Aldershot v Torquay Easter Monday 3PM KO

[Dutchgull]

We we need Paul Sturrock more than ever to sort this club out

[Forest gull]

We we need Paul Sturrock more than ever to sort this club out

[CP Gull]

On the plus side it seems we were "really comfortable until then" ... the " then" moment was when we conceded the first goal after FOUR minutes. Phew, for a moment I thought might have had our backs to the wall from the kick off!

You really couldn't make it up (to coin a phrase oft used by Brucie!). As for DT on commentary, he must surely have been on the happy pills. To suggest that even Mourinho, Ferguson couldn't get more out of the TUFC budget is complete and utter nonsense!

Greasiest keeps on banging on about wanting players in his team that "reflect him when he was playing" well for goodness sake why didn't he look more closely at their characters when he signed these players last summer!!!

I always remember the first chat I ever had with Paul Buckle (love him or hate him he put together a very decent squad - albeit with plenty of money behind him) after his very first fans forum and he told me that THE most important thing he was looking for when he was recruiting players was character and you can imagine him, with his steely eyes, looking deep into the eyes of any player who he was in talks with to get a real feel as to whether they were the real deal or not.

Such a thorough approach to recruitment certainly paid dividends for him with players of the likes of Hargreaves himself, Sills, Todd, Ellis, Robertson, Nicholson, Carlisle, Phillips etc. some of the players he has recruited probably do look great in training and can do so wonderful "flicks and tricks" but can they do the business on the pitch like the team he (Hargreaves) played in .... well we know the answer to that one!!!!

The sort of team that Sturrock would build would look totally different to this one ... indeed I would venture to suggest that he would probably think there were only two or three (maybe not even that many!) of the current squad who he would deem fit for purpose for a squad made to play the way he would want to.

[SBP]

I maybe suffering from sun stroke but I actually feel a tad optimistic. I believe and hope that we have finally reached rock bottom and things on and off the field will only get better. We cannot now be relegated and we have in some capacity a real experienced football man at the club recruiting or whatever he is doing. I originally wanted Sturrock but the gamble of CH has not worked. I don't blame the club for trying. The players that I know who have played under Sturrock have only good things to say about him so hopefully whatever he does with TUFC it can only be positive for the club.
I really liked CH as a player but this has been a disaster. From the very first away game at Gateshead when we got thumped I have never heard of so many excuses. Plain and simple we are just not good enough in any area of the pitch. Rightly or wrongly CH has to take responsibility.
Anyway more importantly TUFC is my club and I will not be venturing anywhere else, well maybe the odd Chiefs game

[nickbrod]

I was at the match this afternoon and yes the right team won but thanks to a freak opening goal and a second from yet another defensive lapse. Pearce should have scored late in the first half when the ball rebounded to him around the penalty spot but couldn't get his legs right and the shot cleared the bar. Over the game the home keeper spilled shots on three occasions but nobody was quick enough to take advantage.
Whilst many players looked out of their depth or know they will be released the one plus factor was a promising debut for Dan Lavercombe. Despite picking the ball out of the net after 4 minutes he didn't let that affect him. For those who slate Rice for staying on his line Dan came off his and on at least two occasions punched the ball away with decent clearances. One for the future and should now be in the side for the remaining matches.
I can also confirm that both Kelvin Thomas and Paul Sturrock were at the game.

[Modgull]

I have so far resisted the urge to comment on our slide down the table but now is time to question what the heck is going on in this spineless squad and clueless management team.

Saturday was bad enough with only two shots on target against the next to bottom team but today we played a team who by their (caretaker) manager's own admission had not kept a clean sheet in FOUR months and we managed the princely total of five attempts and again only two on target. No wonder we are drifting down to the worst position in the club's history. Oh, yes and we have had the double done on us by the bottom team.

Difficult to see how this bunch of losers could muster another win this season and, before someone bemoans the lack of budget (DT take note) we have not had a budget that justifies this position in the league - it should have been sufficient to mount an assault on the playoffs at the very least.

And if anyone thinks a bigger budget will be available next season - think again! Average gates of 1,700 (likely, perhaps even optimistic) will see a major reduction in resources unless we can attract a sugar daddy/mummy.

Having said all that though - I shall be back to renew my season ticket, I remain ever hopeful that we shall see better days and, let's face it, there is no alternative if you are a true supporter (ie not like Brucie!)

[Neal]

:-(

[Plainmoor87]

Yes I was very surprised to hear Dave Thomas effectively comment this afternoon that this standard of footballer was all we could afford so there was no choice...mmmm...when you've seen the self same group perform much much better and then also look at the teams with even smaller ( often much smaller) budgets looking down on us from above you have to criticise and ask questions - motivation, spirit, discipline, work ethic, application, development of talent - LEADERSHIP! A decent manager or coach - and let's not forget Hargreaves was actually a coach so should be all about player development, would be getting more out of these guys - it's never looked like they were playing for him from the beginning - we started abysmally in August and I'd like to explore how this was turned around and translated into our successful run as it can't just gave been luck! What brought about the reversal in fortune first time round and why was that reversal impossible to achieve thereafter?

[CP Gull]

I always think that there is a point in a Manager's reign where he finally turns on his team .... and almost inevitably he ends up getting sacked.

Whilst not exactly slagging the team off today, he did at least admit that they "were all trying their best", it has been a little bit more noticeable of late that he has started to "name names" when it comes to mistakes scouting us with the finger pointed at Ives ( for the first goal) and Downes (for the second goal) being examples of this.

Not only that, but in his last comments during his interview with Radio Devon today, he suggested that "at times you just have to accept that the player you are up against is simply better than you" .... totally true, but hang on a moment Chris, weren't we playing Aldershot today??? Yep, that's right, Aldershot .... not Bristol Rovers, not Barnet,not Grimsby ... but Aldershot a team who have struggled all season and were below us before kick off ... and still are!!!)

I so much wanted this to turn out well for Greavsie, and he was let's face it dealt a pretty s**t hand, but nevertheless I think he could and should have achieved a lot more over the last 15 months than he has - even with this very limited squad. For me, it's not so much about the budget, which is probably around top 10 in the division, it's more about the lack of discipline in the team, the poor leadership, the lack of fitness (in certain individuals), the tactical naivety - predictable formations and substitutes - and the lack of any sense that any individuals (let alone the team) have moved forward in terms of performance levels under this management TEAM (Hodges and Veysey are also very much part of that).

[nickbrod]

Having spoken with CH after the game today I reckon he's resigned to his inevitable fate. Many of these players have let him down badly.

[CP Gull]

Having spoken with CH after the game today I reckon he's resigned to his inevitable fate. Many of these players have let him down badly.

Not sure I agree with that Nick.

If any players have "let him down" I think the ones on the transfer list are the most likely culprits ... but if that is the case, who can really blame them???

As for the guys who were signed by Greavsie, I think it's more a case of a lack of physicality in most cases and lack of ability in some.

Recruitment decisions, particularly in the goalkeeping, full backs and central midfield positions have cost him big time in my opinion and will probably ultimately cost him his job! :-|

[nickbrod]

Well with Paul Sturrock waiting in the coach after the game deep in conversation with a director it's pretty obvious what's going to happen and Ch knows without any of us telling him, after all he's been in football long enough to see the signs.

[Gulliball]

This season is now well beyond the frustration and apathy of last season. Another week, another poor performance and another defeat.

I think everyone really wanted this appointment to work out, but we have had a chance to turn this around - the run of fixtures over the last few months has not been tough - but week after week we have just continued exactly as before. Except for that six game run in September, the rest of his reign has comprised of far too many drab 0-1, 0-2 and 0-3 defeats where we never even look like scoring. He is now past the point of being able to live off that run of wins as it's been over six months since and things haven't improved.

He has been limited in what we've had to work within. That was enough to see him not criticised when we finished 24th last season, and had we finished in the top 10, I'm sure he would have the support of most on here. However the sides we are regularly losing to are sides with far less resources than we have, and on paper the talent we do have in our squad, even if they weren't all signed by Chris Hargreaves, should be enough to see off the part-time sides of this division.

When a new manager is brought in to advise it pretty much spells the end for the current manager, and I think his days are looking pretty numbered now.

[CP Gull]

So, 41 games into this Conference National campaign, Greavsie tries to preach the importance this week of how "being direct" can bring results in this League!!! Seriously??! That has, pretty much, always been the way of achieving success at this level ... including when WE won promotion with him as Captain!!!

I have so wanted Greavsie to succeed in this job and part of me has always wanted him to be given the chance to succeed with " his " squad but the fact remains that he has failed to sign the players that would have seen us competing at the top end of this league (unacceptable) and has shown no sign that the players he has brought in have shown even the slightest sign of improving under his coaching (unacceptable).

Sadly, I have to say I wouldn't want Greavsie to be in charge of recruitment this summer as I am not sure he is capable of building a squad that could possibly take is back into the Football League.

Gutted, that it has ended up in failure like this.

[StretfordGull]

Chris Hargreaves. Please resign. We've all had enough.
I, not anyone else, wants you to be the manager of our club. I'm surprised you do. It must be awful to lose every week.
You've tried and failed.
Every player has become worse during the course of the season and enough is enough.
We've got Paul sturrock now. We'll be ok.
Off you go.