa conundrum continues to disappoint, when either start they do not set the world alight but make wonderful cameo second half appearances, it needs sorting. WJD is a playmaker but seems to be used in every other position to the one he is most suited for possibly because his work rate is higher than the former two.
We lack a threat uo front, only 2 teams in the top 16 have scored less than us, we do not possess any wingers or pace in the final third, Tonks likes to get down the wing but lacks the confidence and strength in the final third being asked to undertake a role that bournemouth never trained him for.
Wotton needs a new post match script, how many games in a row can he say he is disappointed when he sets them up to do the exact same thing the following match.
By a miracle of mediority that is the national league south we are still in the mix at the top, how you may ask when logic indicates on form we should be mid table at best, we have to get through this patch. Saturday in the mickey mouse cup may be the perect opportunity to try something different.

[Louis]

[culmstockgull]

Just read a very good article by don roman after the maidstone match, several things, firstly ,having watching it dozens of times I think the ball goes through Hamon's hands as he dived, and the goal was easily preventable by having someone on the line, for a keeper who can have such quick reactions in close up situations he singularly struggles with long range efforts, As for acquiring a tough midfield maestro, I am not sure we need one, we saw this under johnston, the season before last we had nine so called midfielders few if any of which could be called maesrtro's but we continued to acquire them hoping one might make the difference.
Wotton has said several times post match that the players are effectively not listenening or failing to carry out instructions and doing their own thing, answer, you need a captain on the pitch who can enforce those instructions, Threlkeld is not that person, I am not sure I have ever heard him talking to the other players, Dreyer, an undoubted captain in the making but another quiet player that needs at his young age to get on with learning his own game not worrying about others, Hayfield is an obvious candidate, experienced and a first choice pick when fit and very vocal.

[PL21gull]

Indeed, with having played at a much higher standard of football, it is unfathomable that PW can keep sending out his team to play such unpurposeful, uncreative, and unthreatening long ball tactics. I use the word team loosely, as we resemble more a collection of individuals.
We just do not seem to value possession, whether from throws-in or passing (either with intent or accuracy). At least when Mussa came on he was demanding the ball to feet; our forwards never get the ball to feet, our midfield is disfunctional, and although CC tries hard in the air we hardly ever gain possession from high balls. It is not surprising then that we score fewer goals than we should at this level. It is hardly rocket science. It is about playing as a team and imposing ourselves on the opposition with control of the ball.
So how can PW watch us being shown how to play on the deck by opponents and do nothing to correct our style of play?

[United62]

Just watched the highlights. Def penalty at around 1:45. The defending for the free kick from which Maidstone scored was defended abysmally, not one of the players in the wall attempted to jump to block the shot and Hamon should definitely have had that covered.

Our equaliser was very fortunate. 9 times of 10 that keeper would have saved a weak header.

As has been mentioned elsewhere, we need to get in control from the off and not leave it til the last 10-15 minutes to actually start putting pressure on the opposition.

[desperado]

Yes that's an absolute stonewaller isn't it !
A goalkeeper save almost, he looks like he gets two hands on it , the referees view seems to be blocked by a Maidstone player . That's another one to add to the list !

[BigDave]

Just read a very good article by don roman after the maidstone match, several things, firstly ,having watching it dozens of times I think the ball goes through Hamon's hands as he dived, and the goal was easily preventable by having someone on the line, for a keeper who can have such quick reactions in close up situations he singularly struggles with long range efforts, As for acquiring a tough midfield maestro, I am not sure we need one, we saw this under johnston, the season before last we had nine so called midfielders few if any of which could be called maesrtro's but we continued to acquire them hoping one might make the difference.
Wotton has said several times post match that the players are effectively not listenening or failing to carry out instructions and doing their own thing, answer, you need a captain on the pitch who can enforce those instructions, Threlkeld is not that person, I am not sure I have ever heard him talking to the other players, Dreyer, an undoubted captain in the making but another quiet player that needs at his young age to get on with learning his own game not worrying about others, Hayfield is an obvious candidate, experienced and a first choice pick when fit and very vocal.

Hamon is an over-rated goalkeeper but seems to be a mate of an over-rated manager. His wonderful shot stopping is praised to the skies while his errors are ignored, but good keepers do the basics right and perform "worldies" as a bonus: not the other way round. Truro don't appear to have suffered greatly from the loss of Hamon or Wotton.