Torquay United v AFC Wimbledon - 3/8/13

[exiledgull]

People like yourself mate, just continue to be negative and see no bigger picture. Yes we all would have liked to win 6-0. But our team was assembled Thursday night.

We all remember during pre season you criticising everything, saying we won't get a new striker in etc etc, and everytime was proven otherwise. All who went to the game know its a work in progress, we need time to gel.

You say defensive players played terrible, but we let in one deflected goal? Imagine if we ever conceded 2 goals! Wow they would be Sunday league standard then.

Just relax enjoy the football and see what happens that's all you can do.

[SteveDeckchair]

Got to disagree with you Brucie. Ball has bags of quality and only a bind man wouldn't see it. I take it you were in the toilet when he took the ball down, found a yard and grazed the post from 25 yards in the second half?

Also thought Harding was anonymous, so how you can say he was the pick of the new players is beyond me.

Oh, and exiled? You'd take Hawley over Benners on that performance? Sorry mate, bit that is just laughable!

[Oil Beef Hooked]

Exilegull - I hope you are not suggesting that we are going to finish in the top 3. We are 6/1 to be relegated and that is about right I would say.

Fickt zuliebe, ere we go again! 1st game of the season and its started already. We're doomed, goners, fu<k3d! :slap:

Give the lads a chance, they've been playing together for less than 2 weeks, (some of them less than that). They need time to gel and get to know each other before playing to their strengths.

Keep the faith, we'll come good.

[Richinns]

Yesterday there were signs of encouragement. We need to remember we have to be able to walk before we can run. We have had major surgery on the squad since last year and these things take time. Yes Wimbledon looked more of a team than we did but that is understandable seeing as the players are only just starting to know each other let alone play together.

I thought Martin Rice deserves massive credit and the abuse he has taken in the past (myself included) is totally unwarranted with a performance like that. I also thought he kicking was very good as well.

Cameron looks a real find - he had a quiet second half mainly due to the fact we were unable to get the ball down in central mid and therefore give it to him. Wingers rely on having the ball at their feet and are out of the game without this.

Bodin had moments of pure class when you realise just how good a player he is and then moments of complete frustration but I was pleased to see the crowd did not get on his back too much today.

Downes (apart from 1 unfortunate incident) was class.

Ball is not as good in the air as I had hoped but is a very tidy player and will score goals. Was unlucky not to today.

Benyon was never really in the game although (as always) he tried hard.

Pearce and Tonge were shaky at the start but improved as the game went on.

Harding is an interesting one. For a big bloke he does not command the physical presence he should but is a good distributor of the ball and will play a very important part this year as we were desperate for a playmaker last year.

I thought Nico had a average game as did Manse.

Chappell did a decent job when he came on and credit must be given to Knill for bringing Thompson on at right-back and trying something different to change it which worked. You also have to give credit to Thompson for not getting excited and smashing the ball at goal, as the crowd wanted, and it was a superb ball in to the box for a great Downes header.

Overall - more is needed and there is more to come but not a massive shock or disappointment in my book.

[exiledgull]

Can you explain to me why it is "laughable".

Hawley scored more goals in a division above then Benyon did in a league below. But my opinion is laughable? I know why I use to just read this message board and not comment, if you have an opinion is laughable.

Hawley looked stronger as you'd imagine, however didn't look fit. He came and linked play very well I thought even though he didn't look too sharp. I would start him on Tuesday just so he can get some match practice.

[wivelgull]

Mr. Forevertufc: I stand with the group of 'golden oldies' who yesterday were behind and to the left of Mr. Candy (i.e. as you look down from the back of the pop. side stand).
M. Brehaut: excuse-moi. You are right. So: Downes: another excellent display. ****and a half. Guilbert: the usual. He appeared for twenty of minutes or so before the start of the game, wandered about a bit, and then disappeared.Surely our mascot can do better than this: *

[brucie]

Exilegull - Please don't make things up. I said Tonge was terrible. Rice was excellent as was Downes who is a fantastic centre half. If he gets injured we will really be in trouble.
Our team wasn't actually assembled on Thursday night. Thats another untrue statement. We signed two players on Thursday, one of whom (Hawley) only actually played for around 20 minutes. The rest of the squad have been together for weeks.
Whilst they are a new group of players - that is accepted, then Wimbledon are in exactly the same position as we are (and indeed they also signed a striker this week).
They managed to look a far more cohesive unit than we did.
So our team wasn't actually assembled on Thursday night at all was it?
As for your opinion that from Hawley's cameo he is better than Benyon that is indeed laughable and you probably deserve to be derided for it.

[ferrarilover]

Agree with Dutch on this, Ricey makes three good (but let's not go overboard) saves and we should lose 4-1. We have half a dozen chances ourselves which don't go in (and one which does, but is ruled out for offside), but apparently they don't count.

Rice did what goalkeepers do, he stopped some goalbound shots. The only difference between them and is yesterday was that their shots were on target and ours were just (and I mean just) off target.
Rice was MOTM because he was the best of an ordinary bunch. For all their much lauded good work, none of the AFCW players would have been MOTM ahead of Ricey either, so they can't have been that good.

Matt.

[royalgull]

Perhaps absence of Plainmoor makes the heart grow fonder but I enjoyed yesterdays game quite a lot.

Agreed with Matt's point to an extent but I thought it was 2 good L2 sides in a chess match working each other out in what are often cagey affairs on the opening day of the season and the last 5 minutes reminded us all of the highs and lows of supporting a football team.

Rice the joke, pathetic, clueless bloke we've got yet again was man of the match in a game he played, 3 brilliant saves, his distribution is probably the best in the league and that was spot on. He told me before hand Knill instructed him to hit the diag to Bodin whenever he got it, his accuracy throughout was superb.

Posession of the shirt is 9/10ths of the law in football, Poke through no fault of his own gave up the shirt, Rice has taken it and should stay in the side now until if and when Poke deserves it back. Right now he doesn't. I bet that hurt a few of you when it was announced he got motm!!

Pearce, hmm indifferent but its early. Good footballer, good size and I think he'll get better. His defensive play was pretty shoddy and his positioning especially poor, 2 chipped straight balls caught him out and Rice saved him the first time and he took the booking the second. I think he will prove to be very good though, he'll get stronger as the weeks go on.

Tonge yeah ok, steady full back which is all we needed, not too many frills he's not going to be bombing forward too often but he was ok, Downes was by far the pick of the defenders and was outstanding. Delighted he got the goal because he didn't deserve to be the one to cost us in effect.

Cameron pacey, direct, very left footed which is fine but I'd like to see him operate down the left side. Was a bit disappointed he went off as he was still causing problems. Proper winger, stays wide will be a good player at this level.

Harding, can tell he played CM for Northampton! Big, competitive thought he did ok, he's not very flash but passed it ok won some second balls a reasonable start, need a bit more from him and Manse though, they are quite similar players in what they bring to the side on that showing, could be an issue.

Chappell improved us when he came on, was very unlucky with the shot he put just wide, I'd like to see him on the right, Cameron on the left personally. Niall Thompson also had an impact with the match saving cross, Bodin was ineffectual although the effort was there it wasn't his day but overall a positive day for the wide players.

Ball to me looked a young player trying to make an impact, some of the shots he took on were a bit daft but there's a player there, he could be important to us and he holds the ball up reasonably well as did Benyon. Elliot was busy, took a few kicks and is deceptively strong for a little bloke, considering Ball only turned up Thursday I thought early signs were promising. Hawley looked like a bloke who hadn't trained with us at all, just looked short of games and couldn't get in the game. Needs 90mins at Swindon really. Again promising for me that we've got forward options plus the two young lads as well. Good to see Sullivan on the bench so obviously well thought of.

Overall positive signs, good not to lose, thinks to work on which we will and we will improve. The important things are we actually have the personell to be a good side at this level, I think we'll have a good season to be honest.

[SEgull]

Yesterday there were signs of encouragement. We need to remember we have to be able to walk before we can run. We have had major surgery on the squad since last year and these things take time. .

I think that Richinns is right here. We do need time to be in and I think people should be patient for the first 10 games or so. New management, new players, new system. It will all take a bit of time.

[Pea]

Exilegull - I hope you are not suggesting that we are going to finish in the top 3. We are 6/1 to be relegated and that is about right I would say.

How can you say that is right, based on ONE game? The first game of the season, where members of the team haven't had time to 'gel' yet, and much like all teams, a little lethargic after the summer off?

In my opinion it's far FAR too early to be predicting where we'll finish in nine months.

Did you go to the Yeovil pre-season match? Dan Sullivan played the goalkeeper for a mug, not once, but twice. I'll be the first to admit I'm not as football savvy as most on here, but I think you're being unjustly unfair here Brucie. Give the lads a chance. There's some real promise in a lot of the players.

Give them a couple more weeks and you'll see that beginning to show, and if your opinion hasn't changed, fair enough, but I think it just might.

[ferrarilover]

Uh oh, he's got one on the hook. This won't end well...

Matt.

[Dave]

Matt, instead of a career in law, you such think of going into to politics, in your attempt to spin this into a yes we deserved a point, you have completely taken the credit away from Ricey in what was a top class goalkeeping performance.

I am sure Royalgull a decent keeper in his own right will back me up, goalkeeping is largely about good technique as well as confidence and agility anyone can dive around a goal, most would not make a good keeper, he didn’t just make three saves, he made three saves that if this had been a premier game match of day would have highlighted, on top of three top class saves he also made three other stops which he probably won’t get much credit for, one of them a well struck shot straight at him in the first half , where Ricey performed what can only be described as a perfectly executed scoop and ground technique.

He stopped a shot in the first half low to his left, most keepers are coached lead hand is the shot stopper and to stop the ball coming loose second hand is the clamper, Ricey spot on again.

Keepers when taking crosses are normally coached to take an aggressive side on stance , jump either using the left or right need up depending on the angle for balance , lock in elbows and take the ball at the highest point, Ricey took a couple of crosses spot on again.

Royal already gone through his distribution yesterday, as good as any I have seen at this level. One last point soft hands to catch, hard hands to parry, seen keepers at all levels concede goals through what’s commonly known as either lettuce or limp dick wrists, Ricey parried away a shot in the second half and key here Matt is the distance the ball travelled from Ricey’s parry, it nearly went out for a throw in technique spot on again.

Let’s not go to over board, no. Let’s do go over board, that was one of the best technical goalkeeping performances I’ve seen for a Torquay keeper in a long time, had it been Bobby.O two seasons back someone would have done a stand alone thread over it.

Not only should Martin Rice be very proud of that, so should Kenny Veysey. Ricey should be held as a prime example to all our young players, of what hard work and patience can do, because he is 10 times the keeper that Buckle signed back in our conference days.

[Fonda]

Well I've learnt something from this thread - only certain sections of the ground are allowed to sing? Plenty of comment from those in other areas of the ground that the Pop wasn't loud enough? Obviously not allowed to make a sound in the Bench? Maybe those over there, so keen to make some noise, ought to come over to the Pop and lend their voices? Every little helps.

[Dave]

Sorry, just to add, I do not want to come across as I am being negative about our own team peroformance. I totaly agree with the majority on here, there was plently to be positive about and already said it may take a few weeks for the team to bed in and gel.

Just being honest on the game itself, Wimbledon were the better team on the day, they worked our keeper, we had chances got into good podtions didn't work their keeper, they will be rightly be very dissapointed not have taken the 3 pts.