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bixieupnorth wrote:great weather down there apparently, cloudy in yorkshire, minutes silence, john perry? whos that then?

John Perry was a long serving Director of Torquay United having been appointed in 1968, he was also very well known in the town in the hotel trade running the Livermead Cliff Hotel for many years. A really good guy who was passionate about customer service and Torquay United, and you can't really ask for much more from a hotelier and football club director.

His son James Perry is a current Director of our club having been appointed in January of this year.

R.I.P. Mr John Perry and sympathies to the family.

Well that was a little disappointing.

Need to say first of all, that I bought the new home shirt and actually really like it!

Got into the ground early and it really is odd with no-one in the grandstand. No sign of any of Crawley's usual antics during the warm-up, meanwhile we were still busily watering the pitch (after a huge downpour earlier, I couldn't see how we needed that!).

After an impeccable minutes silence, the game began and we were on the back-foot right from the beginning. we looked shaky - with no energy at all. Second to every ball and no ball retention whatsoever. Crawley won a very dodgy FK on the edge of the box (huge dive) which was taken straight into the wall by Howell. The ball ballooned up and Scott Davies volleyed it into the top corner from the edge of the area. 1-0. Cracking goal in all fairness. Crawley kept attacking us and, after more dreadful defending, headed one against the bar. Whenever we got a goal kick, Olejnik kept blasting them straight off the pitch, and if we actually got a player on the ball, we kept playing kick and run football and inevitably lost possession. Right on half time, appalling marking at a corner allowed their centre half to head home at the near post for 2-0. As poorer first half as I can remember and, unbelievably, not a single shot registered.

We came out for the second half with Kee and Lathrope on for Morris and McPhee. Crawley immediately made it 3 from the kick-off. An identical goal to their second, with more poor marking. I could see a drubbing coming but, credit where it's due, we improved for a 5-10 minute spell, with Kee and Lathrope adding some zip to the side. We carved them up and, after a good cross from O'Kane, Howe got the ball stuck under his feet. The defender tackled and blasted it straight into Manse, and it flew back into the net. Game on! Sadly the comeback never materialised, and the game somewhat fizzled out. Kee headed over and Atieno hit the side-netting but that was it. Not much in the way of antics from Evans and Raynor, although a cracking moment when Evans had a go at his striker for timewasting. Hypocrisy meter nearly exploded.

I do think Crawley will walk the league this year though. There was no contest out there today.

A few ratings:
Olejnik - 7 - some great shot stopping, including a brilliant one from a Davies free kick, and good in the air too. Would have been more if not for him.
Oastler - 6.5 - did his job well. Tackled well, headed well, and attacked well too. Few slip-ups but decent.
Robertson - 5 - average. Won a lot in the air but no distribution. Constantly fouling.
Saah - 3 - liabilty. Sluggish, no awareness and limited distribution. Could be a poor game but would like to see Ellis in.
Nicho - 6 - didn't have much to do.
Morris - 4 - did, literally, nothing. Very lethargic.
O'Kane - 4 - don't think he found a yellow shirt once. Too much long ball and no physical presence. Very poor.
Manse - 7 - great. Man of the match easily.
McPhee - 5 - poor, but tracked back better than Stevens.
Atieno - 5 - good with the ball at his feet, not great off it. No service.
Howe - 5 - ditto the above.

Lathrope - 6 and Kee - 5. Stevens did nothing.

Saw enough there that we'll be ok this season, but still a very poor performance (admittedly against an excellent Crawley). Next up for me, Cobblers away!

John

A real bugger to lose to this lot, but would rather lose to Crawley than Bristol Rovers . Wasn't able to listen to commentary but from updates it sounds as if we put in a spirited performance? Was worried it would be an embarrassment when we went 3 down.

Fraid not Jane, no spirit on show.

We were not only outplayed, but out muscled and outthought. They were far too quick in closing us down and we couldn't hit a man for love nor money. We didn't win a single battle today, just a useless performance all round.

We've played to the required standard for a total of 75 minutes now, half hour against Burton and the first half of Rovers, the other 285 minutes have been slightly poor at best.

Matt.

ferrarilover wrote: We were not only outplayed, but out muscled and outthought.

Matt.

No positives at all, Matt?

A disappointing result and performance, but I am not too downhearted mainly as I think Crawley were one of the best, if not the best, team to come to Plainmoor since we have been back in the league. They were solid at the back, well organised and creative in midfield and had two excellent strikers who caused us problems for us. They should easily win the league.

Saying that we do have things to work on and I dont think Atieno is the answer. Howe was good again today, was a handful but had no real supply or support. I would like another striker in with pace.

westbaygull wrote: No positives at all, Matt?

You know what, J, I don't really think there were.

We lost the game before we even stepped onto the pitch today, conceded mentally and the physical followed.

Vast improvement needed next week.

Matt.

Just back home after a thoroughly dispiriting experience.

Credit to Crawley, they showed quality and application throughout the team. They also played some good football and opened up our defence at will in the first half and early part of the second. Barnett won everything in the air and was my MOTM. No real sign of any gamesmanship until O'Kane went to get the ball out of the net after the goal and Shearer had to start a wrestling match with him.

The first half ended with NO Gulls attempts on goal, indeed I don't remember getting into their area even.

By the end of the game we had amassed a total of three attempts on goal, the goal off Manse's torso, a header well over from Howe and Atieno trying to dribble all round the six yard box before hitting the side netting.

It was generally men v boys with only a handful of Gulls players looking remotely like League 2 players.

Ling has said only 3 players were worth the shirt - Mansell and Olejnik but I don't know who else.

One really important message - Saah is not worth his place in the team - he can't challenge in the air and his positioning is awful. Ellis must be brought in before the season is lost. Oastler is also looking poor on the flank.

Crawley fully deserved their win and showed they don't have to resort to "spoiling" tactics to win games.
I can't remember a team dominate us so much as Crawley did in the first half.
Okay defensively we were poor and when we won the ball(very rarely) we mostly wasted it;but they were superior in every department and seem to have spent their money well.The shot count was embarrassing-what was it something like 20-3 in their favour?With their stength in depth they are going to waltz through this league.
On the evidence of today few teams will take points off them and some will get some real pastings(Argyle?)
Judge us after 5 or 6 more games-this hopefully will be a one-off-against a very impressive team.

I was surprised at the stick Kee got from the pop side when coming on. In the first half we were crying out for someone capable of giving Howe some support and Billy did just that.
Sat behind the goal I could see what he was trying to do, but other players were so off form today that they were just not running into the space that Kee created.

There seems to be a growing band of pop side supporters who are handing out "Wayne Carlisle treatment" to Kee. That is a great shame because those supporters have clearly not played the game or truely understand what a holding role in the final 3rd can achieve. I just hope it does not knock his confidence too much.

As for Saah, well maybe he had a poor game, but Nicholson was dreadful today and Saah should not have had to cover so much ground. Kevin's distribution was shocking. He lacked both fitness, agility and at times concentration......but as an established player at the club is unlikely to get the stick he deserves for a performance like that.

Bad day at the office and we cant win every game sadly. I dont like how crawley play but must give them credit if they go to win the league then as a fan you wouldnt care how your team win games/leagues. I could sit here and pick faults in our team today but everyone else will do for me. That really is not my way and we know players had bad games but its not worth riping everything out of them after one game and saying there not worth their place in the side, because im sure the same players were loved and deserved there place in the side this time last week after a win over Buckles Rovers.

I agree with Matt we went into the game already thinking we had lost the game before it even started.

All i can say is, we have had a tough week and gives Ling a lot to work on in training.
If i was asked at the start of the season after 4 games we would be 9th with 2 wins 1 draw and a loss i would have taken that. Considering a lot of people had us down for relegation, you really cant moan about our start this season.

We could be a lot worse off, sad to say but i really cant see Argyle lasting very long this season, i can only see them going one way out the league into non league which would end them. Yes we had a bad game but so far within the season we really have a lot to look forward to.

Father Jack wrote:Their midfield was the key last season to our loss and it certainly doesnt look any weaker this time round. I dont think we have the pace/power to break down their midfield

As Matt says, no real bright spots at all. First half was men against boys. Im struggling to think of one attacking move in the first half and can't. Every clearance from our defence was won by a red shirt, every clearance from their defence was won by a red shirt. Despite best efforts of a (on paper) more solid midfield we just could not win any possession.
The second half saw a change to 4-3-3 with Billy K and Damo Lathrope coming on and to be fair we did look a bit better despite getting caught out again for their 3rd.
I heard several bemoaning the lack of Bevan but no one would have saved the first, a stunning strike. The 2nd was a congested box and a header down into the ground giving Bobby no chance of getting to it. Couldnt see the third as someone in front of me was getting back to their seat.
We started to get a bit of possession and the goal came from pinball in the area eventually being cleared at Mansell who shot/rebounded it into the net. Was this the fightback?
Not really with the closest we came being Atieno hitting the side netting.

Joe O was replaced at RB by Manse with Danny coming into CM. Made no difference though to the result. Big improvement needed before next week, some pace would be nice somewhere...

edit: People say its all about the money with Gatwick, I thought their 2 best players were probably the strikers, one an ex trainee from Maccy and the other from Cheltenham who was out of contract...

Why is Saah in the side? He is terrible. Ling must play Ellis.

Whatever you think of Fatty Evans he put out a very good side that showed a good blend of pace, power, work rate and skill. On top of that they were well organised. Oh bugger what if the cheat is a good manager after all?

They will be in Div 1 next season.

We were outclassed from the first whistle to the last. I was very impressed with Barnett, and the midfield pairing of Simpson and Torres had quality that their money has bought.

We never were allowed to play. Our midfield was bossed and their closing down snuffed out moves before they got going.

I though Lathrope and Billy Kee both made a difference in the second half, replacing the ineffectual pair of McPhee and Morris.

In the end I was grateful for a 1-3 scoreline.