Labadie Recalled by County

[stevegull]

I have to wholeheartedly agree with Nick.

It's a bitter blow to lose Labadie for our remaining games but people on here are talking like we've been rooted to the bottom of the table for weeks. I'd still prefer to be in our position than York or Aldershot's. I don't even think we've been in the relegation zone this season and people on here would have you believe we have never escaped it.

Our current team is a level above out one that last got relegated in my opinion. And regarding this I'm not really sure what's worse... Our 2006 team that simply lacked the ability for this level of football, or our current team that has some ability but is lacking the right application, tactics or belief.

We are by no means already down. It is possible, of course, but we are not down just yet! We have to hope that inept performance against Bradford was just a blip in the Knill revival plan.

[brucie]

Nick - you say its fundamental that we don't throw this away. The problem is we already have. I admire your optimism but if Poke has a torn chest muscle Rice will probably have to play in more than one game.
As well as having to win these games, allowing for his cock ups we will have to give every team the equivalent of a two goal start.
Losing Labadie and Poke isn't really bad luck - its a situation that should have been addressed before Xmas.
Don't the fools in charge of our club ever learn anything.
Quite frankly I cannot see us getting another point - at least we will probably be relegated by the last game of the season. Bristol Rovers can have the ground.
I can see a situation where there won't be any home fans turning up which will be what Baker,Phillips,Rowe,and the Boyces quite frankly deserve. Shambolic isn't the word.

[AustrianAndyGull]

Steve, the optimistic ones like yourself are pinning hopes on scenarios that are unlikely to happen and you are all falling into the trap of hoping this team might do that and this player might do this and Knill might do something else that all somehow morphs together at the very end resulting in our survival. That's fine but all i'm saying is that i base my assumptions on what i've seen from the team, results, performances of individual players, the unfortunate events like Joss being recalled and so on and so forth and i come to the conclusion that i am really struggling to see us getting 2 wins.

Now i haven't given up hope as hope will always be there up until it is mathematically impossible but yes, i have accepted relegation already and i'm perfectly ok with it. Nick seems to think that i'm saying the PLAYERS throw in the towel and plan for the conference when in fact that is not the case. It is ME that has thrown in the towel and planning for the conference. What Nick fails to see is that me doing this isn't going to make one tiny iota of difference to how the players perform in the last 4 games. Nick also fails to see that him or anyone else making the journey to Gillingham and Morecambe also isn't going too have any bearing about what happens on the pitch.

If i had given up hope then would i be going to Morecambe instead of going on holiday on the same day which is already booked? I'll go to Morecambe, i'll sing, i'll support the team and then i'll go home and wait for the next game i can go to. Whether that be Barrow away or whatever, i'll be there whenever i can bloody get in the conference if need be and if 'fans' like Nick who are planning to stay away just because we're back in the conference wish to do so then i am now beginning to understand why staying up means the world to him.

[thegreedygull]

It's typical of how fate pisses on you when you don't have an umbrella

[Plymouth Gull]

Can't even be bothered to argue with you again, but I'll look out for your responses if/when the fatal blow happens.

Bye.

[coley in stripes]

Good post Andy, explains how a lot of us feel. I've been waiting all season for the Gillingham game but feel like sunbathing in the garden instead...probably be more enjoyable !

[royalgull]

if we win 2 games out of 4 we'll stay up. Pretty convinced of that regardless of what anyone else does, to go down with 52 points would be mental and also require the bottom 2 to win 3 out of their remaining games which is unlikely.

That's the nuts and bolts of it and all the other stuff saying why we won't go down or why we will go down is irrelevant. Whats gone on before doesn't matter either, 4 games to go, a last big effort, win 2 and we'll survive. We've been in worse positions before and done it.

[AustrianAndyGull]

Can't even be bothered to argue with you again, but I'll look out for your responses if/when the fatal blow happens.

Bye.

Again i'm at fault for something YOU began, i was quite happy listening to the positive people and likewise listening to the views of the negative people but you didn't like something i posted so began needless criticism which is exactly the thing you accused ME of many times in the past. Talk about the boot being on the other foot.

There will be no gloating responses when/if we go down because i'm telling you now that we are going down and that i have accepted it, am ok with it and i can move on to next season looking forward to the games again. There is no anger, apart from the ticket prices, it's all calm. No need to rant if relegation happens because i'm fine with it now. If we stay up then we need to make sure we get banging on the doors of the people who have helped cause the total comedy of a season and make sure nothing like this ( forseeable and predictable events ) can EVER happen again at the club.

I love supporting Torquay and i don't care what league we are ultimately so long as i have a team, to support, we play reasonable football , we as fans don't get ripped off and treated like second class citizens and my friends and family are ok and in good health. That's all that matters to me.

Sounded like Curtis Stigers then! Best stop that RIGHT now!!

[AustrianAndyGull]

Had Labadie stayed, I was fairly sure that Bradford was just a blip, and we would have gone on to produce more good performances similar to our mini-purple patch.

Now it's going to be far more difficult, but by no means is it not achievable. I think Poke would be a far bigger loss than Labadie, so we need him to be fit for Barnet, otherwise I would start to have the same feelings of negativity and impending doom as some other posters on the forum. I'm still positive!

Our fate lies completely in the hands of Alan Knill in my opinion. In relegation fights of years gone by, we seemed to have sides that were poor in quality, but still fought hard and had the flair to score goals from some areas of the team. This season is a genuine mystery to me. We have seeming quality throughout the side (Oastler the exception), yet the players seem to be the kind of players that have to cut through teams with a passing game, and will never get anything from gambling and going direct. This worries me, as we have to create our own luck, and we will only get rewards if we play with composure, positivity, and most of all CONFIDENCE. Other sides seem to be able to graft for 90 minutes, lump some balls in the box, and 1 in 3 matches, their big man up front will score a looping header from nowhere, or their pacey winger will get onto a ball over the top and be in on goal to win the points etc....

We don't have these qualities. We are no blessed with a big man who scores headers, and we are not blessed with pace. This in my opinion is a glaring error from both the previous management, and the current. I appreciate the recruitment of Chappell (Note - I haven't seen him play yet), however Bodin and Jarvis were preferred to him against Bradford. Yet Alan Knill brought Macklin and Chappell on around 65 minutes, to chase a game that we were losing. Two players with genuine pace by all accounts. We need a winger with pace on from the start. We need width on both flanks.

I'm just very uncomfortable at the thought of us having to play our way through teams over the next few weeks, when we are no doubt going to put in some nervy performances for large spells of games. We have a tendency to misplaces passes, pass sideways, and generally forget to do the basics when faced with situations of adversity it has seemed this season. Knill has got to get the confidence fully flowing through the side again, and he's got to get his team selections absolute spot on in every remaining game.

I'd question the inclusion of Oastler, Lathrope, and one of Bodin/Jarvis (pace). I don't think Joe is good at dealing with pressure situations and is prone to a mistake and Lathrope is far too negative to contribute to the passing game that we must execute. I really think that Craig or Morris is a must if we're going to score the goals to keep us up, unless Knill finds a way of rejuvenating Damon's past-season form. I rated Damon so so highly, yet I've lost confidence in his ability to positively affect a game, and I'm worried about Labadie's departure. We don't have the necessary pace on the wing(s) to make something happen out of nothing. I really like Billy and I really rate Jarvis, but I can't have them both in the same side personally. Both good players technically, but there's something about that that doesn't hurt teams as much as a winger could or should. Billy does have moments of brilliance, and his inclusion is possibly warranted on this alone. We will need a penalty or two to score enough goals to stay up IMO, as I can't see where we will score the 2 goals a game otherwise.

Alan Knill has 4, perhaps 3 games realistically, to get a minimum of 4 points. He's not going to get them unless he approaches these games with a positive team selection, and psychologically-positive players. These players have it in them, make no mistake about it. They've been traumatised by a horrific season, continued negativity, a lack of luck, and some terrible management, but they aren't losers. There's a number of players in the side who are hungry to win games, and they need to have their manager instilling the confidence they need. If Knill can get it right off the field, and us the supporters can give them our vocal support for 180 minutes, then I believe we will stay up.

It's not over yet by any means, we have an easier run-in than some. We have to keep believing until the fat-lady sings, even though we are pretty traumatised by this season's luck and atrocious results. Those were Martin Ling's performances. Since Knill has taken over, there has been a marked improvement and it's almost like a mini-season. Lets just hope that the Bradford game was a blip, and we're going to continue our trend of improved performances starting at Barnet (Gills is an exceptionally tough game for any side in League 2 or 1).

COYY!!!!

P,s, the only reason fans throw in the towel is because they feel they can't do anything about the situation. Whilst I agree with this, we have to keep supporting the team and believing that they won't throw in the towel. I can't wait for the Barnet game. It's a cup final, just like the derby games were. These players have it in them when it really matters.

SPOT ON SMIFFY!! I remember you, myself and a few others crying out for a big man months and months ago to give us another option up top, to get knock downs, to be a goalscoring threat from corners and set pieces and to lump the ball to if it's gone t*ts up and we need something in the last 5 or 10 minutes. We brought in Benyon and Chappell. They've done ok but Benyon has scored only 1. A big man would have been a far better option and we could mix it up a bit if need be. Apart from Jarvis, there is nobody other than our centre halves who can power headers in from corners / crosses and it's another opportunity missed to get more goals. Another failure in a long, long, long list of them this season.

[Modgull]

Andy - whilst I tend to share your view on this one, being a half glass empty kind of guy, I do value the Nick's of this world (with their half full perspective)!

Without them I would make myself seriously depressed supporting a team like TUFC.

Let's all agree that we do our best in the last four games to support the team and give them the 12th man effect to see if we can just squeeze over the line.

COYY!!!

[AustrianAndyGull]

Andy - whilst I tend to share your view on this one, being a half glass empty kind of guy, I do value the Nick's of this world (with their half full perspective)!Without them I would make myself seriously depressed supporting a team like TUFC.

Let's all agree that we do our best in the last four games to support the team and give them the 12th man effect to see if we can just squeeze over the line.

COYY!!!

So do i but he doesn't appear to value any opinion different to his own and he loved to tell me so.

[AustrianAndyGull]

I can see where you 'hopers' are coming from. Ok we've had a couple of bad recent defeats which has set us back but up until that point i had seen enough under Knill that we were able to stay up. The tempo is better, the intent is there and we are creating more opportunities to score. I see that and i see why people believe we can stay up so i won't criticise anyone for that as i can see the improvement myself. We are all hoping the last couple of games, which were tough ones let's not forget , were just a blip.

That said, i just feel that everything has conspired against us and the probability given all circumstances is that we will go down so i don't need criticising for having that honest view. It's pathetic.

[Scott Brehaut]

I'm looking forward to gloating when we stay up

[AustrianAndyGull]

I'm looking forward to gloating when we stay up

So am i!! I'm bi-polar apparently so either way i win!!

[Scott Brehaut]

Nope, you don't get the chance to gloat - you've been gloating all season about how crap we are, so leave me to have my time in the spotlight