Is Ling being found out?

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I have to agree with kevgull. Danny Stevens has been our best player in the last two matches.

Mark Ellis can’t get a game in a defence that is leaking goals.

Two signs that things are getting a little serious....... <!>

[Plymouth Gull]

Why would I be gloating? I was delighted you took the burden of his wages off our finances. I will say that your some of your fans could've been somewhat more gracious when he was appointed though, there was a lot of very ill-informed postings from your end about his time with us. The one that wound me up was whoever it was claiming he failed here because "we took a s*** or bust approach" and wanted immediate success. Could not have been further from the truth.

But yes like I say, good luck & at least you're not stuck with him on a three year contract like we were. You'll be alright, there's enough tinpot tripe in League 2 that I don't you'll be in any real danger but I think you'll stagnate under him. The biggest wound he inflicted on us was the disenfranchisement of a large amount of supporters & the total apathy that became endemic throughout the club during his reign, something we're only just beginning to properly recover from now.

I'm surprised to read the negative reports about Saah though. Was a very, very good player for us & I really didn't think he'd haven any issues adapting back to the League. He was always a cut above everyone else at this level. Do wonder if he's having trouble with the relocation as he has a young child. Any idea if his partner has moved with him or are they still living in London?

Not gloating as such, more the "we told you so" approach.

As for Saah, I'm surprised you say that - he doesn't look capable in league football. Like a fish out of water, a rabbit in headlights. Possibly a slight problem is the fact that he's stepping into Branstons place, but he looks dreadful. Ling won't drop him for a centre half who was 1/4 of the back 4 when we went 998 minutes without conceding, whos now apparently handed in a transfer request!

[El Goodo [CUFC]]

Like I say, really surprises me, he was very well thought of at Orient and made well over 100 appearances for them in League 1 & 2.

[hector]

I am also surprised that Saah is not seeming to find or show the form that - on paper - he seemed to have.

Saying that, I think Saah is probably getting a disproportionate amount of criticism and if anything the errors seem to come from the left-side of defence which is Robbo and Nico's domain.

However, I do think Robertson is being played out of position in the left centre birth, but that is where Branston was playing last year.

As it happens, in restoring Ellis, I would probably drop Oastler and revert Robertson to right-back. I think that would give the defence a rather more solid look.

However, cannot see us getting anything at Southend, whatever team we pick.

[YellowMurphy]

Maybe its the formation. I'd quite like us to see;

4 (Olejnik, Robbo, Ellis, Saah, Nicho)
3 (O'Kane, Mansell, Lathrope)
3 (Bodin, Howe, Atieno)

Makes us seem more solid, but a more potent attacking force at the same time.

[AlexGulls]

I reckon Leadbitter could come in soon. He was raving about him pre season and cant be any worse than our defence so far. I'd drop Atieno he simply isnt good enough. I'd rather have McPhee upfront at least he actually tries.

[Trojan 67]

Hector's original question of "Is Ling being found out ?" could have been put as "Does TUFC find out ?"

With it's location, budget, attendances, etc, TUFC does indeed find out. The long list of managerial casualties seems to prove it.

Frank O'Farrell, Kevin Hodges and Paul Buckle (as examples) moved on before TUFC could make mince meat of them.

Martin Ling will move on, of that there is no doubt. Whether he covers himself in silverware and thus becomes BLing, or joins the long list of TUFC managerial casualties, it's too early to say.

[gullsrus]

i dont think daniel leadbitter will be the answer to our defensive problems somehow .apparently he has pace but can he put in a tackle and have the guts and bottle to defend well enough is the quaestion. he wasnt even on the bench on saturday !! but i hope i am proved wrong

[yellow]

He looked very tentative when he came on for Oastler in the second half at Bradford, and that was against 10 men.

On that 45 minute showing you would be right to think that he is not the answer.

I can see why he didn’t make the bench, however he remains one for the future. That reminds me that we have NRT lurking somewhere as well.

[TCP]

I can only echo the statements made by El Goodo above.

As Torquay are a club I've always liked, I really do hope that it turns round for you guys, but preferably without the cockney muppet in charge.

[AlexGulls]

i dont think daniel leadbitter will be the answer to our defensive problems somehow .apparently he has pace but can he put in a tackle and have the guts and bottle to defend well enough is the quaestion. he wasnt even on the bench on saturday !! but i hope i am proved wrong

He cant do any worse than any of the defenders currently in the side. Nothing to lose by it...

[hector]

Ling has to get a forward in. To simply try and rely on what we have is a huge huge mistake. I am not a football manager but even I, simply by scrutinising Atieno's goal record can see he is not the answer. After watching him now for 3 months almost, I am convinced. If he gets as many as 5 goals this season I will be surprised.

And it is not like Atieno is the big target man with a little player playing off him so you could forgive his lack of goals (e.g. like Mickey Evans). He is playing alongside Howe. We have a slow, ponderous forward line without an inkling of pace, unless you drop either Atieno/Howe and put Bodin up front.

But you look at the quality some teams in this division have up front, whether their own players or on loan (e.g. Gillingham) and we are woefully short in comparison.

Yet Ling cannot see this. He wants to shuffle the same useless pack, again and again and again, until this 'crisis' starts.

I can tell Martin Ling that no combination of Atieno/McPhee/Spear/Yeoman is going to get goals in League 2. Let's hope the Cambridge fan is not correct in his suggestion that Ling has probably already pi55ed his budget up against the wall and that is why he will not bring in the loanees.

[cufcfan]

Its what Ling does (use all his budget and not leave any left for loans, January etc...)

He had a set 3 year budget at Cambridge, something like £800k a year for 3 years (a top 8 budget) yet could only manage three releagtion scraps. Jez George (who has no past managerial experience apart from his Youth teams) has had his budget slashed to (what we think is) £500,000 and yet is currently delivering a top 6 finish.

Ling is good in the transfer market in some cases (Saah, Russell, Jennings, Roberts) but awful in others (Clare, Miller, 2 first team goalkeeper we didn't need etc...)

Also tactically inept. You will see some odd starting 11 decisions as a fan under Ling.

[Southampton Gull]

How the hell is he delivering a top 6 finish ffs? It's bloody October !!

For all the ramblings of the discontented few I can't see what the problem is. Ling had to put a squad together in a short space of time, he covered what we all saw as the problem areas within the squad and he's been honest from day 1. We've lost 4 games so far, where's the crisis? For those that "can't see where the next win is coming from" look at the fixture list, it'll be there.

[cufcfan]

I did put "currently"

Why can't people read nowadays