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Is it just me or does anyone else feel that the club no longer has a West Country feel to it. in the past we've always had a bunch of local players the likes of Kevin Hill, Craig Taylor who've been complimented by players you feel are our own because they've come through the Youth ranks, Tony Bedeau, Wayne Thomas, even the players that weren't local the likes of Alex Watson, Rodney Jack and the legend that is Jimmy Aggrey you felt were, because they'd been with the club a relatively long time.

With the news that we've released Nial Thompson and Danny Sullivan there's just no one that plays that I feel I can relate to anymore . Half the names on our team sheet I have trouble in prouncing.

The team no longer seems to have a local feel to it and you'd think that now we're playing at a lower level it would more than ever.

I realise Rice and Yeoman are exceptions to the rule but we fall way behind the likes of Exeter and Argyle on the local front.

The truth of the situation is that most clubs can no longer afford to bring their own youngsters through because of the costs involved in getting the coaches necessary to do it and in all honesty why bother when the Premiership and Championship clubs can cream off all the best talent and get it for a pittance. We have had three of our youngsters poached in the last two years before they have even played a game for the first team and what is the point when there are so many players available for a free transfer or you can get loan players in with their main club paying a high percentage of the wages?
This is sad but true. Sky TV killed off everything that was good about British Football and turned it into survival of the Big Boys at everybody elses expense.

To be fair I've just been through Exeter and Plymouth line ups for their last game. Exeter only had 2 players in their starting line up born in Devon, 1 from Cornwall and 1 from Somerset.

Plymouth had local Aaron Bentley apart from a couple born in Bristol the rest of their team comes from no where near the south west, the same as us with Luke Young. Look , don't get me wrong I would love to see the next big thing from Torquay or locally playing for the gulls, I've gone on about it enough on youth set up threads, however it's not the be all and end all.

If we won the conference with 11 Scottish players I'd be delighted and I'm sure most would agree. I'm a little confused as to what your point is, you talk about our team not having a local feel to it, but then say, well in past we've had players like Alex Watson (Liverpool) Jimmy Aggrey (London) and Rodney Jack (St Vincent) because they were with for a while they sort of felt local, but they weren't, they came from outside the area or another country, just don't get what your on with here.

The problem is, Chris Hargreaves had no choice but to bring in new players in the summer, one things certain, he's going to have to bring in more new players this coming summer, so it's going to take a few seasons for things squad wise to settle down again. If we could have 11 players form Torbay and surrounding areas and win the league I'd jump through hoops, it would be brilliant, however if it means having 11 players from elsewhere for our club to be successful that wouldn't bother me either.

I'm more hacked off with the way our clubs dribbled it's way from one clusterfork to another over the last 18 months rather than where our players come from.

Leroy wrote:Is it just me or does anyone else feel that the club no longer has a West Country feel to it. in the past we've always had a bunch of local players the likes of Kevin Hill, Craig Taylor who've been complimented by players you feel are our own because they've come through the Youth ranks, Tony Bedeau, Wayne Thomas, even the players that weren't local the likes of Alex Watson, Rodney Jack and the legend that is Jimmy Aggrey you felt were, because they'd been with the club a relatively long time.

With the news that we've released Nial Thompson and Danny Sullivan there's just no one that plays that I feel I can relate to anymore . Half the names on our team sheet I have trouble in prouncing.

The team no longer seems to have a local feel to it and you'd think that now we're playing at a lower level it would more than ever.

I realise Rice and Yeoman are exceptions to the rule but we fall way behind the likes of Exeter and Argyle on the local front.

Jesus, its got that bad.

well played to forevertufc for looking at the squads, shame the OP needs to get a :slap:

Unable to pronounce half the names on our team sheet!! Nonsense.

In the summer we had to bring in 4 players for the wages of Karl Hawley. That means finding 4 players that have almost no other options and are therefore willing to sign for pretty much the lowest wage a full time professional can earn. You could do that by signing four local players who dream of playing professionally, or you can sign players released from higher academies around the country who want a second chance.

Looking at the trialists we signed (MacDonald, Richards, Ajala, O'Achie) they have all made an impact on the first team, and are all young enough to improve. Signing local players is all well and good in theory, but with the restrictions already imposed on the manager, would just limit the quality of the squad, at a time when we really cannot afford to. Compare those 4 players to say Hutchings, Chaney, Thompson and Sullivan - I don't think many would take the local lads. Certainly they have not made an impact for us this season.

The only realistic chance to get local players into the first team squad is to bring them through the youth team, which we are working towards but won't happen overnight. Although having one or two is enough for most fans I would say. Matt Hockley and Kevin Hill had their strengths in 2003/04, but it was Russell (Liverpool), Fowler (Cardiff), Graham (Scotland), and Kuffour (London) that added the quality to win promotion, and that's what we all really want.

Rice, Berry, Cruise, Pearce, MacDonald, Richards, Young, Cameron, Briscoe, Bowman, Yeoman must be one of the simplest line ups to pronounce in footballing history. Unless you want us to sign players named Smith, Cat and Fish then I don't really see how it could be any simpler. Not even the most fervent UKIP supporter could find an issue in that lot. Ofori-Acheampong is the only one (out of 26) that poses even the slightest question - so even if this was a valid criticism (which it isn't) it is still complete rubbish.

Well at least this Leroy isn't the one I first thought of when I read who started this post!

friendlygas wrote: Sky TV killed off everything that was good about British Football and turned it into survival of the Big Boys at everybody elses expense.

Precisely this. I got rid of my sky years ago when I realised how the deal for the elite clubs was affecting my own club. I have a deep seated hatred for sky and utilise any avenue to stream anything I want to watch rather than pay them for the privilege of watching what used to be free to air.

Southampton Gull wrote: Precisely this. I got rid of my sky years ago when I realised how the deal for the elite clubs was affecting my own club. I have a deep seated hatred for sky and utilise any avenue to stream anything I want to watch rather than pay them for the privilege of watching what used to be free to air.

Sky say they put on the football league but in reality its just the top championship sides and the play offs. whilst BT do put on conference sides, they are paid such small amounts.

Southampton Gull wrote: Precisely this. I got rid of my sky years ago when I realised how the deal for the elite clubs was affecting my own club. I have a deep seated hatred for sky and utilise any avenue to stream anything I want to watch rather than pay them for the privilege of watching what used to be free to air.

Leroy wrote:Is it just me or does anyone else feel that the club no longer has a West Country feel to it. in the past we've always had a bunch of local players the likes of Kevin Hill, Craig Taylor who've been complimented by players you feel are our own because they've come through the Youth ranks, Tony Bedeau, Wayne Thomas, even the players that weren't local the likes of Alex Watson, Rodney Jack and the legend that is Jimmy Aggrey you felt were, because they'd been with the club a relatively long time.

With the news that we've released Nial Thompson and Danny Sullivan there's just no one that plays that I feel I can relate to anymore . Half the names on our team sheet I have trouble in prouncing.

The team no longer seems to have a local feel to it and you'd think that now we're playing at a lower level it would more than ever.

I realise Rice and Yeoman are exceptions to the rule but we fall way behind the likes of Exeter and Argyle on the local front.

The team no longer has a West Country feel about it.............according to a guy called Leroy......Perhaps the fans no longer have a west country feel about them either.

Bowman, Yeoman, Downes, Young, Cameron..............which one is it you can't pronounce?

dont understand this post, what names dont you understand? how many teams in this country have local players playing for them, not many i suspect.

rice, yeoman, young, ives, chaney, bowman, cameron, downes, chappell, berry, cruise, etc

Gulliball wrote:Rice, Berry, Cruise, Pearce, MacDonald, Richards, Young, Cameron, Briscoe, Bowman, Yeoman must be one of the simplest line ups to pronounce in footballing history. Unless you want us to sign players named Smith, Cat and Fish then I don't really see how it could be any simpler. Not even the most fervent UKIP supporter could find an issue in that lot. Ofori-Acheampong is the only one (out of 26) that poses even the slightest question - so even if this was a valid criticism (which it isn't) it is still complete rubbish.

Likewise, why does a name matter, surely we should be basing players on footballing ability? (Theoretically) Would you turn down Assombalonga because his name was hard to pronounce?