Torquay United Fans Forum

Another great game - full of drama and incident. ITV and their audience must have been well pleased with their decision to air the game.

The key incident was, of course, the foul for the penalty. The officials got it just right - a definite penalty and, because there was no attempt to challenge for the ball, a red card. Whether or not it was a clear scoring chance and whether or not there was another defender goal side of the incident it had to be a red card. From then on it was largely one way football and a succession of chances were spurned before the equaliser went in amidst chaotic scenes for which, unfortunately, the Club will likely face severe sanction.

For me, three players had standout games for United - Halstead for two great last-ditch tackles outside his area to keep the Derby tally down to two, Ellis who apart from the second Derby goal had an immense defensive performance and Jarvis who caused the Derby defence no end of problems.

Well done to the Club for presenting such a good image for the outside world and to the fans who kept Plainmoor rocking throughout, even when it looked possible that Derby would romp away with it.

I agree with the prevailing view that we need to play a high press game - which means McGavin can't play. We can't afford his lumbering presence in midfield.

Sorry Paul, shan't see you on Tuesday - triple booked and had to come down on the side of theatre tickets booked months ago by my wife! So see you for the Derby game.

Dutchgull wrote: ↑25 Oct 2022, 21:07 Hi DevonBee

My first game was against Bristol Rovers in 1971 when I was 10 !

Here is my dream time but after writing it I could not believe that I inadvertently left out Eunan O'Kane who gave me probably the highlight of my Gulls supporting career by scoring those two goals against the Green garbage and after waiting forty years to beat them in a league game !!

No real excuses for that apart from I had fifty years of players / games to go through and so many players to choose from !!

If you enter the ground by the Family Stand / Bristows Bench you can see me selling 50/50 tickets at each game !!

https://torquaytalk.com/2022/05/26/my-t ... ul-dennis/

Take care !!

Hi Dutchgull,

So it's you who sells me my 50/50 tickets! I am the guy who always asks for two non-consecutive tickets from you! It is poor that you have had your shelter removed from you but thanks for what you do for the club.

CourtierGull wrote: ↑25 Oct 2022, 01:28 I think the management deserve the criticism they’re getting, I think our injuries haven’t helped the situation but after the last few seasons we should of been aware of this. I would rather focus on the positives so far and in Jarvis we have a very good target man. Mcgavin is a good footballer who looks shot of confidence and I also think wyatt has proven to be a decent player.
I feel bad for andrews, he scored a good amount for aldershot last year and has played all season injured until it’s got too bad and now he needs surgery.
I think we’ve put together an OK squad, a mix of good and bad ability with some very high potential, but we’ve seriously shot ourselves in the foot by not signing up any wingers. This is not the worst squad we’ve had, but a lot of things aren’t working and now the confidence has been shot in players it’s going to be very hard to turn that around.

Don't agree with your main conclusion - it cannot be an OK squad if you have no wingers, no pace in midfield and defenders who (with the exception of Moxey) can't defend. Even if you are right about McGavin, he is a luxury player at best in such a squad given that he is so one-paced and consistently outplayed by more energetic oppositions.

Hall - two goals and the only one of our midfield to be close to matching the opposition
Moxey - immense effort to keep the pressure on Altrincham and again the best of a poor defence
Jarvis - fought like a tiger up front and won plenty of ball, shame he couldn't finish off his best chance
Lovett - not to blame for the goals and made some blinding saves including the penalty to keep us in it
Goodwin - really energetic performance to pull their defence around but tendency to overplay to make up for lack of support from midfield

At the other end of the rankings, Marshall had probably the worst game I have ever seen from a defender, giving away a penalty, slipping to gift them their third and getting a red card for a petulant, blatant retaliation on his opponent.

Had to resist posting too quickly in order to get some perspective on what was a truly remarkable game.

In the first half we were appallingly bad - Alty seemed to create great chances almost at will, tearing our porous defence apart time and time again. But for Lovett we would have been four down at half-time.

The second half saw a different Gulls team - scoring early to create doubt in their opponents minds and then equalising with plenty of time to go on and take all three points. Cue Lapslie to put us ahead with his first touch of the ball.

Unfortunately we then reverted to type with the sending off and poor defending allowing Alty to equalise and then take the lead themselves. But United weren't finished and in extra, added time a fantastic strike by one of the defensive unit who almost gave the game away, levelled the score again.

In normal times I would have celebrated a wonderful game of end-to-end football with dozens of chances, eight goals, a well-saved penalty and a red card. However, we cannot ignore the reality of a side which was outplayed for large parts of the match and which still languishes at the foot of the division. We are, I'm afraid, facing the drop. No side with a defence like ours (despite two good goalkeepers and the ever-green Moxey) can expect to survive over the course of a season.

Despite his wonderful goal, Crowe is a liability at right back or wing back. Marshall is a red card waiting to happen and spends more time wrestling his opponents than playing football, Okoli is lacking in experience and Omar struggles when sides play on the ground.

They are not helped by a midfield which lacks the pace evident in most of the teams we have faced. McGavin and, in previous games, Hanson are ponderous and lacking in vision.

There are still some bright points though - Jarvis and Goodwin are a handful up front but lack good service from midfield, Evans (before his injury) and Smith started to inject some pace into midfield and we have experience in Hall and Moxey.

Nevertheless, we will face plenty of teams better than Alty later in the season and it will require some serious recruitment to alter our fortunes significantly.

I thought this was a game between two very poor sides. First half was shockingly bad with only three attempts on goal but United were unlucky on two counts to go a goal down. First the handball was harsh given the way the shot was going well wide and second Halstead saved the penalty only to be beaten (just) by the follow-up.

Second half H&R upped their game and predictably hit us on the break. Only then did we start playing with conviction - getting one back almost immediately, having a number of good opportunities before scoring the equaliser, and almost getting a winner. But at the death our defence went to sleep (again) and only a very good save from Halstead and a line clearance from the rebound prevented H&R claiming the win.

For me Donellan was our MOTM - he did well enough when in the back 5 but came to life when he was pushed up into midfield with some thrusting runs and, of course, the second goal.

Others who did well - Halstead for that late save and nearly stopping the penalty, Moxey for his throw-ins, the front two who chased everything with so little service and De Silva for providing width and the delivery for the second goal.

Others who continue to perform poorly - Crowe, poor defensively and awful crosses from wide positions, McGavin, apart from his goal which was top drawer was slow, ponderous and gave the ball away cheaply and Lapslie who seem to repeatedly run up blind alleys. Hall was a little better but not much.

Basically we have too many underperforming or poor players in the squad - we will do well to avoid relegation this season and, on this showing, neither are we going to have a cup run of any note.

By the way, in almost 50 years of supporting TUFC, that was the smallest home crowd I can remember being in - another warning sign.

MellowYellow wrote: ↑11 Oct 2022, 21:00 I think you give too much credence calling them "holding" midfielders, but at least you identify none of the "plenty" are any good in that position.

I guess its the only term you can use - none fit the descriptions "creative" or "attacking"!

If you still think McGavin is the best of a bad bunch then we really are in the deep brown stuff. He looked slow, uninterested and devoid of a footballing brain in the games I saw. But then he probably wonders what the hell he has let himself in for among what is increasingly looking like a relegation team.

The next four games will indicate whether or not we are truly relegation material.

Goodwin - good goal and combative all game
Evans - showed the pace and aggression that the rest of the midfield lack
Wyatt - high energy performance shame about the pen

Honourable mention for Martin but no one else deserves a vote.

Another home match and another footballing lesson from a far better team. Solihull were mobile, skilful and street-wise in a way that our team was not. The only ones to have half-decent games were Goodwin, Evans and, apart from conceding the penalty, Wyatt. Each showed a willingness to put their bodies on the line and push the team forward that was sadly missing from the rest of our midfield. As a result we could only manage 7 attempts all game although all bar one were on target.

The defence looked at sixes and sevens for much of the first half and were totally static for the second goal which was embarrassing to witness.

The third goal was even more remarkable for our incompetence when we were pressing down the left hand corner, lost the ball and their winger (I think) ran a full sixty yards, beating two or three players with his speed before Wyatt could get close enough to foul him and concede the penalty.

No doubt some people will have a go at the officials again but I actually thought they had a good game - players were booked for time-wasting and I thought the big decisions were correct.

Unfortunately, we have recruited poorly again this season and we have had to rely on a trio of midfielders who, whilst tall and at first glance imposing, are slow in both footballing brain and pace, spending most of the games chasing shadows. We look distinctly like relegation material at the moment but I still expect the manager to turn things round - rooting out those who are not good enough and bringing in reinforcements who will stabilise the situation.

Lovett - some tidy saves and one excellent save to keep the score down
Wyatt - generally secure on the left flank
Goodwin - fought tenaciously but with nil support from midfield
Omar - for that one piece of skill to make the goal

No one else, even Moxey for once, deserves a mention.

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.

After today's game I would suggest that we haven't a cat in hell's chance of finishing above them in the league.