Gary Owers

[Yorkieandy]

Now you ARE being morose! :na:

[brucie]

Tomogull - You did the right thing.

You can never beat watching live football at whatever standard it is, even when its raining. I watched the first half of the Liverpool game but turned off as I was bored stupid. Yeah great game no doubt but premier league football and above actually bores the hell out of me.

[merse btpir]

I'd opt to watch a live game ~ any live game over TV rubbish ~ doesn't matter whether it's Isthmian League stuff, further down the pyramid; development football or 8 & 9 year olds down at Market Road.

Watchng REAL LIVE football gives you a feel and understanding of the game that sitting at home on the sofa never will. You can opt to take in the whole of the pitch; get down and close up to any part of it if you wish and generally soak up the feel of the game and the ambience of the club/ground in a way that watching on TV can never offer.

Tomorrow I'll be watching my younger son play at U9 level at five o'clock and then heading for Stamford Bridge with him and his little sister for the first leg of the FA Youth Cup Final between Chelsea and Arsenal ~ yes it's live on ITV4 but I prefer to be there.

Then there's the second leg at The Emirates on Monday night!

[Yorkieandy]

It's a tv footy treat for me tonight!

Who needs the Arsenal when the mighty Bulls of Salzburg are on in a semi final too?!!

My track record for footy betting isn't great but Salzburg have been awesome this season and have shown some character. They are 4/1 away at a rank average Marseille. I'm on!

[budegull1954]

Yes I can no longer watch football on TV, the hype is ridiculous, the pundits ludicrous and the constant fawning over the so-called 'big four' (or is it five nowadays?) in the Premier League makes me feel sick. If I never hear the words 'Pep Guardiola', 'Jose Mourinho' and 'record-breaking Man City' again I will die a happy man. Which is why, to echo Merse's point, there really is no substitute for live football and I will probably be plodding over to 'Plainmorgue' again next season. On second thoughts I have Bude Town, Bideford and Barnstaple on my doorstep........

[tomogull]

Tomogull - You did the right thing.

You can never beat watching live football at whatever standard it is, even when its raining. I watched the first half of the Liverpool game but turned off as I was bored stupid. Yeah great game no doubt but premier league football and above actually bores the hell out of me.

Yep - I know you're right, Brucie, and i agree with Merse (must be a good day!!) and budegull. The trouble was - what we were watching at Plainmoor on Tuesday night was 'dead football'. Absolutely awful on a miserable wet night. Plainmoor was more like Plainmorgue.

[Yorkieandy]

I just don't quite get how over time, the acceptance of mediocrity amongst what everyone (especially Ray Parlour) calls 'top, top' players has become commonplace.

Most of the players in the Premier League are mediocre and inconsistent. In addition they are lazy too. The pursuit of sponsorship, sideline businesses and an obsession with self image and an aggressive vacuous social media presence pervades it all now. The raw desire to sweat blood and win at all costs is rarely seen now because footballers at the top level have an image to uphold and they get millions regardless. The only incentive and motivation to be the best comes from within one's soul and most modern footballers are soulless.

We get situations like for example Paul Pogba when pundits are constantly making excuses for languid, mediocrity by saying things like, "he can't help his price tag".

No i agree. He can't. What he can help though is playing over half a season like someone who should be playing for Hull yet still receiving about 200k a week! But the you get this, "he can't help it if his employers want to pay him 200k a week - not his fault".

Never is, is it?

So you see. Players have always got excuses and not only that, people who should know better making excuses on their behalf!

I am singling out Pogba here as i think he's a prime example of somebody not particularly interested in being the absolute best he can be. He has too many chips on his shoulder and too many other things to think about such as how his hair looks or how his clothing business is faring. He certainly isn't alone though and this type of mediocrity and mental weakness is endemic at the top level.

It particularly grated on me AND confirmed my opinions about Pogba when he scored those 2 goals against Man City recently after being criticised by Mourinho and when he scored them he reeled away with his hand to his ear as if to say to everyone watching,"I'm Paul Pogba and this is what i can do and don't you forget it!"

WELL WE DID FORGET IT PAUL BECAUSE THE LAST TIME YOU DID ANYTHING SIMILAR WAS ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO YOU MORON!!

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are worth what they are paid because they perform to world class levels pretty much every time they set foot on a football pitch. Not once every month like others.

I dislike Ronaldo as he's a showman and i hate show offs. He also is obsessed with self image etc but HE DOES WHAT HE IS PAID TO DO EVERY WEEK which is play football really really well and that's all we ask so in that respect i can't knock him despite his vanity.

Pogba has the vanity but also a poor attitude and he's only good enough to be playing for West Ham.

I think it's not unreasonable to expect that if you are playing for one of the top teams in world football and are commanding such a ridiculous salary that you perform AND entertain most weeks. Otherwise you may as well just be playing for Argyle on a few grand a week such is the difference.

[merse btpir]

when he scored them he reeled away with his hand to his ear as if to say to everyone watching,"I'm Paul Pogba and this is what i can do and don't you forget it!"

The last and maybe only time I have seen Paul Pogba play live was at Underhill about nine years ago as a player two years under his age group for Man Utd u18s v Arsenal u18s. He stood out then along with a young Danny Welbeck playing against the club that now employs him.
He was simply sensational that night and stood out a mile.

That's the joy of watching live football and particularly live development football because you get to appreciate the players' off the ball movement and positioning and not solely focussed on their on the ball moments as TV only allows you.

I have a good memory for players and enjoy following the progress of the ones who catch my eye; either upwardly or downwardly and could more than likely draw up a decent squad of players to out perform anything Torquay United have had in recent years drawn from those ranks.

Some of those outstanding youth players are now in the Premier League or top leagues abroad and some of them are down below the level at which Torquay United currently play but I love to remember; when they were all at the same level as I saw them as youths.

[Yorkieandy]

The last and maybe only time I have seen Paul Pogba play live was at Underhill about nine years ago as a player two years under his age group for Man Utd u18s v Arsenal u18s. He stood out then along with a young Danny Welbeck playing against the club that now employs him.
He was simply sensational that night and stood out a mile.

That's the joy of watching live football and particularly live development football because you get to appreciate the players' off the ball movement and positioning and not solely focussed on their on the ball moments as TV only allows you.

I have a good memory for players and enjoy following the progress of the ones who catch my eye; either upwardly or downwardly and could more than likely draw up a decent squad of players to out perform anything Torquay United have had in recent years drawn from those ranks.

Some of those outstanding youth players are now in the Premier League or top leagues abroad and some of them are down below the level at which Torquay United currently play but remember; when they were all at the same level as I saw the as youths.

Isn't Pogba paid to do amazing things ON the ball?

Which is kinda what you pay to see. Leave the donkey work for those who excel at that particular role.

Yes Mourinho shackles him for sure but i'd just do what i wanted and tell Mourinho to **** off. If i'm an attacking midfielder renowned for skill and power then i'll do that and not what some has been manager with negative archaic tactics tells me. Like i said. Not sure Ibrahimovic would play a full season with restrictions.

[merse btpir]

A lot of outstanding movement off the ball buys a player space and extra time for when he is on the ball; take Xavi as the arch exponent of that.

When my son was at Watford he was given CDs of Xavi to watch and learn from and he learned to incorporate that into his play to make him a better player. Perhaps if you judged Pogba drawn on watching him live with the capacity to appreciate all of that then you'd form a different opinion of him ~ there again maybe you wouldn't because you might still be only focussing on him when he was on the ball.

Sometimes players do get 'shackled' by team requirements by having to play a game alien to their natural instinct or preference......again, I watched my son having to adapt to that this season when playing in a game as a CDM in a 3-5-2 set up and passing the ball out of defence to feet to his heart's content and then the system being changed to 4-4-2 following the loss of a defender to injury and him being told to bang balls down the channels much to his obvious displeasure. But he had to do it or face the consequences of getting withdrawn himself.....eventually he was withdrawn in favour of a player more at ease with that style of play.

That's how the game works

[Yorkieandy]

A lot of outstanding movement off the ball buys a player space and extra time for when he is on the ball; take Xavi as the arch exponent of that.

When my son was at Watford he was given CDs of Xavi to watch and learn from and he learned to incorporate that into his play to make him a better player. Perhaps if you judged Pogba drawn on watching him live with the capacity to appreciate all of that then you'd form a different opinion of him ~ there again maybe you wouldn't because you were still only focussing on him on the ball.

There is no way of telling

Well no, i wasn't. Xavi is a lovely busy little player. Always making and finding space and finding passes and he is a different type of player to Pogba. Pogba wants to make out he's this showboating superstar as we saw mainly for more consistent periods when he was at Juve so we want to see him ON the ball doing exciting things. Xavi is exciting but in a different way and he does it well.

[Yorkieandy]

I wonder what Gary Owers would do with Paul Pogba?

[Oil Beef Hooked]

I wonder what Gary Owers would do with Paul Pogba?

Leave him on the bench. =D

[Yorkieandy]

Leave him on the bench. =D

Then he'd bring him on after 70 minutes and he'd score twice to rescue a 2-2 draw at home to Concord Rangers and Owers would be shouting, "He's not rubbish anymore!"

[Tufc83]

Torquay United manager Gary Owers says he will not resign after the club was relegated from the National League.

Some fans had called for Owers to quit after the Gulls were relegated to National League South - their lowest level for 89 years.

"I'm not quitting and I'm planning for next season," Owers told BBC Sport.

"I've been planning for next season for weeks and weeks, whatever the outcome. I've been planning for two scenarios so I'm going to get on with that."

The Gulls are eight points from the side immediately above the relegation zone - the same distance they were when Owers took over in mid-September following Kevin Nicholson's sacking after the first four games in August.

They were beaten 4-3 at home by bottom-of-the-table Guiseley on Tuesday night, despite their opponents having a man sent off after three minutes - a result Owers said marked the 'lowest point in my career'.

"I might not have much support, but I do have some support, I know that," Owers added.

"I've got support on the inside, definitely, and the only way I can improve things is by doing what I'm going to do, which is bring my own players in with my own ideas and work the way I want to work.

"Some of the things have been out of my control, but I know that when the final whistle goes on Saturday everything after that point will be under my control and then I'll get on with it and we'll put it right."

'You'd be hard-pushed to find someone with more all-round experience'
Gary Owers playing for Sunderland in 1992
As a player Owers (right) spent eight years at Sunderland and played in the 1992 FA Cup final against Liverpool. He also spent almost four seasons at Bristol City and four at Notts County
Owers had been manager of National League South side Bath City before leaving for Plainmoor and feels he is best-qualified to take the club out of the sixth tier of English football at the first attempt:

"I played 600 games, I played at the highest level against some of the top players, working under some of the top managers.

"I coached in the Championship, coached in the league. I think you'd be hard-pushed to find someone with more all-round experience at this level.

"I've been a manager, I've been an assistant manager, I've been head of recruitment, I've had numerous jobs in football."

Owers' first task will be to build a squad capable of bouncing back at the first attempt and he says he will aim to revamp as much of the playing staff as he can.

"I'm looking for players in all positions," he said.

"I'm looking for players that can win the league, as simple as that. I know what it'll take.

"I need goals in the team. I need more leadership in the team and I need some men to come and represent the club."