Promotion chasing Squad?

kevgull · Post by **kevgull** » 11 Sep 2021, 19:04

Our No1 Keeper is prone to mistakes.
Our No1 Keeper does not allow the game to build from the back.
Our attackers and wingers have no pace.
We do not have an effective Right back - Right wing partnership.
We do not have an effective Left back - Left wing partnership.

Happy for anyone to change my mind.

Modgull · Post by **Modgull** » 11 Sep 2021, 19:29

I agree we do not have a side which can push for promotion - perhaps the question should be do we have one to avoid relegation?

Modgull · Post by **Modgull** » 11 Sep 2021, 19:31

To answer my alternative question I think the answer is yes but we do need strengthening in key positions to be certain.

culmstockgull · Post by **culmstockgull** » 11 Sep 2021, 19:37

Kevgull, I presume this was posted in understandable anger, In Halstead we have an experienced league keeper, but if he has played a particular way for years,changing him to our way of playing will take more than a few games. both full backs are ok for this league although Moxey has tired legs and Wynter for a man of his experience makes too many schoolboy errors, but Johnson likes to play with wing backs,the only way that system work is to have 90 minute, box to box players capable of protecting their full backs and being in the opposing area 20 seconds later, our combination of wingbacks may possess one of these qualities but none of them have all three, so to my mind the system fails on the basis that we are patently not as fit as any of the teams that have visited plainmoor this season.

kevgull · Post by **kevgull** » 11 Sep 2021, 20:03

culmstockgull wrote: ↑11 Sep 2021, 19:37 Kevgull, I presume this was posted in understandable anger, In Halstead we have an experienced league keeper, but if he has played a particular way for years,changing him to our way of playing will take more than a few games. both full backs are ok for this league although Moxey has tired legs and Wynter for a man of his experience makes too many schoolboy errors, but Johnson likes to play with wing backs,the only way that system work is to have 90 minute, box to box players capable of protecting their full backs and being in the opposing area 20 seconds later, our combination of wingbacks may possess one of these qualities but none of them have all three, so to my mind the system fails on the basis that we are patently not as fit as any of the teams that have visited plainmoor this season.

Culmstockgull, undeniably I have a sense of frustration that has been building since the start of the season. Did you attend today?

culmstockgull · Post by **culmstockgull** » 11 Sep 2021, 20:15

Yep I was there, years since I missed a home fixture.

MellowYellow · Post by **MellowYellow** » 11 Sep 2021, 21:00

kevgull wrote: ↑11 Sep 2021, 19:04 Our No1 Keeper is prone to mistakes.
Our No1 Keeper does not allow the game to build from the back.
Our attackers and wingers have no pace.
We do not have an effective Right back - Right wing partnership.
We do not have an effective Left back - Left wing partnership.

Happy for anyone to change my mind.

5 games in and 14 goals conceded means the issue is much broader than the odd goalkeeping mistake. But I don't think your far wrong on the other points - it needs sorting.

smw1989 · Post by **smw1989** » 11 Sep 2021, 23:21

The keeper is awful, didn’t even have the minerals to come and clap the popside so I think deep down he knows he’s crap.

Not just this game but the three home games I’ve seen so far this season he just flaps at crosses, Doesn’t command his area and in this league you need a big presence in goal and he is definitely not that. I hope he’s dropped and then Marcin can be given his chance.

Uptongull · Post by **Uptongull** » 12 Sep 2021, 08:07

I was stood by the 18 yard box all game and the thing I notice with Halstead is that he is extremely quiet. Macdonald, Covolan and Dorel all used to be constantly marshaling the back four. None of that with Halstead.

For all Macdonald's critics, one thing you could tell was that he desperately wanted t win every football match. Same with Cov. Halstead just seemed to be going through the motions. I got the vibe of someone who signed for us here just to go through the motions and see out the latter years of his career.

One thing I noticed was Joe Lewis went to take a throw in late on when we were all in the Grimsby half. Joe turned around with the ball in his hands expecting Halstead to be on the edge of his box ready to receive the quick throw and then get the ball back up the pitch. But Joe rolled his eyes as Halstead was rooted to the spot showing no urgency and it was too far a throw across his own penalty box for Lewis to risk. So it ended up petering out.

I don't like singling out one player but Halstead does look somy awful. Every cross (not an exaggeration) was striking me with fear. We looked with every cross into our box. Last year Cov was so good and plucking those balls out of the air. Even Macdonald made a valiant effort. Can't recall Halstead coming and claiming one ball yesterday from a cross?

GJ said in his interview that he sees what us fans see. So he must be really furious with Halstead. I thought I saw Marcin warming up shortly before half time. I was half expecting GJ to make the bold move of swapping keepers at half time. He's made subs before half time before.

Grimsby did look a very good side. Particularly their number 18 on the right wing. And Efete seems a real athlete now. They'll be up there.

TerryTorq · Post by **TerryTorq** » 12 Sep 2021, 11:35

Like many of us I have been scratching my head to try to understand what may have affected our start to the season. Looking back over the last few years there may well be a reason.

In the 3 years before the curtailed 2019/2020 pandemic hit season, the National League fixtures ended on the last weekend in April with the Play-Off Final 2 weeks later. The Football League season ended on the first weekend in May with their Play-Off Finals at the end of May.

So when FL clubs announced which players they had released NL clubs even those in the Play-Off Final were ready to act.

Last season all that changed. The final FL matches were played on 8/9 May and the Play-Off Finals 29/31 May. The NL season also ended the same weekend 29 May but the Play-Off Final wasn’t until 20 June some 6 weeks after many FL clubs had finished their season.

So when FL clubs announced their retained lists some possibly as early as mid May, not knowing which league we would be playing in for another month we where unable to do anything about it not knowing what quality of player we needed to sign. Then when we did know many of those made available would already have committed to other clubs.

With the 4 players we wanted to keep rejecting new contracts and 2 quality loan players returning to their clubs we were well and truly in the mire.

Then when we needed quality opposition to enhance our final pre-season preparations the FL started 2 weeks before the NL so we had to make do with playing teams from NLS instead.

Reaching the Play-Off Final has not helped us at all.

Fasten your seat belts everyone, it is what being a Torquay United supporter is all about.

Modgull · Post by **Modgull** » 12 Sep 2021, 12:02

TerryTorq wrote: ↑12 Sep 2021, 11:35 Like many of us I have been scratching my head to try to understand what may have affected our start to the season. Looking back over the last few years there may well be a reason.

In the 3 years before the curtailed 2019/2020 pandemic hit season, the National League fixtures ended on the last weekend in April with the Play-Off Final 2 weeks later. The Football League season ended on the first weekend in May with their Play-Off Finals at the end of May.

So when FL clubs announced which players they had released NL clubs even those in the Play-Off Final were ready to act.

Last season all that changed. The final FL matches were played on 8/9 May and the Play-Off Finals 29/31 May. The NL season also ended the same weekend 29 May but the Play-Off Final wasn’t until 20 June some 6 weeks after many FL clubs had finished their season.

So when FL clubs announced their retained lists some possibly as early as mid May, not knowing which league we would be playing in for another month we where unable to do anything about it not knowing what quality of player we needed to sign. Then when we did know many of those made available would already have committed to other clubs.

With the 4 players we wanted to keep rejecting new contracts and 2 quality loan players returning to their clubs we were well and truly in the mire.

Then when we needed quality opposition to enhance our final pre-season preparations the FL started 2 weeks before the NL so we had to make do with playing teams from NLS instead.

Reaching the Play-Off Final has not helped us at all.

Fasten your seat belts everyone, it is what being a Torquay United supporter is all about.

I think this is a very sound analysis.

brucie · Post by **brucie** » 12 Sep 2021, 14:20

I can accept all those points. I can accept that the big chance was missed last year and was not going to repeated this time around.

What I can't accept however is that we seem to have produced a team which is worse than the likes of Weymouth and Wealdstone - I mean whats the excuse for that? It just isn't good enough.

I've only seen the highlights and streamed all the friendlies, and I agree that maybe its unfair to pick on the goalkeeper - but he looks completely hopeless. On what basis did we sign him?

Every other team seems to have players that are fitter, bigger, stronger and quicker than ours.

brucie · Post by **brucie** » 12 Sep 2021, 14:22

I can accept all those points. I can accept that the big chance was missed last year and was not going to repeated this time around.

What I can't accept however is that we seem to have produced a team which is worse than the likes of Weymouth and Wealdstone - I mean whats the excuse for that? It just isn't good enough.

I've only seen the highlights and streamed all the friendlies, and I agree that maybe its unfair to pick on the goalkeeper - but he looks completely hopeless. On what basis did we sign him?

Every other team seems to have players that are fitter, bigger, stronger and quicker than ours.

Grimsby may have been a good team - but they were lucky to beat Barnet at home last week.

SimonJones · Post by **SimonJones** » 12 Sep 2021, 15:05

Very good points put forward. Missing out in the play offs last season would have most certainly affected our recruitment. But that being said, I think we were probably too slow in either a) signing up our key players from last season or b) signing ‘scouted’ players who would fit our style and pattern of play when the market opened - regardless of the league. The top scorer in L2 last season is now plying his trade in the National league, (I know they are spending big), but why couldn’t we have chased after good national league players or even L2 players whatever league we were in. Surely a contingency plan would have been in place!

GJ obviously likes to carry a small squad of very good, key players who are integral to our success. The rest of the squad is made up of players who can ‘do a job’ on occasions, but not meant to be in the starting XI week in week out.

I stated last season, whilst getting shot down for saying so, but I think one of the key areas for recruitment this season should have been in the medical / conditioning department. Too many injuries to these key players, too many players returning unfit from injury, or even worse, breaking down AGAIN on multiple occasions. Last season, the ‘Covid schedule’ was an effective scapegoat - even though the injuries to the key players prevented our march to National League Title success. However, with the same pattern happening again this season, as with the last couple of seasons, I am concerned that lessons are not being learned and we continue to trundle along blaming the peripheries of the squad for their short comings.

Post by **SuperNickyWroe** » 13 Sep 2021, 09:56

lets be honest, we wouldnt have got near the top two anyway.
its not all about money, but a lot of it is - can I see an unfancied team ala sutton winning the NL? No.
the four who have spent big will contest the promotion positions.
Ultimately, we need bigger finance, so if anyone on here fancies putting their hand in their pocket and buying the club from Uncle Clarke and taking us forward, then crack on.

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