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Well at least next Saturday will feel like a win anyway.

Think Knill has been a little unlucky but I am also now of the opinion that he should be relieved of his duties. He sounded like a beaten man in his interview with Radio Devon tonight, but fair play to him he continues to back the players right until the very end, if that indeed proves to be the case. Personally, if I was him, I would feel very let down by some of this bunch!

His comment that "he only wants the best for Torquay United" when asked whether he was feeling the pressure, sounds like a man who is resigned to getting the sack in the morning to me. His insistence that "he STILL feels we will get out of it" and that "we need to keep working hard" no longer sounds convincing to me and I think the time has come for a new man and a new voice to try and get the best out of this lot.

There are some players who have seriously him down, but to his credit he has never openly slagged any of them off, in public at least.

Ultimately, I guess, it is ALL down to Thea and whether she is (yet again!) prepared to get us out of this mess, but ultimately she was the Chairman when Knill was appointed and of course who ultimately sacked Ling (still the right decision in my book).

Time to appoint a new man and although I would love to see someone like Hargreaves given a chance at the job that would only be in different circumstances, not the mess we are in now.

We have TWO weeks now to sort something out and, to me at least, this represents an opportunity to make a change in advance of the VITAL Christmas period, which is so crucial not only in terms of the points available (three of the next four are at home) but also important in terms of the money through the gate ... with Knill still in charge I can only see people staying away in their droves, at least with a new man at the helm it might persuade a few more to turn up and get behind the team.

I felt it was the right thing to do a couple of weeks ago (after the depressing defeat to Chesterfield) to give him another three games and although we have played well in parts during those three games the reality is that we have only gained ONE point and have slipped to the bottom of the entire League and are in real danger of being cut adrift over the next month if we don't make changes.

If we could afford them, it would be either Martin Allen (a fantastic record as a firefighter) or Paul Sturrock for me.

Good post CP as always

Martin Allen for me too, he, for me is the only one who can lift, discipline, motivate the players fans & club.

Martin Allen with Jesus as his assistant, dream team.

A part of me thinks Knill can turn this around but in today's climate of instant success and now the fear of non-league football for a second time I have to agree that the two week (self inflicted) break is an opportunity to make a change.
As I posted earlier on the match thread surely the players have to shoulder some responsibility for this mess.
A change of manager and therefor a change of direction with 27 games to go and the January transfer window available seems to make sense.
I would counsel that a new person does not guarantee an up-turn but the current situation (bottom of the Football League- not for the first time in our history) calls for desperate measures.
Traditionally 50+ points are needed to stay up but Phil Brown (Southend Manager) has recently stated that this year the highest number of points will be needed to avoid relegation.

Firstly I want to add that I agree with many on here and that I would like to see the back of our current manager a.s.a.p

Down the years I rarely have blamed managers for the times our team have been performing badly, there have been many teams we have produced where I have felt its the players that cross the white line and we have had many that under-performed and the blame rests with them.

Sometimes a clubs circumstances or behind the scenes unrest have a part to play in poor results and league positions, ala Roberts's tenure at our club. It isnt always down to poor managers, footballers or teams.

However I feel this is one of those times the man in charge of team affairs is very much to blame!

I wasnt overly enamoured with the caretaker appointment of Knill last season. I was grateful and relieved however that we scraped to safety. Many got carried away with the Barnet performance and supposed atmosphere that evening (which was ok). We scrapped and battled yes, but it was 2 very poor sides and we just edged it.

I was not bothered either way when Knill took over on a permanent basis.

Now is the time for Knill to go after barely 7 months in charge!

What irks me is, in a real life job that most of us do, if you are performing that badly and are that rubbish at your job, contract or not your position would be terminated, your ass would be kicked out the door, sacked, no pay off, nothing.

I am sick to death of reading about incompetent football managers getting big pay offs for working a small amount of their contract and being sacked because they are incompetent and sh1t at their job.its mental.

Surely a club shouldnt have it in a contract that upon termination the whole remainder should be paid up in full, that just gives the manager full immunity and a license to be sh1t and get away with it, it gives the club no protection at all. Football managers like this must laugh there asses off, they do a sh1t job and walk away after a few months with what to most of us is a small fortune.

Football clubs like ours should surely have a pre agreed compensation amount upon contract termination surely, or failsafes such as being able to relieve a manager of his duties at a knock down price if the club are languishing in the bottom 4. if the manager wants the job and feels they are capable of doing the job then they will accept the conditions, if they dont, then dont hire them.

What is the worst that would happen if we told Knill to do one and he can whistle for his money? would it be a tribunal or sueing us, and if so would it be just to try and retrieve from us the amount on the remainder of his contract or would he be able to go for more.

Its really, really bothering me that we have to pay him off, I just keep thinking of how badly he has messed things up, how sh1t he has been and I keep thinking why the hell should we pay him a penny for that.

As some have suggested could we put him on gardening leave and pay him monthly so we are not shelling out a huge amount of money we dont have.

Many have remarked on their displeasure at the way the board hired Knill without a proper recruitment process and not checking out other managerial options available. Well those who pushed for it and made that decision happen should hang their heads in shame. Also as I felt above why is there no pre-agreed compensation in the managers contract in case after a few months he is found out to be indeed rubbish.

The ones who hired him and agreed upon his contract are responsible and should shoulder the blame,in an ideal world they should pay off Knill with their own money and not Torquay United Football Clubs money. But we all know that wont happen, dont we!

Do we have to sack Brass, he could stay and we dont pay him off, if he doesnt like it here without his mate he can always do the right thing and leave of his own accord.

The only problem is when these two football managerial imposters have toddled off into the sunset we have to get someone else in, with our finances and league position the only question is, who?

Too lazy to Google can someone give a brief bio of Martin Allen? My football brain is off after that rubbish this afternoon.

chunkygull wrote:Firstly I want to add that I agree with many on here and that I would like to see the back of our current manager a.s.a.p

Down the years I rarely have blamed managers for the times our team have been performing badly, there have been many teams we have produced where I have felt its the players that cross the white line and we have had many that under-performed and the blame rests with them.

Sometimes a clubs circumstances or behind the scenes unrest have a part to play in poor results and league positions, ala Roberts's tenure at our club. It isnt always down to poor managers, footballers or teams.

However I feel this is one of those times the man in charge of team affairs is very much to blame!

I wasnt overly enamoured with the caretaker appointment of Knill last season. I was grateful and relieved however that we scraped to safety. Many got carried away with the Barnet performance and supposed atmosphere that evening (which was ok). We scrapped and battled yes, but it was 2 very poor sides and we just edged it.

I was not bothered either way when Knill took over on a permanent basis.

Now is the time for Knill to go after barely 7 months in charge!

What irks me is, in a real life job that most of us do, if you are performing that badly and are that rubbish at your job, contract or not your position would be terminated, your ass would be kicked out the door, sacked, no pay off, nothing.

I am sick to death of reading about incompetent football managers getting big pay offs for working a small amount of their contract and being sacked because they are incompetent and sh1t at their job.its mental.

Surely a club shouldnt have it in a contract that upon termination the whole remainder should be paid up in full, that just gives the manager full immunity and a license to be sh1t and get away with it, it gives the club no protection at all. Football managers like this must laugh there asses off, they do a sh1t job and walk away after a few months with what to most of us is a small fortune.

Football clubs like ours should surely have a pre agreed compensation amount upon contract termination surely, or failsafes such as being able to relieve a manager of his duties at a knock down price if the club are languishing in the bottom 4. if the manager wants the job and feels they are capable of doing the job then they will accept the conditions, if they dont, then dont hire them.

What is the worst that would happen if we told Knill to do one and he can whistle for his money? would it be a tribunal or sueing us, and if so would it be just to try and retrieve from us the amount on the remainder of his contract or would he be able to go for more.

Its really, really bothering me that we have to pay him off, I just keep thinking of how badly he has messed things up, how sh1t he has been and I keep thinking why the hell should we pay him a penny for that.

As some have suggested could we put him on gardening leave and pay him monthly so we are not shelling out a huge amount of money we dont have.

Many have remarked on their displeasure at the way the board hired Knill without a proper recruitment process and not checking out other managerial options available. Well those who pushed for it and made that decision happen should hang their heads in shame. Also as I felt above why is there no pre-agreed compensation in the managers contract in case after a few months he is found out to be indeed rubbish.

The ones who hired him and agreed upon his contract are responsible and should shoulder the blame,in an ideal world they should pay off Knill with their own money and not Torquay United Football Clubs money. But we all know that wont happen, dont we!

Do we have to sack Brass, he could stay and we dont pay him off, if he doesnt like it here without his mate he can always do the right thing and leave of his own accord.

The only problem is when these two football managerial imposters have toddled off into the sunset we have to get someone else in, with our finances and league position the only question is, who?

Totally agree.

Foolish to employ anyone on these terms. Never again please Thea!

chunkygull wrote:Firstly I want to add that I agree with many on here and that I would like to see the back of our current manager a.s.a.p

Down the years I rarely have blamed managers for the times our team have been performing badly, there have been many teams we have produced where I have felt its the players that cross the white line and we have had many that under-performed and the blame rests with them.

Sometimes a clubs circumstances or behind the scenes unrest have a part to play in poor results and league positions, ala Roberts's tenure at our club. It isnt always down to poor managers, footballers or teams.

However I feel this is one of those times the man in charge of team affairs is very much to blame!

I wasnt overly enamoured with the caretaker appointment of Knill last season. I was grateful and relieved however that we scraped to safety. Many got carried away with the Barnet performance and supposed atmosphere that evening (which was ok). We scrapped and battled yes, but it was 2 very poor sides and we just edged it.

I was not bothered either way when Knill took over on a permanent basis.

Now is the time for Knill to go after barely 7 months in charge!

What irks me is, in a real life job that most of us do, if you are performing that badly and are that rubbish at your job, contract or not your position would be terminated, your ass would be kicked out the door, sacked, no pay off, nothing.

I am sick to death of reading about incompetent football managers getting big pay offs for working a small amount of their contract and being sacked because they are incompetent and sh1t at their job.its mental.

Surely a club shouldnt have it in a contract that upon termination the whole remainder should be paid up in full, that just gives the manager full immunity and a license to be sh1t and get away with it, it gives the club no protection at all. Football managers like this must laugh there asses off, they do a sh1t job and walk away after a few months with what to most of us is a small fortune.

Football clubs like ours should surely have a pre agreed compensation amount upon contract termination surely, or failsafes such as being able to relieve a manager of his duties at a knock down price if the club are languishing in the bottom 4. if the manager wants the job and feels they are capable of doing the job then they will accept the conditions, if they dont, then dont hire them.

What is the worst that would happen if we told Knill to do one and he can whistle for his money? would it be a tribunal or sueing us, and if so would it be just to try and retrieve from us the amount on the remainder of his contract or would he be able to go for more.

Its really, really bothering me that we have to pay him off, I just keep thinking of how badly he has messed things up, how sh1t he has been and I keep thinking why the hell should we pay him a penny for that.

As some have suggested could we put him on gardening leave and pay him monthly so we are not shelling out a huge amount of money we dont have.

Many have remarked on their displeasure at the way the board hired Knill without a proper recruitment process and not checking out other managerial options available. Well those who pushed for it and made that decision happen should hang their heads in shame. Also as I felt above why is there no pre-agreed compensation in the managers contract in case after a few months he is found out to be indeed rubbish.

The ones who hired him and agreed upon his contract are responsible and should shoulder the blame,in an ideal world they should pay off Knill with their own money and not Torquay United Football Clubs money. But we all know that wont happen, dont we!

Do we have to sack Brass, he could stay and we dont pay him off, if he doesnt like it here without his mate he can always do the right thing and leave of his own accord.

The only problem is when these two football managerial imposters have toddled off into the sunset we have to get someone else in, with our finances and league position the only question is, who?

When Buckle was sacked by Bristol Rovers the new manager ( Mark McGee ) was told that his assistant would be Sean North who followed Buckle to Rovers from Torquay.

I believe Shaun North is still there.

Gullscorer wrote:I believe Shaun North is still there.

No, he stayed on for quite a while under McGee and Ward, but was eventually sacked. Now in charge of AFC Wimbledon development squad.

I agree like most of us that Knill should be sacked and now....but if we can not afford to pay him off then a way out would be to appoint a Director of Football above Knill on a short term contract to oversee training,tactics and team selection ...say someone like Holloway or Allen or Ling in fact anyone who has a clue about football. Knill and Brass can still be around the training ground and be useful like collecting the balls behind the goals and making hot drinks...and we don`t have to pay them off.

Keep him on and demote him to cleaner and Gilbert the gull

nickbrod wrote:A part of me thinks Knill can turn this around but in today's climate of instant success and now the fear of non-league football for a second time I have to agree that the two week (self inflicted) break is an opportunity to make a change.
As I posted earlier on the match thread surely the players have to shoulder some responsibility for this mess.
A change of manager and therefor a change of direction with 27 games to go and the January transfer window available seems to make sense.
I would counsel that a new person does not guarantee an up-turn but the current situation (bottom of the Football League- not for the first time in our history) calls for desperate measures.
Traditionally 50+ points are needed to stay up but Phil Brown (Southend Manager) has recently stated that this year the highest number of points will be needed to avoid relegation.

Malagagull wrote:I agree like most of us that Knill should be sacked and now....but if we can not afford to pay him off then a way out would be to appoint a Director of Football above Knill on a short term contract to oversee training,tactics and team selection ...say someone like Holloway or Allen or Ling in fact anyone who has a clue about football. Knill and Brass can still be around the training ground and be useful like collecting the balls behind the goals and making hot drinks...and we don`t have to pay them off.

Give Ling the job, no extra cost if we're still paying him off. Knill and Brass can do some gardening whilst Ling gives the squad a wake up.

RussianGull wrote:Too lazy to Google can someone give a brief bio of Martin Allen? My football brain is off after that rubbish this afternoon.

Generally known for saving teams from relegation e.g. Barnet, took Gillingham up last year though, and sacked by them this season.