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i cannot believe this news was only given yesterday. i have to work on sunday and i really would have loved to have seen this especially watching some of my old (now really old) favourites. gutted. especially the fact that it is so cheaply priced as well. i probably could have got some time off if i had known a bit earlier.

i wish we had known about this sooner, it could have been made into a really big event, it will probably do really well, but there has been no real publicity, imagine if it had been at either ours, $h1ttys or argyles ground. i know its devon fa's hq at newton abbot but how many spectators/supporters can it accomodate?

i would have loved to see loram, kelly, caldwell, howells, smith and even deano turn out. all favourites and heroes from my days as a kid. i would say holmes but i had enough of him during his 2nd spell, only joking he was actually bloody awesome the first time around.

really, truly, gutted.

Yes a comparison between Loram and Craig. A legend compared to a leg-end. The legend team if they were in their prime would actually hammer our current line up.

brucie wrote:Yes a comparison between Loram and Craig. A legend compared to a leg-end. The legend team if they were in their prime would actually hammer our current line up.

agreed.when i hear a fuss made about a lot of players in recent times and hear/read some people raving about them i just dont get it, they are very mediocre compared to many i saw from 87 to 94, a few in 98 and a few from 03-05. there have been a few others that are quite good but not many.

Bloody hell Jezza, you've excelled yourself, a gentleman and a scholar. Consider my cap well and truly doffed in your direction.

Twas a different game back then and the skillset was very different. Chopper Harris might well have been a brilliant defender (I happen also to know that he's a delightful chap), but he'd be pointless today because he'd be off after 5 minutes and banned for the vast majority of the season. The level of technical ability on show today, combined with the pace and fitness of the modern lads (as well as a fair adjustment for a hefty dose of rose-tinted vision) would likely see today's squad run out comfortable winners against the old boys.
There are a few exceptions. The most obvious is George Best (who I also happen to be able to vouch for, although to a much greater degree than I can with Chopper), he would still be one of the three best players in the world and considerably better than the very ordinary Gareth Bale. Bobby Charlton would probably cope fairly well too, but only for the first half...

Interestingly (yeah, yeah), I'm reading a book called 'Left Foot in the Grave' at the moment, which I've borrowed from a mate. I'm only a chapter in, but this Garry Nelson is a damn good writer. Funny, articulate, captivating and best of all, honest. I'm very much looking forward to reading the remainder of the story.

Matt.

Am I right in saying that Paul Hall is the only player to leave Torquay (especially after coming through our youth ranks) to go on to play in a World Cup - for Jamaica in France '98?

Yes I have read that book - had you had the pleasure of seeing the likes of Loram and Caldwell you would willingly concede that they were in a different class to anything we have at the moment.

ferrarilover wrote:Twas a different game back then and the skillset was very different. Chopper Harris might well have been a brilliant defender (I happen also to know that he's a delightful chap), but he'd be pointless today because he'd be off after 5 minutes and banned for the vast majority of the season. The level of technical ability on show today, combined with the pace and fitness of the modern lads (as well as a fair adjustment for a hefty dose of rose-tinted vision) would likely see today's squad run out comfortable winners against the old boys.
There are a few exceptions. The most obvious is George Best (who I also happen to be able to vouch for, although to a much greater degree than I can with Chopper), he would still be one of the three best players in the world and considerably better than the very ordinary Gareth Bale. Bobby Charlton would probably cope fairly well too, but only for the first half...Matt.

the players i think of when anyone asks who are the best torquay players i have seen would fit into any torquay team over the last 25 years. i appreciate the points of different times, better fitness and different skill sets, but the players i am thinking of are way better than anything we have now at what what they do, whether it be based on physicality or skill.

there might be a touch of the rose tints about it but yes at their peak, loram, caldwell, russell, graham, jack, fowler, holmes, kelly, lloyd, elliott, dobson, gibbs, gurney, mclinchey are way better than any players in their positions in recent times and would fit into the modern, if not any era. in their position they are all way better than anyone we have had in recent times.

we have had so many mediocre at best players, we have had wingers who cant beat a man or cross a ball, yet fans still rave about them or say keep giving them a chance. we have had defenders who make too many mistakes. centre mids who are all huff and puff with bugger all, passing ability or ball skills. dont even get me started on centre forwards - just because certain ones run about a lot like a headless chicken or certain ones are overly physical, tap a few in or score a few penalties they are the best player in the universe.

a lot of players are over hyped and over rated these days, even those in a torquay shirt. many are mediocre at best.

Postby geezer » Today, 05:40

'if you go you will be disappointed as the person who organised our team left it too late to tell our explayers and hardly any of them can make it!'

Hope this isn't true !!!!!!!

Unfortunately, it was true. Of the 16 or so players listed as being there for us, we had, maybe, three.

No Hargreaves, Russell, Loram and many others missing.

We came third, although we were the best team there by miles. Went 2-0 down to Devon FA inside the first 90 seconds in the semi-final, and for the remainder of the half hour match, we were camped in their half. We got back to 2-2, were denied a goal by a keeper handling outside the box, we managed to waste the freekick. Lost 5-4 on penalties.

Won the 3rd place playoff at a canter, beating Exeter 2-1. Couldn't stay for the final, but Plymouth looked so bad in their semi, I can only reasonably presume an equally ordinary Devon FA side walked all over them.

Kevin Hill was our best player, he was head and shoulders above anyone else at the tournament, with the exception of Andy Mcfarlane.

Matt.

Would have liked to have seen Hilly again but it didn't sound like it would be all that interesting to go along. Shame, it sounded good if it had been done properly.Did Ling & Taylor show up for City ?

I didn't see them, so I'd say not. Lots of advertised players weren't there. Damien Davy played for Argyle.

If I'm honest, it wasn't brilliant. It didn't help that I recognised so few players (three, I think). Still, the weather was nice and the pitch and surroundings at the Devon FA HQ are decent enough. Not a waste of time, but could have been a bit more... fun.

Matt.

Did Martin ling and Sean Taylor turn out for Exeter ?

supergulls wrote:Did Martin ling and Sean Taylor turn out for Exeter ?

ummm, that's what I asked 2 posts above & FL said he didn't see them ! It seems that our organiser was a bit late asking players to attend, & maybe the other organisers were as well

Dammit Super, I post this shit for people to read, not for people to gloss over! :devil:

I didn't see them, and, had they been there, I would have done, so I'm saying no. We were so far off the pace of asking people to play for us that Plymouth beat us to the signing of Damien Davy, a bloke who works with us 6 days a week. I don't care, it's not like it matters and the club has bigger and better things to worry about, but it might have been nice to have been treated to the players we were promised. I was going to tap up Jesus Hargreaves for inside info, I'll have to text him now and he's hopeless with texts.

Matt.

ferrarilover wrote:Unfortunately, it was true. Of the 16 or so players listed as being there for us, we had, maybe, three.



Matt.

of course it was true, why the hell would I make sh1t like that up?