Braintree Town.v.Torquay

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Post by portugull »

This was always going to be a very hard match. This season Braintree have only conceded 8 goals at Home.

As much as some may disagree we DO miss Downes because he gets his head on crosses so often. He is a vital defender in my opinion. I do so hope he has finally learnt his lesson about being provoked into a Red Card.

We have failed to score in only 4 matches out of 26 but clearly we missed Luke Young.

Did not rate Harding last season and sounds like he was terrible. The guy is a fool because next season he could find himself UNEMPLOYED.

He will not get another club if he does not try. Very short sighted.

After the battling win over F C Halifax today was very disappointing. However if we beat Rovers on Boxing Day all will be forgiven!
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Post by Burnhamgull »

I really can't see Downes learning from this latest red card. When the red mist comes down, he loses it and has no self control.
The red card against Telford and the red card against Barnet have both proved that. Short tempered people never change and he is short tempered.

It's not just him though, we've lost other players to red cards this season and it's earned us a reputation sadly. Hence why today we received more yellow cards than Braintree. We may not think we're dirty but some of our red cards this season have been for reckless aggressive acts and that sticks.
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Post by Dave »

After the battling win over F C Halifax today was very disappointing. However if we beat Rovers on Boxing Day all will be forgiven!

This statement highlights an obvious problem to me. Think the team won 9 of it's first 12 games, since then our form has gone up and down faster than a pair of tarts knickers, we keep having a series of games that go, lose a couple, draw one, and then pop the win in the mix and we're all happy again.

I've not gone down the road a slagging of Chris Hargreaves, has, he had enough backing and support from the board , probably not, in fact I would suggest CH has been the least backed manager since this board, or what's left of them took over. But on the flip side, CH was brought because of his track record working in youth development football, he was brought as a manager with a record of improving young players, is that happening at Torquay under CH, there's evidence to suggest not, looking at in particular; Ajala, Richards and O'Archie who seem to play like world beaters on the Tuesday, and park division 4 players on the Saturday.

I look at our next three fixtures Rovers double header and away to welling, these games have now become massive to us, as big as they come. Is the fact we're 3 points off a play-off spot just papering over some huge cracks ? That question will be answered for me after this next run of fixtures.
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Post by Burnhamgull »

At this level, any manager we bring in should be a good coach. Due to limit finances a new manager/head coach should be able to improve players as mentioned by Forevertufc. The higher up the pyramid you go, the expectation to have money available for improvement increases and rightly so. Not at our level though.
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Post by SuperNickyWroe »

Trojan 67 wrote:"You get what you deserve and not what you want or would like." Absolutely piss poor decisions at board room level going back to the Martin Ling era are coming home to roost with still plenty more sh*t to come to fill the nest.

As for the playing side, half the squad know their worthwhile careers are finished, while the other half are minimum wage earners who are better off getting a proper minimum wage job and topping it up playing for £50 a week in semi-pro/amateur leagues.

and there lies the problem troj.

I and many others said at the time that the board should have done more than they did to maintain our league status as we didnt want to go back to the conference - and the message wasnt heeded....

now we have players who have no allegence to TUFC.
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Post by SuperNickyWroe »

Sesimbra wrote:I questioned Hargreaves appointment earlier in the season but was shouted down by the majority. My view is that he has no managerial acumen and has no idea how to make a correction when the play is going wrong. He has no Plan B. Furthermore he seems unable to motivate HIS team. The outlook is not good.
you wernt the only one mate.
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Post by maxmccracken »

Never posted on here before, I've lived away from the bay for ten years now, but still manage to attend a few games a year. Have always enjoyed this forum as a good source of information, so I thought I would add my twopenneth about today's 'performance'. It was absolutely abject from start to finish. I'm in complete agreement with all other posters about our display. Well, I thought criticism of Ives was a bit harsh, he played in both full bank positions and generally acquitted himself well for a 17 year old trainee.

I have been watching Torquay since I was 8 (I'm now 29) and I have never seen such a passionless performance. The Braintree kitman (if they employ one) will save himself a few minutes by not having to wash their goalkeepers' kit. He was more redundant than Syria's Tourism Minister. The guy will never have an easier afternoon in his career, I am adamant of that. I will be amazed if we qualify for the play offs, sure, every team has an off day; but that was broadly the equivalent of a grave digger turning up to work without his shovel. We were absolutely devoid of any initiative, we looked completely rudderless out there. When I watched the Alfreton game on BT Sport earlier in the season, I would say that was the worst I have ever seen us defend. You can forgive a few calamitous Keystone Cops moments, with poor old Courtney Richards having to fill in at centre half, but a performance like this is much more of a concern. Harding was terrible, looked like he didn't want to be there. Bowman barely touched the ball. Chappell looked woeful when he came on. Rice simply isn't good enough to be a professional goalkeeper. Ofori-Acheampong couldn't trap a dead badger. This was he opposite of the Alfreton game; it was without a doubt the worst I have ever seen us 'attack'. We evidently missed Luke Young, but his absence cannot begin to explain this shambles.

I was never totally enamoured with Hargreaves' appointment in the first place, but I see no benefit in calling for a change any time soon. He has done a reasonable job with the resources at his disposal, but if we are being pragmatic, who on earth could we realistically entice to the club who would do a better job?

On a side note, I found Braintree to be quite a nice club, fans and the staff all seemed pretty pleasant. Did anyone notice the peculiar houses on Clockhouse Way, adjacent to the ground? They were bizarre, ugly looking flat structures, quite unlike any other houses I've ever seen in the UK!

Out of interest Norfolk Gull, whereabouts in the county do you live? I am based in Norwich at the moment.
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Post by SuperNickyWroe »

nickbrod wrote:Yes it was a poor performance and yes it was a big disappointment but those slagging off CH are wide of the mark. He's built a team for this season which wants to pass and attack hence 45 League goals so far. It's certainly far more enjoyable watching this team compared with last year's. What we don't have is a team which can 'mix it' especially in mid-field against a team like Braintree. As good as he is I'm not convinced had Young played he would have changed the result.
Yes we were outplayed by Braintree Town but for this season I never expected promotion and I believe there are at least four worse teams than us which will be relegated.
I say judge CH on what happens next season.
Now standby for the debate to begin!
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4-1 to us for yellow cards is a joke; there is no way we are the dirtiest team in the League.
and conceeded 36 - the worst in the top 12.

so your rationale doesnt hold its water.

as for "enjoyable" i wouldnt say it is when we have been spanked by both telford and alfreton - who got rinsed 5-1 at home today...........

debate commenced.
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Post by SuperNickyWroe »

Burnhamgull wrote: SNW and I had similar thoughts but everybody was blinded by the returning "legend". I likened it to the return of Wes Saunders as manager and we all know how that ended.

CH, at times, appears too interested in his own media profile and doesn't have the tactical nous that is required.

we sure did Burnhamgull me old mucker....

but hang on, CH looks good on tv.....

apparently.
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Post by Burnhamgull »

SuperNickyWroe wrote:
we sure did Burnhamgull me old mucker....

but hang on, CH looks good on tv.....

apparently.
Surely CH is a shoe-in for the next "I'm a Celebrity, Get me out of here"????

I'm not sure about eating a kangaroo's balls but I've seen him kiss arse on TV loads of times.
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Post by taxilady »

Yes, the fans were nice.The weather was cold. The football was awful; worse than Aldershot, we decided. Don't knock Breedy for not being there for the Radio Devon review; we got back to Exeter at 11 pm, & the Torbay residents still had an hour to travel, having set off at 0700.
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Post by AustrianAndyGull »

Agree with Burhamgull about CH and his TV persona. How someone can wear tracksuit tops that tight is beyond me. If i ate nothing but yeast for 6 months i still couldn't squeeze into one of those training tops.

However, half the squad are conference standard and despite CH and a lack of plan B (which was evident as early as Hartlepool away last season to which i can attest) TUFC are still only 3 points off a play off spot. I'd have been over the moon with that given the turmoil of last season. Look, Braintree today was shocking by al accounts but you are always going to get those games and instead of getting them every week like last season you are getting them every few weeks but still hanging in there.

As long as you don't get that desperate for promotion that you go and offer Ched Evans a contract then i'm sure the natural order of things will prevail and a play off spot despite all the odds will be in the bag.

In all seriousness before my 'falling out' with the Gulls in the summer the Braintree game was one i was most looking forward to getting to. Braintree...........................it just sounds like a place you can't afford to miss. :keepie:
Strangely enough it was Pope Gregory the 9th inviting me for drinks aboard his steam yacht, the saucy sue currently wintering in montego bay with the England cricket team and the Balanese Goddess of plenty.
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Post by Braintree fan »

maxmccracken wrote:
On a side note, I found Braintree to be quite a nice club, fans and the staff all seemed pretty pleasant. Did anyone notice the peculiar houses on Clockhouse Way, adjacent to the ground? They were bizarre, ugly looking flat structures, quite unlike any other houses I've ever seen in the UK!
I'm pleased you found us to be an accommodating bunch. I agree about the aesthetics of the houses on Clockhouse way. Ironically there's been calls to make them heritage listed as they have an Interesting backgound.

They were built by Crittalls windows as low cost housing for their employees, the ground was also developed by the manufacturer in 1928 as their sporting and athletics complex. When the Crittall family relinquished control of the factory, the football club known as Crittall Athletic had to go it alone as the new owners Slater Walker weren't interested in the social side of the business. With no funding the club went into decay and down to local football. In a gale in the early 1970's the roof of the original wooden stand was blown off, so for public health and safety the stand had to be demolished.

In the 1980's came a resurgence and after winning the Eastern League in consecutive seasons plus a couple more runners ups the club moved to the Southern league for 1991-2 season. The club have gradually climbed the non-league pyramid, nothing spectacular and with no sugar daddy chairman to buy success.
Up till 5-6 seasons ago we had cover on all four sides of the pitch and things looked rather neat, but as the club climbed the pyramid, extra seating, extra standing room and ground segregation have involved temporary ground alterations which have rendered the ground looking scruffy with the portacabins etc littering the place.
The alterations are temporary as the plan is for the local authority to find the cluba green field site where the club will develop a new stadium complex, the current ground and land (4-5 acres) is owned by the club. So there's little point in giving the old Ford Escort a Rolls Royce make-over when in the not too distant future its going to be crushed into a steel cube.
You may have noticed the steel terracing which you stood on was all demountable with the intention of it to be re-used at the new facility whenever it's established. Now to build that fan base which former league clubs have by default ;-)

Thanks for visiting, sorry we couldn't have been more hospitable on the pitch but that's football :scarf:
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Post by hector »

It shows just how poor this league is that we have lost so many games lately, yet we remain in touch with the play-off places. No offence meant to Braintree or the friendly posting above but to lose to teams like Telford, Alfreton and Braintree really is poor for a club of our size in this division. I am beginning to wonder if the view subscribed to by the likes of Merse on BPIR etc, is actually much nearer the truth than we would like to admit, and that there is just is not the collective will to go to the effort of getting this club back into the league.

Of course it costs, but the cost of NOT getting promoted will cause perennial damage to this club and we will be destined to be a mediocre non-league club perpetually.

The Braintree fan above mentions how he is hoping his club will build a fanbase - perhaps like ours - but he need not worry because ours will be shrinking quickly enough down to similar non-league levels.

It is all so very sad, when we consider where we were just over 2 and half years ago to a club now nearer the relegation places than the automatic promotion one in non-league football.

9 defeats, only two less than we have won, is poor.
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Post by friendlygas »

The trouble is that it is great for us to look at your reports on yesterdays match and think we have a great chance on Boxing Day but this is football you are talking about and your supporters could just as easily look at the comments of our Supporters on the Bath City Cup game and I can assure you they would be very similar!!- Goalkeeper poor, very few shots on target,very little football played,poor defending.
We all know that Boxing Day will be a completely different proposition for both sides and the first thing about it is because we both came down together from the Football League but more importantly the Buckle fiasco has seemed to put a different outlook on the relationship between our clubs and made the game a real "pressure" game. I read an earlier post here which translated roughly;as I can't be bothered to look back; was that if you beat us CH will be forgiven and I think that immediately shows the importance of our fixture to us supporters. I know it's not the same as the bragging rights for us beating City or you beating Exeter or Plymouth but it is the nearest at the moment to a Local Derby (I discount Forest Green as I really can't take them seriously!!) as we are two clubs with a lot of Football League History and in recent times the matches between us have been close affairs. We certainly won't be taking your performance yesterday as an "indicator" because we still remember the game against you at the Mem last season where we didn't turn up!!
The truth is don't be too harsh on your team for yesterdays performance- we also lost at Braintree and apart from the lovely people of Braintree from a football point of view it was an early "bringing down to earth" that we were really in the Conference- a poor football pitch,a terrible referee,loads of hussle and bustle playing against a team who were more than a little physical up front and it wasn't helped by the most ridiculous penalty decision I have ever seen!! followed staright away after by "disallowing a perfectly good goal for us". We had arrived!! I believe we learnt from the lesson that day!!!
So we head into the festivities and today I wish you all a lovely Christmas Day and a prosperous New Year but hopefully your players will have too much "Turkey" and produce another performance like yesterday!!!!
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