Torquay United v Southend United - 17/11/12

[AustrianAndyGull]

The thing is that a few of us on here have kind of accepted that a result like this has been coming , the one bloke who gets paid to spot it can't. Bit worried if i'm honest, i've also got to question his motivational skills. Does he have any, if Cambridge and some O's fans would have us believe NO. For the home fans who rarely go away, today's performance is what we have been treated to on the road this season but probably worse. Hell Barnet aside, we're not even unlucky, just sh*t.

[Plymouthgull]

I know I might be accused of not being a true supporter but I did'nt go today because I am simply fed up with Ling's tactics. Not only are we playing football that consists of simply sitting back and inviting pressure but we are now performing badly doing that!! Sorry, losing faith in Ling rapidly -we badly need to go into the loan market or we could find ourselves at the wrong end of the table very quickly.
Even considering not going to the games with the unmentionables and the Cornish because I am so frustrated with the tactics being employed.

[Colorado Gull]

What frustrates me about Ling, is that he just stands there cross armed glaring into space. We never see him up and down the touch line shouting, screaming, motivating the players forward. I'm sick of looking across to the benches and seeing the same boring figure of our manager just standing there.

[Dave_Pougher]

I may be wrong here but I thought Lingy said there was no money to bring in players at TQY ? Is that him registering his displeasure at being told the same ?

For the record I think we have the best person for the job currently.

[Plymouth Gull]

Yes Dave. It's what I've been saying for a while on here but it doesn't seem to get to some people. A cup run would have given us the opportunity to strengthen, but as we blew that, we're going to have to go on with what we have now, until January, and then if we try and sell someone (Rene?) as he doesn't agree a new deal. I'm not even sure if we would get any money for him either!

I agree, yes it can be frustrating but it'd be completely pointless changing the backroom staff now.

[AustrianAndyGull]

I may be wrong here but I thought Lingy said there was no money to bring in players at TQY ? Is that him registering his displeasure at being told the same ?

For the record I think we have the best person for the job currently.

There's not a desperate need to bring in new players. Play Howe and Jarvo up top, get Thommo and Bodin doing what they are paid to do and get at the defence and get some service in there. Mansell and Easton / Craig can get a grip in midfield with Damon offering them the simple ball but protection for the back four. Alternatively we could isolate Howe, bring off Bodin again after 60 having done nowt and try to resurrect a game by throwing on strikers. Easy, less risk, Martin. Like i said , one trick pony on a Kauto Star scale. You do all realise that this is it now don't you? This is Lings permanent approach to life as a league 2 manager and although we won't go down under him, we'll lose lots of fans through the gates. Those of you that were made to pay full price against Harrogate, those that went to Oxford and those that went today. I respect you and have sympathy for you but you're crazy. Each game has been progressively worse than the last, so where is the rocket Martin? It's orbiting Jupiter because you haven't got one. Like Danny says, excuses but no motivation,no solutions or no inkling of an attempt at something different. F*cking boring.

[AustrianAndyGull]

Jesus !! If we can't bring anyone in then lets get on with it and stop complaining, i've not got a problem with that if that is the case. Therefore we have to use the players we have properly and he is a zillion miles from it. I actualy feel sorry for Billy because he is getting zero support and the lad is on the verge of drifting into obscurity imo due to Ling being a total cock.

[Burnhamgull]

Red card for Mansell.

Am I the only one thinking this could be a blessing in disguise for the coming weeks? Great bloke, fantastic servant to club, but terrible form in 2012/13.

Bang on in my opinion. Both Mansell and NIco have taken their eye off the ball this season and perhaps they should focus less on Twitter Banter and 5-a-side leagues and focus more on the day job.

Today was yet another poor performance and if somebody takes Rene in January, we're screwed.

[Plymouth Gull]

There's not a desperate need to bring in new players. Play Howe and Jarvo up top, get Thommo and Bodin doing what they are paid to do and get at the defence and get some service in there. Mansell and Easton / Craig can get a grip in midfield with Damon offering them the simple ball but protection for the back four.

Okay, unless you're planning on either playing 3 defenders, or sneaking 12 players on the pitch, that won't work.

Also, I think Ling's realised that Jarvo isn't good enough, I agree on the point about getting the wingers running though.

Alternatively we could isolate Howe, bring off Bodin again after 60 having done nowt and try to resurrect a game by throwing on strikers. Easy, less risk, Martin. Like i said , one trick pony on a Kauto Star scale. You do all realise that this is it now don't you? This is Lings permanent approach to life as a league 2 manager and although we won't go down under him, we'll lose lots of fans through the gates. Those of you that were made to pay full price against Harrogate, those that went to Oxford and those that went today. I respect you and have sympathy for you but you're crazy.

Were you moaning while the tactic was successful last year? Okay, it hasn't really worked anywhere near as well as this season, but I'm still quite confident we will sort ourselves out. I think realistically we'll be where we are now, boring mid-table fodder between 10th-16th. Nothing better, nothing worse.

Each game has been progressively worse than the last, so where is the rocket Martin? It's orbiting Jupiter because you haven't got one. Like Danny says, excuses but no motivation,no solutions or no inkling of an attempt at something different. F*cking boring.

Progressively worst? Not quite true. Harrogate was the worst, today just wasn't any better. I would love to know what you would suggest we do though, because when you look past our starting XI there really isn't much there at the moment, especially with Stevens, Morris and Macklin all injured. Unfortunately for us, key players of last season (Mansell, Nicho, Oastler to an extent) have been nowhere near as good. So yeh, I look forward to hearing responses.

[Dave]

Yes Dave. It's what I've been saying for a while on here but it doesn't seem to get to some people. A cup run would have given us the opportunity to strengthen, but as we blew that, we're going to have to go on with what we have now, until January, and then if we try and sell someone (Rene?) as he doesn't agree a new deal. I'm not even sure if we would get any money for him either!

I agree, yes it can be frustrating but it'd be completely pointless changing the backroom staff now.

Agreed I am not asking for a change in the backroom staff and my post was in no way aimed at you, a couple of points meant generaly, I personaly accepted a long, long time ago that our club was and will allways be working off limited funds, unless we had got to the the third round and drew one of the big 5 premier league teams nothing would have changed in this is what I don't get, the income from getting through 3 rounds of the F.A cup would not pay the wages of a half decent league 2 player for a full season.

I am no fan of using the loan market for the sheer sake of it, however when clubs working of limited funds have a number of injury problems as we do then the loan market becomes a means to an end, our squad needs help up in the attacking third and soon.

[Chris B]

I think realistically we'll be where we are now, boring mid-table fodder between 10th-16th. Nothing better, nothing worse.

This is fine, and a club of Torquay's size can't expect to be in the top 7 every year. Ling should be under no pressure unless the situation really starts looking serious. But what do we do next season when we will almost certainly be minus Rene Howe? Do we think Ling can replace him, with his clear lack of intent and genuine enthusiasm for engaging with the transfer market? Or will the answers be in the building??

[Plymouth Gull]

@Forever: I agree Dave, it'd be nice to get a loanee in to shake things up but I really don't think there is room for it in the budget, from what I was told today anyway. The club really weren't happy at the attendance for the cup game (unsurprising at it was full price!) but yeah, we aren't making money at the moment. There's always the possibility of a free 'loanee' if you like, but I think our location goes against us there.

@Chris: Yep, I'll accept it. I think we're at our level to be totally honest, the odd flutter into League One or maybe even 'do a Colchester' and have a year in the Championship once in a while (though I know we haven't, but we've been close!). League 2 is our level at the moment, you look and see sides like Shrewsbury who dominated this division in the bottom 4 and think if we had gone up, we'd probably end up straight back down here again.

As for Rene, yes I'm pretty confident he'll go on, we won't get any money for the guy but I also think he's probably our highest earner, so we'll no doubt go back to the drawing board. The answer certainly isn't in the building for that one though, so hopefully he goes in the summer where we have time to replace him.

[Dave]

The system that Lingy likes to play no doubt would work better if he had a fully fit squad to pick from, and thats one point I am making we don't and they need help, the system worked better last season because of the way we played,the ball was played through midfield with plently of movement, there was the extra touches that Lingy has been talking about before going out to the wings, which then allowed players to get foward and support.

What did we see today, a bank of 4 and a bank of 5 sat so deep it was untrue then a whooping 40-50 yrd gap to Rene Howe, the ball was being playing forward long a quick to Rene Howe and thats the reason why he was getting isolated because the midfield line was so far back they couldn't support him, and as for movement off the ball jeez, we were so static at one point I thought our team had been planted.

Ok Nick if that is the case then so be it, however our location hasn't stopped us from picking loanees from up North before.

[SuperNickyWroe]

The system that Lingy like to play no doubt would work better if he had a fully fit squad to pick from, and thats one point I am making we don't and they help, the system worked better last season because of the way we played,the ball was played through midfield with plently of movement, there the extra touches that Lingy has been talking about before going out to the wings, which then allowed players to get foward and support.

What did we see today, a bank of 4 and a bank of 5 sat so deep it was untrue then a whooping 40-50 yrd gap to Rene Howe, the ball was being playing forward long a quick to Rene Howe and thats the reason why he was getting isolated because the midfield line was so far back they couldn't support him, and as for movement off the ball jeez, we were so static at one point I thought our team had been planted.

Ok Nick if that is the case then so be it, however our location hasn't stopped from picking loanees from up North before.

sounds like a bad day there today dave...........

[Plymouth Gull]

The system that Lingy likes to play no doubt would work better if he had a fully fit squad to pick from, and thats one point I am making we don't and theyneed help, the system worked better last season because of the way we played,the ball was played through midfield with plently of movement, there the extra touches that Lingy has been talking about before going out to the wings, which then allowed players to get foward and support.

What did we see today, a bank of 4 and a bank of 5 sat so deep it was untrue then a whooping 40-50 yrd gap to Rene Howe, the ball was being playing forward long a quick to Rene Howe and thats the reason why he was getting isolated because the midfield line was so far back they couldn't support him, and as for movement off the ball jeez, we were so static at one point I thought our team had been planted.

Ok Nick if that is the case then so be it, however our location hasn't stopped us from picking loanees from up North before.

Good post, I agree. The system doesn't work when you have Lathrope/Easton/Mansell. Put Craig back in there instead of dumping him out wide on the wing where he is ineffective. Drop Easton as he isn't good enough to be starting (whoever said he'd displace Lathrope in pre-season, what were you thinking?). You need a dynamic, attack-minded midfielder in there, which Craig is. He would get the ball, and start an attack.