TorquayFans.com | Torquay United Fans Forum

frenchgull wrote:Mr Hodges seems to have escaped the radar of criticism, what dose he bring to the table,dose he have football league experience as player or manager

You couldnt make it up could you?

Of course he hasnt any experience at all in the field of football, he was just plucked at random from the phone book...

If most were to honestly ask themselves, yes or no, would we likely be in this position had Ling started this season as Manager, they would all come up with the same answer.

I agree with the suggestion that Hargreaves needed a Sturrock style mentor for the firefight. He does have to shoulder some blame for the way things have turned out, whichever way you look at it. I hope he shows some ruthlessness over the summer. As he must. I don't know if this rings any bells, but I'll judge his side next season after 10 games.

At last some sense, well said rjc,ch will make big cuts in the summer bring in his players, then judge him.

Hargreaves never had a chance

As noted by someone the 9out of 11 of the lineup was a ling/knill combo

The lineup bar Pearce, Rice and Oconnor who don't care

The judging of CH starts after the full time whistle vs Wycombe

Firstly who he keeps and let's go, brings in and then the next season

PlainmoorRoar wrote:Hargreaves never had a chance

As noted by someone the 9out of 11 of the lineup was a ling/knill combo

The lineup bar Pearce, Rice and Oconnor who don't care

The judging of CH starts after the full time whistle vs Wycombe

Firstly who he keeps and let's go, brings in and then the next season

Rjc70 wrote:If most were to honestly ask themselves, yes or no, would we likely be in this position had Ling started this season as Manager, they would all come up with the same answer.

I agree with the suggestion that Hargreaves needed a Sturrock style mentor for the firefight. He does have to shoulder some blame for the way things have turned out, whichever way you look at it. I hope he shows some ruthlessness over the summer. As he must. I don't know if this rings any bells, but I'll judge his side next season after 10 games.

Worst decision the Board made was the first one - that of getting rid of Ling. He was as good as, if not better, than Bucks (in my opinion)

Anyone absolving Hargreaves of any blame must be barking. The blokes had nigh on half a season to get us out the shit. All he has done is dig us into a bigger hole.
If Danny Stevens had signed for any of our rivals we would have been pissing ourselves. He has been an absolute waste of space. A joke signing - past his sell by date yonks ago.
Hargreaves seems to be in denial have the time which seems to worry me. If you listen to him Goodwin seems to be the second George Best. Yet as a winger he has been bang average - he is quick enough but contributes bugger all really.
Defensively we were not that bad. Hargreaves should have booted Tonge out - played his best two centre halves Downes and Pearce. O'Connor should have been a shoe in at right back and Cruise at left back.
That didn't require too much sorting out. Chapple should have been played on the wing - instead we had the useless Stevens playing there.
Hargreaves signings were an unmitigated disaster and thats the real reason why are going down.
Also I just do not understand how so many of our players appear to "become" injured when they are not playing games,
Cooper has been a farce. It appears he must have had an ankle amputated in training. Was apparently "fit" a couple of weeks ago and now seems to have disappeared again. Ditto Cruise who seems to have done a disappearing act.
Goodwin seems to have sustained a season ending injury (this must have been done in Sainsburys presumably) and so on and so.
This culminated in Bodin appearing to gell his hair on Saturday into some weird style. Spend 20 minutes doing sod all and then fall over sustaining a game ending injury in the process.
Poke can't play cause he can't kick the ball - I mean what the **** is going on with this bunch of underachieving arsewipes.
It is just too pathetic for words,

Made me laugh that Brucie!

Hargreaves signings were an unmitigated disaster and thats the real reason why are going down. Also I just do not understand how so many of our players appear to "become" injured when they are not playing games, Cooper has been a farce. It appears he must have had an ankle amputated in training. Was apparently "fit" a couple of weeks ago and now seems to have disappeared again. Ditto Cruise who seems to have done a disappearing act. Goodwin seems to have sustained a season ending injury (this must have been done in Sainsburys presumably) and so on and so. This culminated in Bodin appearing to gell his hair on Saturday into some weird style. Spend 20 minutes doing sod all and then fall over sustaining a game ending injury in the process. Poke can't play cause he can't kick the ball - I mean what the f*** is going on with this bunch of underachieving arsewipes. It is just too pathetic for words,



Take a very close look at what these players are being told to do on and off the training pitch and you will find the answer to your questions.

Quick Reply Quick Reply

Post a reply Post a reply

One thing he must do is seperate himself from the players he played with 6-7 years ago. If we line up with Rice, Nicholson, Mansell, Stevens and Benyon, then we are the same side, but 7 years older than the relegation in 2007. Rice is maybe slightly better than then, but the others? Keep the best of the squad, add a few talented loanees like Cargill and Goodwin, and bring in some new blood. One of our strengths seven years ago was being one of the biggest sides in the non-league, identifying exactly who we wanted and signing them. With the right knowledge, we could still build a good side to challenge next year. Hargreaves hasn't impressed yet but he still has time on his side. Making the wrong call with Manse, Nico and Stevens could blow the budget and sour his reputation.

One thing he must do is seperate himself from the players he played with 6-7 years ago. If we line up with Rice, Nicholson, Mansell, Stevens and Benyon, then we are the same side, but 7 years older than the relegation in 2007. Rice is maybe slightly better than then, but the others? Keep the best of the squad, add a few talented loanees like Cargill and Goodwin, and bring in some new blood. One of our strengths seven years ago was being one of the biggest sides in the non-league, identifying exactly who we wanted and signing them. With the right knowledge, we could still build a good side to challenge next year. Hargreaves hasn't impressed yet but he still has time on his side. Making the wrong call with Manse, Nico and Stevens could blow the budget and sour his reputation.

brucie wrote:Anyone absolving Hargreaves of any blame must be barking. The blokes had nigh on half a season to get us out the sh*t. All he has done is dig us into a bigger hole.
If Danny Stevens had signed for any of our rivals we would have been pissing ourselves. He has been an absolute waste of space. A joke signing - past his sell by date yonks ago.
Hargreaves seems to be in denial have the time which seems to worry me. If you listen to him Goodwin seems to be the second George Best. Yet as a winger he has been bang average - he is quick enough but contributes bugger all really.
Defensively we were not that bad. Hargreaves should have booted Tonge out - played his best two centre halves Downes and Pearce. O'Connor should have been a shoe in at right back and Cruise at left back.
That didn't require too much sorting out. Chapple should have been played on the wing - instead we had the useless Stevens playing there.
Hargreaves signings were an unmitigated disaster and thats the real reason why are going down.
Also I just do not understand how so many of our players appear to "become" injured when they are not playing games,
Cooper has been a farce. It appears he must have had an ankle amputated in training. Was apparently "fit" a couple of weeks ago and now seems to have disappeared again. Ditto Cruise who seems to have done a disappearing act.
Goodwin seems to have sustained a season ending injury (this must have been done in Sainsburys presumably) and so on and so.
This culminated in Bodin appearing to gell his hair on Saturday into some weird style. Spend 20 minutes doing sod all and then fall over sustaining a game ending injury in the process.
Poke can't play cause he can't kick the ball - I mean what the f*** is going on with this bunch of underachieving arsewipes.
It is just too pathetic for words,

By and large a very

There is a precedent for this for me personally. Take Brendan Rogers at Liverpool, ok before he got the job he was at Swansea but in his first season at Liverpool I had to take a step back and wonder what the hell he was doing. He looked out of his depth and I thought it to be a matter of time before he was sacked. Now look at him. It is possible that a manager can go through times where nobody has the first idea what he is trying to do and then it just clicks into place. I do admit this and perhaps with CH once he settles in over the summer and gets a feel for his new recruits then he may surprise everyone. Just because he has looked clueless doesn't mean to say once he gets his own players and tries to implement his own ideas then he can't be a success.

Knill had the summer to build his squad and then put things into action and we were still wondering what the hell it was he was trying to do when he was sacked so he had the summer and the new players and a blind macaque could have done a better job in all honesty. Now he is to found picking up cash at Cobblers for letting Wilder take the flak. What a guy. I need to run over some squirrels if they give you that amount of good fortune!

Like others have said though, if CH keeps any of the old guard and much of the new lads who have proven to be a waste of space then there is no hiding place when it goes wrong.

Chris Hargreaves never had a chance, sorry but what and utter load of complete bollocks, so what are we saying, if the club had appointed Paul Sturrock who they seem to have admitted was in the running wouldn't have had a chance either, the same Sturrock who took over Southend when they had been relegated from League 1 virtually in administration, put to together a squad entirely from trialists and finished just outside the play-off's if I remember rightly.

Sorry but so far Chris Hargreaves has proved to be one of the worst managers in the history of this club, Christ our 2 top goalscorers cant even get in the team, a team who's managed a some total of a whopping 12 goals in the 17 games CH has been the manager, believe it not is worse than Knill's last 17 games with virtually the same set of players.

Spot on Andy - he'll have no excuses next season, but he still can come good for us - i think he will given time.

A lot will depend on how much the board back him financially - there's been talk off a "promotion budget" will he get that?