Torquay United v Dagenham and Redbridge - Matchday thread - 17/02/18

IanGull01 · Post by **IanGull01** » 17 Feb 2018, 18:32

One thing that does bother me is why Owers doesn’t feel the need to come over and clap the fans and just trudge off down into the tunnel?!

MellowYellow · Post by **MellowYellow** » 17 Feb 2018, 18:36

If there is anything to take away from the match it is to admire a master class of tactical awareness by a top manager. Dagenham's manager John Still with 40 years of non-league management experience had the making of Ower's set-up from the off. Our 5-3-2 defensive counter attack never got off the ground from minute one. Still's just employed a 3-5-2 formation to stifle the midfield and dominate the match. With 25 minutes to go and 1-0 down, Ower's commits to a suicide formation with an attacking 4-2-4. You could see John Still's rubbing his hands with delight, already 1-0 up, he sends instructions to his team to sit back and counter attack. We were lucky it was only 0-3, in the last quarter of the game, Dagenham could have easily put 5 passed us.

Don't blame the players on this one, they play to position and managers instructions. We were tactically outmanoeuvred. It was not the players who were incompetent but our manager for not finding the much needed counter formation to match the Dagenham's set up, right from the start. Unless you are an 'Ower's can do no wrong supporter', then you can point the finger directly at our manager for this display.

Owers reaction: "we got what we deserved". Yes we did Mr Owers - thanks!

TUST_Member_Rob · Post by **TUST_Member_Rob** » 17 Feb 2018, 18:40

What a game changer the couple mins before HT proved to be

Reid - unspurisingly - fluffs a great chance and Williams for reasons I cant fathom attempts to pass to donkey Reid when through on goal.

Despite not playing well we should have been 1-0 up and could have been 2 up

The first goal is poor defending all round

The second - a good delivery from Sparkes - was an easy free kick header, the third again woeful at the back.

We just lacked intensity all game, Dagenham quicker and stronger all over the pitch, no TUFC player played well today.

Thankfully there's a game Tuesday, this one has to be put to bed and the return of Mr Lettuce should give us some impetus up front and Reid can feck off!

brucie · Post by **brucie** » 17 Feb 2018, 19:19

Do you seriously think that if Gowling had played the result would have been any different - of course he is a poor signing, he is always fecking injured.

We lose cause we have a shit load of forwards who are worse than useless all signed by the previous manager. Go one down and we end up losing heavily as we chase the game with forwards who lack any ability, same happens time and time again.

TUST_Member_Rob · Post by **TUST_Member_Rob** » 17 Feb 2018, 19:27

brucie wrote: 17 Feb 2018, 19:19 Do you seriously think that if Gowling had played the result would have been any different - of course he is a poor signing, he is always fecking injured.

We lose cause we have a shit load of forwards who are worse than useless all signed by the previous manager. Go one down and we end up losing heavily as we chase the game with forwards who lack any ability, same happens time and time again.

This shows that you haven't seen game in a while

The last game v Barrow Gowling was instrumental in that win, his presence allows McGinty and Balatoni to do their jobs

Today it was the new bloke in the middle and the lack of organisation was clear to see

It is a shame he hasn't been able to stay fit hopefully he will be back Tuesday

Teigngull · Post by **Teigngull** » 17 Feb 2018, 19:32

Sorry about this but that was an absolute pile if feckin shyte, talk about Jekyll & Hyde from one week to the next, we were utterly out thought, out fought, out muscled, they were bigger, stronger & fitter & that's from a club in crisis . God only if we were a club in crisis !
Well done you Daggers you really fought for your shirt & pride I've got nothing but admiration for every single one of you, as for our lot , you should be ashamed .

Arrywithnobrain · Post by **Arrywithnobrain** » 17 Feb 2018, 19:37

brucie wrote: 17 Feb 2018, 19:19 Do you seriously think that if Gowling had played the result would have been any different - of course he is a poor signing, he is always fecking injured.

We lose cause we have a shit load of forwards who are worse than useless all signed by the previous manager. Go one down and we end up losing heavily as we chase the game with forwards who lack any ability, same happens time and time again.

Are you Merse in disguise: who signed Reid on a contract?

MellowYellow · Post by **MellowYellow** » 17 Feb 2018, 19:45

Arrywithnobrain wrote: 17 Feb 2018, 19:37 : who signed Reid on a contract?

Exactly, I think you will find it is Owers who effectively gave him a two-year deal and who was our other forward signed by?

Hammdog2601 · Post by **Hammdog2601** » 17 Feb 2018, 19:50

That first half it felt like it was a new team, They were never communicating. It was awful from minute 1. Does not help that teams around us won. Back to reality. 8 points adift. most of those teams have a game in hand over us. Reid and Keating had their chance to prove themselves today with Romain being out. Don't get me wrong the both tried. We just could'nt find the 2nd man.

Onto Sutton.... Lose that and we are 100% gone.

Two steps forward, one step back...
hey ho...

Hammdog2601 · Post by **Hammdog2601** » 17 Feb 2018, 19:54

We gotta get rid of playing 5 at the back. We gotta start playing more attacking. At times today our strike force were alone.

Goose9 · Post by **Goose9** » 17 Feb 2018, 19:58

MellowYellow wrote: 17 Feb 2018, 18:36 If there is anything to take away from the match it is to admire a master class of tactical awareness by a top manager. Dagenham's manager John Still with 40 years of non-league management experience had the making of Ower's set-up from the off. Our 5-3-2 defensive counter attack never got off the ground from minute one. Still's just employed a 3-5-2 formation to stifle the midfield and dominate the match. With 25 minutes to go and 1-0 down, Ower's commits to a suicide formation with an attacking 4-2-4. You could see John Still's rubbing his hands with delight, already 1-0 up, he sends instructions to his team to sit back and counter attack. We were lucky it was only 0-3, in the last quarter of the game, Dagenham could have easily put 5 passed us.

Don't blame the players on this one, they play to position and managers instructions. We were tactically outmanoeuvred. It was not the players who were incompetent but our manager for not finding the much needed counter formation to match the Dagenham's set up, right from the start. Unless you are an 'Ower's can do no wrong supporter', then you can point the finger directly at our manager for this display.

Owers reaction: "we got what we deserved". Yes we did Mr Owers - thanks!

Sums it up perfectly and that is exactly what we witnessed this afternoon, Owers was completely outsmarted... again.

Dagenham were well organised and knew exactly how to counter everything we threw at them so we just resorted to our old ways and playing hoofball by the second half, once that happens you can pretty much write off the rest of the game.

Why Reid was started ahead of Keating i'll never know, he had a couple of good runs but never knows how to finish it and generally looked like he didn't give a shit.

On a positive note, Sokolik looked promising and we have a game on Tuesday to bounce back to try and save our momentum.

JakeJason · Post by **JakeJason** » 17 Feb 2018, 21:00

Agree with Mellow Yellow.Still got his team to stifle our wing backs from the start. We looked confused and with no plan b resorted to hoofing the balll. Suppose that is the difference, Still is an experienced, professional, tactically aware manager and owner's managed Bath

westyorkshiregull · Post by **westyorkshiregull** » 17 Feb 2018, 21:01

westyorkshiregull wrote: 16 Feb 2018, 22:37 Seems a great time to play them so must take advantage but John still is no mug. He is non league's Brian clough in my eyes

Think the knowhow of John Still deserves credit

Dazza · Post by **Dazza** » 17 Feb 2018, 21:04

I will obviously defer to those who witnessed the event but we now seem to lack the option of player with pace to come on and give the width option. If you going to have to go 4:2:4 or 4:3:3 you surely need a wide man option fresh somewhere from the bench ( preferably two ) . Reid is probably that option in the squad at the moment and although I think he is the supporter scapegoat far too often I simply wouldn't have played him instead of Romain. He is either the man behind the striker or should be a bring on wide player.

Post by **Colorado Gull** » 17 Feb 2018, 21:31

I now know what fans have been suffering with all season, that was dreadful. When you think it can't get any worse, it does. Every player was completely useless, however, relegation is the inventible, so I didn't expect anything less than what I witnessed. My last game for a while, my last game watching TUFC in the NL.

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