Torquay United v Harrogate Town - FA Cup Rnd 1 - 3/11/12

[OllieGull]

Another tweet from one of our players:
Lee Mansell ‏@manse7
"Upset by today that's all that can be said, one aim now promotion, plain and simple. "

[lucy6lucy]

Its hard to take losing to a conf north side. But said that, its the fa cup. We have enjoyed good times in the previous few seasons, notably beating Yeovil, Blackpool, Walsall, Carlisle, Chesterfield etc..........and some of those when we where a non-league side so we must have to accept this defeat. 3pts on Tuesday will be vital now. It could be worst, imagine being in Swindons dressing room

[yellowmonkey]

HA HA HA HA HA HA glad I went and watched Exeter Chiefs instead today.

[wivelgull]

Next April I will celebrate 50 years of attending matches at Plainmoor. Over the years I have seen some poor performances, some bad performances, and some absolutely awful performances. Today's 'effort' may be placed in the latter category. It is in the Top 20 of awful matches seem at Plainmoor.
Seen ion the long term - and it is difficult to spot trends as they are beginning - I feel that today's game marks the beginning of a down period in United's fortunes. Out of every cup and with many (no, not all) league games offering only tedium and ennui to the attendee.
So why do we come? Today's attendance gives a clue: less and less of us are.
Another point perhaps worth making is that the FA Cup has been devalued since the inception of the Premiership. It is in the Premiership's interests to do so, that particular organization wishing to be the only game in town. But before the early 1990s the FA Cup WAS the biggest game in town, with attendances to prove that theory. Now, and I seem little hope of change until the Premiership implodes as it eventually will, FA Cup games are treated as irrelevancies. Just look at today! The team uninterested; the management (by the look of its body language) uninterested, and the public uninterested. Not even the chance of gaining thousands of thousands of pounds as a bonus for winning could inspire the club today.
As I was leaving the Pop. side a plaintive voice (one of the SpottyMob) could be heard squeaking 'You should be encouraging the lads, not booing them'. Faith meets reality.
Incidentally, I noticed Gilbert for a few seconds shivering on the touchline before the match.
What can be done? We need a clearout. Players who served the club in the Conference have long reached the end of their sell-by date. Money MUST be spent on a creative midfielder and a decent forward TO PLAY TWO UP FRONT with Howe. God save us all.

[hector]

It's the FA Cup, this always happens as I warned some of the fans who were saying we should put 4 past Harrogate.

Remember Blackpool at home, or Yeovil at home in the cup. He were three or two divisions below those teams, yet we all felt we could get something against those teams. Harrogate have done the same. Who knows why it happens, but it does. Blackpool went on to get promoted to the Prem in the following season I believe.

It's sh*t, and it's really frustrating and it is an embarassing result and one which we definitely should have won, but i'm sure we will be back to our usual form for Barnet, which is average/good.

Exactly. People should see this for what it is. It's a cup shock, freak result, that nine times out of ten would never happen. The best clubs in the league have been beaten in shock cup results, in fact the last time we were promoted from this league we lost at home to Burton (then non league) in the cup. We could have been poor or it may have jut been one of those days. Congratulations to Harrogate - let them enjoy their moment of glory and hope Torquay fans get a bit of perspective.

We are 7th in the league and for the 3rd year in a row, and 5th in last 6 years, challenging for the play offs. It is ridiculous to get all hysterical because of a bloody cup shook. Anyone who has watched football knows this happens and it will happen again and we will do it to clubs as well.

See the big picture for goodness sake!

[Modgull]

That was a disgraceful performance - not from the players although their performance was spineless enough with one or two notable exceptions - but by the management and the stay-aways.

I point the finger first at the management. We are a one trick pony team. There is no plan B. What do we do when we try to counter their 3 5 1? We send Jarvis on for a wide man (Bodin) and replace the other wide man (Stevens) with another winger (Thompson) with the intention, I am sure of going to 4 4 2. Good decision except that we had no wide man on the left so our main striker (Howe) moves to the wing as though the last thing he would like to do is play up front with a second striker.

Because Lathrope was left on the pitch we lose all our shape and the centre halves then resort to the long ball game.

The answer would have been to replace Stevens with Thompson, yes, but Jarvis should have replaced Lathrope so we could have played a balanced 4 4 2 with Jarvis and Howe playing TOGETHER up front and supported by two centre mids - Craig and Mansell - and two wide players - Thompson and Bodin.

When 4 4 2 didn't work the manager sends on another striker so we revert again to 4 3 3 and a little more shape is restored to the team, but only at the expense of Craig moving to left back!

So I blame the management for messing up the tactics but I also blame the stayaways. Yes, teams do have stinkers but for only 1800 to turn up was a travesty and handed the initiative to Harrogate because the crowd was never able to create the 12th man effect. Those present tried as hard as they could but atmosphere does require a critical mass to take effect and that critical mass is well above that total.

But on to the successes - Leadbitter was excellent and ran himself in to the ground. Downes also put in a shift but that was about it really. Bodin was truly awful but he wasn't alone, even Howe looked only half interested in the first half.

Can't blame Harrogate - they were excellent and I was another to wait behind to applaud them at the end. Nor could we blame the officials - the referee had a good game.

No - we were just awful - lacking in spark and organisation.

[Dave]

I can accept defeat against Harrogate, through the history of the F.A cup these results happen, what I can’t and will not accept is the manner of the defeat, I am very proud of our football club however our whole approach to this game was nothing far short of shameful.

For starters, is it a rule in the F.A cup that you can’t discount match ticket prices? If not then who ever made the decision to charge full price today should be put up against a wall and shot, 1800 enough said.

Our mentality going into this game was all wrong, we talk about only having one day to prepare, Harrogate played on Wednesday night what preparation did they have, we are supposed to be the professional football club they looked fitter, fresher and more up for the fight, our team strolled onto the pitch today with the just turn up and win attitude, embarrassing.

Talking to some Harrogate fans after the game, they needed 30 fans to make running a coach viable, they only got 16, so their chairman along with the club sponsor put up their own money to cover half the cost of running the coach, all Harrogate fans attending the game today were given complementary tickets for the game by their club, every one involved with Harrogate football club stand up and take a bow.

Our performance today was lazy, slow, devoid of any quality, pathetic; I am getting just a bit slightly irritated now of watching on performance after another where the team appears to need a rocket shoved up their back ends to get them going.

What happened to the neat fast flowing football, what happened to the, take an extra touch and pass it through midfield, pass with purpose, not today..It was hit and forking hope.

As a proud fan, I fully expect the right reaction Tuesday night, before I end this; I must be fair it’s hard to critize Michael Poke, and as far as the outfield players are concerned Danny Leadbitter is the only one who can come of the field with his head hell high, the rest donate this weeks wages to charity.

[Dave]

Yellowsmiffy.Hector

Each to his/her own opinion, but this was not a cup shock, a cup shock is when the higher division team play to something like their full potential and the lower divsion team match them all the way through the game.

Today we were worse than pathetic, more like a pre christmas give away than a cup shock.

[divingbboy]

I am sort of lost as to why Ling took off Bodin - surely we wanted offensive players on the pitch

Had you watched the game, you'd know. Bodin had an absolute shocker and was rightly subbed. Let's just say that it wasn't a pretty sight and leave it at that............

[The Farmers Friend]

Next April I will celebrate 50 years of attending matches at Plainmoor. Over the years I have seen some poor performances, some bad performances, and some absolutely awful performances. Today's 'effort' may be placed in the latter category. It is in the Top 20 of awful matches seem at Plainmoor.
Seen ion the long term - and it is difficult to spot trends as they are beginning - I feel that today's game marks the beginning of a down period in United's fortunes. Out of every cup and with many (no, not all) league games offering only tedium and ennui to the attendee.
So why do we come? Today's attendance gives a clue: less and less of us are.
Another point perhaps worth making is that the FA Cup has been devalued since the inception of the Premiership. It is in the Premiership's interests to do so, that particular organization wishing to be the only game in town. But before the early 1990s the FA Cup WAS the biggest game in town, with attendances to prove that theory. Now, and I seem little hope of change until the Premiership implodes as it eventually will, FA Cup games are treated as irrelevancies. Just look at today! The team uninterested; the management (by the look of its body language) uninterested, and the public uninterested. Not even the chance of gaining thousands of thousands of pounds as a bonus for winning could inspire the club today.
As I was leaving the Pop. side a plaintive voice (one of the SpottyMob) could be heard squeaking 'You should be encouraging the lads, not booing them'. Faith meets reality.
Incidentally, I noticed Gilbert for a few seconds shivering on the touchline before the match.
What can be done? We need a clearout. Players who served the club in the Conference have long reached the end of their sell-by date. Money MUST be spent on a creative midfielder and a decent forward TO PLAY TWO UP FRONT with Howe. God save us all.

Change the funkin record! No matter what the year and no matter what the football position of the team or standing of the club, you persist with alarming regualarity with this catatonic 'we're all dooooomed' internet whine, as always accompanied by your tally of the years you've turned up at Plainmoor and a pop at anyone younger than you.

Here's the news: archetypal fourth division club loses in the FA Cup to a non-league side. And not for the first time. Otherwise, club is in the healthiest position it's been in years.

Tschüß!

[tauntongull]

One word - embarrassed! That"s all I can say about today.

In all honesty the tell tale signs have been there now over several weeks. Every week we seem to start so slowly with a poor tempo giving sides a chance to ease themselves into the game. Invariably we then concede and have to start chasing the game.

Yes we won against Morecambe but did we really play well? and then there was Burton another poor performance. Danny has has a number of poor performances and Billy is equally struggling to find the form that attracted us to him last season.

Nathan took three corners with excellent delivery almost to exactly the same place just under the crossbar at the far post and not once did we attack this location - a simple touch and it's in - he"s practically putting it in himself with it cleared off the line.

The midfield are spending lots of the time chasing the ball but we are not contesting and winning second balls. Then there was the woeful crossing, too long and passing that again is not getting to its target on too many occasions.

The players need to take a look at themselves today - I was really struggling for a man of the match. The nearest we could come to was Nathan Craig. It is both encouraging and worrying that two of our liveliest players are junior members of the squad in Ashley and Nial.

We need to start bossing the midfield competing for every ball - putting sides under pressure and look to make more penetrating runs into the bos by the midfield to commit defenders rather tan stroking the ball back and forth across the pitch with no real intention.

I am going to forget today ever happened and hope Tuesday night brings better things. I like many others want to see better all round performances by all the players - the results will come. Something is definitely not right at the moment.

Up the Gulls!

[ferrarilover]

Right about score ...sadly wrong way round...congrats to harrowgate for wanting this more than us....gutted to be a victim of an upset...and mat...I disagree we are a small club...this harrowgate may now get a big club now...

Ok, I'll explain it once again, and if you don't get it this time, you must sit in the corner with the dunce hat on.

I live in a modest 4 bedroomed house with two receptions and three bathrooms. Not a big house in the grand scheme of things, but if you live in a bedsit with shared toilet and kitchen, then my place is like Buckingham Palace.
No, we aren't a big club, not compared with all the clubs, but compared to Harrogate Town, we are Real frigging Madrid.

Matt.

[brucie]

Modgull - yes I thought the same even though I wasn't there - I appreciate that Bodin might well have been crap but surely the obvious move was to play Howe and Jarvis up front with Bodin and Thompson out wide. We managed to score four goals against Aldershot playing that way after all.

[usagullmichigan]

Ling out Brucie in. He knows it all.

[kingsgull]

Always nicely put in your inevitable style mat...
If you look at glosters post he implies we are a BIG club but a sad 1800 attendance is not big IMO ...what your applying is Truro is a bigger club as its bigger but is it really a draw...a good championship side is considered a big club and a cherry draw...suggest you re visit that post...very derogatory towards htfc too and now who's got egg on their face....might I suggest you try the dunces hat on for size ?
I'm gutted as the next fan and wish harrowgate fc all the best and hope they get a good BIG club like Leeds or middle borough...enough said....like everyone has said a must win game on tuesday night will be the perfect tonic for this performance...