Torquay United v Woking - Mon 29/08/22

[notnow]

3 or 4 of the players were in the vista lounge last night at! and it was around 10-10.30… under the current circumstances is that the right thing? I know they have lives to live but it doesn’t look good.

[Modgull]

3 or 4 of the players were in the vista lounge last night at! and it was around 10-10.30… under the current circumstances is that the right thing? I know they have lives to live but it doesn’t look good.

Well that might explain why our midfield were so off the pace!

[Admiral]

[Modgull]

Difficult to know where to start with that one. First half we were dire - the only attempt at goal we had was with the last kick of the half blasted over the top and half way to the sea. In contrast Woking won all the aerial balls and the 50/50s and were unfortunate not to be 1 or 2 goals ahead at the interval. The second half was an improvement in that we showed more attacking intent but that came at the cost of exposing our defensive frailties. We had a further 4 attempts second half with 3 on target but Woking responded by opening us up almost at will.

Yes, they were a horrible, ugly advert for the game (5 yellow cards) and the referee was far too lenient, but they were so much more street-wise, committed and skilful than United. I thought Lovett was our MOTM for keeping the score down, Wyatt again performed steadily on the left flank and Goodwin did his best to force a way through a very strong Woking defence. But the midfield is just awful - one-paced (slow) and lacking in skill and penetration and Crowe again had a torrid time on the right of defence.

The one bright moment was created by a great little run and cross from Omar to put Marshall in for the goal - notably neither the midfield nor the strikers were involved. On the showing of the three home games I fear we are in for another long season of disappointment and just pray that it doesn't mean a relegation battle.

As for marquee players - there has been no sign of any such thing so far this term.

[portugull]

Well that was a truly dreadful game of Football by 2 so called Professional Football Teams.

From minute 1 Woking fouled constantly and picked out Corie Andrews for special attention.5 yellow cards were given plus 2 to United.

The first 45 minutes were boring in the extreme. How can players be this bad? No quality, no pace and really no idea.

Woking are a horrible team who set out from the start to ensure United could not play and the Referee allowed Andrews to be manhandled by the No.5
who was all over Andrews not once but continually. If you chose the beach today you made a good decision.

This was National League Football at its very worst.

Crazy that 42 hours after playing Maidstone away we had to play again. Who are these muppets who run the National League?

Gary has a big problem on his plate with this team.

[PL21gull]

Yes Gary we all want things turned around. However, our pattern of play is holding us back, we have gone from a previously exciting GJ teams with flair and attacking intent to a group of individuals who are not putting into practice the very basics of football. Passing with intent, movement with intent, tackling with intent, and especially teamwork, are apparently foreign concepts. Other teams are playing together, playing triangles, playing on the deck, supporting and bringing other team members into play, being strong and physical (alright downright nasty in Woking's case), playing with pace and purpose.
Woking probed our right flank as the weakest part from the kick-off. We have a much taller group of players than last year, and yet we lost most of the aerial battles throughout the game both in attack and in defence. Why do we continue to pump the ball over the heads of our two strikers rather than playing to feet? Why do we take so long over throws-in and often just lob the ball hopefully to opposition heads? Why do we give so much space and light marking to our opponents when they have a throw-in? Why do our midfielders look so slow and unfamiliar with one another? Why do we look so alone when a wide player actually gets the ball? Where is the supporting cast?
We also had difficulty coping with Woking's high line in defence of free kicks and kept getting caught offside. Again down to tactical basics.
Woking certainly took their chances 1-on1 with the keeper, but we didn't show appropriate composure. Our goal was achieved by a fine run to the goalline by a central defender and a deft chip onto the head of his fellow defender...why does it take the defenders to show how to penetrate?

[Chelston TUFC]

Listening to the post match interview......I'd take win ugly over being entertained at this point.

[culmstockgull]

It would be very easy to be totally negative about this afternoon, Before the kick off Woking must have looked at us thinking , is this their first team or the kids eleven. Our first serious attempt on goal was the 47th minute, our goal was a cross by Omar headied in by Marshall which says it all. Yet another big ugly experienced team(Johnson please note) When the Woking defence exchanged business cards with Andrews early in the first half he defo decided that he wasnt up for any of that and dived at every opportuntity thereafter, Omar definetely needs to donate some of his heart and guts to Andrews. They targetted Crowe first half and what a wise decision that was, he panicked so many times, Wyatt slightly better but he has no pace at all, first half with the ball thrown out to his feet and at least a third of the pitch to himself, he ran five yards, stopped and passed backwards. Donellan and Mcgavin both have talent but need another season in the under 23's before being let loose on mens football, Isegun had something in his cameo but under our system there is no room for an out and out winger. I said before the game that the experience and talent was on the bench, and they got less than 45 between them. Goodwin stood out for me purely on endeavour and strength handing out as much grief as he received. what we would have given for Almond in our line up , an experienced forward who found the gaps and had a nice line in trying to undermine our keepers confidence, the verbals were classic.
So if there is anyone out there who doesnt think we are relegation fodder then they have gone Dawlish. just heard an interesting comment by Johnson on postmatch , he said he will keep going until told otherwise, I wonder if he has been given the warning formula by the powers to be.

[Bristol_Gull]

Just watched the post match interview - I sense that Gary himself is demotivated. I am sure, like all of us, he expects more from the team however the manager has to set the standard and I didn’t sense the passion tonight. Perhaps it’s no wonder the team lacked tenacity too?

The shape on the field is not helping matters at all. I’m not sure what is going on, but we need to be more adventurous and look for some width.

Whilst I have no idea about his fitness or wage demands, why did we let Nathanial George go so sharply? He seemed to have a good track record and reputation, I’d liked to have seen a gamble on him and Iseguan out wide to inject a bit of much lacking pace and creativity into the team.

If Hall and Lapsie can get fit, they will bring much needed grit to the middle, but who is going to bring the spark? I’m sure Goodwin and Andrews both have goals in them but I don’t see the supply.

Where do we go from here?

[CP Gull]

Think we lack the big characters you need at this level. Just seen the goals back on BT. What you didn’t see was the Woking centre half take one full on the face on the line to deny Goodwin who hit it really powerfully. He couldn’t continue but he saved his team a certain goal. Then you see the pathetic attempt by Crowe for their second goal as he turns his back on a shot to avoid getting hurt. Sums up where we are, not enough leaders, not enough quality and a real lack of courage and I don’t just mean what Crowe did, it’s a real lack of courage to get on the ball and make things happen. Big job for Johnson, not sure he still has the appetite for it, unfortunately it appears we have recruited poorly yet again. Very disappointing

[desperado]

For the first time in his 4 years here I am beginning to have doubts over Gary Johnson.
He has had a fantastic career as a football manager but what is he 67 now ?
Can't go on forever turning out successful teams.
This is nothing like a Gary Johnson team !
I can't believe he has assembled a team as poor as this.
There is only one player in that team I would keep and think is at the level required and that is Dean Moxey and even he didn't have a particularly good game today. Goodwin has great potential and McGavin has talent but the rest are a shambles. What was seen in these players to make the management think they were National League play off level ?
The so called wing backs are not that at all , they don't bomb forward with pace and power and pick out players. Anyone remember Paul Gibbs and Andy Gurney ?
Not quite sure what Hanson's role on the right of midfield is supposed to be and Donnelan looks like a center back playing in midfield.
Last year's team that was struggling in a similar position last September was far stronger than this one , with Wynter, Lewis, CLE, Little, Moxey, Hall, Lapslie, Wright in it . I really fear for us this season.

[brucie]

I dont see how having a quick turnaround can be used as an excuse. Woking had less time than us as they kicked off at 5.20pm on Saturday and spent three quarters of the game chasing Wrexham around with 10 men.

So they had less time to prepare as well as being without the suspended Lofthouse who was by far and away the best player on the pitch against Wrexham until his red card. It was obvious from the Wrexham game that they would beat us today. They don't have Gerring anymore, nor that other liability of a centre half.

Sarll has recruited well and has a young forward who scored their first goal against Wrexham who looks class. They didnt have any school kids coming as subs either, just gnarled old streetwise pros who dont get injured every 5 minutes.

We are a train crash of a team. Big players in midfield who apparently cant win headers. Crowe seems to be constantly picked out game after game as not being up to it, and the other player Wyatt by all accounts isnt much better. Our best player by a country mile - Halstead is walking around on crutches. Lapslie and Hall should be pensioned off, none of our forwards can score and the best that the manager and his useless scout of a brother can come up with is a schoolkid from Ipswich who is going to get released by his parent club in January.

Matters seem to be made worse todays as we actually managed to have the lead with 25 minutes to go. To end up getting hammered is even more embarassing in the circumstances.

[UnitedinDevon]

I'll put some thoughts on the game later but the game was doomed to farce with Durkin as the ref, inept is the best word

He let the game descend into a farce in the 2nd half and the lino on the pop looked scared to do anything

Isn't his father an assessor?

Their players goading the crowd at the end resulting in a fan walking on the pitch to confront them

[dawlishmatt]

I'll put some thoughts on the game later but the game was doomed to farce with Durkin as the ref, inept is the best word

He let the game descend into a farce in the 2nd half and the lino on the pop looked scared to do anything

Isn't his father an assessor?

Their players goading the crowd at the end resulting in a fan walking on the pitch to confront them

It seems to be a pattern with you UnitedinDevon. It is always somebody else's fault. According to you we have 46 crap refs each season, the 23 teams we play are dirty timewasters and should have 2 or 3 players sent off each game. Added to the list we average 2 pens that were not awarded per game.

Time to stop living in your fantasy world and start facing reality. We are crap for one reason only, Gary Johnson.

[North Curry House]

Absolutely crap again - three home matches on the trot, throw in a couple away and this is worse than even when we got relegated Into NLS....and we will NOT get out of that so easily if we were to go there again.

One bright spot, how many teams doubled their goal output today?