Expectations for the forthcoming season in NLS

budegull1954 · Post by **budegull1954** » 28 Jul 2018, 11:33

Another factor complicating our preditions for this season is the lack of an assistant manager - Gary Owers cannot be expected to manage a squad of 16+ players on his own for more than a couple of games.

brucie · Post by **brucie** » 28 Jul 2018, 11:48

Hard to make any predictions really but given that a poor Truro side made the play offs last year this team on paper is miles better than them so we should be looking at tip three bare minimum.

We have players in Dickson, Davis, Hall and Williams who are a class above this league. Its possible that the likes of Keating and Reid could do better in this league as well.

Absolutely pointless quaking about the likes of Billericay. Lets get a sense of perspective - their star signing is Gerring and unless he has had a leg transplant he is still a donkey.

One point to remember is that Owers has not completed his roster of signings yet. Expect some loan signings to come in - and if he can pick up a couple of half decent players from Bristol City the squad will look a lot stronger.

kevgull · Post by **kevgull** » 28 Jul 2018, 11:49

And pitch being played on twice a week what with Cup games, replays etc

Teigngull · Post by **Teigngull** » 28 Jul 2018, 12:18

kevgull wrote: ↑28 Jul 2018, 11:49 And pitch being played on twice a week what with Cup games, replays etc

Don't know why your worried about cup replays for, we haven't won a cup game for donkey years.
Never the less I EXPECT us to win this league as a bare minimum .
TUFC champions Vanarama league south 2018/19. You heard it here first.
Keep believing people, COYY

Post by **Dave** » 28 Jul 2018, 13:12

Whilst there are, no doubt a small handful of very good teams in the NLS, so winning the league will not be easy by any means, the NLS it's mostly full of tripe. Looking over the last few seasons, teams relegated out of the NLP to the Southern division have rarely if ever finished out side the top 9, Braintree promoted back at the first time of asking, Dartford relegated the season before missed out on the title on the last day.

I see a top 7 finish, anything less than that, should be seen as a total disaster.

Burnhamgull · Post by **Burnhamgull** » 28 Jul 2018, 13:21

I think Mid table is a realistc expectation. I'd love to think we would be pushing for promotion but as others have said, once the pitch starts accommodating 1-2 games a week and the bad weather comes, the pitch will suffer.

Secondly, it's another team of newbies who have yet to gel and I still don't see Owers as a motivational, insprirational leader. His monotone delivery will not push anybody to give that extra 10% needed on occasions.

I hope we get promoted but even if we do, can we really celebrate promotion back to a division that is still a league lower than where we should be.

jimhart33 · Post by **jimhart33** » 28 Jul 2018, 13:43

Assuming today's match at Dorchester will be a dress rehearsal for next week at Chelmsford, i believe we need to get a good win today to boost confidence after the lacklustre Bristol City performance. It seems injury reinforcements are needed already, as well at least another powerful forward.

Post by **Gulliball** » 28 Jul 2018, 13:47

With 7 teams going into the play-offs, that has to be the minimum. It's unfortunate that we've hit Billericay on their rise through the leagues & like it or not they will be favourites. Jay Emmanual-Thomas is their marquee signing, and contrary to popular belief I think bringing in players like Gerring to complement the big name players is a sensible policy. That said, we're lucky that the NLN has about 10 clubs that would be aiming to win the NLS, so at some point you need to just concentrate on yourselves and putting out a good side.

If it is to be the play-offs, the way they are structured now means there is a big advantage to finishing higher. Come 2nd and you play two one leg matches, both at home. 3rd and you could play the final as an away match, and 4-7th and it's three matches in a short space of time, potentially all away.

With a whole new squad, and not having ever played at this level before, it's hard to predict where we could finish. I am not yet sold on Owers, but we look to have assembled a good squad, and being full time in a part time league, we should expect to be competing right at the top end. I think we're missing a quality striker though, as we've essentially repeated last season all over again, and that could cost us unless we act soon, on loan or otherwise.

ferrarilover · Post by **ferrarilover** » 28 Jul 2018, 20:59

We are where we are for a reason etc etc etc, but come on, chaps. We're playing league matches against the sort of sides we usually face in PSFs or testimonials.
Yes, Vanity Project FC are paying their blokes £5k/week or whatever, but so are Salford, and I saw them against Altrincham today and there was nothing between those two. Sure, Jay Emmanual-Thomas has signed for them, but is he honestly, genuinely arsed about trying to impress? He's probably making ten grand a week and he's already a millionaire, as if he gives a shit.

For our away games, a lot of the blokes we'll be playing will probably have been at work on the Saturday morning. When we're at home on a Tuesday, half the opposition squad will not be able to get time off work to travel down, so they'll be fielding the reserves. What's the betting we're going to be playing at least one side who puts out a goalie who is still pissed from a Friday night out with his mates after a long, hard week on the building site? Come on, we're comfortably the biggest side in this division and should have had our pick of the athletes. We're going to be bigger, stronger, better and fitter than the teams of plumbers and used car salesmen we'll be facing every week.

League champions 2018/19 is the only acceptable result. Anything else must see Owers replaced with someone better. **** hell, we could shave an ape and make it manager and we should still be getting promoted.

Mid table, I ask you!

Matt.

Post by **happytorq** » 30 Jul 2018, 16:20

as much as I hate to agree with Matt on anything, he's right here.

Anything less than winning the division would be a failure. It's not a billy-big-boots attitude, it's an acceptance of our place in this league. We're the 'big team' with a long history of league football. Everybody else should be thinking that we're the benchmark.

(of course, it might also mean they raise their game against us, but still, we're supposed to be professionals!)

brucie · Post by **brucie** » 30 Jul 2018, 18:38

Gerring was allegedly bought for five figures from Truro. Is that sensible? - more like madness to me. Gerring is a trier but jesus is he worth any money?

Billericay could quite easily blow up as go well. Tamplin (who is now assistant manager) is a lunatic.

I have to agree as well - we really ought to be looking to win the league - of course its easier said than done.

Zippy · Post by **Zippy** » 30 Jul 2018, 18:46

Champions! if we cant win this league then we should pack up now!

lucy6lucy · Post by **lucy6lucy** » 30 Jul 2018, 19:22

Osborne needs Torquayunited to win the league or at least win playoffs to build momentum for his grand plan to keep the public and other officials on side.

jimhart33 · Post by **jimhart33** » 30 Jul 2018, 21:18

Perhaps we should take advantage of Truro playing at Plainmoor to support Truro against our "expected rivals" such as Billericay etc
I know we don't yet clearly know who are our main rivals will be, but we should know in a week or two. It might just make a difference!!!

MellowYellow · Post by **MellowYellow** » 30 Jul 2018, 22:13

What is a "big club"? This is one of the most provocative issues amongst supporters, one guaranteed to spark a debate. Today we (Torquay) attempt to console ourselves that whilst we may currently be in the doldrums of regional football we are nonetheless still a 'big club; a sleeping giant just in need of prodding awake by the right manager-owner combination. To my mind there are two measures of "bigness": achievement and supporter base and on this basis there is no question we are the biggest club in this league. However,by contrast, tomorrow's promotion favourites, Billericay, are gate-crashing the elite by dint of huge investment. But aside from this Matt88 is right there are undoubted benefits to being a full-time professional football club, in terms of the players game development over and above that of part-time butchers, bakers and candlestick makers.

Our current manager went to great lengths last season to tell us that our demise was due to not having his own squad. Well he has now got his own players with a larger budget than we had in the National league. So this season, I will not be criticising the Chairman for he has put the money up front (maybe for ulterior motives) but knows nothing about football anyway, nor will I be criticising our squad of journeymen and rejects as they will be trying the best they can, but will put the onus of any failure fair and squarely on the manager for telling us that he's "got what it takes".

So top of the league at the end of August ? or fighting to get out of the relegation zone? It surely has to be the former or I can see our MP putting forward a motion in Parliament for the return of capital punishment?

But I fear not - for in Gary we trust!

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