FL2: Torquay United v Morecambe 17th October 2009

A disappointing performance in my view, especially after the 2nd half at Notts County.

My first thought was why on earth was Charnock dropped. He is probably our best defender and those who did play were torn all over the place by a very tricky Morecambe forward line. Really they should have beaten us out of sight had it not been for another good display from Michael Poke.

Neither Robertson or Ellis have a clue what to do with the ball when they have it and it is just hoofed aimlessly forward straight into the path of the opposition. Out of the defense, only Mansell emerged with any credit, as Nicholson, sadly is being exposed as a bit out of his depth.

I would not want to join in the chorus of moaning about him as he has been a great player for us in the non-league years but I think he needs replacing.

I thought Wroe had one of his better games and while Hargreaves gives everything, maybe his time is fading too. Certainly Tyrone Thompson is not up to this level and upfront, benyon is a liability. There is just no point to him being in the team and if he does have to play, then having him as the furthest forward trying to win the aimless long hoofs from defense is a waste of time. Surely, Sills should be there and \benyonplaying behind the main striker/s.

Furthermore, the clamour for Danny Stevens is really rather pointless. He is too small for this level of football.

We were lucky to get a point even though we could have nicked it. We might be out of the relegation zone, but in reality we are further in the mire.

Buckle himself acknowledges that the current team is not good enough, although he has been saying this for a few weeks now and little seems to have been done about it. He is right in saying it has to be the right players but we cannot afford to wait around for too long. The problem is I wonder what sort of player would want to join us in our current predicament.

I thought it was a Stonewall Jackson penalty. Admittedly you don't often see them given - the ref could (and perhaps should have) given more (to both sides) - this may then stop this shirt pulling.

Pete I do not believe for one second the board feel that league football is unsustainable in the Bay and it is their aim to strengthen the team now rather than wait until January.

That shows positive intend to make sure league football is held on to and not something to be let go of after all the work and money put into getting the club out of the BSP and back into the football league.

Its strange really that in some games the players look good enough to at least make sure we do not take the drop back into the BSP, while in other games they look like BSP players who are struggling to make the step up.

It was only right and fair to give the players a chance to see if they could make the step up into league football and its clear that some and not all, have shown its maybe a step to far.

I do think in games like yesterdays the formation exposed some players weaknesses far more and only because using that system we failed to play to the players strengths and left them far to exposed and the result was they struggled more than they might have done, than if we had played a system better suited to the players and the team as a whole.

One game Nico gets great praise and the next having no cover to help him out, his lack of pace puts him under pressure to deal with one or two players at the same time without the help he should be getting.

He has clever feet and and is good on the ball and we have depended so much on his free kicks and throw-ins. but yesterday he had no one close to pass to out of defense and had to hit the ball long.

There was no player running out wide to try and get on the end of Nico's balls( no jokes please) and so he had to pump them toward Sills or Benyon in the middle and so often we then lost the ball and found it coming back at us far to quickly.

Nico made good use of balls down the channels when he had willing runners like Green to go and get on the end of the ball, but he has gone and there are no players I can think at the club who could make the runs with pace up front to win those balls.

I would expect some news this week about a few players coming in, as has been said they do need to be proven league players and not young hopefuls. Watching Danny Mills yesterday I felt he may come good one day, but he got knocked off the ball a few times just like Benyon does and I still feel its better for Mills and the club if he went back to his own club soon.

We can't afford to be picking up just one point at a time per a game, that will see us relegated for sure, keep the faith things are about to turn the corner and the board will make sure of that.

Dave you saw it the same as me and Bucks should have changed it earlier it just wasnt working. The defense had no other option other than to hoof it to Sills or Rendell.
The only way a system like that can possibly work is if you have capable ala Alex Russell, Jason Fowler type midfield players demanding the ball from the wing backs and play "through" the oposition. We simply do not have the players to do that The Wroe Thompson Hargreaves midfield is simply not up to it and the way there forwards waltzed through our midfield at times was simpy embrrasing. It was exactly the same last year but with less able opponents we got away with it and our home form was pretty poor you have to admit. This is an area that we have to get right and quickly to. Time is ticking.

First post time.

Now......I am usually extremely positive when it comes to the footie, but yesterday I found myself getting extremely frustrated with the constant hoofing of the ball to a random area in the final third of the field. The change in formation didn't really work and I agree that it took too long to change it. Mind you even when we play with "wingers" we still hoof the ball up the centre.

I disagree with the above poster who says we do not have a ball playing midfielder. I believe Nicky Wroe is that person. He has the football brain and attitude to control the game. I really think that because of the style we play he is being forced to play a role not suited to him. Saying that we certainly do need better quality players but he is certainly not one that needs replacing.

Another point is we never dominate games, which, especially at home, I would expect us to do.

And please Mr Buckle play Charnock every match, by far our best quality centre back. The other should be Mark Ellis on the first class displays he has put in. Now just don't start me on Nicholson.......

Rob, Mark Ellis has a very big heart and is very brave and will stick his head in where it hurts to win headers etc. Just look at how many he won in yesterday’s game for a start, but he can only head the ball so far and when the ball is on the floor, he will look to just put his foot through it and try and clear it from the danger area.

Yesterday when he won his headers they dropped near the halfway line, Morecambe players were standing their completely unmarked and just feeding the ball back toward our goal. We need to be in there winning the balls when Ellis wins his headers, Mark may never be the sort of player who will provide great balls out from the back, but in saying that when he has had time on the ball at the back, he has mostly played a good pass to a team mate.

What Mark Ellis has is the mentality to fight and win the ball and get it clear, the team as a whole need to complete the job Mark has done by then winning the ball and start our own attack from there.