Torquay v Eastleigh 13/01/2018 (PP)

[lucy6lucy]

Having just got home from work, my mind is literally mashed reading yellow army Facebook and the forum. A few points I will add:

Southampton gull dave won't be sending Geoff harrop a Christmas card anytime soon

I said we would lose to inexcusable defending

In Reid's defence, anyone can miss a penalty. Including multi millionaire premiership stars. It happens.

Mcginty has lost it at the end with the fans- goodbye mcginty.

I've, accepted relegation, it's going to happen, the sooner the better.

Osborne despite his real intentions will not be happy with harrop. His appointment was supposed to appease us fans this and next season. Now it's going to cost some real investment, to get out of Conf south

Owers is a beaten man. He has had 75% of the season to turn our fortunes

Conclusion:

The club is rotten inside. We have ownership and a general manager on a ego-grudge that is killing the club

[tufcyellowarmy]

Woken up early after a sleepless night.
I really couldn’t face my thoughts after the game as I’ve never been more hacked off after leaving Plainmoor.
As for the game .... well at least it wasn’t shocking , and at times was quite entertaining.
Matthews was the best player on the pitch. An aggressive pest in midfield who ran the show in periods in the first half.
As for us ..... well all to predictable .
Young and Gosling were the pick of our bunch with Davis looking a class act. No penetration in the final third and everyone knew Reid was going to miss the penalty, which I thought was harsh to say the least from where I was stood.
My conclusions are these.
We are certain for relegation and have been for some time since we appointed Owers and Kuhl.
Nicho was a better Manager than these two by a mile. The thing is he gave a shit.
He cared , showed passion on and off the field and the players actually wanted to play for him.
Despite any faults , which we all have , to get shot after 4 games was scandalous. If it was Harrops doing as I’m led to believe then I hope he gets his come uppance.
Our performance was ok and at times we played some good stuff. But we looked brittle, predictable and utterly beatable which is why we are going down.
We are not rubbish anymore Is up there with Alan Hansens.. you’ll never win anything with kids ... remark or even Neville Chamberlains ... peace in our time speech .
Listening to Owers interviews is the most depressing , monotone drawl you can imagine. John Major had more charisma.
As for some of our supporters. Singing “ we are shit” is pathetic. But it’s pointless trying to educate people like that but no wonder it got tease at the end.
Depressing.....

[Kernowgull]

Oh dear how fickle, oops let's not upset DB57 et all with such derogatory comments !

It really is not fickle to decide that wasting money and time, which particularly as you get older, is very precious, going to get thoroughly pissed off every other week is not what you want to do anymore.

If the club complained about declining crowds, THAT would be fickle. The club have given the fans nothing, for years and years. I'll be honest, I think anyone who continues to turn up week after week is mad. Why anyone would spend their leisure time knowing they are going to be angry or dejected, I don't know. Even if another great escape does transpire this season, there will be nothing to celebrate, just more of the same. I tried to remain positive that GI might bring in something positive despite all the evidence suggesting that exactly what is happening now and worse, the eventual death of the club (is that worse than the continued state of the club?) but the fact the club is in this position with the Senior Management saying nothing, says it all.

The only hope, is the piece in the GO annual statement suggesting they are looking to offload the club. I live quite close to Clarke Osborne, I believe he lives in Chew Magna. I hope I run in to him one day. I would love to give him a piece of my mind. Not that he would give a Damn.

[Plainmoor78]

The only hope, is the piece in the GO annual statement suggesting they are looking to offload the club. I live quite close to Clarke Osborne, I believe he lives in Chew Magna. I hope I run in to him one day. I would love to give him a piece of my mind. Not that he would give a Damn.

Hasn't that already happened? GI did own RSL (which is in effect Torquay United FC) and it has passed to the sole private ownership of Clarke Osbourne.

You can say all you want to CO, he isn't going to give a shit. He is not worried about placating the fans or the fate of the club. He is simply there to make money. The focus of the fans ire now seems to have turned on Geoff harrop, but no matter what harrop thought was going to happen when he approached his brother in law about the club, the fact is Osbourne is the one responsible now. If Osbourne thought harrop was doing a shit job he would sack him now, but on field matters aren't any of his concern, he just needs to hang around until the opportunity to get the freehold turns up.

[6667GULL]

We were lucky to be drawing at half time.
We were ok until the second goal.
Young definitely should have taken the penalty. F**k off Reid.
Never looked like equalising.
That said I have seen a lot worse performances this season.
The so called players should take note of the passion of the fans.
They pay their money so are entitled to their opinions.

[PL21gull]

On the positive side this was a much better footballing performance, and with new players to incorporate we looked much more like a team. However chances have to be taken, and again most of our attempts on goal were wide or high of the posts - the opening Eastleigh goal showed how tricky a low shot can be on a slippery surface - yes, it should have been saved, and, ironically, it probably would have been if the strike had been better hit.
It is misleading to say that Nicho, for all his passion, was a better manager because, under him and his assistant, our cohesion on the pitch was severely lacking; the first thing GO had to do was to get us more organised.
We did actually look like a unit yesterday - until the penalty miss, when we lost control and reverted to hopeful high balls which were easily repelled by a reinforced defensive back line. I agree that our substitutions and subsequent shape were questionable - the new winger hardly saw the ball and Dowling, who had been a bright spark going forwards, was a mere spectator out on the wing.
Basically Eastleigh were there for the taking, but at least they could shoot straight and not waste their few opportunities.

[Jeff]

Just watched the highlights.

Shocking first goal. Never a penalty. In between times some reasonable chances created but nobody to finish

[lucy6lucy]

looking forward to going to these last few northern away games this season.....

as it'll be a bit of a drive for even the closest one next season.

Same here SNW. Although just the 3 for me. Macclesfield, Chester and Solihull (well it's the midlands really). Can't stomach Hartlepool.

[tomogull]

For about the first time this season, I felt sorry for Owers/Kuhl and the players because I geniunely thought we were the better side and deserved to win, but we were beaten because once again we didn't take our chances, although Flitcroft in the Eastleigh goal brought off some good saves. Although we had several new signings (I include Fletcher and O'Sullivan because this was only their second game), we gelled quite well as a team - much better than in most of the previous games.

To the so-called fans on the Pop Side who were chanting 'We're sh*te and we know we are' during the second half, shame on you. There were several young players out there playing their first home match for the club and giving their all - Dowling and O'Sullivan especially.

A note to Lucyx2 - at the end of the game, just three players came over to the Pop Side - Dowling, Young and McGinty who advanced futher than the other two. The same Pop Side chanters started chanting and pointing "You're not fit to wear the shirt' and "You're sh*t". No wonder he lost his 'rag'. He did not deserve abuse like that. He is one of a very few players who has given his all for TUFC and fully deserves to 'wear the shirt'. I realise feelings were running high after yet another defeat, but there was no need for that.

We all see games differently, but I was surprised to read that Dave (Soton Gull) thought McGinty had 'an awful game'. I thought he had a decent game. He was obviously told to mark Zebroski and he beat Zeb time and time again in the air and on the ground. Also, McGinty is the only constant in our defence. Yesterday, he was playing alongside yet another different central defender (who actually looked quite useful). If some of the players who played yesterday had been brought in earlier in the season instead of the likes of McQuoid, Murphy and Andresson, maybe we might not be where we are now.

Couple of thoughts on the game - like any other player, goalkeepers make mistakes from time to time. Dorel made a mistake for one of the Wrexham goals, but apart from that, he has done okay. Very harsh - and wrong - to drop him yesterday in my opinion. Young Fletcher looks a promising lad, but to play him as a lone striker - come on, give the lad a break! I read on here Eastleigh's second goal described as a 'defensive error'. I thought it was a well worked and well taken goal by Hoyt. Sometimes you have to give the opposition credit where due.

[Southampton Gull]

We all see games differently, but I was surprised to read that Dave (Soton Gull) thought McGinty had 'an awful game'. I thought he had a decent game. He was obviously told to mark Zebroski and he beat Zeb time and time again in the air and on the ground.

I think if you get to see the highlights you'll probably see what I saw

[merse btpir]

I read on here Eastleigh's second goal described as a 'defensive error'. I thought it was a well worked and well taken goal by Hoyt. Sometimes you have to give the opposition credit where due.

Again if you watch the highlights you'll see that Gosling did bugger all about closing the scorer down ~ such lighwight fragility does for teams in this league.

Likewise the first goal shows Young puffing in the scorer's wake as he drives through our midfield which has gone missing yet again ~ lack of pace, determination and the result is a defence that opens up like a whore's legs; Clarke too resembles Mr Blobby going down like that and with lettuce leafed wrists too.......relegation wrtten all over this side now.

Even the penalty was no such thing with one of our players attempting a 'roulette' falling over an oustretched leg from a prone player whilst going backwards and most importantly of all.........outside the penalty area!

Lucky to get it; disorganised enough to spurn it given that the same player took a penalty against the same opposition just recently

[tufcyellowarmy]

Again if you watch the highlights you'll see that Gosling did bugger all about closing the scorer down ~ such lighwight fragility does for teams in this league.

Likewise the first goal shows Young puffing in the scorer's wake as he drives through our midfield which has gone missing yet again ~ lack of pace, determination and the result is a defence that opens up like a whore's legs; Clarke too resembles Mr Blobby going down like that and with lettuce leafed wrists too.......relegation wrtten all over this side now.

Even the penalty was no such thing with one of our players attempting a 'roulette' falling over an oustretched leg from a prone player whilst going backwards and most importantly of all.........outside the penalty area!

Lucky to get it; disorganised enough to spurn it given that the same player took a penalty against the same opposition just recently

You are right about the Penaty . From where I was stood it looked like I think it was Dowling who manufactured a semi plausible shout. It was very harsh against Eastleigh as I have already posted as I think it was more contrived than an actual foul.
About Young ... I think you don’t rate him but bear this in mind.
I thought he got caught out of position in a 3 man midfield which easier to do than a 4. It was Matthews who i rated as the best player on the pitch so no shame there.
But Young dug in and showed real guts to carry on and made amends with a finely controlled strike to equalise. He was useful in the second half as well .
So that was me being restrained .....
Tell me Merse I was stood nigh on the half way line and thought that Gosling was our best player before he went off . You haven’t given a balanced view of his or Young’s performance based upon what you saw because you can’t.


Where exactly were you ?

[merse btpir]

You haven’t given a balanced view of his or Young’s performance based upon what you saw because you can’t. Where exactly were you ?

I haven't claimed 'to be there'; I have clearly made a post based on watching TV highlights and I haven't claimed to give 'a balanced view'.

This is a forum on the Internet for those interested, from far and wide ~ it is not a local chatroom for local people is it ~ if you want that you'd have an interest spectrum of around half a dozen!

[CP Gull]

I thought at the time that Clarke should have done better for the first one, but didn't realise that he rushed off his line like that for the second one either. I'm no goalkeeping expert but surely he might have been better staying "at home" - quite literally in his case!

As for the penalty, it was indeed as bad as I thought it was on the day ! Neither straight down the middle or in the bottom right corner - the goalkeeper only has to dive the right way and he is always likely to save that!

We do indeed suffer from having too many lightweights in the team - we need "an aggressive midfielder and a target man"" (now where have I heard that before!!!! - over to you Mr Owers!!!) but surely no one could argue that Jake Gosling was our best performer on the day .... and Luke Young was also in the top three or four for me too - just wished he had stepped up to take the penalty - and told him so after the game too!

[greb46]

Woken up early after a sleepless night.
I really couldn’t face my thoughts after the game as I’ve never been more hacked off after leaving Plainmoor.
As for the game .... well at least it wasn’t shocking , and at times was quite entertaining.
Matthews was the best player on the pitch. An aggressive pest in midfield who ran the show in periods in the first half.
As for us ..... well all to predictable .
Young and Gosling were the pick of our bunch with Davis looking a class act. No penetration in the final third and everyone knew Reid was going to miss the penalty, which I thought was harsh to say the least from where I was stood.
My conclusions are these.
We are certain for relegation and have been for some time since we appointed Owers and Kuhl.
Nicho was a better Manager than these two by a mile. The thing is he gave a shit.
He cared , showed passion on and off the field and the players actually wanted to play for him.
Despite any faults , which we all have , to get shot after 4 games was scandalous. If it was Harrops doing as I’m led to believe then I hope he gets his come uppance.
Our performance was ok and at times we played some good stuff. But we looked brittle, predictable and utterly beatable which is why we are going down.
We are not rubbish anymore Is up there with Alan Hansens.. you’ll never win anything with kids ... remark or even Neville Chamberlains ... peace in our time speech .
Listening to Owers interviews is the most depressing , monotone drawl you can imagine. John Major had more charisma.
As for some of our supporters. Singing “ we are shit” is pathetic. But it’s pointless trying to educate people like that but no wonder it got tease at the end.
Depressing.....

You are spot on with the summary as Nicholson was treated disgracefully he was committed and showed enthusiasm maybe not the most experienced manager but he'd saved the club twice and to sack him after 4 games I feel was all part of the plan.Players at least wanted to play for him,I've seen post match interviews with Owers and how depressing he sounds like he's just returned from his mother's funeral ,he couldn't motivate The Don.Again all part of the bigger plan for the demise of the club I fear ,who would want to put their life on the line for a manic depressive like him.
All very sad and disappointing that such a person has been allowed to own a football club and gradually run it into the ground for his own personal gain.