cambgull wrote:I actually happen to think the players are good enough, I just don't think we've used them to the best of their abilities and I don't think the right players have been used. Too many loanees replacing players who haven't been given a decent chance. We've had nothing creative in midfield despite having a creative player being farmed out on loan, signed a player from Man Utd then not played him potentially ruining a link with a youth system developing some of the best players in Britain.
Compare this to Buckle, who we all whinged about for getting the same players yet in terms of loans he managed to bring in players like Robinson and Tomlin, players who aren't 17 years old, have actually played in the first team who came to help the team succeed.
If you look through our team, there really is no excuse for this position we are in:-
Goalkeepers: Probably the strongest pairing we've had in all the years I've supported TUFC apart from Olejnik.
Poke - We all know what he's capable of.
Rice - Came in and did a sterling job at the start of the season. I actually think we've been worse since Poke came back.
Defence: Experience mixed with youth, just what you'd want from team.
Tonge - Many years at Rotherham, who aren't exactly bad at this level or the one above.
Pearce - Highly rated young player from Birmingham who I hope would stay with us. Potentially very good defender.
Downes - A pairing of him and Pearce should be a rock solid pairing, lets be honest.
Nico - Past his best, no doubt about that and was always far too slow. A player bred from a time when it was okay to constantly hoof the ball down the line. Times have changed now though, he doesn't work in modern day, lower tempo football with fast forward lines.
Cruise - Highly rated but I just don't think he's quite good enough. Still could turn into a very good player as he has time on his side.
Cooper - Spent most of his career in the league above and very comfortable on the ball. Will hopefully plug the left back weak link.
Central Midfield: Not our strongest area but shouldn't be so poor either.
Mansell - Like Nico, running round like a nutcase just doesn't cut it. I'd like to see him used in a more defensive role.
Lathrope - Great in that 'sitting in front of the defence' role. Our best sides since Ling took over have involved him in that role.
Harding - Started off awful but perhaps we'll see why he's played 250 games in career.
Labadie - When not biting opposition players, can pass, can tackle, shoot and head the ball. Probably our best all round player.
Craig - I'm not going to pretend he would be the saviour of Torquay United, but he would add some passing ability into the midfield and every decent team in the history of football usually ends up having a player who creates chances and passes the ball around. So why not use the only player in the squad who can do that?
Wings: Raw power and pace with a bit of crossing ability, this really shouldn't be a negative area at all.
Bodin - I like to think of him as the League 2 Ronaldo. All tricks and flicks, just doesn't score, or cross, or do much at all.
Chappell - Probably one of our best players, fast, direct and can score. So why take him out of the team?!
Cameron - The Rotherham fans really liked him. Fast and can cross well. So why play him on the right?!
Thompson - Young and still needs some time to improve but I'd like to see him here, as a back up to Chappell.
Forwards: Probably our poorest area.
Hawley - Came with a decent reputation, scored a few for a poor team last year. Seemed to constantly have to get the ball from deep though as nothing was being created behind him.
Benyon - Did very well for us last time and made us a few quid. Nothing is being created for him though, so he can't do his usual trick of goal hanging.
Yeoman - I don't think he'll ever really be good enough, he'd have been in our first team and been sold on by now if he was.
I won't go into loanees as they aren't really our players.
Aside from up front, on paper this is a team which should be at least mid-table. Simple fact is though, we haven't scored enough goals and that isn't helped by playing left footed players on the right wing, right footed players on the left wing and having a midfield full of players who are defensive players, not creators of chances. The formations have been a constant problem and rather than getting a good result and tweaking the formation, we've changed it constantly.
That is a fantastic post, summing things up perfectly.
