Bye Bye Billy?

[bobby93]

IMHO Probably, £ for lb, the worst footballer ever to put on a Torquay shirt or a Welsh shirt come to that!

For me it felt like someone paid us £50,000 (or what ever the final fee was) to give the poor sod a game.

Two words: Tyrone Thompson.

[hector]

Two words: Tyrone Thompson.

The club didn't pay £70,000 for Tyrone Thompson. There have been plenty of players who we have had, who have been worse than Bodin - and Tyrone Thompson for that matter - but I sense what KevGull is getting at is in terms of having paid out an almost record fee to sign Bodin, it represents the most shocking value, in relation to the effectiveness of Bodin here.

I don't know whether it is his attitude,a lack of confidence or he was just used in the wrong way but we saw a different player to the one who was here on loan. That loan spell hints at a latent talent (I never noticed how closely related those two words are to look at) that has yet to be realised and perhaps a different environment with a different manager will suit him.

Essentially his time here has been during the demise of Martin Ling, the management of Alan Knill and the 'in at the deep end' tenure of Hargreaves. The conditions were hardly there for an effective player - perhaps he would have prospered more under someone like Tisdale.

[torkie_buoy]

Its funny really, what confidence can do to a player. Think of when he first came on loan, scored a few goals, beat a man and created goals too. But then when form slips and the crowd starts to get on the team's back- oh how things can change. I think he was a nervous guy, tried to make himself look better and act confident, but he wasnt/isnt really. Such a shame.

[leetufc]

I think Billy is a good enough player for league two but unfortunately he never showed it often enough with us.

I think the problem is that he looks good in a team doing well, as we were when he joined on loan, but terrible in a team doing badly. His mistakes always stood out more when we weren't winning, and he wasn't the type of player to get stuck in and help the cause.

If we were doing well he would have been a good asset in the conference, but we cannot afford the wages he is on, especially if cannot play to start with.

I think he'll forge a decent lower league career upon leaving us, and it's a shame it didn't work out.

I also think some fans were too quick to get on Billy's back when he didn't play well because of his price tag, which was not his fault.

If he is going, I wish him good luck recovering from injury, and all the best wherever he ends up.

[tomogull]

Very much hope he is not the striker who we have today offered terms to!!!

How has the Rovers pre-season gone, Friendlygas? How's Lee Mansell looked? Are you confident for the new season (silly question - we're all confident as this stage !)? Have you moved into your new stadium ? Personally, like the Gulls, I can't see Rovers being one of the front runners - sorry ! You've lost O'Toole and I haven't noticed you've made many new signings. I just wonder if you'll have yet another change of manager before the end of the season !!

As for Billy, I think he's very much a confidence player as Leetufc and others have already posted. Great when things are going well for the team but his form suffers badly when things aren't going well as last season. I wonder if being with bully-boy Di Canio at Swindon knocked his confidence? He has the skills to be a decent player so let's hope it works out okay for him wherever he ends up.

[ferrarilover]

They've lost O'Toole and Smith and replaced them with Manse and Leadbitter, how the **** do you think their preseason has gone?

Matt.

[Colorado Gull]

Billy Bodin. A player that had potential, always looked like he'd be a cracking player, but had no end product. Wouldn't be sad seeing him go.

[Burnhamgull]

I always wanted to see Billy do well but like so many others, he impressed when on loan then as soon as we signed him, he flopped.

The number of good games he had could be counted on one hand and if he was on a big salary then we were properly mugged off. Feel sorry for the mystery fan who pumped in £50k towards his transfer fee. They should be questioning their sanity right now.

Happy to see him leave.

[PhilGull]

That challenge then, the one which put him out for over a year, which was knee high and about three postcodes from the ball, but which the referee (who also happened to be President of the Northampton Town Supporters Club) deemed to be perfectly legal and fair, is going to cost us not only relegation, and the £400,000 that entails, but also another £70,000 in Billy Bodin. All the while they keep spending money like it's hazardous to health and getting away with being sh*t by being sh*t and rich.

Football, man, it ain't right.

Really? Is that allowed?

[kevgull]

Really? Is that allowed?

Players are not allowed to bet however a Referee can be a President of Northampton supporters club moreover be allowed to officiate such a crutial match. You must be having a laugh!

[cambgull]

I think Pea (Matt?) was being cynical, I don't think the referee was actually the President Of the NT Supporters Club...