Just an update. Still feeling ‘stupid’, ‘dumb’, and ‘pessimistic’ for this post. Not that I hold grudges of course...Fonda wrote:I assume Mr Hargreaves is aware that all out of contract players are free to sign for clubs now? It isn’t just ours that can go elsewhere – the doors do actually function in both directions. Or at least I assume they do. Perhaps that’s another area in which we’re cutting back. I mention it because seemingly whilst all around are increasing their bulging numbers, our depleted squad continues to be neglected.
Yet again, we’ll be the last to burst into action. Whilst our place in the League is gone, our role of picking up the left-over’s clearly isn’t. Don’t fret though – we’ll act quickly enough to offer some of the dross nobody else wanted, £20 a week more than they’d get stacking shelves in their local Tesco’s. If the club wanted to dispel any concerns that last season’s debacle was terminal, with this plan of total inactivity they’re going about it all wrong.
Don’t get me wrong though, this was always going to be a very different experience to our previous sabbatical in this division. As a club, we don’t have sufficient money, intent or belief to make our second stay a short one. Whilst we have a small squad again – that is where the similarities end. Last time we had a (relatively) large budget, a manager that knew the division intimately and a feel-good factor from the boardroom to the terraces. This season we have...none of those things.
We evidently don’t have a competitive budget. I don’t consider the manager a complete fool, I’m sure he’d like to be doing some business. But it looks increasingly like he can’t afford to compete for signings – even at this level. He’ll have to wait until the players he tries to sign have two options - sign for us or sign on. So the quality we’ll be getting is obvious.
The manager himself has done the square root of f-all to convince me he’s the man for the job. I certainly don’t advocate making changes until a manager has had sufficient time to prove one way or the other if he’s good enough. Hargreaves certainly hasn’t had that yet, but I didn’t see anything from him last season to convince me he’s got the tools. Hopefully he’s grown into the job over the summer. Time will tell on that.
As for a ‘feel-good factor’, I’ve personally never looked forward to a season less. It’ll take all my energy to get there for our first home game (But I will, because that’s what we do isn’t it?) But I won’t enjoy it. Of that I’m absolutely convinced. There isn’t the slightest buzz about a ‘new challenge’. We’re in a division which contains ex-league clubs with bigger support and better prospects than us, and ‘new money’ clubs that have no history, little support but bucket loads of cash. I console myself with the thought that there must be at least 4 or 5 clubs that don’t fit into either of those categories, and we’ll finish above them. Ultimately though, my guess is we’ll be closer to the bottom of the division next season than the top. And if we exit the ‘Skrill’ any time in the next 5 years, it’s much more likely to be down than up.
I’ll probably leave it there. Too much positivity makes me giddy. See you again in September for more happy thoughts. Up the Gulls!
Unfortunately for all of us (especially those that live locally), the fate of Torquay United reflects almost exactly that of Torquay (the town). Historic lack of vision and investment has reduced it to a crumbling shell, with virtually no redeeming features. Anyone with a degree of ambition leaves Torquay at the earliest opportunity, there is nothing for them here. And I’m afraid the football team has long since been left behind too. Money makes the world go around. Only when Torquay (the town) starts looking for, and embracing private investment rather than rejecting it, will the businesses already in the town, flourish again. Dying town, dying football club.
