Torquay United Fans Forum

For those of you that want to watch the interview on iPlayer, here's the link below.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0 ... Episode_9/

Start watching from 17 min, 40 sec

chippygull wrote:I watched Taylor during the debacle that was the Bradford game (the match wasn't worth watching) and it was painfully obvious he was nowhere near involved in anything. Taxi for Taylor.

You should have seen him at Aldershot away then!

His son has removed his tweet! - under advice no doubt!

Agreed, from Martin Ling's comment it would certainly appear that he may be considering a claim for unfair dismissal on the grounds of ill health - however I am reliably informed that any claim could only amount at most to a years salary - I guess that's still a reasonable amount of money. Personally whilst I think the decision is the right one, sacking someone over the telephone is a little poor. They could have requested that he attend Plainmoor but then again - all that way to have your contract terminated? So maybe they took the right approach.

I can't help thinking that this has been on the cards for a few weeks now. I feel that they were just waiting to get Martin at the ground to speak with him. I wonder how much this contract termination has cost us financially with Martin having a rolling contract. Poor performance or ill health are not grounds on their own for dismissal so I understand he would be entitled to some kind of payment so I am sure some kind of compromise agreement has been made. I am sure to most fans this doesn't matter but at the end of the day financially this could be quite expensive and may have an impact on next seasons budget.

I expect that his future is seriously in doubt and I expect another announcement to that effect shortly if I was a betting man!

Well, I guess it was coming and I think it was the right decision by the board.

Now on the O/S http://www.torquayunited.com/news/artic ... 98927.aspx

Perhaps the reason Knill wasn't being drawn on his Torquay future?

Warnock has hinted at wanting an 'upstairs' role but however fond he is of TUFC his heart really lies down the road.
I do like the idea of a 'footballing' person on the board but it has to be done carefully. They need a very specific job spec that is made clear to the manager to avoid any toe stepping. Also, we would need to be sure none of the Colin Lee mistakes are made again, for a start he cannot be given an unlimited expenses account!

I agree PhilGull. A defined role with accountability and clear deliverables are what is required here. Notoriously DOF's command high salaries but I personally do not want the club simply paying for a name. Equally if we have to pay for a reasonable package I want us to enure we handle the contracts correctly to ensure we protect ourselves well.

Oh and one other thing. Simon Baker was on the BBC immediately after the game to say that he would be speaking with Martin today and stating "He is better now.."

Presumably he didn't just miraculously get better overnight and must have been feeling better for some time now. If this is the case do others feel that it would have been a supportive gesture to at least have published a post via the official website or alternatively via the programme thanking fans for their support and wishing the team all the very best for last game of the season. I appreciate some may say that he may not have wanted to interfere with Knill's management of the team but as they were both friends it seems to me very bizarre that Knill didn't speak to Ling at all - yet Taylor did !? Also I wouldn't have considered this action as interfering with the running of the team and may have eased in his transition back to the club.

It is fair to say that there is definitely a contrast in management styles. Ling fairly inanimate on the touchline compared to Knill / Brass and their open encouragement and dialogue with the players. Personally for me I prefer the latter style of management. I think you need to be involved with your players to get the best out of them. I felt last season we were on the verge of something great with Ling with the potential for automatic promotion and then all of a sudden it fizzled out like a wet party firework. I know this is the past and one shouldn't dwell on it but I do wonder what it would have been like if Knill had been in charge then.

It is interesting that Ling openly told fans to 'get real' and that we had overachieved last season - the self fulfilling prophecy certainly worked its magic this year and this is exactly my point. I want a manager who has highly passionate and positive outlook; wanting the club to be the best it possible can and the players too (just look at Di Canio - for all his faults he does instill passion) without being completely deluded that we are playing brilliant even when we are performing badly (aka Buckle) Open and honest when failures occur and with a reasonable tactical portfolio so we have options - something largely missing from us this season.

I know a previous poster eluded to the fact that there is not a huge amount of different in both managers performance in terms of win ratios. However, for me it is about the football played on the pitch and whether this is both entertaining and positive. I haven't seen much of this from Martin Ling. I lost count of how many matches we came out forlorn, lacking ideas and with very little confidence with no tempo to our play. My only concern is whether Knill has the personality and contacts to attract layers to come to Plainmoor; although in fairness this is the same for both managers and on previous track record you cannot criticise the signings previously made by Martin.

Thanks for the response Andrew.

I am afraid the club didn't help itself on Saturday.

The official website stated that if away fans were spotted in home areas of the ground, they should be pointed out to stewards who would then have them removed. My bone of contention is why does the club make a statement such as this and place it on the website only to then turn a blind eye to proceedings. Quite how for example Bristol Rovers fans managed to get into the family stand and remain there sitting wearing their scalves is quite beyond me. I know a number of Bristol Rovers fans challenged me when I spoke to Stewards by stating 'We didn't cause any trouble' and I appreciate that in some areas of the ground this may have been the case; however I also witnessed a number of obscene gestures from Bristol Rovers fans in Bristows Bench and others openly celebrating in the family stand.

I do feel that we were lucky that the game finished the way it did. Had we been beaten by Bristol Rovers or in a worse-case scenario relegated, I am sure the decision to leave fans where they were as opposed to being removed would have been seriously called into question as I could imagine the situation would have turned ugly rather quickly.

The club have to be true to their word and carry out any pre-advised action and not to be seen to be a soft touch and lose respect - otherwise what is the point of publishing a policy we do not adhere to. I am sure if even 50 or 100 of their fans were turned away they would seriously consider travelling in future without a ticket.

I like many other fans am appalled by our clubs poor organisation with the ticketing for today's game. We must do better and the club must take responsibility for their part in this fiasco. There appears to be no accountability on behalf of the club, police or stewards. The club made a statement that if BR fans were Identiied in the home areas this should be pointed out to the stewards who would eject them. Now, when a BR fans sits in the family stand and wears his clubs scalf - surely this is obvious. Today could really have fur ed nasty if BR had won and we were relegated.. I would like the club to investigate and respond to today's events. I wonder if the motive was simply an attempt to gain as much revenue from the game today as possible

More disturbing for me and another example of poor judgment t related to Torquay legend Frankie O'Farrell. Apparently I was advised that he was told that he did not have his usual seat in the directors box and passed our friends on leaving the ground.

Why do BR have more of a right than this elderly gentleman who did so much for the club? I think again the club.should explain themselves.

It's a pity that activities off the pitch were not on a par with those on the pitch today.

Sorry TUFC you got it wrong today!

What I meant specifically but obviously hasn't come across in the post is that he had done well with what he had. From a central defensive point of view I believe we have looked solid - it's the left / right back areas where my concerns are. I wonder if people think we have been defensively poor centrally, are others so keen to retain the services of Downes and Saah.


Note to self: read post before hitting submit.

Unless I have missed a trick here, I was under the impression that Shaun Taylor is a 'defensive coach'? If so, in this respect I have to say he has done a good job as we have looked healthy at the back for most of the season (with the exception of Nicholson). Both Saah and Downes have been immense this season and I truly hope we are able to keep both of them for the season to come. Left and right back I am less comfortable with. Yes, Joe Oastler played well against Morecambe but I also remember the times he has been skinned and I also feel he hasn't performed as well as he did last season. Then there's Nicholson. I cannot argue that he is a club legend. However, you cannot let your heart rule your head in football. This season again we have conceded a number of goals from the left hand side of the pitch, teams are aware of this weakness (especially Cheltenham) and continue to exploit it. I think it's time we found a new player for this position. If this isn't Cruise, then release him!

Personally I don't want North - probably the reason he has been sniffing around the club as he knew the bullet was coming! - Other than throw the ball up in the air for the centre half's, I never really saw him doing anything different or of any real value from an onlookers point of view.

PhilGull wrote:I voted no, I just don't see Yeoman and Jarvis working as a pair. Most likely I think will be Jarvis pushed up front with Stevens coming in on the right.

Happy for Jarvis to play up front but this is going to be one physical game and can you really see Danny performing under this situation. Personally I can't, as he has been absent most of the season. Happy to be proved wrong tho!