Fifty Years Ago Today

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teignmouth54
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Fifty Years Ago Today

Post by teignmouth54 »

Things have not always been so bad for Torquay United. Fifty years ago today they travelled to Brighton & Hove Albion and recorded a 1-0 victory in front of 11,265 people, which took them to second place in the old third division with only 5 games to play.

On the previous Saturday evening at Plainmoor, Torquay had beaten the then second placed club, Bristol Rovers, 2-1 before a crowd of 14,171. This victory was Torquay’s 13th consecutive league win at home. How times have changed.

Unfortunately, Torquay lost 4 of their next 5 games and finished the season in 7th place.
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Post by Plainmoor78 »

teignmouth54 wrote: 12 Apr 2017, 11:24
Unfortunately, Torquay lost 4 of their next 5 games and finished the season in 7th place.
So nothing changes then. :~D
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Post by Gullscorer »

I remember in my younger days back in the 1960s we played Lincoln City (I forget exactly when, and whether it was a cup or league game), we went 0-3 down in the first half and pulled two back before half-time (at least one of them was a Tommy Northcott goal), and we went on to win 4-3. I'd be happy with a repeat of that score on Friday, even happier if we kept a clean sheet.
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Post by wivelgull »

I was at the home AND AWAY games vs Bristol Rovers that season. Anyone who lived through those years will despair - and despair utterly - at the present plight of United. Am I not right, tomogull, brucie, gateman and all the other Codgery?
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Post by hector »

The year after provided an even worse collapse, as the team were quite a few points clear towards the end of the season. My grandad always maintained that the club threw promotion intentionally. I remember years ago as a student at SDTC, where Bobby Baxter was providing us with our Wednesday afternoon football training, I told him what my grandad had said, and he seemed to imply it was true.

Whatever, two years running, blowing promotion in heartbreaking circumstances, following the way they lost out ten years earlier to Ipswich, just set the tone for the future. In the preceding 50 years, we have only been promoted three times and came close in 1988, 1994, 1998, 2008, 2011, 2012. Anyone looking for patterns might notice that every year ending in 8 we mess the play-offs up, and with 2018, that might mean we are stuck in the Conference South for at least two seasons.

I find losing out on promotion much harder to take than getting relegated and as such have missed two promotion matches (Southend, Cambridge) as the days when I have watched us miss it, especially v Swansea, Leyton Orient when a point would have been enough have been too devastating.
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Post by merse btpir »

The insinuation that promotion was 'thrown' is both insulting and out of context with the reality of what happens to players at the end of a long, hard season on hard pitches when wear and tear and other physical ailments also become mental obstacles and in this day and age there is much more awareness of staleness and the need to rotate players and take players off who play in certain positions (like the front runners) when they are 'in the red' with their endurance, and muscle tiredness kicking in.

I'm sure there was a huge degree of that within the Torquay United camp at the time combined with a small-time mentality amongst many of the directors to the extent that they were more than likely bricking themselves at the prospect of having to stage Second Division football at Plainmoor.

Then there is the mentality amongst players of a certain age who will be aware they are more than likely playing themselves out of a job (and hence family home if they lived in a club owned house at the time) if they reach beyond their capability to deliver and the to stay within their ability and comfort zone.

I know many a part-time/semi pro player who have realised that promotion for their club will entail a whole different life-style at the higher level or the need to 'move on' due to their family or employment restrictions; but it is a terrible thing to imply what you have hector.
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Post by Terry Henry »

In "normal" management, there is a theory that people tend to get promoted one level higher than they're actually capable of, and then screw that job up. Same with football teams/managers/players, I wonder?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_principle

From that link: 'Peter suggests that "In time, every post tends to be occupied by an employee who is incompetent to carry out its duties"'.
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Post by samuel »

50 years ago - Easter Monday 27th March 1967 - diary entry

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Woke up at twenty to eight. Went back to sleep again and didn't wake up till nine o'clock. Mad rush to get to Plainmoor on time and meet Lynda. She didn't turn up but Torquay made up for it by beating cup killers Swindon 1-0. Fryatt scored the goal eleven minutes from time. Wyatt had his name taken. Torquay moved up one place to fourth position. Torquays biggest crowd of the season today. Went to bed at nine thirty.

Weather: Nice and sunny in between snow and hail showers. Sky everso black before it began to hail.

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I was being stood up at 14, this being one of the first of many occasions. Bet the crowd was 10,000+. The next day we went to Swindon and drew 0-0. I went and we were held up by a hit and run accident where a lorry had hit a telegraph pole, snapping it in half and depositing cabbages all over the road.
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Post by wivelgull »

Fryatt and Wyatt - now you're talking!
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Post by tomogull »

wivelgull wrote: 13 Apr 2017, 09:11 I was at the home AND AWAY games vs Bristol Rovers that season. Anyone who lived through those years will despair - and despair utterly - at the present plight of United. Am I not right, tomogull, brucie, gateman and all the other Codgery?
In a word, Wivel - Y E S !! :'( :'( :'( But four points from the two Easter matches would make me feel less despondent ......
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