Torquay United v Hartlepool United - 31/8/13

[bixieupnorth]

oh well its a clean sheet at least!! we had more than enough chances to win it tho, lets wait for some reports and the usual woemongerers reporting the end of the world!!

roll on next weekend

[FavGull]

Oh well, back to the beer, no disaster, looking forward to positive reports. Thanks for keeping a (mildly) drunken fan informed

[miltonkeynesgull]

Today was probably one of the most frustrating game I've seen in all the years I've watched us.

We had a blistering opening 10/15 with Chapell cutting them open time after time, but dropped off and seemed to lose a bit of a momentum after that.

The chances still came after that, but you felt if we'd carried on as we did, it was only a matter of time.

Bodin and Ball both had great chances to score but missed, and Nicho had one cleared off the line.

After half time, we never really got going again properly, but we still could and should've have scored.

Their keeper dropped the ball twice in the area and still we couldn't score, before he clawed a Nicho shot off the line. Then a one two between Bodin and Ball saw a low cross come in but Bodin blazed over from a yard.

Ball's shot was then cleared off the line at the far post, before Hawley's turn and shot was well saved.

Cameron came on for Bodin, and almost immediately went on a great run, before crossing for Ball who blasted wide.

Then, right near the end, Ball got in a great position and fired a shot across the keeper which was probably going in, but Benyon headed it in from an offside position and it was ruled out.

Ultimately, a huge missed opportunity against a really poor Hartlepool who could barely muster a shot. We've only ourselves to blame, as we couldn't hit the proverbial cow's arse.

Lastly, imagine if Manse couldn't pass, tackle or shoot. Well you've got Ben Harding. Abysmal.

[Colorado Gull]

'It's a good job they're sh*t' was a comment from a fan I was standing near this afternoon and it summed up a good part of the game today, because even though we hammered Hartlepool (who by the way were unbelievably bad and if I were a fan would be starting to get a little worried) they should have easily scored in the dying seconds of the game. How did we not win that? We had a mammoth load of chances and easily should have scored at least three.

We started off very brightly with Chappell and Ball working very well with each other linking up with Hawley. Chappell was far and away our best player, goodness knows how Mansell got the Man of the Match award. Chappell was very very skilful, going past players with ease and making chances for the front men. Sadly, in the second half Hartlepool double marked him the whole second 45 minutes and so therefore wasn't in the game in the slightest.

Hawley was constantly offside, it was extremely frustrating that he just couldn't stay onside because when he did he brought the ball down very well and linked with Ball and others. I forgot Bodin was on the pitch in the first half, but had a good ten minutes running at defenders and causing pressure. Harding was very disappointing, not strong enough and just not with it. Nicholson was his usually self, Downes had a good game, Pearce had an ok game with some iffy moments, Tongue looked calm and cool at right back with skill and no messing defending. Mansell looked good as captain, putting in strong tackles, but nothing special, nothing that showed a man of the match winner. Cameron when he came on was hopeless. He is way too cocky, thinks League Two is an absolute doddle, he doesn't jump for headers. You can see he has skill, but just can't seem to do anything with it. He did have one good spell running down the wing and beating the defenders with keeping the ball, but it was so frustrating when he wondered into the middle of the pitch, Danny Stevens style. Ricey had a good game. To finish, what on earth was Benyon doing!? Ball's effort was going in by a mile, why did he have to put a foot in when being offside? Grrr.

Overall, we should have buried them with at least three goals but just couldn't score those dozen of chances and when we did, it was stupidly disallowed by offside. A very frustrating game. Craig should replace Harding for the next game.

[Robiberto22]

O well just saw the score, at least we seem tough to beat - just the one defeat in 5 in the league a couple of wins and we can say its a decent start - work in progress but were getting there

[bengull]

A game that won't last long in the memory. Hartlepool were abysmal, truly terrible, one of the worst league sides I have ever seen at Plainmoor and the fact that we couldn't notch at least one was embarrassing. They created the princely sum of nothing for 90 minutes and nearly snatched it in the last minute which would really have summed up our day. Its not that by putting 10 men behind the ball made Hartlepool hard to break down, some of our approach play was decent enough but our finishing was woeful.

A very low-key match and atmosphere at Plainmoor today, kind of reminded me of a pre-season friendly, or one of those cup matches against non-league opposition (Harrogate not included) when you are just waiting for the floodgates to open.

They should have opened up today, but never did. We won't get a better opportunity to register 3 home points all season, Hartlepool were devoid of any quality, its no wonder they have yet to score, by looks of it they will be lucky to score 10 all season.

Time to forget about that non event and move on. Work in progress we might well be, but you have to put teams that poor to the sword.

[ferrarilover]

Well, I'm (almost) completely lost for words. We were very, very bad today, yet we could have won by 5. Hartlepool are, probably, the worst side ever to appear in the Football League, they are completely inadequate. There is not a single element of the game; passing, shooting, movement, heading, defending, positioning or any other, at which they are even vaguely competent.

They were there for the taking today and, for the want of a decent midfielder, we would have had them comprehensively. Both Manse and Harding were utterly, flabbergastingly, monumentally hopeless. Harding is the worst player at the club by a country mile. Quite what he is supposed to be good at it a compete mystery. Manse is a dinosaur who has a skillset suitable for a game which no longer exists. He would look lovely in the Conference where severely limited ability can be effectively disguised and forgiven for the sake of a bit of effort and application. Sadly, he is surrounded, mostly, by a talented bunch who really serve to show him up for the below average part-timer he really is. It's a shame, because he's rightly earned legendary status for his time here, but he's had his day now, it's time for him to go.

The one player who would have made the difference today is (and I'm even starting to bore myself with saying it now) Nathan Craig. Bollocks to all this old shit about needing to be strong in midfield because, with Harding in there (who is about as strong as a week old salad), we aren't strong. If Harding and Manse start next week, I'll have to presume that NC has **** ed Knill's mum and done it badly.

I have a question for those who stand at the away end of the Pop Side. Was the challenge on Cameron a penalty? It looked it from where I was, but I was 70 yards away and I'm getting on a bit.

Matt.

[bengull]

Without wanting to pour scorn on the lad I would have to agree with the consensus on Harding. I saw glimpses against Wimbledon of what he might be capable of, but sadly since then he has been disastrously bad and as a result his partnership with Manse means that we are far too prosaic in knocking the ball around, no tempo or imagination whatsoever.

It says everything that Lathrope has replaced him in each of the last two home games, if you wanted to choose someone not to create you a goal it would be Damon, so the substitution only serves to highlight how below par Harding has been in each instance.

Hartlepool caused so little threat that we could have taken Harding off and replaced him with an extra attacker and not been under pressure or caught with too many forward. Taking Hawley off was not the right choice for me, we looked toothless after he departed. The game was there for the taking, we just had to throw caution to the wind, I think on this occasion AK may have got his subs wrong.

Oh and I thought the challenge on Cameron was a clear foul but outside the area, I stand to be corrected though, I was stood 50 yards away and I too am getting on.

[FavGull]

So much for those positive reports, seems like we royally ballsed up a great opportunity today. Most disappointing, but perhaps we were overly complacent against less able opposition. No excuse though.

[Lloyder5]

Today was probably one of the most frustrating game I've seen in all the years I've watched us.

We had a blistering opening 10/15 with Chapell cutting them open time after time, but dropped off and seemed to lose a bit of a momentum after that.

The chances still came after that, but you felt if we'd carried on as we did, it was only a matter of time.

Bodin and Ball both had great chances to score but missed, and Nicho had one cleared off the line.

After half time, we never really got going again properly, but we still could and should've have scored.

Their keeper dropped the ball twice in the area and still we couldn't score, before he clawed a Nicho shot off the line. Then a one two between Bodin and Ball saw a low cross come in but Bodin blazed over from a yard.

Ball's shot was then cleared off the line at the far post, before Hawley's turn and shot was well saved.

Cameron came on for Bodin, and almost immediately went on a great run, before crossing for Ball who blasted wide.

Then, right near the end, Ball got in a great position and fired a shot across the keeper which was probably going in, but Benyon headed it in from an offside position and it was ruled out.

Ultimately, a huge missed opportunity against a really poor Hartlepool who could barely muster a shot. We've only ourselves to blame, as we couldn't hit the proverbial cow's arse.

Lastly, imagine if Manse couldn't pass, tackle or shoot. Well you've got Ben Harding. Abysmal.

Agree with the above apart from the last line. Mansell's passing was abysmal. Harding doesn't play with the same level of energy but his passing is much better. I reckoned he won a good number of headers as well.

I came away from the Oxford game feeling we were unlucky. Not so today, we had the game in our hands and couldn't take it. Bodin was the worst culprit, although he generally played ok his miss was awful, mostly because he stabbed at the ball with his left, rather than letting it run across his body and roll it in with his right.
Those were the negatives. Positive include a better understanding between Pearce and Downes. We consistently rolled the ball out to the fullbacks and built from the back. Chappel's approach play, although his crossing was dreadful (move to former paragraph), Hawley and better linked well.

So a bit further on the way to being a good team and the first 15 minutes were genuinely exciting.

[portugull]

This was a match we really should have won but so nearly lost in the 90th minute. Rice did very well to ensure the Pool player missed the target by inches.

The first 5 minutes we attacked and attacked and looked certain to score. The team showed a lot of confidence and you had to feel that this was a match we were sure to win. We certainly had the chances the best of which fell to Bodin who really had to touch the ball into the net at the Babbacombe end but some how contrived to hit over the bar from very close range. He is an immensely frustrating player because he clearly has talent and pace but some how never seems to find the end product.

Hawley and Ball were excellent and Ball was very angry with Benyon for finishing off his shot which had Benyon left would have been the winning goal.

Lee Mansell and Ben Harding simply do not have the skill to pass the ball in an incisive way. More cultured players find a way of passing the ball, on the ground, through the opposing defence but Manse, who is my favourite player, and Harding simply cannot pick a pass.

2 points out of 9 from the first 3 home games is disappointing but I am confident Alan Knill will solve the problem of the midfield. One more player, the right player, in midfield could transform this team. With Portsmouth coming to Plainmoor on Tuesday night I would just love him to play Nathan Craig in Hardings position and see what happens. The thing about Craig is that he can pass the ball accurately whereas Harding at present is woeful. Even when not under pressure in the second half he failed to control the ball before passing it and was promptly substituted.

If Knill simply will not play Craig why not play Thomas Cruise in Hardings position because Cruise is a more cultured player and can pass the ball.

Great team spirit, real commitment from all the players but desperately in need of a play maker in the middle of the park.

[Oil Beef Hooked]

A very frustrating game indeed. How the fu(k did we not win that. We did everything apart from score

My thoughts:

1. We had so many chances, I don't know where to begin - Bodin's effort over the bar, when surely it would have been easier to score. Various goal line clearances or the Benyon disallowed goal. One things for certain, we created plenty today.
2. We played patient passing football from the back, but occasionally the build up play was spoilt by some wayward passing, causing us to give the ball away cheaply on occasions. This then built up frustrations in both the players and fans alike.
3. Good to see the full backs getting forward more, gIving support to the wingers.
4. I think the team is starting to gel. Todays performance was much better than the 3:1 defeat to Oxford. I'm staying positive that it's only a matter of time before we 'click'.
5. I'll probably get shot for saying this, but the atmosphere inside Plainmoor today was non-existant, (apart from some singing towards the end). We as fans need to do better to improve the atmosphere and turn the ground into Fortress Plainmoor. Both the Wimbledon and Oxford fans out sung us in our 2 other home games. Surely this has got to improve.
6. Hartlepool - they are the worst team to visit Plainmoor in a long time. If they continue to play like that, they will be cannon fodder and down.
7. The BBC Sport website puts Hartlepool's FT possession at 60%. We're they watching a different game to me? Second half, we were practically camped in their half.

Lastly, in the 2nd half, it looked like Knill got some stick from a number of our supporters in the Bench . It looked like he gave as good as he got :~D .

[ROADRUNNER]

at least it was a point, but we should have had all three,i think harding was our worst player, he couldnt tackle a pork pie. he really needs to get stuck in, chappell was the best player 1st half but died off 2nd half. downes and pierce look solid again, ball was so unlucky not to have won it even though elliot should have left it but i think we can forgive him that one, i still think we will have an ok season, and ricey kept a clean sheet and was right to have a go at i think it was lathrope for making the mistake which nearly cost us, well done ricey again

[Dave]

I tend to agree with almost everything said on the above replies,game started fantasticly for us, we there thinking if the opening 10-15 minutes were going to set the tone for the match, us fans were going to be in for a good afternoon, sadly that was not the case.

And thats the wierd thing for me, we could and should have won that game 3.0 atleast, yet if we had, I be one of the first to say it was undeserved.

Hartlepool, oh dear, what a truely awful team, unless they changed quickly thats one space taken.

[taxilady]

Lastly, in the 2nd half, it looked like Knill got some stick from a number of our supporters in the Bench . It looked like he gave as good as he got :~D .

Yes, it was being suggested to AK that he should sign a striker. Some of the Bench supporters were very frustrated that none of our several scoring chances went in the goal. Afterwards on Radio Devon, AK was very supportive of his players. Good for him!!! On the other hand, John Sheridan was slating his players (well, good!); don't care about the Grgs anyway, but impressed that AK cares.
Be good to win against Portsmouth on Tuesday !