Torquay vs Wimbledon 1/1/13 15:00 (new years day)

[Kernowgull]

To add to Wivels comments about the food, I had a pasty yesterday, and it was without diubt the worst pasty I have ever had. Almost broke my teeth, the crust was so hard.

Wont be at another game for quite a while now, certainly hope that things pick up in the next couple months!

[brucie]

Yes things are on the slide - I rang the ground at noon just for a precautionary check that the game was on. The recorded message referred to tickets for the boxing day game and had been put on before christmas.
I went to the game with my son and his girlfriend and a friend who is a season ticket holder. I dropped them off before parking the score and when I got to Bristows bench I was presented with a ticket which had a specified seat number on. Absolutely fantastic as all of us were separated and couldn't sit together.
I went to my specified seat only to find that someone was sat in it.
As I didn't want to sit there anyway I checked with a steward whether I could sit where I liked or not - only to be told that I had to sit in the seat allocated.
When I told him there was someone sitting there he didn't have a clue -so I just went and sat with my son.
Clearly the whole thing is a shambles and specified seat numbers are unecessary in a ground which is less than half full.

[divingbboy]

One positive that we can take from yesterday: dishwashers are on sale at Sparkworld for just £249.

[stefano]

Oi, Stef, get your own bloody jokes. I said that when it happened!

Matt.

Sorry Matt I was that p*ssed off I hadn't scrolled back through the whole thread so missed it!

[royalgull]

We've got dreadful players, the worst squad since the relegation season and the worst football since then to boot. Ling should be commended for having us 11 points from the relegation zone when we're the worst side in the league.

Don't understand why Manse has taken flak on twitter he's one of few players i'd like to keep out of this squad but seriously if 90% of them left in the summer I wouldn't shed a tear.

[hector]

Lets just remember that the people who run the club are fans as well. They may or may not be doing a good job (I would say that overall, they are) but i would suggest they are doing their best. The club is no longer run by a Bateson/Roberts type figure with their own agenda. It is run by a group of fans, with perhaps a little bit more money than most of us, who took the club over at its lowest ever ebb after years of neglect by the Bateson family. I would agree that, at the moment, the football is dull, the place lacks a bit of atmosphere and perhaps the club could do a bit more to market itself/improve the atmosphere. Perhaps the screen is an attempt to do just that but some will knock them for trying (my only gripe is that you can't see it from the pop side).

Brucie hardly goes so his opinion really counts for very little. Some will knock whatever the club do and I guess when you have a Bateson figure or a James Brent at Plymouth, owners with little or no affinity for the club, then they are a sort of enemy. But we are lucky that we have a board made up of TUFC fans, so I trust them to do the best they can for TUFC. But I am not going to make their job harder by starting to say, why other going? I will always defend the right of supporters to protest, complain and boycott etc but we do not have a situation at our club that warrants that.

Essentially, the club is run by a bunch of blokes that could have been any of us had we the money and inclination. There are things that they could do better (learn a lot from Exeter Chiefs for a start) but up until now, overall, our club as done very well. Think back to the Bateson days and it is a different set up now. A new stand, a youth system that covers Devon and Cornwall and success on the field and that has all been achieved in 5 years.

If the team continues to falter then the board will perhaps have to eventually consider Lings position but we are no where near that place yet. And if eventually a change of manager is needed, you can bet your life that this group of TUFC supporters who run our club, will not do a Bateson and appoint Paul Compton, John Cornforth, Wes Saunders or John Impey.

I would say go to the games and if unhappy voice your disapproval but reinforcements of the playing side aren't going to happen if the club are deprived of income.

[Kernowgull]

You cannot say that Brucies opinion doesnt count because he rarely goes. Yesterday was my 6th game of the season, 3rd home game. Does that mean my opinion doesn't count? Id say it should count more, because I have much more of a decision to make when choosing whether to come to a game, as I have to part with the best part of 100 quid to go to a game, as does Brucie I believe, if I recall he certainly drives a distance. Therefore things like the food available, customer service etc has a bigger impact on us, and our decisions as to whether to attend.

I often think Brucie goes ott, but on this occasion he has a good point. What happens on the pitch, to a certain extent, the club has no control over, but things like catering, letting people sit together etc should be standard.

[brucie]

I have actually gone to a fair few games this season but none since the Southend game. The main reason that I stopped going was because if we are going to parade amateurs against professionals then the club are not going to get my money because they are taking the piss.
No disrespect to Rice but he is an amateur and his peformance that day proved it.
In all fairness to LIng, Royalgull has got it right in a way - with the dross we have got he has done well to have us 11 points above the drop zone.
Unfortunately Ling appears to be losing the plot. Putting on a young winger in Halpin on the side that resembled Paignton beach yesterday was a masterstroke (not).
The better option would have been to take off the hopeless Oastler and pair the attacking Leadbitter with Thompson on the only side of the pitch which was playable.
The blindingly obvious other move was to take off Easton and play Craig in the middle. Easton then spurned two decent chances one of which at least Craig would have probably converted. Then ten minutes later he took off Easton for Lathrope - quite bizarre.
His after match interview was even more baffling. "We are doing the same things as last year but not winning 1-0" - it seems lost on him though the reason for this was we had better defensive playes last year!
"its a mental thing - when we play lower down teams" - yes thats right we havn't learnt from Harrogate then obviously.

[gullintwoplaces]

Whatever else a team including Yeoman,Halpin,Thompson,Lathrope,Easton and Gus MacDonkey is just not good enough and isn't going to get us any points.

I guess you think this comment is clever Brucie? Angus is a promising young player who has come here on loan and has turned in some good performances. He was outstanding against Northampton. How dare you be so insulting to a young player, would you say this to his face? This comment says much more about you Brucie, and the garbage that you post on here, than anything else, idiot.

To be quite honest, some of the rants (I won't call them comments) above are ludicrous. Apparently the Gulls are "the worst team in the League" as well, how daft a statement is that? By contrast, the post above from Hector is balanced and reasonable. The Directors are doing their best to lead the club that we love. If the Brucies on here think they can do better, then stick your hands in your pockets and put yourselves forward.

All fans are disappointed by recent results and performances, and have a right to have a moan. Some of the comments made on here are, however, so far over the top as to be laughable. As for the pr***k who insulted Ling at the game, he needs "taking to one side".

[Kernowgull]

I'll be honest Gullintwoplaces, I was sat almost directly behind Ling and Taylor, leaning against the dug out, shouting no instructions, and I was amazed there wasn't more complaint being shouted, given the performance. I only heard one real shout, which was "Taxi for Ling". If you cant cope with that as a football manager, youre in the wrong business.

Lings answer to the cash "You weren't complaining lqst year and we were doing the same things" is mental. Last year we had O Kne to break teams down, and Ollie to Save everything. Playing/Traini.g on the same things will not work with different players. Up to now I have been very pro Ling, but that worries me.

[wivelgull]

'Taxi for Ling' is good; the comment made me laugh. Was it this that made Mr. Ling upset?

[divingbboy]

'Taxi for Ling' is good; the comment made me laugh. Was it this that made Mr. Ling upset?

No. The 'taxi for Ling' guy was sat directly behind me. I believe that was shouted before we equalized with the second goal. When they scored the pen, that guy and his wife got up and went to leave. They walked down behind the dugout and he obviously said something not-too-complimentary to Ling, whereupon Ling told him to f*ck off (or some derivation of that). Someone suggested that the guy had told Ling to 'f*ck off to Plymouth'.

[portugull]

On my Christmas visit I have seen all three games where we have conceded in the last minute.

Football is like this it happens all the time. Gillingham loose at home to Barnet. Chelsea loose at home to QPR who havent won away for 2 years.

Some fans who think we have a poor squad should spend a few minutes looking at the league table. Out of 24 clubs only 3 clubs have lost fewer games than United. Gillingham, Port Vale and Fleetwood.

We are a difficult team to beat but this season injuries, suspensions and luck has deserted us.

We have a very committed and together squad and I dont think any opponent looks forward to facing us. As we enter the second half of the season we have a number of pluses, Saah will be back from suspension. Yeoman looks a really decent prospect. Macklin will hopefully be back fitter and stronger and the Board have made immense strides in the last four years.

On the negative side I just wish we were a bit more vocal on the pitch. Mitchell-King for Wimbledon was a brilliant organiser constantly getting the best from a team that was limited in ability but determined. I also wish Martin Ling would finally realise what we are all saying that Nathan Craig is totally wasted on the wing.

I think the next four games will really have a major impact on whether we finish in the top ten or bottom ten.

[gullintwoplaces]

On my Christmas visit I have seen all three games where we have conceded in the last minute.

Football is like this it happens all the time. Gillingham loose at home to Barnet. Chelsea loose at home to QPR who havent won away for 2 years.

Some fans who think we have a poor squad should spend a few minutes looking at the league table. Out of 24 clubs only 3 clubs have lost fewer games than United. Gillingham, Port Vale and Fleetwood.

We are a difficult team to beat but this season injuries, suspensions and luck has deserted us.

We have a very committed and together squad and I dont think any opponent looks forward to facing us. As we enter the second half of the season we have a number of pluses, Saah will be back from suspension. Yeoman looks a really decent prospect. Macklin will hopefully be back fitter and stronger and the Board have made immense strides in the last four years.

On the negative side I just wish we were a bit more vocal on the pitch. Mitchell-King for Wimbledon was a brilliant organiser constantly getting the best from a team that was limited in ability but determined. I also wish Martin Ling would finally realise what we are all saying that Nathan Craig is totally wasted on the wing.

I think the next four games will really have a major impact on whether we finish in the top ten or bottom ten.

One of the best, most balanced posts I have seen for some time on here. This contrasts well with the poisonous bulls**t posted by Brucie and others on this thread. Well done Portugull, a sensible post from somebody that clearly loves the Gulls and only wants the best.

And I do believe that the idiot that shouted "why don't you f*** off to Plymouth" to Lingy should be banned from Plainmoor. If any true fan knows his name they should report it to the club. I'd love a chat with him.

[AustrianAndyGull]

Not had the chance to post on the game until now due to another pram incident which needed me to nip down to Toys R Us so i'll do it now. First of all i am a little annoyed because a lot of the posts really slate the quality of football being served up win lose or draw and how it is happening regularly and it is making some people not want to go to Plainmoor.

I'm annoyed because i have been saying this since day 1 at Fleetwood and of all the 10 or so games i've seen this season i haven't yet seen an entertaining game. I did get some flak for constantly complaining about the level and positivity of the performances but it would seem that i am now vindicated i would hope?

I think it may even have been Nick that made a good point in saying that some fans' clamour for a change in formation has actually made us more defensively vulnerable and how if we had stuck to the 4-5-1 then we would no way be conceding goals like we have been doing. I did clamour for a change in formation but if i may defend myself. Initially this season when i was watching us get dominated in games and playing defensively i said that if we just had offered a little more attacking intent in thse games then we would have nicked 2 or 3 of them. I would still be happy with a 4-5-1 and being a little negative but in order for that to be successful we need to be more purposeful when we get an attack and get men forward and be more positive on the break.

Dave (forevertufc) talked about balance in one of his threads and he is spot on. Our earlier season performances with a 4-5-1 had no balance and if Ling had given orders for more support quicker on attacks then we would have won at Fleetwood no doubt, Rotherham and Chesterfield at the very least. We defended amazingly in those games and with a little more umph up top they could have easily resulted in 9 points instead of 2. It is the balance that is wrong.

I wanted a more attacking line up because i felt we needed more of threat in attack and not only has it not been successful in terms of results, the standard of football despite a much more offensive line up has still not improved. I don't know what the answer is but like Nick says, myself and others must accept we were wrong and maybe our players just aren't much good.

I was a little indifferent about the Wimbledon game because i felt like this game ended our season. That may be stupid to say when there is 3 months of it left but i have accepted that we haven't the squad nor have we a manager capable of addressing the current problems to such an extent that we can begin pushing up the table again. I'm not having a go at Lingy i'm simply saying as i find. The management are lacking a few ideas at the minute and injuries have played a big part in our struggle for consistency i understand that so all in all for me, our season ended with this game. We are more than capable of grinding out enough results to stay up comfortably and that is Lings' forte so no worries there but if we fail to add a loanee or two and we get further extenuating circumstances like more suspensions and injuries we could be in a spot of bother. The worry is that we have been beaten by some awful sides struggling at the bottom this season and once you get on a bad run it can be hard to stop.

The difficulty is, as many have also touched upon is how we approach the remainder of the season. Does Ling continue to offer the Plainmoor faithful limited ambition and poor displays of football or does he go for broke, bring in a few new faces and see if we can sneak in the play offs? The former would see attendances continue to fall i've no doubt as disillusionment spreads and that can only harm the club. The latter will 100% have the opposite effect if it came off and the crowds would start coming back as the season progressed and we got closer to the play offs. It's a no brainer, we go for broke now and give it our best shot. Should we start getting disastrous results and slip near the bottom then obviously we can go defensive as hell for the remainder and grind out enough results to keep us in the division comfortably.