Macclesfield Town v Torquay United 27/1/18

[Orange Gull]

Considering I'd resigned myself to a crushing defeat before I went, I was pleasantly surprised that we got a point. The performance was not as bad as I'd expected. Granted we couldn't pass very well, or control the ball particularly well, and we didn't create that many clear cut opportunities. However, se got a point away from home at the league leaders so we must have done something right. Macclesfield weren't great but they should've converted a few of their opportunities in the first half especially. We rode our luck at times.

I still can't see us staying up but if we are going down then at least we made a go of it, hopefully we continue to put the same level of commitment into every game for the rest of the season. To some on here who bemoan the fact we only got a point at the league leaders, just cheer up at least until the next game, yes we're going down but you could see how much it meant to the players and fans at the end of the game. Noticeable that Owers didn't come over to us at the final whistle though.

A few players that I thought stood out:

Young seemed to be everywhere in the first half, it'd be interesting to see how much ground our players covered as he seemed to be playing in every position on the field. You can see his commitment to the cause, he gives 100%.

Reid I thought was very poor. Our control and passing as a team was often slack and it's amazing that we weren't punished more often. Maybe I'm singling him out unfairly but I noticed Reid more often that others miscontrol the ball, give it away to the opposition or make poor passes. He looks like his confidence is shot and it's no surprise. He was rightly substituted in the second half and that leads on to another player that stood out...

Given the hype and the vocal expectation in the stand I thought Williams contributed about as much to the game as Reid. He had a couple of off target attempts and gave away the ball a couple of times. All in all I don't think he did very much while he on, I'd start him ahead of Reid next time but only because he can't possibly be offer any less.

Gowling I thought was decent in the centre of defence. He had a calmness and assuredness about him and always seemed to know what to do. I thought there was quite a difference between him and McGinty, who at almost every opportunity would launch the ball up field where it would often come straight back at us. Though this has been his style in all the games I've seen him so I can't imagine he'll change much.

I'm glad Romain got a goal as he like Young never stopped running all afternoon. I'd imagine him and Williams up front will be the way of things from now on.

[Yorkieandy]

It was a response to dutchgull and I take on board his reply which is probably what I asked for to be fair to him. Not a clever comment from me in hindsight.

The rest of you just jump in though don't you despite the reply not having anything to do with you. Like school bullies in effect.

Also with rampant inaccuracies levelled at me too. I'm proud of you.

[Yorkieandy]

Its a hard earned point and ordinarily you'd be an idiot not to give praise but its wins needed. Yet you are all still saying its a good point. It makes no sense. Draws equal relegation yet people are happy with it. Again, makes no sense. The time for being reasonable and fair to the players for getting results like this has long gone but apparently not according to many.

I'm a York fan though aren't I? One who gives money to the tust but not to the York trust. Yeah. **** weird.

[Orange Gull]

I haven't said it's a good point. I said twice that I've resigned myself to relegation. However, I enjoyed going to watch my team play and surprisingly compete with the league leaders. As it's probably the last game I'll see for the foreseeable future living in Manchester it was more than I expected.

[desperado]

Very good report Orange, I wasn't there but listened on the radio, and you seem to have summed up our
players very well. Danny Racchi who I really like listening to said pretty much the same. You didn't mention
Aaron Barnes though who was excellent apparently

[Yorkieandy]

If anybody needs to wind their neck in its you pal.

After all, your the turncoat who takes it upon himself to come on here and tell us all we’re morons for still supporting TUFC.

Find the post in which i have specifically called TUFC fans morons and also the context in which it was posted.

[SuperNickyWroe]

well, you cant please some on here....
a point gained or two lost?

well for me a point gained. having read numerous reports about how dire we have been this season.
didn't think we'd win - hoped we would, but was expecting a loss. but, if Macc represent the top of the league, it does show how average it is and also how frustrating it is for us to be where we are.
thought there was a lot of commitment from the team today - closing down and throwing bodies at the ball to block shots.
reid should have scored with a one on one and young - who had a good game today - had a good shot well saved by jalal.
we deserved to be at least level at HT. Macc must of got a bit of a rocket at HT, as they came out and dominated most of the 2nd half.
as for their goal, typical of our luck - ball comes in, gets half cleared, then bang! its in the top corner from 20yds. no chance for Dorel. obviously a team like us low on confidence it does take the stuffing out of you. Macc were all over us - only a great save from Dorel kept it at 1-0.
the excellent support from the yellow army - in good voice as usual - were just hoping for a chance for us to get back into it.
and we got it - cross from the left didn't seem particularly good! jalal went to collect, collided with one of his own players, ball falls to ROMAIN...
get in! to be honest the least they deserved after the effort. even blissett coming on couldn't manage to spoil it by scoring!
so 1-1, could have been worse, could have been better.
some good performances Romain, Young and Barnes stood out, a crucial save from Dorel.
Nice that Gints came over at the end and shook hands!
onwards and upwards.

[Jeff]

Find the post in which i have specifically called TUFC fans morons and also the context in which it was posted.

I’ve got better things to do than go back through your thousand posts a day of drivel to pull out one quote, but it was something along the lines of calling any fan who doesn’t boycott an idiot

[Yorkieandy]

So you cannot substantiate your claim then? Or you think you can but just can't be bothered to find the evidence. It's there though isn't it? Like you say.

Anyway, even if i suggested that any fan who didn't boycott was an idiot which i'd like to also see that post too, then that would be calling them idiots for the act of not boycotting and not because they are idiots for being fans of TUFC.

Don't jump in and start flinging stuff around just because you don't like me. It's called online bullying. You don't think that there could be myriad reasons, valid reasons which you don't understand as to why i was a 'turncoat'? No, of course you don't. You aren't interested. How could any fan turn their back on their club eh? If so then just slag them off rather than try and see that there could be deeper reasons behind the decision. Pisses me off.

You are one of the posters i respect on here Jeff because of your in depth knowledge of lower / non league players and you are a sensible bloke. I'm the opposite and if i've overstepped the mark and done my own online bullying then i'll admit to it and apologize but i'm not accepting this.

[Jeff]

So you cannot substantiate your claim then? Or you think you can but just can't be bothered to find the evidence. It's there though isn't it? Like you say.

Anyway, even if i suggested that any fan who didn't boycott was an idiot which i'd like to also see that post too, then that would be calling them idiots for the act of not boycotting and not because they are idiots for being fans of TUFC.

Don't jump in and start flinging stuff around just because you don't like me. It's called online bullying.

You are one of the posters i respect on here Jeff because of your in depth knowledge of lower / non league players and you are a sensible bloke. I'm the opposite and if i've overstepped the mark and done my own online bullying then i'll admit to it and apologize but i'm not accepting this.

Online bullying? Behave yourself! This started because you told another poster to “wind his neck in” and I told you to wind yours in. People in glass houses and all that.

I used to respect your point of view Andy, but unfortunately you lost that respect from me when you changed your allegiance to York and quite gleefully told us all. Now its all boycotts and Phoenix clubs. You are entitled to your opinion, and if you don’t mind I’ll ignore it as I don’t agree.

Now I’m going to enjoy a rare Saturday evening where Torquay didn’t lose. I won’t bother saving you a space on the terrace at Hemel Hempstead next season

[CP Gull]

So you cannot substantiate your claim then? Or you think you can but just can't be bothered to find the evidence. It's there though isn't it? Like you say.

Anyway, even if i suggested that any fan who didn't boycott was an idiot which i'd like to also see that post too, then that would be calling them idiots for the act of not boycotting and not because they are idiots for being fans of TUFC.

Don't jump in and start flinging stuff around just because you don't like me. It's called online bullying. You don't think that there could be myriad reasons, valid reasons which you don't understand as to why i was a 'turncoat'? No, of course you don't. You aren't interested. How could any fan turn their back on their club eh? If so then just slag them off rather than try and see that there could be deeper reasons behind the decision. Pisses me off.

You are one of the posters i respect on here Jeff because of your in depth knowledge of lower / non league players and you are a sensible bloke. I'm the opposite and if i've overstepped the mark and done my own online bullying then i'll admit to it and apologize but i'm not accepting this.

Andy, I don't know for certain but I guess this might be what Jeff was referring to ...

"You could have managed Torquay into the Premier League and many of the fans would still find fault because they are arseholes quite frankly. "

To be fair you were out of order with your comment to Dutchgull (a massive fan) and you have admitted as much (fair play to you there) but fair enough you are disappointed we didn't get the much needed win - and you are right it is ONLY wins that will get us out of this mess, but let's get real here, we are 1-0 down away to the League leaders with what ten minutes to go and we scrape a draw - surely that is a small crumb of comfort? Personally speaking,I have accepted that we are going down, but I would like us to go down fighting ! At least today we showed some of the spirit, maybe not the quality, but some spirit in achieving a draw? Quite frankly, I am so fed up of us losing on a Saturday, every Satirday, that even a draw is a small victory!

We are ALL passionate TUFC fans on here - including you, even though you don't attend games anymore and won't admit to being one - and understandably things can get a little heated on here - not surprising given our desperate position BUT surely this result has to be counted as a decent one. Admittedly though it will ONLY be a decent point if we beat Barrow at home next Saturday .... otherwise it's pointless. We have been on a losing run, hopefully we may just have turned a corner - probably not, but we live in hope!

[Yorkieandy]

If you look back at the thread, i commented on how the team should be going for the win and ended it with DOH! At the risk of it all becoming a bit childish and saying 'he started it!' i then get a smarmy, abrupt comment aimed at me by Dutchgull to which i took offence and posted the remark i did out of anger in response. So in effect i had somebody out of the blue attacking my point of view online which isn't great and pissed me off.

Then i get loads more abuse and comments but people ignore the inflammatory post Dutchgull put up first in response to mine about the team needing a win.

Dutchgull was well within his rights to have a pop back because of what i said but it's got **** all to do with anyone else with all due respect.

I went to York because i was angry and frustrated that i couldn't get what i wanted out of Torquay. I knew the club was going tits up and wanted everyone else to see it. Yes it's an immature, cackhanded way of going about things but without going on about it again, i think differently to most people. In my way i was trying to make Torquay fans as angry as i was about the situation and when i felt that they weren't being as angry as me, or maybe were but in a different way then where could i go? The door closes. What choice is there to continue supporting a team that clearly is going tits up and then on top of that you perceive (rightly or wrongly) that most of the fans don't seem to give a shit about it.

It builds more frustration and resentment actually against Torquay fans because you want to help and change things and by starting to turn against them and make remarks about them then naturally i'm going to get people's backs up doing that but the intentions were always about TUFC and trying to make everyone see that shit actually does need sorting out at the club.

A bit like Merse going on about stuff but he does it in a rational, educated, sensible manner whereas i just rule with my heart and it turns into a mess. Like Plymouth Gull correctly summed up on the TUST thread, bull in a china shop. Hey, that's just me and i've gone about things totally the wrong way but that's what and who i am and my passion for Torquay never went anywhere. Do you really think i wanted to support York City after spending 12 or so years trawling up and down the land singing and rooting for the Gulls? Do you think i wasn't sat at Bootham Crescent thinking wtf am i doing here? I feel nowt.

My heart is in the right place and it's yellow. I got lost along the way and i felt abused by those who ran the club into the ground and i felt alienated by much of the fanbase who i feel constantly misunderstand my posts and hold them against me and think i'm a knob.That's how it is i guess but i don't conform to the norms of how you would usually go about trying to get stuff done and never will and that causes a whole load of friction. That doesn't mean and never did mean that i don't want TUFC and it's fans to finally come good.

Maybe see you at Hemel Jeff. :na:

[Yorkieandy]

Andy, I don't know for certain but I guess this might be what Jeff was referring to ...

"You could have managed Torquay into the Premier League and many of the fans would still find fault because they are arseholes quite frankly. "

To be fair you were out of order with your comment to Dutchgull (a massive fan) but fair enough you are disappointed we didn't get the much needed win - and you are right it is ONLY wins that will get us out of this mess, but let's get real here, we are 1-0 down away to the League leaders and we scrape a draw - surely that is a small crumb of comfort? PErsonally speaking,I have accepted that we are going down, but I would like us to go down fighting and at least today we showed some of the spirit, maybe not quality, but some spirit in achieving a draw? Personally speaking, I am so fed up of us losing on a Saturday that even a draw is a small victory!

We are ALL passionate TUFC fans on here - including you, even though you don't attend games anymore - and things can get a little heated -understandable given our desperate position BUT this result has to be counted as a decent one but ONLY if we eat Barrow at home next Saturday .... otherwise it's pointless.

Yes CP because of the Thea thing. I said that anyone who didn't appreciate the good that Thea was trying to do and criticized her for it was an arsehole and i stand by that. I cannot think anything different. A generous elderly lady gave millions up and gets abuse. It's beyond comprehension. These same fans would no doubt still abuse the players etc if they got Torquay into the Prem as that's just what some fans are like. They don't see the good.

As for the draw today. Yes i agree it's a good point if we weren't 12 or 13 points adrift. We are so it's not really a good point. What if we drew our next 10 games by playing really amazingly well and coming back from the dead in some of them to rescue points? They would still be well earned and we can appreciate the effort but they aren't good enough in the grand scheme of things. Maybe i'm not explaining very well i don't know. I just don't see how a point is beneficial when you need 12 and bloody quickly that's all. Not negative just realism of the situation.

[greb46]

Andy wears his heart on his sleeve and though I'm not a Torquay United supporter I guess any club that had a shed full of guys like him probably would have frightened off the Clarke Osbornes of this world a long time ago ,there's nothing wrong with anger over wanting your team to succeed,I should know!

[CP Gull]

I have to say I always enjoy Danny Racchi as the summariser on Radio Devon - he is always so insightful and never afraid to speak his mind! He called out Jamie Reid for a lack of effort and quality on the ball today and Sean McGinty for poor distribution out of defence and not being strong enough in some situations. He was also very quick to identify that the left hand side of our defence I.e. McGinty and Davis were not dealing at all well with the threat posed by Elliott Durrell down their right flank - particularly in the first half.

On the flip side, he also singled out Aaron Barnes for his quality and Elliott Romain for his general workrate up front - so some positives there.

The "if only" moment came after the game ... when he (Racchi) said that it was such a shame that he lived so far away from Torquay .... as he would happily "play for free" to help us out of this mess. How we could do with his quality, leadership and influence in the dressing room now!!! Amazing that, although he was only here for such a short time really, he remains one of my favourite players since we last went out of the League and it was such a shame that Nicho couldn't have kept him - although as it happens, he missed pretty much all of the following season through injury anyway ... but a fit Danny Racchi would get into my best TUFC XI of this decade any day of the week!