Torquay United Fans Forum

westyorkshiregull wrote: ↑25 Dec 2018, 19:15 And Dobson

Would not have recognized Dobson and one of my favourite TUFC footballers too

westyorkshiregull wrote: ↑25 Dec 2018, 15:44 Last year from plainmoor

Kenny Allen & Jim McNichol

westyorkshiregull wrote: ↑24 Dec 2018, 11:13 Good point ...perhaps the years of misery before hand still had payback I guess. Not sure with the ins and out of the facre Webb situation how the club was actually left in the hands of lew pope. Wasn't there a consortium behind Webb and did the insurance money for grandstand fire all get spent on demolition of part of old grandstand

Just watched the Tottenham v Torquay game 1987. You wouldn't have guessed 4 months earlier that the Gulls nearly went out of the league and Spurs were not that far from doing a domestic treble. Forgot there were 2 own goals. Lee Sharpe was meant to come to my cricket club earlier on the year, but pulled out the night before due to the inclement weather, I'm guessing there was no sell on clause? I would like to have asked him about the season and if he knows where most of that team are now. There's odds and ends on wiki.

westyorkshiregull wrote: ↑29 Mar 2018, 20:55 Talking of mullets .
Dave Caldwell had a fantastic mullet. Looked more like a Australian surfer

A Jason Donovan lookalike?

westyorkshiregull wrote: ↑23 Dec 2018, 20:12 Best team in my lifetime i would think. Difficult to compare to the promotion team of 2004 , mixture of tough men and young talent. Sharpe and loram together is a dream all be it both left sided players. Phil Lloyd was tough as old boots and fearless. Dobson could poke away from anywhere in the box. Caldwell again fearless and would put any part of his body on the end of the ball. Mcnichol and Cole solid. Kenny Allen great entertainment and a good goalie. Tom Kelly solid and always gave 110%.
The break up of squad end of that season was down to wages and shame we couldn't have kept them together.

I often wondered except for the back 4 why so many left. I thought with 2 good cup runs and the Lee Sharpe sale would have given Knowles a bigger budget to build on for the following year.

He made Torquay proud and respected again. I remember quite a bit of that season from afar. Should've got automatic promotion but blew it against Scunny before getting revenge in the play offs. Definitely better than Bolton Wanderers. It was a solid team with plenty of experience and a few journeyman players in Allen, Mcnichol, LLoyd, Cole, Impey, Dawkins, Haslegrave, Musker, Dobson, Caldwell and the younger players like Sharpe, Loram and Gardiner but broke up too quickly in my view Smith and Thompson were not in the same league as Dobson etc and didn't quite build on it apart from a great trip to Wembley in 88/89.