Credit where credit is due..

Dave_Pougher · Post by **Dave_Pougher** » 06 Apr 2016, 19:51

Going to stick my neck out here and probably get my head chopped off but Iwas indifferent about KN appointment but was against him playing purely for personal opnion about his style. Always thought he should have been managing and therefore leave himself out of criticism when he made mistakes on the pitch.

Fully take the point he was employed as a "player manager" due to financial constraints and also that there were times when he probably didn't want to play but had too but a turn around happened when he didn't have to play himself and fully concentrate on coaching (and driving the bus!) and I for one am absolutely delighted! Roll on Tranmere!

Gullscorer · Post by **Gullscorer** » 07 Apr 2016, 10:24

Has anyone noticed that Kevin Nicholson has the same surname as Tottenham Hotspur's legendary manager Bill Nicholson? As I've said before, footballing miracles rarely happen overnight. Whatever the final outcome to this season, in all the circumstances of the past year nobody can now deny that Nicho has made a more than promising start to his managerial career. In his first season as the Gulls' boss it looks as if he may indeed pull off a minor miracle. If he goes on in the next few seasons to achieve half of what Bill Nicholson did, we can count ourselves very fortunate indeed. And credit will be due not only to Nicho himself, but to the current Torquay United board. I believe in miracles..

brucie · Post by **brucie** » 07 Apr 2016, 12:05

Whether we stay up or not you would still have to say that Nicholson has done an excellent job. What has to be remembered is how bad we were when he took over.

I maintain that most of Cox's signings were absolutely terrible and we would have ended up down the bottom sooner or later even if he had stayed.

I don't think our results have been much to do with luck - other than perhaps the Gateshead match. The defeats over Easter were a hammer blow but we ran Eastleigh close and even the hammering at Dover could have been avoided if the referee had done his job properly.

We have come roaring back since then - the last two wins have been absolutely priceless.

Nicholsons first team is way good enough to stay up. What we need now is some luck with injuries and suspensions.

That's probably why its imperative that we beat Tranmere on Saturday. Everyone who has ever supported Torquay and is able to do so should get to Plainmoor on Saturday.

There is absolutely no reason to think that we cannot win this game - and if we do so we are going to stay up. As Nico says there is no tomorrow.

Everyone needs to start hyping this game up. The players and the manager have gone beyond the call of duty in the last couple of months and are worthy of our support on Saturday.

Tranmere will bring good away support but we need to negate that - we all know how easily the referees can be pressured in this league and we need to make sure we all get on his back.

wivelgull · Post by **wivelgull** » 07 Apr 2016, 14:05

I would like to be there, brucie, but I live 360 miles away now; however, I plan to be at the Guiseley match on the last day of the season as it's my 'home' match as it were.

Post by **Southampton Gull** » 07 Apr 2016, 14:28

I agree with brucie

Royalmgull · Post by **Royalmgull** » 07 Apr 2016, 15:21

I too have to admit fury at kev's appointment as manager , had no faith , no hope for the future of tufc and had giving up on my grandchild enjoying what I had enjoyed for forty years , good and bad . I AM SORRY KEV FOR BEING NEGATIVE , YOU PROVED ME AND OTHERS WRONG .... Hope we continue as we are and you are manager next season and many more to come .

Clive205 · Post by **Clive205** » 08 Apr 2016, 07:36

430 mile round trip for me but I'll be there.

I know there have always been 'big' matches in the club's history but the next 5 don't come much bigger as a sequence of games given the stakes.

midtable · Post by **midtable** » 08 Apr 2016, 08:47

Kev is doing well and we hope we stay up but assessments of his strengths and weaknesses will have to wait for the end of the season. Statistically, he took us to to the lowest position in our history. Admittedly, the team was not his but a decent manager should be able to inspire any team. Remember all those games where he picked himself and Dan Butler was wasted in covering up for his lack of pace? Anyway, he is doing a cracking job at the moment, a great ambassador for the club and a nice guy. The only was is up.

Richinns · Post by **Richinns** » 08 Apr 2016, 09:05

midtable wrote:Kev is doing well and we hope we stay up but assessments of his strengths and weaknesses will have to wait for the end of the season. Statistically, he took us to to the lowest position in our history. Admittedly, the team was not his but a decent manager should be able to inspire any team. Remember all those games where he picked himself and Dan Butler was wasted in covering up for his lack of pace? Anyway, he is doing a cracking job at the moment, a great ambassador for the club and a nice guy. The only was is up.

In no way is this an attack on what you are saying but if you are given a selection of rotten and very underripe fruit you ain't going to be able to make a decent fruit salad are you!
Some would also suggest that he felt he had to play himself because he had feck all else to play on the left of mid and more importantly he had no know-how on the pitch. The inexperience of what he was left to work with was astonishing!
As soon as he got all his players in (Verma, Harrad, Blissett, Racchi, Allen, Ajala, Rees, Wright) he has been no where near the starting 11 - or the match day squad for that matter.

Kit_robin · Post by **Kit_robin** » 08 Apr 2016, 09:25

Richinns wrote: In no way is this an attack on what you are saying but if you are given a selection of rotten and very underripe fruit you ain't going to be able to make a decent fruit salad are you!

Good, experienced managers can - that is the point. They can manage difficult characters to get the best out of them for the team. This is what Cox expected to do with players like Hurst and Marsh. Just think, if Mark Loram had been in this squad, nicho would have probably released him in January.

Nicholson couldn't manage those characters so had to change the majority of the first team. He is inexperienced so that's hardly surprising. He will stand or fall on how long it took him to sort it out. 2 more wins out of the last five and he will be a success, otherwise he will have failed.

Gullscorer · Post by **Gullscorer** » 08 Apr 2016, 09:57

Kit_robin that's nonsense. Every manager tries to get the best out of his players to make a good team, but the difficult disruptive characters make things far more difficult for any manager. And if Nicho fails to keep us up that does not mean he's failed as a manager. Given all the circumstances of the past year I doubt that any manager could have done better.

DevonYellow · Post by **DevonYellow** » 08 Apr 2016, 11:00

I was massively underwhelmed by his appointment but as the title states credit where it's due Kev you've done a fantastic job getting us back in the fight.

We're not safe yet though so maybe better to keep the plaudits on ice for now.

hector · Post by **hector** » 08 Apr 2016, 11:10

Nicholson deserves credit for the last 12 games. Had he been sacked prior to that and a new manager come in and given the same points return we would have been more than happy.

Whether KN is the answer long-term, I don't know and whether new owners will see him as the manager, that remains to be seen, so further credit really, that he is rallying his players amidst this uncertainty.

chunkygull · Post by **chunkygull** » 08 Apr 2016, 11:14

Midtable and kit robin you are both absolutely bang on and I could not agree with you more.

Lloyder5 · Post by **Lloyder5** » 08 Apr 2016, 11:24

Gullscorer wrote:Kit_robin that's nonsense. Every manager tries to get the best out of his players to make a good team, but the difficult disruptive characters make things far more difficult for any manager. And if Nicho fails to keep us up that does not mean he's failed as a manager. Given all the circumstances of the past year I doubt that any manager could have done better.

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