TorquayFans.com | Torquay United Fans Forum

Delighted with today's appointments.

For a few months I've been hoping Hargreaves would be appointed as our next manager. There's no denying the risk of going for a rookie manager, but I don't believe there was a better option available to us. Forget experience and journeymen, it's time we had someone in charge who has energy and fresh ideas, wants to live in the south west, is passionate about our club, and will get the full backing of a disillusioned Plainmoor crowd.

Hargreaves' work at Exeter and Bournemouth seems to have impressed, and having Hodges' greater managerial experience and calm influence suggest a winning combination.

It's been a long period of gloom as a Torquay fan, and there's still a massive relegation battle to win, but with thoughts of Kevin Hodges, Leroy and Buckle in mind, for the first time in ages, I'm excited for the future of our club. Greavsie, we're right behind you!

Chris Hargreaves' Yellow Army!

Great news! Very happy to see Hargreaves and Hodges in tandem, here's to a long and successful Torquay career for them both.

taxilady wrote:Steve Breed is delighted with today's news

He get's so excited in commentary that I fear he would have spontaniously combusted with this news!

great news! very much looking forward to the Wimbledon game now!

Delighted to be honest, we got a man who will care, knows how to coach and to lead - and will be able to turn a negative into a positive, fingers crossed now we get some momentum in the next couple of games and then build!

We got our Greavsie back, we got our Greavsie back la la la lala and so on!

COYY !!!

Spot on Robiberto

3 key words are
-Care
-Coach
-Lead

All lacking for the past 12 months, perhaps longer

Welcome home Chris and Lee, really looking forward to the challenge now, no stopping us now, everything is possible!

I had been thinking along the lines of somebody like Shaun North as assistant to Chris Hargreaves (Shaun is currently with AFC Wimbledon as Under-21 Development Coach, after working at Bristol Rovers and at Plainmoor with Paul Buckle) but the appointment of Lee Hodges is even better. We have as good a chance of avoiding relegation with them as with anybody, but more importantly, though nothing is guaranteed in football, they will be the management team most likely, in my view, to take us forward to a successful future.

Despite our situation I think this could work out well for us. Certainly gets my unqualified support. Chris Hargreaves Yellow Army Feeling just a bit more upbeat now

Quite pleased with this appointment. I've always liked Greavesie and - hopefully - he'll instill some much-needed confidence in the entire squad. Let's start with a decent (or even a bloody terrible) win at Kingsmeadow on Saturday.

Let's not kid ourselves though, we're still deep in the brown stuff - let's hope the Greavesie/Hodges duo can turn our fortunes around in time!

I might even visit Plainmoor again before the season's out (which I would definitely not have done if the previous incumbent was still around).

One of the possible candidates before Hargreaves and Hodges were appointed was Steve Burr who, interestingly today has parted company withKidderminster Harriers. I wonder where he's off to? Northampton?

AC Northants wheel of delusion keeps turning. They're giving it a load of mouth about Jesus "lacking ambition" by choosing us over them.

Across the last 4 years, since we have been in the same division, Torquay have made the playoffs on twice as many occasions as Northants. We've averaged a finishing position of 12th versus their 14th. It's **** all good pointing at all those years in L1, they're dead and gone, that club doesn't exist any longer. The fact is, Northants, that, as it stands, Torquay are a better bet than your horrible band of catastrophically deluded idiots. We don't sack our manager every five minutes (well, sort of) and we have a much better recent history. We're much more stable and you're the only side in the while football league worse than us (takes some doing).

Matt.

Welcome back to Greavsie. Must admit that appointment came completely out of left-field. The board showed great imagination by recruiting him. They could have taken the easy route, and just opted for a league level coach with historic ties to the club. Oh...

In fairness in some ways it is quite a clever move. They’ve opted for the one man that due to his previous time at the club, will be universally popular – and is likely to be excused any level of performance. Was it a short-list of one I wonder...?

His popularity will definitely create a more positive outlook around the club. Certainly on the terraces, and presumably in the dressing room too. He’ll also doubtless be expressive on the touchline – which will prove to the kids that he cares. This is massively important. Whether he can coach is neither here nor there, as long as he jumps around on the touchline and shouts, he’ll do fine. Standing with hands in pockets is managerial suicide.

Apart from the extremely obvious nature of the choice, I do have a degree of optimism. His popularity will be of benefit – any defeat will be accepted and considered a ‘learning curve’. It won’t be met with the gnashing of teeth that greeted every other defeat this season. That can only help him and the players.

Whether he has the tactical nous for a relegation scrap is little more than guess work. However popular a player or manager is, to give a complete rookie a relegation scrap is a massive gamble. We literally have no frame of reference for how this might turn out. But it’ll be exciting, and I’m prepared to bet even the defeats will feel like victories to some.

He’s already proven his own shrewdness by describing the task at Plainmoor as ‘gargantuan’. He’s basically keeping expectancy on the floor, and washing his hands of any responsibility if it goes wrong. Essentially it was already broken beyond repair...(Well we’ve been in much worse situations, and it’s certainly not a lost cause at this stage).

Flippancy and joking apart, I am hopeful that Greavsie (and Hodges) will ride the tide of joy and carry us to safety. If positivity counts for anything, the club is suddenly in a much better place. Good luck H&H.

Fonda wrote:Whether he has the tactical nous for a relegation scrap is little more than guess work. However popular a player or manager is, to give a complete rookie a relegation scrap is a massive gamble. We literally have no frame of reference for how this might turn out.

Fonda, someone will point out Eddie Howe so it might as well be me

Sunnysideup wrote: Fonda, someone will point out Eddie Howe so it might as well be me

Yep. That gamble worked out very well. But it was still a gamble.

He wasn't an obvious choice at all. The simplest option would be to take someone recently fired from another League club and give them six months. No-one would criticise them for doing this, whereas if a first time manager takes us down, the board will take a lot of stick.

From the article and comments coming from the Bournemouth Manager and Chairman, they are very sorry to lose him from their coaching staff, their Chairman said "he was an integral part of our success over the last few years and bringing the club into the Championship".

There is no guarantee he will translate that into success here, but appointing someone who is hugely popular, worked successfully as a coach, and hungry to break into management rather than recycling a tired name is, especially after the failure of the last two appointments, the right route to take.