Torquay United Fans Forum

Being a regular (under-exaggerated) home and away fan for 6 years now something has changed considerably during my Popside experience most notably this season. Appreciated are the new management, new players and even a gradual new grandstand, apart from the later all of which are massively and excitingly exceeding all pre-season expectations, and I am sure the grandstand will catch up soon. Anyway I used to find myself regularly reminiscing about the previous home game and our ability to sing sometimes loud enough to actually be that so called 12th man, Plainmoor was and fair enough still seems to be a tough place to come and play Torquay United. Perhaps it is me but ever since a request from a man called Paul Buckle to the Popside to congregate towards the away end during an FA Cup match against Crawley Town the Popside seems to have been split and if anything seems to have lost that Popside atmosphere that was oh so ever present rain or shine. I guess it doesn’t really matter as on the pitch the results keep coming but noted by others and discussed at every home game around me is the lack of apparent atmosphere or more likely the atmosphere we all once felt. I know other clubs have launched a cry of help to get fans to come together and I am not suggesting that is whats needed at all, but maybe just maybe we could bring back that Popside noise that was always present in that same place on the left as you walk through to the infamous Popside.

a wise man once said....

you can be the nicest bloke in this world but being nice doesnt win football matches.

however, have our board got the bottle to sack a manager so soon, be realistic it isnt going to happen so lets hope Ellis refinds his 2010 form and that Lings relationship with Saah starts to crack because in all the years I have played and watched football I will struggle to find a poorer centre back.

**Frustration**

Martin Ling and Paul Buckle.... share a room on the next football management course, useless

in essence it is a little frustrating we did so well last season, I think it put a smoke screen over a few facts such as...

1) we have a board of directors who want to run a solvent football club as a business and not as a rich mans toy...

2) we have a relatively small transfer pot and wage budget to match, so we have to be selective as to who and when we make signing (a good example is the ex-Herefod player 'Fleetwood' whose wages we could not have afforded according to the article on the football conference website) - just an example but I think he would have been a good signing?)

3) we just dont get the gates or the sponsorship to act as a springboard for success, i dont base my comment on this point solely as Stevenage did a good job but look at their last 3 years accounts and it paints a clearer picture... they are totally bank rolled by the board and sponsors.

However I am also a football fan,

I wasnt Mr Buckles biggest fan, in fact I dont rate him at all! but we did have a good set of players that knew how to play football as a unit, am I right in saying this is what we do not have now? and on players am I also right in saying that Brian Saah is probably one of the worst rescent signings at Torquay United? appreciate he needs some time to settle in but he doesnt have that much of a previous record and a few of my mates at Cambridge didnt have too much to say about him.

I guess I am ok with the league position as I think this is about right for us taking everything into consideration. I am not about to start a hate campaign as Ling is a mile better than Buckle BUT is he the right man for Torquay United and are his signings really that great? (Boden being the acception, but also being a temp loan player)