TALKING POINTS

Danny Burnell – @dannyburnell_92

Danny discusses talking points ahead of the six pointer against Gateshead.

Six-Pointer

Yes, it’s only November, the fat lady has barely got the ol’ vocal cords warmed up, but Saturday genuinely seems like our first real six-pointer of the season. Routed to the bottom as we all know, and we show absolutely no sign of that changing anytime soon. These kind of games will define our season, and quite frankly if we can’t win them, we deserve relegation to the NLS. A win won’t see us escape the red zone, but it will go some way to easing the growing unrest and concern currently looming over Plainmoor.

Attendance

Anything over 1500 on Saturday will be a surprise in my book. It’s less than a month until Christmas, payday has yet to come for many (well me anyway), the World Cup is on and Gateshead isn’t exactly local. Oh, and not to forget TQ1 isn’t the fortress of entertainment it once was! People will be deterred and with the current form, it’s a hard sale from the ticketing guru’s at Plainmoor. It will no doubt be sparse and the casual fan will probably opt for the Christmas markets of Torbay, or France-Denmark on the telly box.

Utilising these loan players

Goodwin, Ness, Wearne, Ellis, De Silva, Smith, Evans. Only 5 of these can be named in the squad on Saturday. 2 will have to miss out. Getting some energy in midfield is a must, and Smith seems the perfect candidate to do just that. Evans continues on his road to recovery, but his inclusion at Barnet instead of the afore mentioned Smith indicates where GJ’s pecking order lay. DDS and Wearne are undoubtedly our best (and only) wide options. Ness & Ellis have tried to build a partnership at the back, and although each have qualities in their own right, the reason to bring them in were to tighten the ship. We continue to concede at a very alarming rate. Does one of them miss out? Something has to change.

Feeding Jarvis

For what it’s worth, I think Jarvis is a very clever player. I like him. Inconsistent yes, if he wasn’t, he wouldn’t be in the National League. He’s generally decent in the air, and holds the ball up well. He’s demonstrated he can score goals so feeding him has to be the priority. He probably won’t get us 20 goals like the Rene Howe’s and Tim Sills’ of yesteryear, but he’s our main #9 this season, and his goals will probably go some way to deciding our fate come May.

Last chance saloon

The pressure on GJ shows no sign of letting up and rightly so. Another week passes with zero sign of revival from the Gulls’. Managers have been dismissed for far better, and with each passing week, the ‘Gary Out’ brigade increases its membership. There becomes a point where enough is enough and change is required, for many, including myself, that has long since passed. For others, they continue to back him to the hills. Whether you back him or not, 3 points is essential on Saturday otherwise surely the writing is on the wall.