Just a week and a half to go!!!

[friendlygas]

How are you lot feeling about the new season? Got to say I would be a lot happier with your first game than ours. Seems Rene Howe is doing the business for you which i am pleased about because with us you couldnt fault the blokes efforts. What are your hopes for the new season.Personallyi would be happy with a Play Off position come May but to be honest things seem very encouraging at the moment.As regards the players you know the fans here have really taken to Carayol and the three games I have seen him he has been brilliant and absolutely skinned both the Burnley full back and the Reading full back.Zebroski and Stanley have both been met with a mixed reception although personally I like thge pair of them and think they will be great assets. Bevan has not had such a good reception following last nights game but I am sure he will come through and do well. I am one of the lucky 750 to have a ticket for the Wimbledon game but the rumour going around is that there are about 500 scam tickets going around so to arrive early because the scam ones will be hard to find and once the ground is full that will be it!!
There is little doubt that we could have sold three times as many tickets as we were given. What has the general feeling been around your terraces in the friendlies? I would say that I have enjoyed our pre season friendlies more than all the games last season.Buckle has brought an exciuting brand of football to us and coming out of the matches it has been great to hear so many positives from fellow fans.
I would say at this time that if you bring ,as expected 1,000 plus to our ground then wouldnt be a bit surprised to see a gate of near 9000.Dont think we will quite get the 10,000 crowd we had last time we played you. I have the feeling you will come to us with 3 points from your first game. I will be happy with a draw at Wimbledon although to be honest at least I can go to the game thinking we have a good chance of winning which is something I have not been able to do in a long time!! Good luck in your first game.

[Southampton Gull]

We've done the business against Brizzle City and the Greeks, although they were very poor for a team that just missed out on the League One play-offs. They were at full strength and really didn't trouble us at all.

Mainly a second string side against Burnley and they were too good for us until we brought a few players on in the 70th minute, Howe scoring a real cracker from well outside the box.

I'd say we're all fairly positive (just a couple of exceptions ) and personally I'm really happy with the way Martin Ling has built a side.

Don't worry about Zebs and Stanley, they are both very good players at this level, Carayol will blow out of his arse soon enough though, enjoy it while it lasts with him. Bevan is one of those you really want to do well but he does have deficiencies in his game and you'll see them soon enough. It'll be a cracking atmosphere when we come to your place, almost all those fans I talk to are coming to the match so it should be a great occasion.

[royalgull]

Pretty much what big Dave has said. You've added good LEague 2 players, that's all you can ask really. Rovers should definitely be there or there abouts.

I like our business, bit of a coup getting Morris here as well as Olejnik. Saah should be easily good enough and I'm hopeful about Howe. I'm willing to bet good money he gets more goals for us than Harrold does for Rovers if they play a similar amount of games, and you wouldn't have had to shell out money for him!

Pre season has gone about as well as it possibly could have done and I feel we're ready for a decent mid table season. There are a stack of clubs with worse squads than us, Accrington have sold off their best players and barely replaced any either so I think they will be poor this year on top of the usual suspects. Hereford, Cheltenham, Macc, Morecambe, Burton to name just a few poor sides in this league.

Really looking forward to this season now, just hope we get a good start as it'll relieve some/any pressure on us and also keep brucie away from posting. Win-Win!

[blueboy]

Pretty much what big Dave has said. You've added good LEague 2 players, that's all you can ask really. Rovers should definitely be there or there abouts.

I like our business, bit of a coup getting Morris here as well as Olejnik. Saah should be easily good enough and I'm hopeful about Howe. I'm willing to bet good money he gets more goals for us than Harrold does for Rovers if they play a similar amount of games, and you wouldn't have had to shell out money for him!

Pre season has gone about as well as it possibly could have done and I feel we're ready for a decent mid table season. There are a stack of clubs with worse squads than us, Accrington have sold off their best players and barely replaced any either so I think they will be poor this year on top of the usual suspects. Hereford, Cheltenham, Macc, Morecambe, Burton to name just a few poor sides in this league.

Really looking forward to this season now, just hope we get a good start as it'll relieve some/any pressure on us and also keep brucie away from posting. Win-Win!

I think you guys will do fine, think Ling has done some decent business bringing in a few quality L2 players. I think you're capable of a mid-table position if you don't get many injuries.

I'll take you up on the above offer, I personally think Harrold will score more than Howe and will bet up to £50. I've been really impressed with Harrold, he won't be prolific but we have loads of goals throughout the team, what he will bring is excellent hold up play and he wins loads of headers. I compared him to Howe when he first signed but having seen more of him they're 2 different type of players. I've been to 5 of the 7 friendlies so far and we haven't looked the same threat when he hasn't been in the team. I think Howe will get 10-12 goals if he's fit all season, he certainly won't break the 15 goal barrier, even though his pre-season form may suggest otherwise.

I disagree with friendly gas on Bevan and the reception he got. He's done well this pre-season and has only conceded 2 goals. The only thing he did wrong last night was stay on his line when Long was through on goal but he made up for it by making a good save. Having seen Burnley and Reading there's no doubt who were the better team, I think Burnley will struggle to finish in the top 10.

Can't wait for the season to start now, bit nervous about the first 2 games but it will be a great atmosphere at the Mem on the 13th. Looking forward to the banter.

[blueboy]

I think you guys will do fine, think Ling has done some decent business bringing in a few quality L2 players. I think you're capable of a mid-table position if you don't get many injuries.

I'll take you up on the above offer, I personally think Harrold will score more than Howe and will bet up to £50. I've been really impressed with Harrold, he won't be prolific but we have loads of goals throughout the team, what he will bring is excellent hold up play and he wins loads of headers. I compared him to Howe when he first signed but having seen more of him they're 2 different type of players. I've been to 5 of the 7 friendlies so far and we haven't looked the same threat when he hasn't been in the team. I think Howe will get 10-12 goals if he's fit all season, he certainly won't break the 15 goal barrier, even though his pre-season form may suggest otherwise.

I disagree with friendly gas on Bevan and the reception he got. He's done well this pre-season and has only conceded 2 goals. The only thing he did wrong last night was stay on his line when Long was through on goal but he made up for it by making a good save. Having seen Burnley and Reading there's no doubt who were the better team, I think Burnley will struggle to finish in the top 10.

Can't wait for the season to start now, bit nervous about the first 2 games but it will be a great atmosphere at the Mem on the 13th. Looking forward to the banter.

Having said that I don't think Harrold has ever got into double figures so I might have contradicted myself by saying Howe will get 10-12 haha. I still think he'll be vital to our play this season and willing to stick by that bet.

[Southampton Gull]

Easy money for Royalgull there if you ask me

Kind of like my bet with BG although I haven't seen him accept it yet:)

[blueboy]

Easy money for Royalgull there if you ask me

Kind of like my bet with BG although I haven't seen him accept it yet:)

Haha it could be

What bet do you have with BG then SG?

[Southampton Gull]

He offered to bet someone you'd beat us by three clear goals, I thought it would be a little more fair to offer to make it 2 clear goals (fair to him that is). I've not seen him accept it yet.

[SteveDeckchair]

A week on Saturday, Get In!!

Can't wait......

[ferrarilover]

Oh brilliant, I had missed that someone had taken him up on his offer.
I was going to, I had a big old post about how it didn't matter whether I did or not, since I haven't come across such a childish, "I bet my daddies willy is bigger than your daddies willy" wager since primary school, but then figured that it MIGHT just detract from an otherwise worthy thread, so gave it best.

I think it'll be free money, but there ain't no way he'll pay up when he loses.

Matt.

[Colorado Gull]

I'm very much looking forward to the start of the season. I think Martin Ling has pleasantly shocked nearly every Torquay Fan (including me!) He has brought a good team together and a top half finish isn't out of our reach now.

The away game at Rovers is going to be a cracker! The atmosphere will be amazing and the Yellow Army will pack out Rovers away end. I’ve got a feeling that our support will be similar to when we played Rovers in the 2003/2004 season, as far as I can remember, I'm sure the away end was pretty full then and that was a night game. So maybe even more fans will be wanting to make the journey up north.

[friendlygas]

I think our game against you at the Mem has draw written all over it and to be honest that will seem like a defeat to us. The atmosphere should be tremendous because there is a new feeling of optimism sweeping around the Mem.3300 last night against Reading whilst not being a big crowd was pretty good for a friendly. I honestly feel we would have taken 2000 plus to AFC Wimbledon had the tickets been available. trouble is by the time you kick off against Burton we will either be Top,joint top or Bottom!!!

[Plymgull]

I'm very excited for the new season, totally sick of hearing about cricket! When Buckle left along with a couple of our decent players followed by Martin Ling being appointed manager, i'll admit... i was not confident about our coming season at all. However, Ling has completely changed my mind since then, i',m quite pleased with the signings and although pre-season results mean nothing i believe we have a good squad capable of a top half finish. Although i feel we don't quite have what it takes for the play-offs.

Cannot wait!!! COYY!!

[tufcbrett]

I think our game against you at the Mem has draw written all over it and to be honest that will seem like a defeat to us. The atmosphere should be tremendous because there is a new feeling of optimism sweeping around the Mem.3300 last night against Reading whilst not being a big crowd was pretty good for a friendly. I honestly feel we would have taken 2000 plus to AFC Wimbledon had the tickets been available. trouble is by the time you kick off against Burton we will either be Top,joint top or Bottom!!!

Wwre be 2nd and your be bottom Honestly think Wimbledon will come out and give you a shock. I think they will shock a fair few sides this season. Your do very well though this season.

[Dave_Pougher]

I remember that first game of the season at the mem very well. Had hell of a row with the the stewards. That season Rovers finsished second from bottom, had they done that a year later they would have been a conference side. (wonder what the City fans would have made of that!) Nobody could really put their finger on what the problem was at Rovers that year, Atkins was brought in and worked behind the scenes until the end of the year, saved them and then did nothing the next year and was sacked.

Really looking forward to the start of the season and THAT game, just hope there isn't a ticket fiasco!