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Gateshead have actually uploaded highlights already, as you can see awful defending for the first goal but Maddison (who scored 2nd and 3rd) both his goals were pretty unstoppable to be honest...

Seems that one or two of our ex players got on the scoresheet - Rendell scored two again. Despite being useless he continues to find the net.
Craig Stanley scored for Eastleigh - didn't realise they had signed him - they really do seem to have assembled some good players.
Its rather depressing that we now seem to ranked behind the likes of Gateshead and Eastleigh.

just seen the highlights and that was pretty dire stuff. We looked wide open and didn't seem to have any midfield. Harding looked like a statue.
Their first goal was a joke - Six Torquay players at the near post and noone in the middle of the goal. As usual Rice was rooted to his line and seemed to catch the header - did he take it over the goal line? - Rice definately at fault for that one.
Rice then spilled a routine shot presenting their striker with an open goal who then missed.
As for their second and third goals - good strikes but attempts to close their player down were non existant.
On that evidence we will miss Mansell who is miles better than Harding.
Cruise didn't get close to any of their players.
We could quite easily have conceded six. The players looked like they were arsing around in a pre season friendly.
No wonder Hargreaves said Gateshead looked good - we made them look like Germany - that was absolutely embarassing.

lucy6lucy wrote: Hi Andy so you are still here. How can you stop supporting Torquay. Obviously for some reason you have. Stop supporting a club is very rare and indeed strange from a grown man, kids change teams at school but that's kids. So Andy you either still have feelings for the club and come back, or leave us alone for good and stay off this forum. It's almost you want sympathy when you post , I love you as a poster, but hate you ditching the club , so if that's your decision stay away

First of all Lucy I find your post a bit insulting. I am a grown man yes but I'm not explaining my reasons once again for cutting ties. Let's just say when people act inappropriately and without respect and consideration then they stop deserving support. Some of the board have gone now which I'm pleased as I feel a couple of them are disingenuine. This can only bode well for the future of TUFC if Thea gets in new folks with no agenda and an exuberant approach their roles with common sense, dignity and honesty.

We aren't all cut from the same cloth.

I need not sympathy. I've ditched the club for the way those behind the scenes continue to take the piss out of it's patrons. There are people who have spent all week working who have wasted pretty much their entire weekend and half a weeks salary going to Gateshead to support this team and I feel these fans (and regular fans at Plainmoor) deserve better recognition and respect for this. I'm old fashioned and I guess TUFC is a business but it actually really pisses me off in a massive way. It's not me being a 4 year old. It's just not on. I find it disgraceful. That's me. You don't. That's fine.

All I came on to post is to bear a thought for those that went today because I know (knew) many of them and I've been there and know what they must have felt. I have no wish to get sympathy, just to appreciate what they have sacrificed for today to support a losing team.

I also find you refreshingly honest and brutal Lucy and I appreciate that so thankyou and I always enjoy your posts. Crazy lady!! =D

I have always intended to stay away but just thought today on the first day of the season and the longest away trip and given the result that I should urge people to give consideration to all those that went . **** me nobody else will on here anyway, selfish self centred ****. I don't see any problem in me coming on and wishing well? Like I said, I can't comment on TUFC matters now because I have forfeited that right but I don't expect goodwill to be questioned.

Andy, I for one hope that you continue to contribute when you wish.

Back to this game.
Gateshead will be a good benchmark to judge our own qualities and weaknesses against. Think of their strengths
They have a manager who has nearly 18 years managerial experience, mostly non-league, including getting York promoted from the conference and he is well aware of how to get success at this level on little money:
Gateshead were the beaten play-off finalists, don't seem to have been hit by this apparent failure and are used to winning, they have many new recruits but this hasn't upset the squad

CH has to learn the way this division works, He hasn't got the squad he was aiming for and we're in the Conference for a reason. We shouldn't expect it to be easy. Nevertheless we really have to win the next three - these are against clubs that can be expected to be strugglers.

Usual drivel spouted by the usual posters. Yup the season has started......

Not good watching.

On the evidence of those high(?)lights this is going to be a long hard season. Strikes me CH has one hand tied behind his back when he has to play four translisted players (Tonge, Downes, Harding, Benyon) plus Cruise in the starting line-up and want away Chappell not even a sub.
Having posted last night we should have at least two wins this season after watching Altrincham at Aldershot yesterday now I'm not so sure. Will need a big boost on Tuesday night with a win against Welling to make me more optimistic but that puts big pressure on the players. Can they handle it?

tommyg wrote:Ajala a Championship standard player - are you being serious or just looking for a bite? The last Torquay player you were wetting yourself over was Nathan Craig who is now playing part-time in the Welsh league. I suppose that's the "inner workings of football" holding him back. Ajala has pace and a trick or two but to suggest he would walk into a top L1 side when he can't actually get in our starting XI shows that you are the one who doesn't have a clue how football actually works.

Talk to people who actually know, and they'll tell you talent (which is what I always said Craig had) was never his problem. You're right, that's the inner workings of football, and it's a story repeated hundreds of thousands of times every year.

If all you can see in Ajala is pace and tricks, I'm afraid any further conversation on the subject will go miles over your head.

nickbrod wrote:On the evidence of those high(?)lights this is going to be a long hard season. Strikes me CH has one hand tied behind his back when he has to play four translisted players (Tonge, Downes, Harding, Benyon) plus Cruise in the starting line-up and want away Chappell not even a sub.
Having posted last night we should have at least two wins this season after watching Altrincham at Aldershot yesterday now I'm not so sure. Will need a big boost on Tuesday night with a win against Welling to make me more optimistic but that puts big pressure on the players. Can they handle it?

Not trying to call you out here, but that's just plain wrong. CH did not have to play these four players at all did he, he had Richards, O'Archie, Yoeman, Ajala, admit he has limited defensive options, and we have a few high earners left on the books, but CH has packed our squad over the summer with plenty of attacking options, but neglected the one area we all agreed was a problem, full backs, maybe he's tied one of his own hands behind his back.

I've taken well over an hour to put my views across and each time I've tried to submit it's disappeared so f*ck it I've had enough. What's happened to the site lately?

anyway, we were crap. Those that say it could've been a good result if we scored the penalty and they didn't have a league 1 standard player, you must be crackers lol Gateshead should have hit us for 6. They didn't play one long ball where as that's all we did. It's a worrying sign if that is our tactical approach and team selection.

Can't be bothered typing my player performance ratings for a 3rd time

I was filled with dread yesterday when i saw the line up for the match. Starting with four of the rubbish players who really werent good enough and were part responsible for how bad we were last season. Tonge, Cruise, Harding and Benyon. I understand 3 of those are under contract and we cant get rid of them. Looking at that though, there is nothing to say we have to play them. As for Cruise, why the hell is he still here, he is clearly not up to it, whatever it was that he had about him to become a starlet at Arsenal is clearly not there anymore. Surely Ives could not do any worse.

Why havent we got anybody new in for the fullback positions, surely there are a couple of unemployed footballers that we can afford out there who can do a job, they cant be worse than what we already have. Didnt Mcdonald play at right back last season, why cant he now instead of Tonge? What is happening with Jake Hutchings, we keep hearing how promising he is and how good he is going to be,why cant he pair up with Downes if Pearce is out?

Surely that team yesterday was not our best 11, 4 of them on the transfer list and another on a monthly deal.
C H, that selection was a boring, same old, play safe, lack of b0ll0ck$, unimaginative line up, please show a bit more imagination and at least try some of the new players out. You could interchange much of that team and the replacements surely couldnt be much worse.

AustrianAndyGull wrote: First of all Lucy I find your post a bit insulting. I am a grown man yes but I'm not explaining my reasons once again for cutting ties. Some of the board have gone now which I'm pleased as I feel a couple of them are disingenuine. This can only bode well for the future of TUFC if Thea gets in new folks with no agenda and an exuberant approach their roles with common sense, dignity and honesty. All I came on to post is to bear a thought for those that went today because I know (knew) many of them and I've been there and know what they must have felt. I have no wish to get sympathy, just to appreciate what they have sacrificed for today to support a losing team.
I also find you refreshingly honest and brutal Lucy and I appreciate that so thankyou and I always enjoy your posts. Crazy lady!!

Good to know that you're still prowling this Forum, Andy ! Yes - I thought Lucy's posting was rather acid - must be that time of the month ...... I have to say that if I lived 250 miles from Plainmoor, I would change my allegiance to a local team, although Torquay would always be my no. 1 club. I bet the Gulls result is the first one you look for at 4.45 on a Saturday.

To disagree with you on one point, though - the three board members who have stepped down, especially Alex Rowe, are probably the three with the most business acumen. It's fine saying bring in 'new folks', but where are these 'new folk' coming from? Thea Bristow appealed last year for new blood to join the Board. The result? A deathly silence. Most clubs go through difficult times but bounce back sooner or later. I think we are turning a corner and hopefully better times will return sooner rather than later. I hope you enjoy your football this season, Andy - is it the Rams you're watching now? Please come on here from time to time to let us know about your match experience at Derby.

On the match itself, yes - the fans who made it all the way to Gateshead deserve a huge amount of praise. Dave Thomas on the radio commentary said that the away support the Gulls always receive is fantastic - loyal fans one and all. He also said that the team 'lacked tempo' (a criticism from last season) and that the team play was very predictable (another criticism from last season). To those who were there, are those fair comments?

tomogull wrote: Good to know that you're still prowling this Forum, Andy ! Yes - I thought Lucy's posting was rather acid - must be that time of the month ...... I have to say that if I lived 250 miles from Plainmoor, I would change my allegiance to a local team, although Torquay would always be my no. 1 club. I bet the Gulls result is the first one you look for at 4.45 on a Saturday.

To disagree with you on one point, though - the three board members who have stepped down, especially Alex Rowe, are probably the three with the most business acumen. It's fine saying bring in 'new folks', but where are these 'new folk' coming from? Thea Bristow appealed last year for new blood to join the Board. The result? A deathly silence. Most clubs go through difficult times but bounce back sooner or later. I think we are turning a corner and hopefully better times will return sooner rather than later. I hope you enjoy your football this season, Andy - is it the Rams you're watching now? Please come on here from time to time to let us know about your match experience at Derby.

On the match itself, yes - the fans who made it all the way to Gateshead deserve a huge amount of praise. Dave Thomas on the radio commentary said that the away support the Gulls always receive is fantastic - loyal fans one and all. He also said that the team 'lacked tempo' (a criticism from last season) and that the team play was very predictable (another criticism from last season). To those who were there, are those fair comments?

TBH..I was trying to get a reaction from Andy. I respect the guy 100%, just can't understand how you can stop supporting a club? I live in Wigan but come from Liverpool, would I support one of those and ditch Torquay , no chance. I have no connection to Torquay, but they are my chosen club and have spent £1000's supporting them. I love Torquay and the fans are in my opinion TOP people. C u at Chester.

A disappointing performance. Briscoe had a couple of 'flashes' of skill; Ajala did a lot more than Benyon when he came on. Overall, poor defensively and had little to show for in the middle-of-the-park.

Must give Gateshead some credit too. They played well and took their chances. I think they'll be up near the top come the end of the season. Not sure if Torquay will be there - based on that performance - but we started slowly in our previous seasons in this league. So, that result does not temper my optimism of a (possible) bounceback into League Two. I guess only time will tell.

On another note, the crowd was listed as 1,700-plus. I went and I'm pretty certain that it was nowhere near that figure. To my eye, there was never 1,500 plus in their 'Main Stand'! Anyone care to disagree?