Cyril Knowles

DEESIDE GULL · Post by **DEESIDE GULL** » 23 Dec 2018, 19:27

He made Torquay proud and respected again. I remember quite a bit of that season from afar. Should've got automatic promotion but blew it against Scunny before getting revenge in the play offs. Definitely better than Bolton Wanderers. It was a solid team with plenty of experience and a few journeyman players in Allen, Mcnichol, LLoyd, Cole, Impey, Dawkins, Haslegrave, Musker, Dobson, Caldwell and the younger players like Sharpe, Loram and Gardiner but broke up too quickly in my view Smith and Thompson were not in the same league as Dobson etc and didn't quite build on it apart from a great trip to Wembley in 88/89.

westyorkshiregull · Post by **westyorkshiregull** » 23 Dec 2018, 20:12

Best team in my lifetime i would think. Difficult to compare to the promotion team of 2004 , mixture of tough men and young talent. Sharpe and loram together is a dream all be it both left sided players. Phil Lloyd was tough as old boots and fearless. Dobson could poke away from anywhere in the box. Caldwell again fearless and would put any part of his body on the end of the ball. Mcnichol and Cole solid. Kenny Allen great entertainment and a good goalie. Tom Kelly solid and always gave 110%.
The break up of squad end of that season was down to wages and shame we couldn't have kept them together.

Nightrider · Post by **Nightrider** » 23 Dec 2018, 20:16

Remember the players playing murderball as I was walking my dog on the green and the yells of pain from players getting kicked,balls coming over the wall and me throwing them back before my dog got to them,good times.

standupsitdown · Post by **standupsitdown** » 23 Dec 2018, 20:22

I think this was the best Torquay team I've seen. Also one with many characters.
We came down to Torquay for the final league game v Scunthorpe and met some of their fans on Newton Abbot station afterwards who said they'd rather have lost and avoided us in the play off semi final.
Cyril's achievement was in transforming a team that didn't deserve to be in the league to one that should have been in the old third division. Probably a transformation only match by our current manager, but this time hopefully with ultimate success.

DEESIDE GULL · Post by **DEESIDE GULL** » 23 Dec 2018, 20:33

westyorkshiregull wrote: ↑23 Dec 2018, 20:12 Best team in my lifetime i would think. Difficult to compare to the promotion team of 2004 , mixture of tough men and young talent. Sharpe and loram together is a dream all be it both left sided players. Phil Lloyd was tough as old boots and fearless. Dobson could poke away from anywhere in the box. Caldwell again fearless and would put any part of his body on the end of the ball. Mcnichol and Cole solid. Kenny Allen great entertainment and a good goalie. Tom Kelly solid and always gave 110%.
The break up of squad end of that season was down to wages and shame we couldn't have kept them together.

I often wondered except for the back 4 why so many left. I thought with 2 good cup runs and the Lee Sharpe sale would have given Knowles a bigger budget to build on for the following year.

gateman49 · Post by **gateman49** » 23 Dec 2018, 20:37

wivelgull wrote: ↑31 Aug 2016, 09:04 I was at the Wrexham game. I think the crowd was about 1750. After a successful start to the season the crowds went up to about 2700 and remained at that level. The point I am making is that the same thing COULD happen today. I suppose out average crowds are about 1750, but a winning streak....

So was I there, and, if I remember correctly, Wrexham scored first as well. Yes, he created a very good team but, for me, Frank O'Farrell's time was special.

westyorkshiregull · Post by **westyorkshiregull** » 24 Dec 2018, 11:13

DEESIDE GULL wrote: ↑23 Dec 2018, 20:33 I often wondered except for the back 4 why so many left. I thought with 2 good cup runs and the Lee Sharpe sale would have given Knowles a bigger budget to build on for the following year.

Good point ...perhaps the years of misery before hand still had payback I guess. Not sure with the ins and out of the facre Webb situation how the club was actually left in the hands of lew pope. Wasn't there a consortium behind Webb and did the insurance money for grandstand fire all get spent on demolition of part of old grandstand

nostalgia · Post by **nostalgia** » 24 Dec 2018, 14:04

Well I am new to all of this and this thread about Cyril Knowles set off a bad bout of nostalgia.

So -earliest Torquay memory was catching the football special from Paignton bus station-sometimes there were 3 buses!
Fist big game memory was the Spurs game (Jan 1965).To get tickets we had to attend the reserve team game against Bideford-just remember a huge queue and no one watching the game. I have a copy of the Spurs game programme and its in excellent condition. The game itself was a problem for me as I supported Torquay and Spurs-I wore both rosettes on the day. For some reason we had a lift to the game and had to park at the model village. Watched the game from the Babbacombe Road end and was pushed to the front by some kind people in the crowd. Huge crowd -electrifying atmosphere and we all know the score.

I had been to Plainmoor a number of times but this was the first game my dad had seen. When you support a club over a long period of time it is not just football memories but fond memories of who you went with, many no longer with us.

desperado · Post by **desperado** » 24 Dec 2018, 16:11

Remember attending the Bideford reserve game
to get tickets and that the crowd was 6,000
Like you say it was bizarre as no-one was interested in the game but think we lost 3-1 and maybe Russell Peterson scored but could be wrong on that. Someone like Stefano may remember !

wivelgull · Post by **wivelgull** » 24 Dec 2018, 17:49

re: Mr. Hector's remarks of two years ago about playing Scarborough. I well remember the home match against them. Indeed, to this day when the ball is hoofed over the stand (well, it's bigger now, of course) it called 'doing a Scarborough'.

DEESIDE GULL · Post by **DEESIDE GULL** » 24 Dec 2018, 21:01

westyorkshiregull wrote: ↑24 Dec 2018, 11:13 Good point ...perhaps the years of misery before hand still had payback I guess. Not sure with the ins and out of the facre Webb situation how the club was actually left in the hands of lew pope. Wasn't there a consortium behind Webb and did the insurance money for grandstand fire all get spent on demolition of part of old grandstand

Just watched the Tottenham v Torquay game 1987. You wouldn't have guessed 4 months earlier that the Gulls nearly went out of the league and Spurs were not that far from doing a domestic treble. Forgot there were 2 own goals. Lee Sharpe was meant to come to my cricket club earlier on the year, but pulled out the night before due to the inclement weather, I'm guessing there was no sell on clause? I would like to have asked him about the season and if he knows where most of that team are now. There's odds and ends on wiki.

westyorkshiregull · Post by **westyorkshiregull** » 25 Dec 2018, 15:44

Last year from plainmoor

DEESIDE GULL · Post by **DEESIDE GULL** » 25 Dec 2018, 17:36

westyorkshiregull wrote: ↑25 Dec 2018, 15:44 Last year from plainmoor

Kenny Allen & Jim McNichol

westyorkshiregull · Post by **westyorkshiregull** » 25 Dec 2018, 19:15

And Dobson

DEESIDE GULL · Post by **DEESIDE GULL** » 25 Dec 2018, 19:56

westyorkshiregull wrote: ↑25 Dec 2018, 19:15 And Dobson

Would not have recognized Dobson and one of my favourite TUFC footballers too

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