POLL - Who do you want to be manager?

[PlainmoorRoar]

Some great debate being held on the other thread, just a poll to indicate who the fans want in charge over the summer and into the start of next season

[Yellow4life]

Would depend on if we stay up but on current i've added my vote.

[AustrianAndyGull]

It's a no brainer. They're in situ, pleasing the fans in immeasurably difficult circumstances and making brave selection decisions Ling could only dream of actioning. I'd say things could only get better and we're all feeling good despite our position in the league, i like that.

Forget Ling, it's a backwards step whilst if Knill wanted it and we didn't appoint him then we still have to scrabble around trying to find another management set up. Knill and Brass have their feet in the door, getting to know the players and it would be such an advantage to have them carry on so critical decisions due to be made in the summer can be made swiftly and we can all prepare for next season.

No brainer IMO.

[portugull]

If I was a Director of TUFC I would insist, absolutely insist,that henceforward EVERY Manager must relocate to the Bay.

Managers commuting from London or elsewhere is a recipe for disaster. I respect Martin Ling but if he wishes to live in the London area then we should appoint Alan Knill and Chris Brass.

Long distance commuting does not work. Managers have enough on their plate as it is plus a lot of miles on the road just getting to matches and back again.

[westbaygull]

Mm-hmm, what they said above me. However if there was an option to have Hargreaves and Hilly, with Kevin Dearden as g/k coach and a semi clad David Ginola as physio, I would have to reconsider ^.^
Really, whatever the health problems surrounding ML, I would imagine it would be incredibly difficult for him to return and have the complete confidence of the playing squad now.

[Jeff]

This argument about relocation, we are binning the London-based Ling for the Sheffield-based Knill?

Don't get me wrong, I don't see Ling's future as a viable option, but we aren't 100% certain that Knill sees us as a long term option either.

[AustrianAndyGull]

This argument about relocation, we are binning the London-based Ling for the Sheffield-based Knill?

Don't get me wrong, I don't see Ling's future as a viable option, but we aren't 100% certain that Knill sees us as a long term option either.

I think we all know that Jeff to be fair, the thread asked us who we wanted to be manager. If Jose Mourinho was up there i'm sure we would have all voted for him knowing full well he wouldn't come. It's a possibility Knill won't want the job and if he did he'd certainly have to relocate but if the answers to both are yes then i'd want him as the next manager and that's all the question is asking.

[coley in stripes]

As someone who was absolutely slaughtered when I dared to put up the post 'Is Ling the real thing ?' back in November, I am certainly not pleased with the way it has happened but it seems that we now have the right guy at the helm, it would be a pity to lose him now. But Hargreaves seems an interesting 1st reserve.

[Modgull]

We cannot go backwards. The current management team inherited a side in free fall, arrested the fall (as Knill has done before with Bury) and look as if they could turn us into promotion material (again as Knill has done before) in the future.

Even if they aren't successful in keeping us up (it has been a monumental challenge) I believe they offer the best solution.

[Gullscorer]

Notwithstanding all the comments and discussions, I'm not sure this is something we should be voting on right now. Better to concentrate first on supporting Knill and the team to keep us up, and then see what the situation is when the season is over.

[cambgull]

Knill and Brass for me, every day of the week. I've not seen many games in the last few years, but if I compare the games I've seen under Buckle, Ling and Taylor (And Knill on Friday evening), Buckle has been by far the most exciting and interesting football, and by quite some distance too. Under Ling, it was drab, dull but we scraped the win both times. Under Taylor, well, it was just awful. I have never seen such an atrocious display of football in my life. I went home genuinely thinking we would be going down.

Now, we have Knill who has seemingly brought a breath of fresh air back into the team with good football and most importantly, entertainment.

This is what it comes down to, football is about entertainment, that's what we pay our money for. We want to be entertained and feel like we have gone home having paid our money's worth and got something in return. Under Ling, I don't think we get value for money. For me, it's as simple as that.

[Dave]

Do not think this vote or the timing of it matters one jot to be honest G/S, The club regardless of whether we are League 2 or conference will make a decision they believe to be right for the club long term that maybe not what us fans want.

I voted for Knill/Brass for the reasons I have already put forward on the other thread, also for the reason they seem to have brought back unity to our club, it felt Saturday for the first time, in a long time, we were all in it together. Stress-related illness can mean a number of different things, however one thing I am pretty sure of, many who suffer from different types of stress-related illness rarely recover fully, never get back to being 100% the person they once were, often things like anxiety, some times panic attacks can set in, and yes things like drink etc can come in the to play ( not saying that is the case here)

It is often the case the person who has suffered from some thing along these lines has to spend the rest of there lives keeping the stress and causes of it etc, under control rather than curing it all together, I am no medic, however I have seen this first hand in some one I work with who often goes sick, and has needed help at work, and a family member aswell.

Martin Ling may come back fully re-freshed and ready to take on the world, if that is the case happy days, however if he does not and can not keep the stress under control, gawd help him and us.

[Mav]

I feel sorry for Ling, this situation you would not wish on anyone. However, from the players that Ling has signed, it is clear that he does not have his finger on the pulse or the contacts to help us achieve anything at this level. The two players that Knill has brought in are the difference currently of us being bottom of the table, compared with our current position. All this achieved in a short space of time. I personally agree with the sentiments that the next manager should be based in Torquay. Commuting for this job for our location just does not work and heeps the amount of stress and fatigue onto any person trying to cope with it. I keep reading that Ling has a rolling contract, surely this contract expires at the end of the season and would be renewed for another season if both parties agreed?

[AustrianAndyGull]

I feel sorry for Ling, this situation you would not wish on anyone. However, from the players that Ling has signed, it is clear that he does not have his finger on the pulse or the contacts to help us achieve anything at this level. The two players that Knill has brought in are the difference currently of us being bottom of the table, compared with our current position. All this achieved in a short space of time. I personally agree with the sentiments that the next manager should be based in Torquay. Commuting for this job for our location just does not work and heeps the amount of stress and fatigue onto any person trying to cope with it. I keep reading that Ling has a rolling contract, surely this contract expires at the end of the season and would be renewed for another season if both parties agreed?

Sorry Mav but i have to totally disagree with you on this. Ling lost a superb keeper in Olejnik ( who he signed ) and replaced him with a very able Poke. Ling signed Downes for Ellis and although he hasn't had the best month, he is still up there with player of the season. He signed MacDonald who is well capable, Jarvis who i believe played in the right way will do ok for us, he signed Saah, Cruise ( who despite his red card could be a solution to who replaces Nico ), Howe WHAT a signing, Craig who is another if played right could do a good job for us IMO. He signed Atieno who wasn't the greatest put he got some crucial goals for us last season, in fact the only signing i think was a dud was Bodin and he cost money! So on a shoestring what Ling has brought into the club are some really decent players IMO and whatever else i accuse him of i certainly cannot fault him on this side of things.

Also Knill has brought in a couple of players who have instantly repaid us and that is purely down to good management? I don't think it's as easy as that and i think firstly they have benefitted from a more attack minded policy under Knill which Ling didn't do with a lot of his players therefore they were never able to prove their full potential IMO. Ok so Knill must have had an idea what they could do but in my opinion all he has done is instil some belief, positivity and confidence in the squad and sent them out to try and win games of football. I believe much of the squad have got a huge lift from this and therefore they've all played a part in Joss and Jordan being a success if you see what i mean? He couldn't have known how important they would both have been in their games with us so far, he probably did what we did, stuck them in and hoped for the best in all honesty. It has paid off thus far but i certainly wouldn't go around thinking Knill is 'DA MAN' and that he is a tactical genius. Any half decent manager could have got Torquay ( minus Joss and Jordan ) into comfortable mid table by using his players properly and letting them express theirselves now and again instead of becoming routine and methodical. We have the players to be mid table at least and Ling signed them, he just wouldn't let them play.

[stevegull]

I feel sorry for Ling, this situation you would not wish on anyone. However, from the players that Ling has signed, it is clear that he does not have his finger on the pulse or the contacts to help us achieve anything at this level. The two players that Knill has brought in are the difference currently of us being bottom of the table, compared with our current position. All this achieved in a short space of time. I personally agree with the sentiments that the next manager should be based in Torquay. Commuting for this job for our location just does not work and heeps the amount of stress and fatigue onto any person trying to cope with it. I keep reading that Ling has a rolling contract, surely this contract expires at the end of the season and would be renewed for another season if both parties agreed?

I can understand that some people are unhappy with the team's style under Ling even though I disagree but I can't really understand how you can go after Ling's signings as a reason for his failure. It has been generally accepted that Ling has signed very good players to try and replace the ones that were sold over his head or with remarkably low release clauses. I'm curious as to which of Ling's signings you believe to have failed?

In my opinion Downes is a quality League One/Two centre back and Michael Poke is as good a goalkeeper as you can get in this league. Tom Cruise has impressed on his recent showings and some even see potential in the rarely-used Daniel Leadbitter. Angus Macdonald also looks a good find on my viewings and we'd be lucky to get him on a permanent deal. I think Ling's signings have been impressive, and one of the lights that shine from his tenure here.

I don't normally ask for clarification on people's opinions but I felt it was needed here. I'm just interested as to which of Ling's signings you believe warrant you calling his transfers as a stain on his managerial record?