TALKING POINTS
Dan Elliott
@dan_torquay_man
Dan discusses the Gulls loss at Tonbridge
DEFEAT AGAIN
A week ago we beat Dartford 4-1 at home after having two draws with Aaron steering the ship, and I (like many others) started to believe we’d turned a corner here, how wrong I was. A dreadful performance at home mid-week vs Taunton where Dave Thomas said on the wireless that it was “the worse first half performance all season” was backed up yesterday with possibly the worse away performance of the season. However, we have been so bad away this season, there is a lot to pick from.
GROUNDHOG AWAY DAY
This season our away form has simply been diabolical. The gaffer even brought it up at the end of the game. This is how I have viewed each game that have been to and the pattern is exactly the same. As a team, we turn up and look and feel like we should win this game on paper. We start the game okay, apply a little pressure and play cute cross field passes, but fail to harm the opposition. The opposition waits for us to lose possession, hits us on the counter attack, scores and resets, and goes again. The saddest thing, we can’t respond or don’t respond. Time and time again this has happened. The hardest thing to say also is that the opposition have always wanted it more than us. We look lacklustre and stuck in 3rd gear while the other team fires on all cylinders with effort and application to the tactics. It’s like a FA Cup early round game each week where the home team see us as a big target and they want to beat us.
WELCOMING ANGELS
I have to mention, as a few others did, about the set-up and people of Tonbridge Angels FC. Firstly what a lovely ground they have. It was easy to get around, plenty of places to grab food and drink, a very good PA System and banging out some tunes pre-game and half time, and the people working at the ground were so welcoming and friendly. Parking was like pulling up at Center Parcs and leaving your car in the forest as you took a foot path to walk into the ground. Credit to everyone involved at the club.
THE PLAYERS
The post match interview worried me from the gaffer. The comments about the players worried me. How he mentioned that he was going to take responsibility that they were not fired up and talking about levels they need to hit, but how it was on him to make sure they do that. There are two camps in my opinion that you can drop these players in, it’s the old management term of Will Vs Skill. The Will Camp – Who is good enough but is not trying hard enough? The Skill Camp – Who is simply not good enough? I think with Torquay United right now you could even have a Will & Skill Camp – They are not good enough and they are not even trying. I won’t name players, but huge alarm bells for me as we are now firmly in a scrap for survival.
THE COIN TOSS
The National League at these regional levels need to adopt a NFL Style for doing the coin toss. All the away games we have been to this season the home team fans like to be behind the goal that their team is kicking towards, fine with me, love it. However let’s do the coin toss 10 mins before kick off, then so we can all get settled. Currently you get the players coming out, everyone is excited and pumped the for game, this coin toss happens, teams switch ends and then the game kicks off and 75% of the crowd is moving around and the atmosphere drops like a stone! Just get the captains in the centre of the pitch at 14:50 bang out the coin toss, announce it on the PA System, job done.
JARVIS MISSES A SITTER
My word yesterday could have been so much different I feel, from very early on. Around 10 mins into the game, you lose track of time from having to walk around and find a new spot to watch the game, Brad Ash breaks free down the right and squares a ball across into the box and Jarvo is there all alone around the penalty spot, he just needs to hit it first time and it’s a goal..BUT he takes a touch, the keeper comes flying out and dives on the ball. It could have been so much different if we had scored first.
HARD TIMES
I don’t know why, but every time we get to a ground on an away day we always look for the coach. The good old Dartline black & coach back in the day to the latest Tally Ho! Edition. Aveley (a) no coach was there, the goalkeeper set up told us the driver took them around the wrong way of the M25 so they were late getting to the ground. Yesterday as we pulled up in the Center Parcs car park, no coach. I assumed they were stuck because of the M25 being closed at 10-11. Was fully expecting a delayed kick off. However after getting into the ground, there was the goalkeepers warming up as per usual. Rumours going around the players all drove up in cars, there is no coach anymore. Just as we need to get a run together and avoid yet another drop, certain little things are starting to unravel even more off the pitch that would impact being on the pitch also. So going from staying in hotels the night before and travelling on an executive coach, the players are travelling up on the day and all in the cars, in convoy! Unfortunately from now to the end of the season I feel it’s not going to be pretty at all.
THE YELLOW ARMY
I see and know so many people that make the journey week in week out to away days and have to witness what is being served up right now, whatever happens moving forward these people are the people that will ensure there is a club. These people deserve so much better and so much more. I have never known it this bad.
COYY – DAN
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