Torquay United Fans Forum

But Arsenal won!!

Last month I visited Plainmoor for the first time this season seeing the narrow win 1-0 over Burton and the 1-1 draw with Southend.

I was very impressed with Craig Stanley and I think he is a `must sign` for PB. To those critics of the team I would remind them that we have 3 twenty year olds (Kee, O`Kane and Oastler) and Ellis who is only 22. With 4 other players aged 24 this is a young team with only 3 players 30 and over (Potter 32, Branston 32 and Nico 30).

In 32 league games we have only lost 9 which means we have avoided defeat 72% of the time. But for the very unfortunate end at Morecambe and Cheltenham we would be 5 points better off and in 7th place. There is much to play for.

Attendances are a real worry but sad to say TELEVISION is killing football. Just look at average attendances today compared to 10 years ago. Here in Portugal only 5 teams in the top division average over 10,000. My local team SC Olhanense averages 3,816 despite only losing one match at home all season and that to FC Porto who are the runaway leaders and will almost certainly be the champions of Portugal.

From the 2 games I saw I think the two main problems are firstly the lack of an out and out goal scorer, in other words a Matt Tubbs, a Stuart Fleetwood, an Alan Connell or an Andy Mangan. I remember Swindon picked up Charlie Austin from Poole Town who was a prolific scorer and I wonder why PB does not consider, given our financial restraints, going for prolific scorers in the lower leagues.

The second problem is a failure in the team to retain possession. PB should make the team watch Arsenal for one hour every day and see how they retain possession. The other team cannot play if we have the ball! Aimless clearances by the keeper and some of our defenders do not make sense. It only clears the lines briefly. Giving the ball away should be the last thing we do.

Finally I think PB in his first management position is doing a great job with very limited funds at a time when professional football is in serious financial trouble. Everyone who loves the club should get behind him and the team and remember that critisim does not benefit anyone.

Cambgull I do realise because I was sat in the grandstand at last nights game! It still doesnt stop me looking forward to the new grandstand and I guess we can expect an announcement pretty soon.

I flew from Portugal on Monday and I thought last nights performance, my first game this season, showed great commitment. Paul Buckle has done a phenomenal job.

I thought you might be interested to see the mascot for my local team SC Olhanense. He is called Moss the Stork but everytime I see him it reminds me of Gilbert the Gull!

I shall be going to Saturdays match with Southend and if anybody recognises me from the photo below I shall be pleased to meet any fellow bloggers. I usually sit in the main stand near the half way line. Boy am I looking forward to the new grandstand!

Southampton Gull - I like it!

I apologise to Ferrarilover if my post came over as whinging. At no stage did I claim to be a scouting genius. At no stage did I claim to know more about the game than PB or his team of scouts. I think your post is extremely negative and not at all helpful. Perhaps you would prefer it if some of us exiles refrained from comment.

I guess the response was predictable. It will be difficult, it wont work, it wont suit our style of play, housing problems. Why then has Eunan O`Kane been such a success. Ok he is not Portuguese but he came over from Ireland, had to find accommodation, is a physical lightweight, but he has class, skill, and possibly against all odds has now established himself in the team because of his ability.

I am not suggesting we need 11 highly skilled players in league 2 but I promise you 2 or 3 skillful players can transform an average team into a very good one.

Every day the world becomes a smaller place and there is now more and more movement of professional footballers not only between one country and another but between continents.

I know little of our scouting system but I do believe there are many players available without a transfer fee if clubs like United just broadened their horizons. Exeter to Faro is 2 hours which is probably a lot less time than it takes for John Milton to drive to London to watch a prospective player.

Paul Buckle has done a good job at Plainmoor given the severe budget restraints and the very small hard core of support circa 2000/2500.

The Board have rightly supported the reintroduction of the youth team and three players are showing promise Halpin, Yeoman and Palmer.

Recruitment of good players especially to what is a geographical outpost has never been easy but I would like to seriously suggest that Paul and the Board consider a new strategy for player recruitment.

Portuguese players have very good technique and because of Portugals history there are many players who originate from Brasil, Argentina and a number of African countries.

Outside the big 5 clubs such as Benfica many premier league clubs average gates similar to TUFC. In the two divisions below matches are sometimes played before only two or three hundred spectators.

However, technique and skill levels are high. I have only missed one home game this season at SC Olhanense and this month we play at home against Sporting Lisbon and FC Porto who look certain to win the league this year. Portugal is a small country with 10 million population but the standard of football is very good.

Premier league clubs like Man U and Chelsea have bought top Portuguese players with great success. I believe that lower league clubs if they used more imagination with their recruitment could purchase players who could go on to play at a higher level. In the past United did well from two foreign recruits in Rodney Jack and Gregory Goodrich. Hereford have just sold a French player, Mathieu Manset, who they picked up from Le Havre and sold to Reading for £200k which could become £450k if he is sold on.

During February I will be in UK and attending the two home games with Burton ALbion and Southend Utd. If anyone at Plainmoor would like to talk about Portuguese players I would be happy to talk. I am retired, a lifelong Gull and have watched professional football for over 50 years.

There are plenty of diamonds waiting to be polished in Portugal!

In my view a true legend must be a long serving player at least 5 years and preferably more.

Sammy Collins - Scored 219 goals in 379 appearances scoring 40 goals in 1955/56. Sammy was a wonderful header of the ball and his goal scoring records still stand today. Not very big but a joy to watch.

Robin Stubbs - I was lucky enough to see Robin in his prime and I have no doubt he was the best all round striker ever to play for the club. He was strong, fast, good technique and a nightmare to defend against.

Don Mills - Don was probably the classiest player that I ever saw. He was way better than our level and was also an exceptionally nice guy. He played for the club for 10 years, retiring in 1961.

Denis Lewis - Held the club appearance record until broken by Kevin Hill. Played 474 times for United at No 4. Good on the ball, never panicked and a key player for many years.

Tommy Northcott - A very good centre forward, very strong in the air, always gave 100% and I remember him so well.

Kevin Hill - If all professional footballers were like Kevin the game would enjoy a much better reputation. A really genuine player who always gave 100% just like Lee Mansell.

The funniest player was John Bond, ex West Ham, who played left back and was known as the Muffin Man. Can anyone tell me why?

The most entertaining for two or three years was Larry Baxter a right winger who could beat four men but would always want to beat a fifth. What a player I just loved watching him in the 1950s.

I hope this helps FMTorquay but sorry for the younger fans if I go back rather a long way!

I have subscribed to Gulls Player for 2 seasons and it was only very recently that I discovered by chance that you can use player to visit ALL clubs outside the premiership.

Perhaps I am dim and everybody knows already! However, if there is anybody out there who like me was under the misapprehension that you could only log into Gulls Player then I hope this information is useful. All you have to do, to log into any club, is put in your name and password as per usual. Do visit Leyton Orient to view their win over Droylsdon 8 - 2 having been 2 - 1 down in the 89th minute!

I have the same problem. Signed in about 15 times with no success. Disappointing.

My first game at Plainmoor was during the season 1953/54 but being only 10 I cannot remember who we played. I do remember that Eric Webber was the player/manager playing at centre half and was a dominant player throughout the match. This was the last season we played in black and white stripes just like Newcastle Utd and were known as the Magpies not the Gulls.

The first game I remember in detail was the famous FA cup 4th round against Huddersfield then in Div One on 29 January 1955. The crowd was 21,908. Hard to believe now that Plainmoors capacity is so low.

The great thing about the mid to late 50s was we had 3 fantastic forwards in Ronnie Shaw (7) Sammy Collins still our all time record goal scorer and the great Don Mills (10) the best player in the division in those far off days.

I have really enjoyed reading this thread.

Sorry Nicky, got my wife to quickly write my reply and of course being a mere woman she didnt know how to spell your name Wroe properly!! OOps.

The official site has this afternoon confirmed that Nicky Rowe has been placed on the transfer list.

The official site has this afternoon confirmed that Nicky Rowe has been placed on the transfer list.