Torquay United v Mansfield Town - 19/10/13

[SuperNickyWroe]

no i left that supes, my two bogey teams playing each other, looks like a good win??

theres still time bix.................. =D

[Wisconsin_gull]

BBC stats make it look like things are opening up
That always concerns me
Should have been game over by now
Cruise for Bodin sub is curious - that said TC more likely to score :~D
COYY don't f8*k it up :whip:

[Gulliball]

Cruise for Bodin sub is curious

You realise we had a centre back sent off? Bringing on the only player capable of filling in at centre back for an attacking player is fairly standard.

[frenchgull]

A point is a point but now we are back in the brown stuff with Pearce missing for the next game.Fixtures do not look good on Tuesday so we need a very strong performance against Burton to stop dropping into the bottom two.

[Jeff]

Truly dismal, turgid affair.

I wouldn't say either side deserved to win that. I guess on the balance of play the gulls were the "least sh**" of the two, but we gave Mansfield a chance to build up a head of steam at the end which allowed them to exert some pressure on us.

Our chances of winning headed west with the sending off - we'd just managed to string together a couple of dangerous attacks and look like we might be on the verge of some momentum, when Pearce made his token one error of the game, lost the ball in the middle of the park and then got sent off as he tried to recover. No complaints with the red, even though the ref was wildly inconsistent and overly fussy.

All our most enterprising play came via Bodin, so once he went off we were lost. He was very unlikely to strike the post in the first half, as he'd done everything right and was about half an inch from scoring a great goal. Very poor performances from Chappel, Azeez and Hawley - minimal goal threat from the three. I thought Mansell and McCourt did ok in the middle, although McCourt doesn't offer anything that Lathrope doesn't. Rice made one mistake, coming for a corner and not getting there, but redeemed himself with two solid (if unspectacular) blocks

Most worrying is again the Central Defensive situation. Obviously now Pearce is missing for Tuesday, while O'Connor was limping heavily at the end. Hopefully it's nothing major as he was able to finish the game, so fingers crossed DD can work his magic otherwise I can see Billy Kee having a field day up against Cruise and Hutchings.

Dreadful atmosphere at Plainmoor. I was sat in the bench and there was nothing coming from the pop - I'll concede that there was little to get excited about but I've been to dull games in the past where it's been way better atmosphere.

Genuinely fearful for us. My first trip to Plainmoor for over a year, and this time it just felt like a club in decline. No direction on the pitch, no passion in the stands.

[TeenageGull]

Let me start my just saying that is the worst game i have seen this season. However, I think most people would agree with me by saying I would rather play sh*t and get a point instead of playing well and winning. In our current predicament that is not a bad result even though Mansfield were worse than York. Here are my player ratings:

Rice: 6- Seemed very nervous at some points and nearly cost us but got down with a good save
Nicho: 7- Did well, nothing wrong can't really criticism that performance
O'Connor: 8- Made some cracking tackles kept the defense in shape and deserves more credit than he probably will get
Pearce: 5- Its a shame since he has just came back but I was worried every time he got near the ball and that then resulted in him getting his double yellow which I thought should of been a straight red
Tonge: 6 - Nothing special, Nothing Wrong
McCourt: 7 - Did well for his home debut and completed more passes forward than both mansell and Harding in 1 game
Mansell: 3- The usual, I'm not even going to go there
Chappell: 5- Whats happened to him????? He has a good spell but lacked any confidence to take anyone today, very disappointing
Bodin: 9 - MOTM anything bright and positive came from him, even though he lost it a few times he is worthy of man of the match
Azeez: 7- Did well, should of done better with his chance in the second half, cant head to save his life but overall he did ok
Hawley: 4 - Couldn't hold the ball which is worrying, no creativity, very disappointing

Subs:
Craig: 8- Thank god knill hasn't loaned him out! Nice through balls here and there and actually made a good tackle =D Also a cracking corner with the keeper did well with
Benyon: 5- Didn't do anything but didn't have the time
Cruise: 6 - Fine replacement for Pearce

Officials :whip: I would rather have Deadmen running the line and reffing at the same time than the whistle happy ref and lino we had today, shocking

I will always be positive and even though the performance was crap I can go away knowing a point is the right direction

[ferrarilover]

Certainly not a straight red for Pearce, two covering defenders 40 yards from goal isn't a clear goalscoring opportunity.

Both sides Conference South quality for much of the afternoon, although what little good stuff there was came from us (particularly once NC came on). Bodin excellent, Azeez dreadful, couldn't control a thing. Rice managed to make his easiest afternoon of the season into a bit of a crisis by coming for a corner he didn't get anywhere near. I'm going to concede that I was wrong about Hawley, he's absolute bobbins. That said, he got bundled about all day and the ref was insistent that he couldn't possibly be netting fouled.
Tongue good.
O'Connor guilty of looking for the long ball far too often. Really can't see how he got into a playoff side every week. Chappell very ordinary. Manse dived in but achieved nothing having won the ball. McCourt didn't do a lot, but that's probably because the ball spent 99% of the match in the air, in the stand or awaiting a Mansfield free kick.

Referee and linesman not merely incompetent but actively biased. Awarding Mansfield at least 40 free kicks in the match without there being a real tackle therein. I don't care that the BBC will say it was 9-6 in our favour (or whatever). Mansfield came for a point from the off and the officials were desperate to help the get it.

As for Mansfield, they're hopeless. Truly terrible. A team of giants who play absolutely no football and are intent on emulating Northampton's "no pass less than 50 yards" approach from last year. They're also well versed in the black arts, falling over every time they go up for a header or lose possession.

Having said I would, I won't go to Burton. I'm not travelling all that distance to watch a game that dull. We showed, once again, today that we are capable of sticking together passages of play which are far beyond this division. We didn't do it enough and, in the end, both teams were lucky to get nil.

Matt.

[DTUFC]

Let me start my just saying that is the worst game i have seen this season. However, I think most people would agree with me by saying I would rather play sh*t and get a point instead of playing well and winning. In our current predicament that is not a bad result even though Mansfield were worse than York.

Erm...I'd have to disagree with you there mate! :na:

[A Realist]

Poor game today. On quality of chances I think Torquay maybe just about deserved to win but the sending off was a big turning point. Imo it was totally the fault of Mansell who played a ridiculous pass which left Pearce exposed. Surprised the it wasn't a straight red card tbh. Very unlucky with the shot that hit the post but that's what seems to happen when you're at the wrong end of the table.


The worrying thing that stood out for me today though, was the total lack organisation from the bench. I was close to the dugout and was keeping an eye on Knill. Genuine question. Is there something wrong with him? Depression maybe? I've never in all my life watching football seen a manager who looked as disinterested as he did and it was like he didn't want to be there. After the sending off, the lack of instructions were astonishing. Even five minutes after Pearce walked Mansell was clearly heard shouting to Knill, are we playing 3 at the back or 4. The total lack of understanding from the players was really worrying and it allowed them to take control of the game. Its the remit of the manager to quickly reorganise and Knill either wasn't heard (which is unlikely) or simply did not know what to do.

Also, did anyone see what Benyon supposedly did near the end? I think their player was claiming he was bitten but I didn't see it.

All in all I think given the red card to take a point will prove a decent enough result but it was just awful play which left Pearce exposed. He may miss the next game but imo he saved a point today.

[TeenageGull]

Erm...I'd have to disagree with you there mate! :na:

Really?

Im quite surprised at that. that is because we have proved that we can play good football but keep losing but Im still in confidence that we can play that good football. Since we played crap today and got a point, I cant complain

[ferrarilover]

Read it again TG, you haven't written what you think you've written.

Matt.

[DTUFC]

Both teams were poor but thought we might well have gone on to win had Pearce not been sent off. Ref was awful and blew for everything - even, laughably, when Bodin pulled out of a challenge.

Bodin was a lot better today though in a central role and Craig made some good passes when he came on. Didn't recognise him at first: he's been out of favour for so long he's grown hair and a beard since I last saw him!

Relieved to hold on for the draw in the end but got a feeling this'll be one of the games we regret not winning later in the season.

PS - Anyone know what Benyon's problem was towards the end? Started a mini-brawl and lost us a free-kick in a good position!

[frenchgull]

Yet again another poor attendance at plainmoor with 14% of the enemy making up the crowd.The problem is that the away team bring supporters to Torquay for a weekend away,good for us in terms of Finance but makes us look pathetic with our own support.I think we now have the team we deserve.

[miltonkeynesgull]

PS - Anyone know what Benyon's problem was towards the end? Started a mini-brawl and lost us a free-kick in a good position!

A Mansfield reporter on Twitter reckons Beevers (their defender) was bitten on the arm. Seems pretty un-Benyon-like to me.

[A Realist]

Both teams were poor but thought we might well have gone on to win had Pearce not been sent off. Ref was awful and blew for everything - even, laughably, when Bodin pulled out of a challenge.

Bodin was a lot better today though in a central role and Craig made some good passes when he came on. Didn't recognise him at first: he's been out of favour for so long he's grown hair and a beard since I last saw him!

Relieved to hold on for the draw in the end but got a feeling this'll be one of the games we regret not winning later in the season.

PS - Anyone know what Benyon's problem was towards the end? Started a mini-brawl and lost us a free-kick in a good position!

I think the defender was claiming he was bitten. He kept pointing to his arm as if there were marks on it.