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yellowsmiffy wrote:
I wish we'd sacked Knill after the Rochdale game.

I agree and when he didn't get the sack 7 days later, we missed the best chance of staying up.

brucie wrote:There isn't really any time. Knill should have gone two months ago. ]We are so far adrift (pointswise) that we are going to have to produce promotion form to get out of the mire. Short of appointing merlin as the manager it looks likely that we are going down.
In some ways it was worse that we played well yesterday, deserved to win and didn't. It was a result that really hurt.
Whether we look like a doomed side or not doesn't matter. We have to start winning games and quickly - its a massive ask really.

I often agree with your comments, brucie, but this simply isn't true. We're on the same points as 22nd (safety), three points behind 20th and six points behind 16th (lower mid table finish). Any run of reasonable form will see us quite easily move out of the bottom two.

I know other teams have one, or perhaps two, games in hand on us but this is the bottom of the league; most games end in meagre points returns and you would not expect these games to be won as you would leading teams.

Are we in trouble? Most obviously. Are we "cut adrift"? Most obviously not.

Trojan 67 wrote: I agree and when he didn't get the sack 7 days later, we missed the best chance of staying up.

YOU HAVE MORE SENCE THAN THE BOARD!

Trojan 67 wrote:

Oops.. I meant Shaun North.. :Oops:

Well it certainly won't be Neil Warnock who in his weekly column in the Football League Paper today writes his top story under the heading: ' Gulls job is one of the toughest challenges' with the sub-heading:' Would I go back? No way.'
He offers some advice as to the type of player to attract to what he describes as an exceptionally difficult geographical area. His priority would be to target young players on loan who are single and want to gain some experience.
Think we probably know that already!

If the club are going to promote from within then I'd support former Babbacombe Rangers manager and all-round Plainmoor runaround Cedric Munslow.

:whip:

Ernie Pym, please.

What is richard hancox up to? (oh - it's ok we have ball boys....)

I fully expect that Hargreaves will be inducted as the new manager in the next day or so. I understand that he doesn't want to leave devon so if the choice is down to Northampton or us he will choose us.
I don't really see they are too many options really - my one concern would be that he is pally with some of the players so I guess that Nicholson will be in the team every week and he is a major weakness.
I still think its a massive ask for anyone to keep us up.
Its been a farce from start to finish with Knill this season. We have had loan players here when we don't apparently know whether they have gone back or not. Marquis apparently went back injured and then played for Millwall when Knill didn't seem to know how whether he was coming back here or not.
Is Stockley still here,gone back or injured - does anyone have a clue?

brucie wrote:I fully expect that Hargreaves will be inducted as the new manager in the next day or so. I understand that he doesn't want to leave devon so if the choice is down to Northampton or us he will choose us.
I don't really see they are too many options really - my one concern would be that he is pally with some of the players so I guess that Nicholson will be in the team every week and he is a major weakness.
I still think its a massive ask for anyone to keep us up.
Its been a farce from start to finish with Knill this season. We have had loan players here when we don't apparently know whether they have gone back or not. Marquis apparently went back injured and then played for Millwall when Knill didn't seem to know how whether he was coming back here or not.
Is Stockley still here,gone back or injured - does anyone have a clue?

if it is hargreaves, then we will be relegated.

The bookies now make Hargreaves 1/6 for the Torquay job and he has now dropped to fourth favourite at 16/1 for the Northampton job. Paul Sturrock now 7/1. it does look fairly nailed on although sometimes surprises do happen.
I have my reservations if it is Hargreaves around his lack of experience but think he will bring the squad together and have the supporters on his side and have an infectious enthusiasm which I hope will spread to the players.

From the names that have been mentioned, and who is a realistic target, then I am warming to the idea of Chris Hargreaves.

In the position we are in - geographically, financially and positionally - we are not going to attract anyone without a blemish or two on their CV. We'll be taking someone off the merry-go-round to try their luck here, and if it doesn't work out in six months time could be looking at a very long spell in the non-league. The best we could hope for is someone like Martin Ling or Alan Knill, who have succeeded at some clubs, and failed at others. Seeing as we have sacked two of them in the last year, a fresh approach can't hurt.

As has been pointed out, our last few promotions have come with a fresh, young manager with a career to forge and everything to prove. In Hargreaves, we will get that, as well as someone who knows the Club and knows what it is like to play at this level.

I think we have some talent in the squad, certainly more than previous struggling sides we have had. We won't have huge amounts of money to dismantle the squad and bring in new faces, so we need someone to give a lift to what we have, and that is where Hargreaves would be good. The fans would be behind him, the players would be behind him, and the whole Club would get a lift. He might also be able to get the best out of Stockley, having managed him at Bournemouth, which with Marquis gone back, is something we could do with.

It might be tough for him to manage Mansell and Nicholson in particular, having been best friends with them, but the next six months are crucial, and they can both still offer something for the rest of the season.

I have been torn between the idea of an experienced man such as Paul Sturrock or Martin Allen or a completely new boss such as Chris Hargreaves. There are pros and cons either way, certainly both Sturrock and Allen have had success at saving clubs in the mire, but having had managers at Plainmoor with experience in the recent past with a mix of relative success (play-offs) and failure (23rd in the table), perhaps the time has come to give Hargreaves his chance. He knows the club, will be full of enthusiasm, and most importantly he will be able to restore this enthusiasm to the squad who, before the departure of Alan Knill, had undeniably lost heart over the course of this season, and this, to my mind, is the most important factor.

Hargreaves for me..

I would be happy with Hargreaves but hope he has someone experienced along side him as an Assistant or DoF? Heart says Sturrock but budget says not! I am sure Harrop could do a job in this type role perhaps?

brucie wrote: Is Stockley still here,gone back or injured - does anyone have a clue?

I've seen that his loan expired on the 4th. No idea if it was extended though.