New Players/Loan

[merse btpir]

On the subject of youth players from bigger clubs, I think these days it's more a question of attitude. Youngsters earning a reasonable salary at a big club have no desire to stay away from home and prefer the nightlife and lifestyle of living in London rather than sleeping in digs in a seaside resort 200 miles from home. They don't push themselves.
Players 20-30 years ago had hunger and a desire to better themselves as footballers. That's when football was the primary objective.

There's a lot of truth in that. I've experienced one North London lad this winter telling a northern club he would only sign for them if they took two of his mates on as well if you please, and others turning up their noses at going 'all the way' to Bromley, Carshalton and Staines because of rather than not who the clubs were, but where they are.

On the other hand I remember young Hackney lad Aaron Gordon getting shit loads of mickey taking for signing for Doncaster Rovers following two successive releases by Chelsea and Watford three years ago and yet there he is still in there and pushing for a first team place alongside Johnny Marquis another London lad you will remember well at Plainmoor.

For every ten of these mis-fits unwilling or unable to adapt to change, there are a couple of real diamonds like Aaron and Johnny ready and waiting to pop their boots in a bag, get a train ticket and travel....the talent is out there it's just knowing where to look and who to look at.

[Goody2514]

Merse, if you have all this knowledge and know of where these young gems are, why not get down to Plainmoor and tell them and put it all to good use??

[merse btpir]

I've supplied information to the club and continue to do so via an indirect contact because there is no apparent desire from that end to engage.

Also what sort of recommendation is a club like Torquay United with absolutely no footballing infrastructure to offer any aspiring young footballer below inclusion in it's National League squad in which to further develop when you see the current young pro's being loaned out to clubs like Tavistock and St Austell?

My own sixteen year old son is one such aspiring footballer; progressed through and then left the academy system, played at senior non league level and currently preparing to commit to a two year scholarship programme somewhere from amongst the offers he has had .....Torquay United as they are currently structured would have nothing realistic to offer him; and he's not afraid to travel having been to Wolves, Chesterfield, Rotherham and Barnsley in his quest; been turned down and turned down offers himself.

The club has got to get it's act together, put that infrastructure back in place and be able to operate like just about every other club at it's level of the game.

[Goody2514]

fair enough then. Its just a shame to see such a good local club failing so badly. this hasn't happened overnight and I assume its been on the cards for a few years considering the monkeys involved in running the club In the past,

[merse btpir]

Absolutely; it was Bill Phillips and the Thea Bristow regime that did for the academy. They hadn't even registered any players for the 2015-16 then passed the club onto the (Dave) Phillips' board trying to make out it was THEY who closed the academy ~ it was nothing of the sort!

The last board felt unable and under too much of a siege mentality to embrace immediate re-building through the Football in the Community structure that Paul Devlin wanted to do and so a vital fallow season followed and the damage and fall out from that will be long lasting.

Youth structures aren't built overnight, don't begin to produce at first team levels for at least six or seven years and need to be embraced and respected within a club's ethos..........Torquay United have had little of that in the past and none at all for eighteen months now. They reap what has been sown.

I have been advising young players as to where to go and where not to go right across the ability spectrum because what you have to remember is that for any young aspirant the need to be playing regularly is paramount, the need for quality coaching is also paramount as is the mandatory need for an educational package to run hand in hand with all of that.

What do Torquay United have? No team below first team level, no apparent will to set up and play development/reserve friendlies of any sort any more. Loaning players out to clubs who play at a joke level when consideration of what they are supposed to be trying to achieve is taken into consideration and when you look at Charlie Duke's situation; having to return home to the north west to complete the second season of his scholar pro' deal, living at home, studying locally and playing for St Helens Town and then Warrington on work experience..........that's no way to treat young players and every time I see Thea Bristow sitting there at an away game playing with her plastic clackers I want to strangle the woman.

Generous yes; but a responsible employer? You're having a laugh as Bill Phillips and co were with those young players and her with her money.

[SuperNickyWroe]

I've supplied information to the club and continue to do so via an indirect contact because there is no apparent desire from that end to engage.

Also what sort of recommendation is a club like Torquay United with absolutely no footballing infrastructure to offer any aspiring young footballer below inclusion in it's National League squad in which to further develop when you see the current young pro's being loaned out to clubs like Tavistock and St Austell?

My own sixteen year old son is one such aspiring footballer; progressed through and then left the academy system, played at senior non league level and currently preparing to commit to a two year scholarship programme somewhere from amongst the offers he has had .....Torquay United as they are currently structured would have nothing realistic to offer him; and he's not afraid to travel having been to Wolves, Chesterfield, Rotherham and Barnsley in his quest; been turned down and turned down offers himself.

The club has got to get it's act together, put that infrastructure back in place and be able to operate like just about every other club at it's level of the game.

Some good acadamies you've named there merse....
I have to say (and no bias) that Barnsley's is excellent and has been for the last 10yrs or so.
Also, Rovrum and Chesterfields are well respected up here too.

[merse btpir]

Some good acadamies you've named there merse....I have to say (and no bias) that Barnsley's is excellent and has been for the last 10yrs or so. Also, Rovrum and Chesterfields are well respected up here too.

I'll go along with you on Barnsley; their u16s absolutely annihilated our squad but we had a serious issue prior to the match that I can't go into here that totally wrecked the game for us before it had started.

The facilities there are Cat 1 and it is only Barnsley's lack of financial strength that keeps it at Cat 2. However; the community stadium adjacent to the main Oakwell Stadium with it's 3G pitch, covered seating and floodlights is something to be proud of as are the commercially sponsored facilities in the stand behind the away end with extra dressing rooms, classrooms and the rest ~ no wonder Barnsley are producing so many of their own stars...oh for a member of the recent Torquay United boards who should have gone on a fact finding mission or two in order to learn!

I found the technical levels of Rotherham's u16s far inferior to ours and we actually beat them 5-2 with two of our players kicked out of the match (one out for the rest of the season) and them inviting three of our squad to go up and trial further. None of them wanted to ~ the facilities at the main training ground are poor but those across the road at Sheffield Hallam University excellent.

The same poor technical standards within the Chesterfield U16 squad who have to train their players in Sheffield too due to lack of suitable facilities in the town. There's a financial scandal about to break there however and allegations of fraud flying around with the owner Dave Allen washing his hands of it and putting the club up for sale. Those invited to go back to Chesterfield declined the offers.

Technical excellence has been our main 'selling point' really ~ although I departed from that role in December ~ I think I can say without bias that the raw material we took to those clubs which comes from within Inner London with it's estates and football cage culture and is second to none in the country but with that comes a certain 'warts and all' negativity as so many clubs see it and they do not really appear to be over-welcoming to so many of these boys.

For instance we had one lad (and he had been at West Ham) who we had to specially accommodate with a tag due to his youth offences and in the past I had a doomed attempt to try and get a pro' club to take a very talented player with Tourettes' Syndrome who no-one would even give a second chance to.......he could play though; boy could he make a football sit up and sing and Tim Howard the American goalkeeper plays in the pro' game with that affliction. But turning up and starting to call people effings cees and beating yourself in the head when the stress kicks in and they don't want to work with it.

The other aspect is that all of these clubs want 'something for nothing' no intention of even refunding travelling expenses undertaken if they go back, no offer to provide any sort of accommodation to trialists indeed leaving me with the impression that the game at so many clubs now, the game is becoming middle class with a reliance on 'mummy and daddy' to drive the kids here there and everywhere and totally abstaining to supporting those hungry young kids who really have nothing. You'll never get the bst footballers that way!

As I always say; there's plenty of diamonds in the dirt if you dig hard enough!

[portugull]

He is far from my favourite type of player but we need somebody like James Constable who is often on the bench for Eastleigh. Loads of experience big and well used to the National League. Eastleigh have a big squad but have not won in 6 or 7 games.

I guess we cannot afford him and Nicho may feel he is not the type of player who would fit in at Plainmoor.

[desperado]

Still no news on a new striker, obviously the money is there for one if Keiffer Moore was all set to come, but that
was 2 months ago ! there must be some big lump out there willing to come here, would rather have Callum Ball
than no-one meanwhile we continue our slide towards the Nat South, sorry to sound like Brucie or Merse but
really someone has to come in NOW ! If Nicho thinks we are going to stay up with Williams on his own up
front backed up by the returning Harrad he is dreaming

[merse btpir]

Still no news on a new striker, obviously the money is there for one if Keiffer Moore was all set to come, but that was 2 months ago ! there must be some big lump out there willing to come here.........

I would neither think with all that confidence that 'the money is there for one' ~ or still there at any rate ~ or that 'a big lump' is the be all and end all.

Surely it is someone with the ability and current confidence to seek out and take his own shooting chances rather than someone brought in purely for their size; because there is no-one in this squad doing that apart from Williams and he doesn't do that because he is a 'big lump' does he.

To my way if thinking the taller the striker in front of them the more those behind will be even more tempted to hoist the ball in the air; and as Brian Clough once said: "If God had meant us to play football in the air he would have put grass up there"

If the manager has neither the money nor the confidence to bring in players doing the business in lower levels of the game to be able to step up to the plate with instant results, then the hiatus will go on with the emphasis then on the current squad to produce the goods; and ~ like you desperado ~ I fear we will continue our slide towards the National South.

As the end of the season comes into sight it will be wholly on what and who is already at the club; both on and off the pitch.

[Dazza]

This thread is redundant.!

[nickbrod]

What about Hodgkiss? His 28 day loan is up. So is he still here? Or returned to Kidderminster? Or his loan extended? If gone then another chance for Lee? He must wish he'd stayed at Bournemouth.

[Dazza]

Come on Nick. Stop asking difficult questions. The club obviously think we are scum and not worthy of being told anything let alone do anything.

[nickbrod]

Interesting that the last three posters name as their favourite player - Robin Stubbs. One can only dream that somebody similar might turn up one day!

[Dazza]

Good spot Nick. We can only dream. Cost 6 k if my memory serves me right. We probably would be told it was unaffordable!