Torquay United v Scunthorpe United - 5/4/14

[ethantufcbaker]

I know this isn't positive, but it would be funny If this was sung. Or anything to raise the atmosphere

[frenchgull]

If I have missed it then I am sorry but Mr Hargreaves has been very quiet since 5.45 last Saturday,normally he would post on the Torquay site some comments about how unlucky we are by making some silly defensive mistakes and how we created so many chances but we are working hard and we are bound to win the next game and climbe the table dispite the fact that most of us have known for many months that we are conference bound,I remember him saying its no good sitting in the corner and crying after a defeat so I hope that is not what he is doing.This is all about managerial expierence,something which he dose not have,yes loads of playing expierence but no quite that same,the manager is the one to pick up the team and motivate the club and that includes the fans so let's hear from you Chris,we know we are going down but let's go down fighting,please.

[arcadia]

If I have missed it then I am sorry but Mr Hargreaves has been very quiet since 5.45 last Saturday,normally he would post on the Torquay site some comments about how unlucky we are by making some silly defensive mistakes and how we created so many chances but we are working hard and we are bound to win the next game and climbe the table dispite the fact that most of us have known for many months that we are conference bound,I remember him saying its no good sitting in the corner and crying after a defeat so I hope that is not what he is doing.This is all about managerial expierence,something which he dose not have,yes loads of playing expierence but no quite that same,the manager is the one to pick up the team and motivate the club and that includes the fans so let's hear from you Chris,we know we are going down but let's go down fighting,please.

Non je ne parle pas francais. regards Chris.

[frenchgull]

Bonjour Arcadia,perhaps your right,not only dose he not speak French I am beginning to think he dose not speak football!.

[arcadia]

Bonjour Arcadia,perhaps your right,not only dose he not speak French I am beginning to think he dose not speak football!.

Sorry but I have a sense of humour. I just wish he would try Craig and new strike force of Bodin with Stockley or the new lad. Don't know if you read my if I was manager post I think this would improve the side.Things need to change.

[stefano]

Things need to change.

The last bloke who said that on BBC Spotlight got the job!

[stefano]

We had a memorable feisty tussle with Scunthorpe in the play-offs in the 1980's in Cyril Knowles time, winning over two legs after they had beaten us in the final league game of the season at Plainmoor which denied us automatic promotion. It's a few seasons later October 1991 that I still have nightmares about!

Having got stuffed in our previous home league game 0-4 to Preston North End, we then put in a creditable display losing 3-4 to Argyle at Home Park, so although we were struggling at the wrong end of the table nobody expected what they were about to witness when Scunthorpe United rolled up at Plainmoor. Having conceded 8 goals in our last 2 games, 8 in one game was just too many and manager Don O'Riordan was shown the door. 1-8!. It would have only needed 2 more to be our record defeat!

PS. Alan Knill scored for the visitors!

[chunkygull]

Andy Mcfarlane scored 4 for Scunthorpe and then we signed him later on. For such a tall fella he was crap in the air, but he was a handful. Really good one minute and poor the next.

I remember right after the 8-1 game Chris Curran left and signed for Argyle, who we played again the following Tuesday, losing 2-0. Cant remember if Curran played for them though.

[taxilady]

PS. Alan Knill scored for the visitors!

Umm, shouldn't that be 'Mr Knill' Stefano ?

[arcadia]

The last bloke who said that on BBC Spotlight got the job!

They would save a lot of money if they gave me the job.

[hector]

We had a memorable feisty tussle with scunthorpe in the play-offs in the 1980's in Cyril Knowles time, winning over two legs after they had beaten us in the final league game of the season at Plainmoor which denied us automatic promotion. It's a few seasons later October 1991 that I still have nightmares about!

Having got stuffed in our previous home league game 0-4 to Preston North End, we then put in a creditable display losing 3-4 to Argyle at Home Park, so although we were struggling at the wrong end of the table nobody expected what they were about to witness when scunthorpe United rolled up at Plainmoor. Having conceded 8 goals in our last 2 games, 8 in one game was just too many and manager Don O'Riordan was shown the door. 1-8!. It would have only needed 2 more to be our record defeat!

PS. Alan Knill scored for the visitors!

You are indeed correct, although it was 1995 rather than 91. Knill was a very decent player at our level for both Scunny and Swansea, plus Halifax. I remember those games well.

After the first leg of the play-offs in which we won 2-1 - Kenny Allen giving us kittens by giving a goal away when we were comfortably 2-0 up, which was a matter of days after they beat us 2-1, two games which were very testy, tight affairs. The 2nd leg was the 2nd wake for the Old Show Ground, which has supposedly already had its last game until the play-offs. Dave Caldwell had caused Scunthorpe much aggravation and possibly caused a player to be sent off - cannot quite remember - but I do remember seeing the 'Caldwell dies' graffiti sprayed on the gates of the soon to be demolished Old Show Ground as well as this 'Torquay die' such was the animosity over those games.




This is from that play-off 2nd leg - it was a right old scary atmosphere that night!

[stefano]

Umm, shouldn't that be 'Mr Knill' Stefano ?

Nah, he was a player then and the same courtesy doesn't apply to the cannon fodder! In fact I reckon our present crowd of would be footballers are lucky if they get called by their surnames. I think they should be made to buy their own shirts from the club shop. They may value them a bit more then!

[stefano]

You are indeed correct, although it was 1995 rather than 91. Knill was a very decent player at our level for both Scunny and Swansea, plus Halifax. I remember those games well.

After the first leg of the play-offs in which we won 2-1 - Kenny Allen giving us kittens by giving a goal away when we were comfortably 2-0 up, which was a matter of days after they beat us 2-1, two games which were very testy, tight affairs. The 2nd leg was the 2nd wake for the Old Show Ground, which has supposedly already had its last game until the play-offs. Dave Caldwell had caused scunthorpe much aggravation and possibly caused a player to be sent off - cannot quite remember - but I do remember seeing the 'Caldwell dies' graffiti sprayed on the gates of the soon to be demolished Old Show Ground as well as this 'Torquay die' such was the animosity over those games.




This is from that play-off 2nd leg - it was a right old scary atmosphere that night!

Yes 1995. Actually looking back I am sure these aren't the darkest days we have had at Plainmoor. Atmosphere has been mentioned several times this season, or rather the lack of it, but the days of regular sub-1000 crowds were abysmal. They used to delay the kick off if somebody was missing!

Although we are going down and it seems with a whimper, we are not getting hammered every week like that sequence I mentioned almost 20 years ago when we shipped 16 goals in 3 games. In fact we seem to be turning into Arsenal in reverse.

One nil .... we always lose 1-0 ... we always lose 1-0

[hector]

Yes 1995. Actually looking back I am sure these aren't the darkest days we have had at Plainmoor. Atmosphere has been mentioned several times this season, or rather the lack of it, but the days of regular sub-1000 crowds were abysmal. They used to delay the kick off if somebody was missing!

Although we are going down and it seems with a whimper, we are not getting hammered every week like that sequence I mentioned almost 20 years ago when we shipped 16 goals in 3 games. In fact we seem to be turning into Arsenal in reverse.

One nil .... we always lose 1-0 ... we always lose 1-0

...and that is what is so frustrating. If we weren't operating with Tweedledee and Tweedledum up front, perhaps we would be in a much stronger position.

[budleigh]

We had a memorable feisty tussle with scunthorpe in the play-offs in the 1980's in Cyril Knowles time, winning over two legs after they had beaten us in the final league game of the season at Plainmoor which denied us automatic promotion.

May 7th, 1988... home to Scunthorpe was one of the big disappointments; made worse by beating them in the play-off game a week later. All we needed from the last two league games was a win for promotion, and for the first time all season we lost two games on the trot. I still have that home play-off game on video... Feisty sums it up! Dave Caldwell still pops into my head whenever I think about that few weeks... his 'efforts' in getting Paul Nichol sent off as the Scunthorpe player grabbed his throat and Caldwell went down gasping as if the life had been squeezed from him!

And what a cracking game at home to Swansea in the play-off final second leg, with Lee Sharpe coming off the bench to inspire a great fight back. That man Caldwell headed a goal in the 66th minute that will be remembered by all that were there; maybe the greatest feeling of elation to hit Plainmoor in years (discounting a certain McNichol strike a year previously). But the lovely mild-mannered Paul Raynor once again haunted us as he managed to rouse his Swansea troops and the game finally passed us by. What might've been if we'd managed to get promoted that season...?
On a sadder note, Alan Davies scored for Swansea that day at Plainmoor. He had played for Manchester United, appearing in both the original and replay of the cup final against Brighton at Wembley, which I was lucky enough to attend. But in 1992 he succumbed to various pressures, mainly off the pitch, and committed suicide.

Great season though; beating Bristol City in the cup, getting robbed at Coventry. Reaching the semi-final of the Sherpa Van Trophy. Games against Spurs in the League Cup.

And for those who feel that all is gloom at the moment; remember this season came straight after the last gasp escape the previous year...