So what is the problem?

[yellowforever]

So what’s the problem?

On arrival at Plainmoor I couldn’t help but notice a strange fog cover over the hallowed turf. I hadn’t been there that often this season, mainly because I haven’t been in Torquay and have had to resign to following it on the radio and BBC sport, thinking that through this I could understand what had gone on at the club. It had been raining most of the day, and it seemed like a darkness had been covering the club most of the year. Perhaps after this weekend’s result, there finally is no hope for this season left.

Call it naivety or perhaps something stronger, but at kick off I was very much in the “how bad can it be” camp. A combination of the forum and the radio service had painted a bleak picture for me, but unlike reading a book and watching a film, the words had failed to invoke my imagination enough to capture the horror.

I actually liked the way we set up. Back 5 looked reasonable enough, the full backs worried me a little but I liked the partnership of O’Connor and Pearce – two competent league centre-backs. Lathrope and Mansell looked solid enough, and the promise of a bit of pace in the 3 slots above, with Cameron, Bodin and the new boy Coulthirst was moderately encouraging. Hawley made up the last slot and I was hoping he’d want to make an impact against the club that released him last year. We even started well, Cameron and Coulthirst impressed on the wings and Hawley tried his best to link the play. A bit of real quality emerged with Cameron’s darting run before a delicate chip struck the bar. In general the play was actually not too bad, it was devoid of any real ability other than brief moments of Shaq and Cameron, but Scunthorpe were certainly not pulling up any trees.

The early promise was quickly extinguished by Pearce’s lunge on the Scunthorpe player in the box. It seemed like an entirely unnecessary brain-capitulation that we had become accustomed to all season, and this was emphasised by the wave of apathy that broke out around me in the Pop after the Referee pointed to the spot. The supposed £300,000 worthy striker tucked away the resultant penalty in perhaps his only effective contribution of the evening, leading me to question how he’s quite managed to be the top scorer in this league. A question quickly answered when seeing him in comparison to our roster.

The aforementioned striker even managed to return the favour by fouling Pearce at a corner, before Tonge prodded the spot-kick tamely to the keepers left – not the hardest save in the world, but one he did well enough to make. While everyone around me was mouthing off at the right-back’s pacified effort, my anger was directed at the 6 or so players standing over the kick who appeared to shade away to the back of the queue, much like a group of school boys trying to get the scapegoated kid to knock on the head-teacher’s door. It’s a time like that when you need your main players to stand up. Sure Hawley had missed a penalty earlier in the season, but this was a different game and against his old club as an experienced striker – why was he not fighting everyone off it? Lee Mansell, our captain hit the floor in anger at the end of the game – where was that drive when he had the chance to guide us into the break level with the table-toppers? Billy Bodin was also involved; apparently £70,000 on a forward player doesn’t get you one who can take a penalty better than a free transfer right back who has scored 1 goal in around 200 or so games. This lack of passion and determination has been present for too long throughout the squad.

From then onwards after half time it was much of the same. Coulthirst continued to impress, but the previously exciting Courtney Cameron phased out of the game and struggled to get on the ball as much. Lathrope ran around a bit I suppose, and managed to influence the game a bit more than Mansell did, who failed to put his foot on the ball and do anything. Hawley too spent most of his time offside and provided no goal threat at all, but did at least try to link up play, only to find his midfield as static as a cow in winter and no runners at all.

The final straw appeared to be the substitution of the only talented player on the pitch, including the away team. After roasting the left back over and over again on his own he was withdrawn with a rousing boo; in truth he looked as perplexed as the fans did. Ash came on and didn’t really touch the ball, Stockley looked ok before being sent off for an elbow to the face, but all in all we didn’t really look like scoring. The miracle didn’t materialise. Some stayed to clap at the end, but most headed straight to the turnstiles.

So then, what’s the problem? Unfortunately, it appears to be a mixture of many things. One singular quality forward player hasn’t changed much at all, it’s a problem right at the core of the team.

The set-up of the team was not too bad. The sitting midfielders of Lee and Damon did allow Cameron and Coulthirst to bomb forward with wanton abandon, exploiting their flair and pace. Sitting unfortunately was the operative word of the whole midfield and Bodin in particular did not offer enough going forward behind Hawley, who did his best to link play together to no avail. Damon occasionally bombed forward, but he quite simply doesn’t possess the pace nor guile to accomplish enough there. I personally was an advocate of moving Coulthirst into the centre to try and get him involved more, anytime he got a sight of goal he was reluctant to have a go with his clearly weaker left foot and so cutting in on the right was entirely ineffectual.

I don’t buy entirely into the argument that with a top quality striker we’d be much better off, but I will concede that it’d assuage some of the problem. The abundance of 1-0 losses this season tells its own story, and our ability to score goals has been much worse than our attempts to keep them out. There’s two sides to scoring though; being able to put it in the net, and being able to facilitate the chances required to do so. We didn’t seem to create any clear chances, a couple of 50/50s but nothing you’d expect a striker to gobble up. All the attacking penetration happened wide, and neither winger could get a good enough cross in from open play, which wasn’t helped by the lack of movement in the middle. It was boring, predictable, and bar a few bits of individual ability (Stockley free kick, Coulthirst runs) not particularly threatening. All the Scunthorpe team had to do was double up on Shaq and we were finished.

This season has been atrocious, but there’s a few players of note left in the squad that would be good next season, even if a miracle happened and we stayed up. The defence is ok, perhaps the full backs could do with an upgrade but I’m willing to persevere there in light of the burning problem in the forward areas. The midfield is static, but I feel Lathrope comes out with some credit and in general I think he’s a good player. Mansell was lost, Bodin invisible, and Hawley spent the whole game with his back to goal - partly his fault because of a lack of movement but also because of a terrible deficiency of service, how is he meant to play when the only ball he receives is one booted into his midriff? Where is Chapell as well?

Sorry for the long protracted post, but I don’t post that often and I feel this has encapsulated most of my feelings. My final opinion on the key issue:

Hargreaves deserves a chance to stay. He set up the team in an encouraging fashion, and if he’s able to recruit well in the summer I’m confident we’ll see a better Torquay. I hope the club is able to adequately support him in terms of signings next year, but I guess costs must be cut. I just hope he goes for the right players, young, exciting, and hungry – not ones looking for a comfortable paycheque. On top of this, we need an experienced head in the middle of the park who can put his foot on the ball and pass it. Lathrope can do the dirty work, but someone who can pick a pass would really help this team tick.


Over and out.

[Gullscorer]

Pretty much echoes my own thoughts.

[Neal]

Yes echoes mine as well except I think Hawley and Harding are terrible

[Dave_Pougher]

Just help looking at the situation when Phillips took over as Chief Ex. We were in position to be Devonshire top club for the first time in our history. Then all down hill, hence the nick name Mr non league Phillips.

A marvellous opportunity to take the club where no one else had managed, but no, just a continual slide downwards, as if it was deliberate.

[friendlygas]

You could be describing our team there!! Should be an interesting game on saturday as we also have a midfield who can't create a chance and wide men who can't cross a ball....oh and strikers who can't score a goal to save their lives. The only thing we have possibly in our favour is a good home record (which is just as well because based on our away record we would be in your position) but that can all go to pot with the nerves that are now creeping into our performances. This has been an awful season for both of us.Lets at least hope for an entertaining game or is that too much for us top expect. Regards.

[Mattpuma]

Yes but you have a goalscoring midfielder on double figures. Our chumps have 1 between them!

[Scott Brehaut]

Here lies the problem:

Seven goals from our recognised strikers (Hawley, Benners and Yeoman)
Seven goals from our midfielders (Chaps, Manse and Billy)
Eight from our defenders (Downes and Pearce)

[hector]

Here lies the problem:

Seven goals from our recognised strikers (Hawley, Benners and Yeoman)
Seven goals from our midfielders (Chaps, Manse and Billy)
Eight from our defenders (Downes and Pearce)

That is unbelievable, isn't it? Our central defenders are bigger goal threats than our forwards! What a damning statistic! Plus both defenders have each had long spells out of the team! Yet there are still those who persist in calling for Benyon. THREE goals from THIRTY-FIVE appearances this season. Not even a ratio of a goal every 11 appearances. Hargreaves may as well play Poke up front on Saturday.

[tomogull]

Yellowforever - a long post maybe (perhaps you're Andy in disguise ??), but you sum up almost everything that has been wrong about this season. If you, and most of us, can see the glaring deficiencies in the team, why the hell couldn't two managers see them ??

[Fonda]

Our forwards don't score because we don't make chances in open play. Our centre-halfs occasionally do because even we're capable of putting a dead-ball on someone's head every now and again .

[tommyg]

Our midfield certainly aren't creating enough chances but Marquis and McCallum didn't have a problem finding the back of the net. They both scored three goals - the same number as Benyon and Hawley - in a handful of games. If we kept one of them we would be in a healthier position. I genuinely go into games thinking Pearce and Downes have a better chance of scoring than our current strikers.

[gullno4]

Our midfield certainly aren't creating enough chances but Marquis and McCallum didn't have a problem finding the back of the net. They both scored three goals - the same number as Benyon and Hawley - in a handful of games. If we kept one of them we would be in a healthier position. I genuinely go into games thinking Pearce and Downes have a better chance of scoring than our current strikers.

good post! marquis made himself chances, something that these strikers cannot do!

[tufcbrett]

We have chances and waste them.
We can't say we dont create any because we do. Not alot but we do.

[Fonda]

Marquis and McCallum are higher league players. With all due respect, the reason we have Benyon and Hawley is because we're a League 2 club (temporarily) and they are League 2 players. If they were as good as Marquis and McCallum they wouldn't be here. It's for the same reason we have sub-standard full-backs and midfielders that struggle to pass from a to b consistently. It's pointless comparing what 'our' strikers can do compared to players in other leagues. A Championship level striker might take 1 in 3/4 chances presented. At league 2 level, it's more likely to be 1 in 5/6. It's not massively confusing.

[gullno4]

the amount of times the ball is played accross the six yard box with no Torquay striker even anywhere near close to getting it, the strikers are at fault for their own piss poor scoring form!