Torquay United v Bristol Rovers 26/12/13

[tomogull]

Agree with most of the postings on here tonight. It was not a great display but it was end-to-end stuff so not a boring spectacle. It was a better performance than most of our earlier home games, simply because we showed more determination and effort. My main gripe is why, oh why, can't we play the ball ON THE GROUND more? It was all up in the air stuff. I know the pitch was not in good shape after all the rain we've had, but Rovers seemed to manage to play it on the ground.

Should be an interesting game on Sunday. City are on a poor run of results so it could be a good time to be playing them. Mansfield continue to plummet down the league so here's hoping we can move above them by January 1st.

[brucie]

To my mind it wasn't that bad. Poke in goal is a major plus - he is so much more solid on crosses than Rice.
It was a gluepot, strength sapping pitch.
A lucky penalty for us but the ref spent the rest of the first half trying to even things up. Poke was clearly fouled from the corner before Rovers equaliser - a rank bad decision.
We struggled in the first half, but I don't think they created anything in the second half. We had two great chances to win it from the headers by Marquis and Mozika who hgit the post at the end.
I was really impressed by Mozika who probably isn't completely fit yet. Our full backs struggle defensively but are actually better going forward.
O'Connor delivered some great crosses in the second half - I would really like to see him playing right back in ploace of Tonge with the taller Pearce back at centre half.

[friendlygas]

Just to even things upa bit I thought you might like to see an oppositions view of the game yesterday. Firstly it was a great day out and you as always are good hosts and one of the nice friendly clubs in this league. I would agree with Brucie that on what I saw yesterday Michael Poke being back in goal must be a big plus as he kept you in a game that should have been out of reach at halftime. My honest assessment at half time was that it was the worst Torquay team I have seen in the last three years and that even with our lacking a cutting edge in the final third we would win the game.
I agree it was a gluepot, strength sapping pitch but on saying that I thought we were the only team that played good football but to your credit you competed more in the second half and whilst IMO we still totally dominated the play you actually had the two better chances.
I certainly didn't see a referee trying to even things up as you put it. In fact I was pretty sure that he would give another penalty against us before the game was out. Some have said on here that we were a dirty side- sorry but that is just ridiculous as the game was never a dirty game but was hard fought as would be expected of a localish derby and the booking count hardly points to us being the dirty side. To say we didnt create anything in the second half is again harsh as there is no doubt that we were on top almost start to finish and whilst you created the two best chances we were let down by our shooting when four of five occasions we were in good positions to go ahead. In fact all of the stats point to a game that we dominated.
I was surprised how poor Mansell was yesterday and the same could be said about Downes who looked slow and clumbersome.
The only comment I will make on the penalty was that they are not often given in those circumstances!!
What did impress me about your side was the standard of crossing which was very good and because of this I can see you winning games even when you are outplayed. Your loan players look good players and I think that if you can keep them that you have enough about you to move into midtable. I have to admit that i am totally surprised at both our League positions this season but have to be honest and say that you impressed me far more in the 3-3 draw at the end of last season and seem to have gone backwards.

I wish you all the luck for the rest of the season but not at our expense!!! I think you will beat Exeter but lose to Plymouth in your next two games whilst we head for Rochdale where we have a dire record and then home to Cheltenham. I would settle for three points from those two games!!! I hope that both our clubs will see a better second half of the season. Good luck.

[Chris B]

I certainly didn't see a referee trying to even things up as you put it. In fact I was pretty sure that he would give another penalty against us before the game was out. Some have said on here that we were a dirty side- sorry but that is just ridiculous as the game was never a dirty game but was hard fought as would be expected of a localish derby and the booking count hardly points to us being the dirty side. To say we didnt create anything in the second half is again harsh as there is no doubt we were on top almost start to finish

Thanks for your assessment, friendlygas. The fact we had three players booked (one for being man-handled, another for jumping up and down off the pitch) hardly suggests we were the dirtier side. Failing to award us a free-kick for one of the two clear fouls in the lead up to your equaliser, and O'Toole escaping punishment *do* point to a referee favouring Rovers after giving us a 'soft' penalty.

That said, this was the most functional Rovers side I've seen for a while, with an excellent keeper, solid back four and strong midfield. Poke made a few regulation saves with his legs, your right back Smith was excellent at exploiting our weak left side, and Harrold won the contest with a subdued Downes, but there was no real creativity going forward. 'Controlling' the game and spraying accurate passes is all well and good, but failing to create chances against a low quality Torquay side must be concerning?

[Gullscorer]

Let's hope the effects of Christmas food and spirit will have dissipated before the next kick-offs and both teams will then begin to climb the table.

[wivelgull]

It was o.k. - but that's it. On the whole it was one of those games that you endure rather than enjoy, but then it's been like that all season. I'm still not convinced that we can pull away from the relegation zone - not with this team anyway - and I expect it will (as then say) 'go down to the wire'. I can't quite put my finger on why yesterday was tedious (o.k. it did have some bright moments), but I suspect it's the lack of skill of many of the players. How many first touches were abysmal? How much ball-miscontrolling was there? I will be there on Sunday, though, hoping for an improvement, but, as brucie will know, games against Exeter can go VERY badly wrong (e.g. Coombe match).

[brucie]

A typically biased view from an opposition supporter - if you thought Rovers should have been "out of sight" by halftime you need your head read. Poke made a couple of routine enough stops in the first half when Harrold was causing us problems whilst you were on top but we also had a shot cleared off the line.
There is no way you dominated the second half at all. Your shooting was wayward and we created by far and away the two best chances - both headers should have been taken.
As for the ref - how he didn't book that prize prick O'Toole is beyond me - he is a typical league 2 player who thinks he is better than what he is.
He was fouling constantly because he was dominated by Mozika throughout the game.
A draw was a fair result overall.

[brucie]

Still mulling over getting a ticket for Exeter. Yes it was ok, not brilliant - its probably what we will get from now till the end of the season. I am not sure either whether we can get away from the relegation zone.
We had alot of young players playing yesterday but I sensed a better team spirit and togetherness.
Its was certainly better than the dross that was served up earlier in the season.
I thought that Bristol Rovers were better than some of the teams that I have seen earlier in the season - ie the likes of Hartlepool and Mansfield.
That said I didn't think their defence looked up to much at all and was their weakness. Marquis looked a decent player and was somewhat outnumbered - I would have liked to have seen Benyon come on near the end.
That said our more defensive formation looks to be working - I honestly don't think that the opposition created anything worthwhile in the second half, I didn't think they would score and we could well have won it in the end.
Getting a draw at home when you have won two games is completely different than if you have come of the back of four defeats.
Exeter is a big game for us now - by all accounts they dominated the game at Cheltenham yesterday so it won't be easy.

[Southampton Gull]

Friendlygas has always been very complimentary and respectful on here towards us, even back when feelings were running high during the end of the Buckle era. It would be nice if we could remain civil even when disagreeing with his summary of yesterdays game.

We're unbeaten in 3 now and are making strides towards safety, let's not get too high and mighty though.

[brooker]

Agree with absolutely everything bengull has said. Was fuming in the second half when McCourt was jeered off the pitch, I understand he had a poor first half, but he came out after the break far better and looked threatening, with good link up play and some great crosses. Bodin also took some awful abuse, at one point was stood next to Marquis, who looked astonished at what he was hearing about his team mate. You know who you are, and its truly embarrassing to witness. Our players must hate playing in front of the pop, where our most partisan support is meant to be. If you are going to continuously abuse your own players, then maybe you should consider paying your money up the away end, where your comments would be more accepted. You make us all look like idiots, and many around me were pretty vocal about what they thought of your views.

[wivelgull]

I am interested in Mr. Brooker's posting. I stand at the back of the pop. stand, on the half-way line, surrounded by senile delinquents. But I have to say I've never heard anything like the abuse (if any at all) as described by Mr. Brooker. I would be interested exactly from exactly where on the pop. side this abuse emanates.
Mind you, I don't think anything could match the abuse dished out to Tommy Spratt in the 1965-6 season. After one game he left the field in tears. Other old codgers may well remember this.

[friendlygas]

I did not say it was a low quality Torquay side nor did I mean that you were dirty. I thought that neither team were dirty and both played in a way that was a credit given the heaviness of the pitch. As regards my comment about you having the worst side in three years I truly believed that at half time and although you improved in the second half i am comparing it to what i thought was an excellent Torquay team two seasons ago and a reasonable team last season that played well against us in both games.
As I have said I think your team will prove well capable of at least a mid table finish if you can hold on to your loan players and I was taking it based on what I have read on here that Aaron Downes and Mansell will have much better days.
Referees are generally going to be seen in different light from two teams and in all honesty he was no worse or no better than a lot of the officials we have had this season-That is not saying he was good as most of our referees this season have been awful and I include in that games we have won!!
I saw it as a game which we controlled and that we were by far the better football side and really felt we should have been 3-1 up at the interval. Second half was more even but still we had the majority of possession although if we had lost I would have felt really hard done by as you didn't create much but on two occasions you should have scored and i have seen a lot of games this season where this has happened. Morecombe recently was a good example where we should have won by four or five but ended up losing when Morecombe took their only two chances they had.
I accept that for all our control we didnt create too many chances second half but should have done better with our long range shooting. I am hoping that a couple of strikers or a winger and a striker will make us a really good side but of course I expect every other team are after the same in the January market. We still have Brunt,Woodards and Clucas to return from injury but none of them will give us the answer to our problem which is the lack of goals scored. I imagine you will be looking to bring in a couple too and wish you ,as always the best of luck except when you play us!!

[Colorado Gull]

A very poor performance considering we won two on the bounce before this game. Once again we had a good 10-20 minutes, but after that, we couldn't get the ball and when we did, we couldn't string three passes together. Rovers weren't very good either and it's obvious to see why we are both down the bottom. What annoyed me the most yesterday wasn't the players, but our fans. Shouting constant abuse to McCourt whenever he did anything wrong and he knew it, I saw him look over at the fans a few times. HOW IS THIS GOING TO HELP!? YOU MAY THINK THAT HE IS NOT VERY GOOD, BUT TELLING HIM THAT HE IS SH*T INSTEAD OF SUPPORTING HIM AND ENCOURAGING WONT MAKE IT BETTER!? If I was McCourt and constantly heard the fans saying 'you're sh*t McCourt', 'go back to Leicester', 'get him off', I'd take my boot off, throw it at them, give them the finger and walk off. It is not on. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but really, have some common sense.

[hector]

I think the posting by Friendly Gas is pretty fair.

I thought that Rovers looked a decent team in that first half and when they equalised, it was a goal that had been coming for some time.

The second half was frustrating to watch. For most of it, we seemed incapable of passing to another member of our own team but that last 3rd of the half, I think we shaded and probably at that stage were more likely to steal a goal.

A draw was fair but overall, I would say that Rovers could probably feel the more hard-done by.

However, it is three games unbeaten but I do not seeing us making it five, as much as I would love us to, with the next two matches.

Exeter at home, I just do not know. They are due a win at Plainmoor in the league, it must be well over a decade since they won a league game here and they are good away, have been doing badly and when teams do badly, Torquay always have a knack of ending their bad run. Plymouth away, I just do not see us grabbing anything. 1 pts from the three derbies would be a very poor return. Knill needs 4pts in my view, as a minimum, to suggest that he is starting to turn the tide. Anything less and we are pretty much back to square one.

[ROADRUNNER]

thanks friendly gas, good comments mate, lets hope to see both clubs climbing the table soon,,as for the morons who give stick to bodin and mcCourt be ashamed of yourselves, **** of to another planet, your not needed or wanted, the club needs supporters to get behind them, not on there backs.what a bunch of wankers!jak mcCourt is a lovely lad and doesnt deserve this sort of treatment.