Ling Sacked

[cambgull]

I'd be interested to see what happens now, especially regarding our captains. Saah has always been a follower of Ling, probably because he has quite a lot to do on the pitch under him. Do we think he will stay, let alone remain our club captain?

As for Mansell, I previously had no doubt he would be the captain still, but after his comments and support for Ling, how can your captain be a player who potentially prefers your ex-manager?

[SuperNickyWroe]

Quite right SNW... o:)

And to the others who have called up on my views... I do commend Knill for doing the job and keeping us in the league means we do all owe him a debt of gratitude. It's also terrific that he was only paid expenses. He's clearly a good lad who's just trying to improve his CV and get back into management. Knill did fine in turning around our downward slide. BUT... we just scraped past in these last few games and I don't think any of you were calling Knill a managerial master after the Bradford game at the start of April. In fact, after watching that game in particular, I began to really question what Knill had done differently to improve the team and whether we would stay in League football.

I say again, he did well to turn it around after that. But please don't forget his indifferent games at the helm previous to these last few results. He's done okay... no better... no worse. I wouldn't be devastated if he got the job but I also won't be jumping for joy if he did get it...

i think the main thing is steve - going on what fellow posters have said - is that we were more attacking and looked more like a team likely to score even if we fell behind. bradford apart - i dont think there were any more bad games, amd you are bound to get one.

[Alpine Joe]

Ling has been unwell and on top of that he's been sacked from his job today. I never got the impression that Mansell had any bad blood for Ling and equally Ling admired Manse enough to make him his Captain. Obviously the BBC will ring the team Captain asking for a reaction, and Manse has responded with some kind words about Martin which is just what I would have expected and hoped from him. To have acted in any other way would have been ungracious and refusing to speak at all would have been childish.

[Scott Brehaut]

I'd be interested to see what happens now, especially regarding our captains. Saah has always been a follower of Ling, probably because he has quite a lot to do on the pitch under him. Do we think he will stay, let alone remain our club captain?

As for Mansell, I previously had no doubt he would be the captain still, but after his comments and support for Ling, how can your captain be a player who potentially prefers your ex-manager?

He hasn't come out and said that Juan is crap though - he has merely stated how much he appreciated what Ling has done for him personally......I'm sure whomever comes in (Buckle aside - I know nothing other than reading players tweets etc and I got the impression that Manse and Bucks didn't exactly see eye to eye on things), will get the players support.

[Behind-the-Gulls]

I'd be interested to see what happens now, especially regarding our captains. Saah has always been a follower of Ling, probably because he has quite a lot to do on the pitch under him. Do we think he will stay, let alone remain our club captain?

As for Mansell, I previously had no doubt he would be the captain still, but after his comments and support for Ling, how can your captain be a player who potentially prefers your ex-manager?

Knill has said how important Mansell is to the team and will surely want to keep him as captain-sure Manse will back Knill once he's come to terms with Ling's dismissal.

[Regiment]

whilst i'm not complaining about the decision, i am a little disappointed about the short memory of some people. i've refrained from commenting on Ling and the managerial position until now, as like many others, i just wanted to get to the end of the season and see our league status preserved.

now it's over, i'm going to throw my 2-pennyworth in.

firstly, i'd like to thank Martin Ling for all his efforts from the day he arrived. he was not everyones first choice, and was indeed a surprise appointment. however, we all got behind him and gave him the welcome and support he deserved. let's not forget, he inherited a shambles, a squad decimated by Paul Buckle when he dumped us in favour of bigger and better things, taking the spine of our team with him, and not securing loanees we'd grown to feel were our own. i remember the feeling around the club then, and it was a pretty low time. at that point, no one gave us a chance, it looked for all the world that we were in the deep stuff.

Anyone who says that Ling got lucky in his first season is a moron. He had to rebuild a team, and replace a large chunk of a play-off final reaching squad. He did that, and got us to the play-offs again. i will agree we didn't always set the world alight with our style of play, and lacked a plan-b, which possibly led to us failing at the play-offs with nothing more than a whimper.

he then loses the spine of the team he built, and had to find replacements again. we lost Bobby O, and replaced him with Poke. along the way we lost Robertson and Ellis, and with Saah and Downes, things still didn't look that bad. when Bodin was here on loan, everyone wanted him to stay, but when we paid a lot of money for him and he didn't hit the ground running, all of a sudden it became a bad signing in some eyes. then we lose Eunan..............

i could go on.

however, we have clearly struggled this year, Ling's lack of a plan-b was still a problem, we weren't playing at all well, and when he went off ill, things snowballed. we eventually scraped through, and thanks to the board for acting (a little too late maybe), but eventually making the right decision to bring in Knill and Brass. let's face it, some people weren't thrilled about that, but now everyone wants them on a permanent basis. i'm not saying that would be a bad thing of course, i've been as impressed with them as anyone else, but it's amazing how quickly some people forget, or choose to not remember :}. more importantly though, the players responded. we had to suffer the disappointment of losing loanees soon after bringing them in, just when it looked like they were the extra element we needed. but in the end, our boys dug in and got the results we needed.

i do however agree that the board have made the right decision. i'm not going to bad mouth Ling, i thank him for his efforts, but ultimately, in my eyes, i think coming back after all that has happened would have been wrong for everyone involved. and i'm pleased about the timing, as we can now focus on the important business of getting the right players in (and out) for next season.

i look forward to seeing who comes in to take over, now we can look forward to a fresh start in League 2 next season.

COYY !!

[taxilady]

[divingbboy]

Just heard Lee Mansell on the radio. Incredibly poor judgement to comment publicly, even if he is shocked and disappointed.

[wivelgull]

The problem has been, mainly, the dire (i.e. tedious and boring) nature of the football under Ling. A number of people have posted in the past that they were fed up/undecided about going to a game because they knew what to expect. Certainly under Knill/Brass that tedium has vanished. They should be given the job.
Mind you, we were warned about Ling (from irate Cambridge United fans) at the beginning of his tenure.
However, this furore shouldn't obscure the underlying fact that we need a jolly good clearout and replacements which are far, far better than those who are leaving.
I have been attending matches at Plainmoor since April 1963 and WE WANT PROMOTION.

[MF68]

Im puzzled that most seem so keen for knill to be appointed. Granted he has improved things but we beat ten man morecambe and barnet.

We cannot afford Warnock so forget that. Its down to the board really to stump up cash to back whoever gets the job and I cant see there being too much available. Lets not get carried away, Martin and Knill had to work with many of the same players and they werent a great bunch.

[nickbrod]

I'm not one for saying I predicted this but on another thread - Credit Knill (and Brass) - I posted on Saturday evening and again yesterday afternoon that Ling returning was not a foregone conclusion, together with other observations.
I think that what I wrote makes interesting reading following this afternoon's announcement. If you can be bothered to have a look.
Whether it is Knill and Brass I want to see attacking football and a managerial team who show passion.
I think it will be refreshing to have a new team in charge and if indeed it is Knill then I bet we can guess which players will be shown the door as many did not figure in his survival plans once Chris Brass appeared on the scene.
For me Knill and Brass is a double act worth giving a chance and with some decent signings during the summer we could have a serious go at promotion.
One last observation, could Mrs Bristow becoming Chairman herald further financial commitment?

[bengull]

Agree wholeheartedly with Regiment.

What Martin Ling achieved last season in a short space of time has to go down as one of the best seasons in TUFC history.

Amidst very trying financial circumstances (including The Bench, training ground etc) we still have a league club to support which is free of administration worries. I can think of few managers who would tow the line so responsibly with regards to the club's future.

I don't dispute for a second that this season has been an underachieving disappointment, however, had ML had a clean bill of health for the duration of the season I do not believe we would have found ourselves quite in the pickle we did. He showed last season after a poor run that he could turn the fortunes around.

That said, I do think the situation has become untenable, it was pretty obvious on Saturday who the fans would rather have in. Part of the reason behind the board reshuffle was to create a stronger link between fans and directors- too many fans on here have admitted to questioning renewing their season tickets next year for example. Driving fans away is simply not a risk the board can afford to take.

I like Martin Ling, he is a honest and likeable man, the whole illness scenario is most unfortunate and I hope doesn't turn into a character assassination of the man, or a millstone round his neck. Given time, and more money pumped into the team, I would still be confident he could take us up in the same manner he admirably did at Orient.

It is a shame that he is likely to be remembered as the man whose absence nearly cost us our league status. He deserves his legacy to more in the line of the man who built a promotion vying team at a club who spent the majority of their money on a new grandstand.

I wish Martin all the best for the future, and hope that our credibility will not be tarnished by the manner of his dismissal.

Obviously it goes without saying that whoever comes in will have my full support. Pleased that the board have been decisive so early, give the new man as much time as is possible to sort the squad out.

[Lloyder5]

Don't know about that but this does she to be a case of 'she who pays the piper, calls the tune' and indeed may have been the central issue when she became chairwoman. Given that the club had to make and fund important decisions.

[portugull]

I believe the Board have made the right decision to terminate Martin Ling`s contract.

Martin was last seen at Plainmoor on 15 January when we drew 1-1 with Exeter.

Reading between the lines I get the feeling that communication between Martin Ling and the Board concerning the managers illness was a major issue. In February BBC Sport reported that Simon Baker could only find out what was happening through the League Managers Association. This tells me that Martin Ling could not or would not speak to the then chairman. I think it is very strange that in this situation the club had to try and find out the extent of Martins illness via the LMA.

This factor added to the fact that Martin Ling continued to reside in the London area brought about the delay in appointing an interim manager which very nearly resulted in the club losing its league status.

I suspect that the Boards decision to be, as some see it, somewhat ruthless may have been borne out by the Boards frustration at the poor communication from Martin Ling.

I do hope that in the future any Manager appointed will be told that unless they reside in the area on a permanent basis their application will not be considered. For a manager to live in London or the Midlands for example is simply not practical.

From what I saw on Saturday I think Alan Knill and Chris Brass, who is a very passionate coach, will be a perfect combination for a club like Torquay. I have no criticism of Lee Mansell for stating his views on Martin Ling and I think he had every right to say what he said as club captain. There is no one more committed to the cause than Manse who is one of the most committed professional footballers I have ever had the pleasure to watch.

[Southampton Gull]

are you mad?

our team was utter devoid of conifdence, couldnt stop conceding late and couldnt score enough! Knill came in steadied the ship and kept us in this league all for FREE

Are you? Tell me something, what part of the game did Rovers score their third?