exilegull wrote: ↑10 Aug 2017, 22:46Merse is there any indication that there were any question marks around Gowling's fitness before he signed - 2 seasons ago he played a full conference season and last season he simply seems to have fallen out of favour with the manager as a regular starter so did only played about 20 games but didn't have any injury problems - it seems most of the season he coached the youth team.
I've spoken to someone with a lot more knowledge of the 'Gowling situation' and as to why he didn't play for Grimsby after January 2nd and they tell me he was informed he would not play for the manager again following the Christmas period ~ as to why was not revealed and is no business of anyone else either ~ and it is believed that Nicholson tried to procure him on loan until the end of last season, but for some reason or another this did not materialise.
He consequently went without any National League football from January 2nd until he played against Tranmere last Saturday so no specific injury problem but at 33 one of getting back to the levels of fitness and resilience need for this league?
His pre-season was interrupted having to miss the home game with Plymouth Argyle and following 'opening up his knee' at Plymouth Parkway where he came on for the second half; the Truro game as well. Was there not some doubt as to whether he would play against Tranmere in the lead up to that game? I think there was so I would surmise maybe over his condition ~ having been bereft of pitch time in meaningful and testing action for so long ~ rather than anything specifically injury related. Maybe Tranmere was too early for him.
I agree that on the face of it; such a player should be ideal to build the defence around, particularly given last season's lack of assertion and organisation amongst it and his coaching experience should also add to that cache of experience and I really hope that he turns out to be a great asset for the squad and I guess a club in the position of Torquay United (what with all the negative factors of location, limited resources and personnel) might not be able to apply such strict levels of scrutiny when bringing players in. I understand that.
Having now had time to see the highlights, we'd have been very fortunate to come out with anything really. Clarke was by far the busier of the two keepers. I do believe that their third goal, however, does have some question marks over it. Rendell and Clarke are very clearly pulling at each other and keeping each other grounded. A lot of referees would favour the keeper in this position, even if it isn't exactly within the rules.
Still, we seemed far too happy letting Aldershot have possession in our final third - I'm hoping we don't go for a flat 4-4-2 again on Saturday as we could very easily get overrun in the middle of the park again.
Hector I cannot agree with you that the National League "is a shit League".
It is a very competitive League in the 5th tier of English football. Wrexham who can get 6,000 gates have failed to gain promotion in 6 years? Look how long it took Lincoln to regain their Football League status. I think standards are going up not down.
In a really poor League you would get the stronger teams winning 6-0 but that happens very rarely in the National League.
Surely Osborne wants us to retain National League status at the very least to justify a new stadium?
portugull wrote: ↑11 Aug 2017, 10:42Surely Osborne wants us to retain National League status at the very least to justify a new stadium?
Yes; he knows that he has to show good stewardship of the club to gain credence with those who will determine whether or not land is to be made available and then giving planning permission to start with ~ and that has to happen before planning permission can be given to re-develop Plainmoor and that before the freehold of Plainmoor can be put up for sale.........
Well one would hope so and then add to that a new home for the club constructed and be operational before anyone can as much as touch a single element at Plainmoor.
How much confidence do any of us have that this would be the case though?
......and no; the National League is not a shit league ~ far from it. It is a very demanding league with a diminished opening at the top for promotion in comparison to League 2. When you do go down, you naturally expect a rather lower standard of football; that's why you have been put there because you weren't good enough for the league you were relegated from.
And as this club has proved; if you're bad enough to go down you certainly aren't good enough to get up again without a vast improvement in performance and standards..........we're still waiting!
Merse I believe that Gowling wasn't the only senior player to fall out with the manager at Grimsby last year. I've been trawling through their forums and most were disappointed Gowling was no longer involved but no sign of injury concern. 33 nowadays should be fine as long as he looks after himself and by all accounts he is a very good pro.
Hopefully its a just a knock and as you say he will just need a bit longer to get back into things. I think it was right starting with the strongest line up possible against Tranmere even if there were some doubts on fitness - a good start at home is important.
tomogull wrote: ↑10 Aug 2017, 15:19
Of course, this is not the league we want to be in but as we all know, the club has disintergrated into possibly the worst situation it has been in since being accepted into the Footbal League all those years ago. It is going to take time to re-build the club, but whilst we have our suspicions of Clarke Osborne's true intentions, there are some positive signs this season that the club is being turned around. Although there is no news on the promised board of local directors which leaves Mr Osborne in sole charge and therefore unaccountable for his decisions.
I think you're being harsh in describing this as a shit league. Clubs that have got out of it in recent seasons have held their own in League 2. I'm thinking of Luton, Grimsby, Newport, Cheltenham, Barnet and I think Lincoln will establish thenselves as a league side. Paul Cox, the Barrow manager, thinks the league is getting stronger and I think he's right. Promoted sides this season - Ebbsfleet and AFC Fylde - are well backed financially and I think Maidenhead will do okay because they've got a strong fan base. Perhaps Halifax will struggle. What lets the league down is the level of the match officials, but I do agree with Dave Thomas in this week's Herald Express when he writes that making the Offside Rules, for example, more complicated makes it more difficult for match officials. Looking at the video footage of Aldershot's third goal, if that had been an away side that impeded the 'keeper as Clarke obviously was, would the goal be allowed to stand? I doubt it very much !!
The fact is that we are so poor that teams like Bromley, Dartford are seen as preferable options for players we have, whilst losing to teams like these and worse has become norm, so is excused by the 'tough league' label.
There are indeed teams who are well backed but there are also teams who are not, who are part-time, have attendances that are 5 times smaller than ours and yet we struggle to compete with them because we are shit. Some of those teams, e.g. Newport/Cheltenham, actually have struggled in League 2 but regardless of the quality of teams at the top, this division is made up of so many poor sides, with journeymen players that simply avoiding not being crap enough to get relegated should NEVER be seen as an achievement. For many the National League has almost become the norm, our place, all we are good for. Soon it will be the old Batesonesque mantra of "we are punching above our weight being in this league" when actually it is embarrassing being in this division, let alone not being good enough to feel secure in it.
Hector - we are where we are because of crass mismanagement of the club at Board level, albeit with those with good intentions for the club. Until the club is put on a secure footing, yes - we will bump along with clubs such as Bromley, Boreham Wood and Dartford. But don't forget that these clubs can pick up good part time players living in the London area who have well-paid main jobs and wouldn't want to move to Torquay on a lower income. Whether our fortunes will improve under GI, we shall have to wait and see, but I agree that they don't inspire much confidence. Frankly, sad as it is, I think we are in this league for the long haul and can only hope for a season-by-season improvement.
