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Four and a half hours in the car for my first match of the season.
Knew at half time that one goal was never going to be enough... 3 and I might have relaxed.
Not sure who dropped off Howe for their equaliser but very poor. They also capitalised on an exposed GG who was being swamped at times.
Young was by far the best player on the pitch. Poor Bliss had too much aimed at his head when it should have been to his feet.
LRT put in a few decent crosses but had nobody on the end of them. The rest of his game was sadly way off the mark. Quality goal from Williams. Subs made no difference whereas Southports did. Worryingly low crowd (but who can blame the regulars was opting to do something else with their Saturdays).
Richards had a lot of huff and puff without any end result. Too many wrong choices from the majority of players when a simpler ball could have been played. Same old same old.

Orange Gull wrote:Sparkes hopes to be back for the next game.
https://x.com/J_GRANT1109/status/792451843385425920

The player I saw score a hat-trick against us last season is not the same player I see this season. Why?

Somehow we need to get some experience in the squad. Courtney is not a leader. The players are either lacking any confidence, not fit enough and not playing for the manager. We are just lacking in every department. Im not sure Nico can turn this around.

TUST_Member_Rob wrote: People complain about no width we have 1 winger who didn't even play

Yes Rob that is correct, but it's also, exactly the point. Why have we only got 1 winger in the squad, today it was so blindingly obvious that Southport's full backs had the freedom of Torbay out on the pitch today.

It's crying out of a couple a pacey and NATURAL wide players, and it's got nothing to do with lack of funds, are we really saying there isn't a couple of young, hungry players down a step or two who wouldn't fancy a shot at full time football with us, of course those players are out there, scout them.

Nico seems to prefer a compact 4-3-3 system without the natural width, like many I don't like this system, are full backs get exposed but this has been happening for ages, last time we had any natural width was under Ling when he opted for a 4-5-1, anyway you can play whatever formation you want when it is as it is at present we are just poor everywhere.
How many times have we had a young wide player only to be sat on the bench because either the pitches are too poor etc etc. The player then loses confidence and we get rid.
One example was Jordan Chappell but theres been loads.

My God! In the past some post-match reports have, en masse, been awful, but this collection beats the lot. You don't have to read between the lines to see the obvious, and that obvious is relegation, if not worse.
If only someone could explain, fairly simply, how we have got in this mess. I still cannot fully grasp the reasons for this shocking decline.

Even by National League standards, that was sub-standard football by two sub-standard sides who will be struggling against relegation if they play like that, plus sub-standard refereeing. A dreadful afternoon. Congratulations to the 400 who decided to give it a miss. Today was as bad as anything we were seeing at this time last October.

Rowe-Turner was unprofessional by getting involved in a 'spat' at the end with individuals who call themselves supporters and neither should agricultural player Gerring who came running across spoiling for a scrap. Some people said Gerring told fans to "F*** Off" although I didn't hear it myself.

Probably, because with a few exceptions the squad consists of players that other clubs wouldn't touch with a bargepole

forevertufc wrote:It's crying out of a couple a pacey and NATURAL wide players, and it's got nothing to do with lack of funds, are we really saying there isn't a couple of young, hungry players down a step or two who wouldn't fancy a shot at full time football with us, of course those players are out there, scout them.

Even if there are young, hungry players a step or two lower out there, they would be under contract at this stage of the season, so to sign them would require a fee we cannot afford; and waiting until next season may be too late.

tomogull wrote:Even by National League standards, that was sub-standard football by two sub-standard sides who will be struggling against relegation if they play like that, plus sub-standard refereeing. A dreadful afternoon. Congratulations to the 400 who decided to give it a miss. Today was as bad as anything we were seeing at this time last October.

Rowe-Turner was unprofessional by getting involved in a 'spat' at the end with individuals who call themselves supporters and neither should agricultural player Gerring who came running across spoiling for a scrap. Some people said Gerring told fans to "F*** Off" although I didn't hear it myself.

I think you are being a bit harsh of Southport there. They played quite well today for a team who were in the bottom 4 and totally deserved to win.

Plainmoor78 wrote: Even if there are young, hungry players a step or two lower out there, they would be under contract at this stage of the season, so to sign them would require a fee we cannot afford; and waiting until next season may be too late.

Maybe, maybe not. I'm talking about step 6,7 most players are part-time on pay as you play deals, personally think there's desperate need to add some balance to this team.

A Realist wrote: I think you are being a bit harsh of Southport there. They played quite well today for a team who were in the bottom 4 and totally deserved to win.

Maybe so, A.R. But I think it was more of a case that we made them look the less poor side because we were standing off their players all over the pitch. They seemed to have the freedom of Plainmoor in the second half.

Scout them.

And get these scouts from where?
Pay them with what?
Sign these players with what?
Pay them with what?
House them with what?
Accommodate them on away trips with what?
Insure them with what?
Feed them with what?
Provide them with kit with what?
Pay their Government mandated pension with what?
Pay their NI with what?
Pay Gareth Law to fitness test/treat the with what?
Pay Patrick to write the website piece with what?

I reckon recruiting a couple of these 'free' players would cost us £5k. You're going to foot that bill on a van driver's salary, are you?

Why do you people not understand? Considering you're residents of one of the most deprived areas of the country and, judging by the way most of you dress/smell, you fit the demographic pretty well, you don't see to have much of a grasp of what having 'not a penny in the coffers' actually means.

Face it, we're not getting any players any time soon unless something changes. The players, staff and fans that we've got are it. We are the crew of Apollo 13 and six amps is all the power we have. If Jim Lovell can't work out a way to switch on the necessary computers without going over that, we're dying in a tin can floating through space. No Wonga loans. No 15 minutes drinking-up time. No emergency fiver stuffed in a shoe to get us home from the casino after we've spunked a monkey on the Roulette wheel. What we've got is what we've got. Steel yourself for the fight, or slink off into the shadows. Cards on the table, gentlemen.

Matt.

Typos galore. Fill in the blanks yourselves, I'm off to bed.

ferrarilover wrote: Steel yourself for the fight, or slink off into the shadows. Cards on the table, gentlemen.

Matt.

Busted Flush......I'm enjoying life in the shadows