York City v Torquay United 25/3/14

[stefano]

I have to say that Greavsie does seem pretty naive tactically.

That's being kind to him. Picks his mates. I'm sure you remember those days with jumpers for goalposts when the two best players had to take turns of picking the best from the rest for their team. We all did it didn't we? Picked our mates. Daft thing is we sacked the bloke who would have had us comfortably safe by now in mid-table and even worse he is proving that point with relegation rivals. It's all a shambles and in deciding to sack the person who would have kept us up I think the Board (as supporters as they all are) just read to much stuff on fans forums and went for the popular vote. So those who led the campaign to get us relegated just bugger off and watch Exeter Chiefs next season as you have promised!

[MidDevon]

I have met my fair share of proffessional footballers in my time watching Torquay, many Torquay players and many opponents

One thing most have in common is that "anyone who has not played football has not got a clue"....their arrogance astounds me

Well, let me tell them one thing, they may well be right but, I can virtually guarantee that at least 8 of tonights team will be playing non league football next season. Football league clubs will just not be in a any rush to sign this bunch

I've seen enough games this season to realise we are by far the worse team in the league and deserve bottom spot

There are glimpses of proffessionalism.

Martin Rice cares as much as I do and you do...and will hopefullt walk player of the season on attitude alone

Billy Bodin, tries to do the right thing, but is let down by a slow inept midfield who are just too thick to read his game

Pearce and Downes are a good enough partnership at this level

I genuinely would probably not watch Torquay next season if Mansell and Nicholson are given new contracts, both were clueless again tonight and whilst they would definately not agree, neither cared as much as Martin Rice and that pisses me off....they were nothing short of an embarrassement.

To sum this evening up, near the end of the game the St John's Ambulance ladies walked past and one Torquay fans shouted something like

"Quick there are 11 Torquay players who need resuscitating out there!" and never a truer word has been spoken on the terraces this season

[hector]

That's being kind to him. Picks his mates. I'm sure you remember those days with jumpers for goalposts when the two best players had to take turns of picking the best from the rest for their team. We all did it didn't we? Picked our mates. Daft thing is we sacked the bloke who would have had us comfortably safe by now in mid-table and even worse he is proving that point with relegation rivals. It's all a shambles and in deciding to sack the person who would have kept us up I think the Board (as supporters as they all are) just read to much stuff on fans forums and went for the popular vote. So those who led the campaign to get us relegated just bugger off and watch Exeter Chiefs next season as you have promised!

The ridiculous thing is you keep trotting out this nonsense, Stefano, when every single stick of evidence shows that Knill was not keeping us up. This is HIS team that is doing so badly.

'Keeping us up' implies a manager is rescuing us from a lost situation. Knill was doing nothing of the sort - he put us in this mess in the first place.

I can accept that Hargreaves has done no better but that does not mean sacking Knill was the wrong decision. Appointing a rookie with no managerial experience because they thought it would appeal to supporters perhaps was, when other, infinitely more sensible candidates were available ,but that doesn't mean it was wrong to get rid of the man who put us in this mess in the first place.

So for you to suggest that the man who got us into so much trouble was the same man who would rescue us from his own shambles is fantasy. The mistake the board made was not getting rid of Knill by November and then not going for the obvious solution which would have been a fire-fighter, like Martin Allen or Paul Sturrock, names many of us suggested at the time. Then we would have some basis for thinking we might have got out of this mess.

If supporters can be blamed at all, it was clamouring for Knill to replace Ling at the end of last season and the club bought it and it took them too long to remedy it, The fact again, they went for what they thought was a popular appointment was the mistake.

The directors are a group of fans with the same 'heart-ruling-head' approach to things. Cool professionalism would have ensured they didn't just plump for Knill last May, that if they really thought Ling was no longer the answer, they should have advertised, drawn up a shortlist and selected the best candidate (which would have meant it was unlikely to be Alan Knill). Again, they should have done the same thing when they sacked Knill but they knew they wanted Hargreaves, I think, even though I think they should have paired him with Sturrock.

[little gull]

Don't know how many of you posting on here went but I did
We were as good as York especially second half but we go sideways
We have been as good as a lot of the teams at the top but we have failed to score
We need to throw caution to the wind and the team needs self belief not you lot' playing doom mongers There's seven games left
Portsmouth seem determined to stay in this fight
Get behind our lads and if you spend good money going all that way don't shout abuse it doesn't help the team - you think they want this????

[bigleigh]

The team that started last night and who signed them.
Rice - Ling
Nicholson - Buckle
Pearce - Knill
Downes- Ling
Bodin- Ling
O'conner- Knill
Mansell- Atkins
Harding- Knill
Thompson - Youth
Benyon-Ling/Knill
Enoch- Hargreaves

Only one Hargreaves signing started the game.
I don't think that all the blame can be laid at Hargreaves.
I was at the game last night and we are just not good enough.
Only Rice and Pearce I'd have next season, the rest can go.

[gullintwoplaces]

The fact that some on here are suggesting that Alan Knill would have kept us up is the height of crazy wishful thinking. He was leading us down the toilet. Sadly Hargreaves has not been able to stop the rot that Knill started. We were effectively down by Christmas.

[jonnyfive]

Definitely not all down to Greavsie, and I can't see anyone saying that anyway. I would lay blame in the following proportions:

Board : 20% (Hasty managerial appointments)
Knill : 70% (Rubbish)
Hargreaves : 10% (Unskilled novice trying his best but showing signs of poor judgement)

Knill was a clueless buffoon who deserves to be categorised with past dross such as Eddie May and Lubos Kubik. He is the main reason why our beloved club is leaving the league; painting him as anything else is nothing but a bad joke.

[kevgull]

The team that started last night and who signed them.
Rice - Ling
Nicholson - Buckle
Pearce - Knill
Downes- Ling
Bodin- Ling
O'conner- Knill
Mansell- Atkins
Harding- Knill
Thompson - Youth
Benyon-Ling/Knill
Enoch- Hargreaves

Only one Hargreaves signing started the game.
I don't think the all blame can be laid at Hargreaves.

Doesn't that shout volumes at you?

Quick rant please:

CH has had the opportunity to sign many players during his 14 games in charge, last night , we had one of his pick starting the game. That's the guy who can't jump or score.

Where is Cooper?
Why did Stockley not start?
Whats happened to Chapples form?
Why start Thompson so late in the season?
Is Danny the midget injured?
Is Tonge now out of favour?
Why did we not sign a Left Back?
What's up with Poke now, how long does a Thigh strain take?
Have we sacked Lababite? Where is his replacement?
Has there been a rallying call from the board, do they fully support CH?
We seem to conceed every game, why ?(LB?)
How many goals have CH's strikers scored (FA?)
Will we be relagated at Bristol Rovers or Exeter?


Has the board thrown away our football league status down the drain by employing a complete novice manager? (who's to say he will do any better in the Conference?) "Answers on a Postcard"!


I could go on but I can't be arsed!

[bigleigh]

Yes Hargreaves has signed some dross and in no way am I defending him. Like anything I expect it comes down to money. I'd be surprised to see Cooper at all, I believe a left back was lined up until Labadie got suspended. Hargreaves see's the players in training and knows what's missing but if you haven't got the money you will struggle to get the right players in, pay peanuts you get poor footballers

[stefano]

The ridiculous thing is you keep trotting out this nonsense, Stefano, when every single stick of evidence shows that Knill was not keeping us up. This is HIS team that is doing so badly.

'Keeping us up' implies a manager is rescuing us from a lost situation. Knill was doing nothing of the sort - he put us in this mess in the first place.

I can accept that Hargreaves has done no better but that does not mean sacking Knill was the wrong decision. Appointing a rookie with no managerial experience because they thought it would appeal to supporters perhaps was, when other, infinitely more sensible candidates were available ,but that doesn't mean it was wrong to get rid of the man who put us in this mess in the first place.

So for you to suggest that the man who got us into so much trouble was the same man who would rescue us from his own shambles is fantasy. The mistake the board made was not getting rid of Knill by November and then not going for the obvious solution which would have been a fire-fighter, like Martin Allen or Paul Sturrock, names many of us suggested at the time. Then we would have some basis for thinking we might have got out of this mess.

If supporters can be blamed at all, it was clamouring for Knill to replace Ling at the end of last season and the club bought it and it took them too long to remedy it, The fact again, they went for what they thought was a popular appointment was the mistake.

The directors are a group of fans with the same 'heart-ruling-head' approach to things. Cool professionalism would have ensured they didn't just plump for Knill last May, that if they really thought Ling was no longer the answer, they should have advertised, drawn up a shortlist and selected the best candidate (which would have meant it was unlikely to be Alan Knill). Again, they should have done the same thing when they sacked Knill but they knew they wanted Hargreaves, I think, even though I think they should have paired him with Sturrock.

I do know what you think Hector so there is no need to go on and on about it. In fact I understand it is a clear sign one is coming round to the understanding that they are wrong when they try to disguise it by endless words in no particular order. Good tactic mind. May use it myself one day

[brucie]

If Knill had still been here would we have been in a worse position? - I think that is debatable. Knill made bad decisions like leaving our best player Pearce out.
However you have to balance that by the fact he signed players like Marquis,McCallum and O'Connor.
Knill's forward loanees scored goals whist Hargreaves loan signings have been completely awful.
Knill clearly wins on that one.
Knill wouldn't have signed the likes of Stevens who has contributed precisely zero - just like most fans knew he would.
Knill wouldn't have played Nicholson who the oppostion target every game as being our weak link (the winning goal against Newport for example)
So in my view Hargreaves has been no better than Knill.

[SuperNickyWroe]

Doesn't that shout volumes at you?

Quick rant please:

CH has had the opportunity to sign many players during his 14 games in charge, last night , we had one of his pick starting the game. That's the guy who can't jump or score.

Where is Cooper?
Why did Stockley not start?
Whats happened to Chapples form?
Why start Thompson so late in the season?
Is Danny the midget injured?
Is Tonge now out of favour?
Why did we not sign a Left Back?
What's up with Poke now, how long does a Thigh strain take?
Have we sacked Lababite? Where is his replacement?
Has there been a rallying call from the board, do they fully support CH?
We seem to conceed every game, why ?(LB?)
How many goals have CH's strikers scored (FA?)
Will we be relagated at Bristol Rovers or Exeter?


Has the board thrown away our football league status down the drain by employing a complete novice manager? (who's to say he will do any better in the Conference?) "Answers on a Postcard"!


I could go on but I can't be arsed!

yes.

[SuperNickyWroe]

Don't know how many of you posting on here went but I did
We were as good as York especially second half but we go sideways
We have been as good as a lot of the teams at the top but we have failed to score
We need to throw caution to the wind and the team needs self belief not you lot' playing doom mongers There's seven games left
Portsmouth seem determined to stay in this fight
Get behind our lads and if you spend good money going all that way don't shout abuse it doesn't help the team - you think they want this????

i was there.

thats the problem as well as not being able to keep a clean sheet.
yeah, there is seven games left - but I doubt that we will win many - if any.
if pompey go down they will disappear, thats why they seem "up for it"
and if anyone "spends good money" then they are entitled to their opinions - even if some dont like it.

[gullintwoplaces]

Knill versus Hargreaves really is a tallest dwarf argument on the basis of results. The only thing I would say is that Knill made the Board believe that he was a fully grown big person, which he clearly was not. Hargreaves persuaded the Board that he still has some growing up to do, which could be correct although adult supervision should of course have been provided at the moment.

[SuperNickyWroe]

If Knill had still been here would we have been in a worse position? - I think that is debatable. Knill made bad decisions like leaving our best player Pearce out.
However you have to balance that by the fact he signed players like Marquis,McCallum and O'Connor.
Knill's forward loanees scored goals whist Hargreaves loan signings have been completely awful.
Knill clearly wins on that one.
Knill wouldn't have signed the likes of Stevens who has contributed precisely zero - just like most fans knew he would.
Knill wouldn't have played Nicholson who the oppostion target every game as being our weak link (the winning goal against Newport for example)
So in my view Hargreaves has been no better than Knill.

some fair points there brucie.
and to some extent if knill had still been here then i believe marquis would have been too.
as for CH being no better than Knill on his performance so far you might say hes been worse.