TALKING POINTS

Clive Hayward – @Byehorse

Clive discusses the game at Farnborough

TO P(ANIC) OR NOT TO P?

Two games in. We’ve had a home win against newly-promoted Enfield Town that was a little more comfortable than the score-line suggests, and a loss against a much improved Farnborough. My prediction from these two openers would have been 6 points but the Manager’s analysis of yesterday is that we got punished for not turning up until half time and we find ourselves halfway down the very early league table.

Received wisdom in these parts is that we need to be patient with Paul Watton’s new squad and that 46 games gives ample opportunity for improvement.

For myself, I am just hearing the faintest tinkling of alarm bells. We go to Bath on Tuesday and three points there would certainly be very welcome with fancied Dorking on their way to Devon next Saturday. We have lost on our last two visits to the Roman city, and Twerton Park with it’s antiquated terraces and stands normally generates a decent atmosphere. It is not beyond the realms of possibility that this time next week we will be sitting on three points from a possible twelve.

Even if that pessimistic scenario comes to pass it will, of course still only be August and we will have plenty of time to put things right. PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER HAYWARD!

FOOTBALL LEAGUE FEVER

I think this is my problem. I was diagnosed by Dr Marc White from Dorking a couple of weeks ago. The Bryn takeover has been an excellent combination of positivity and realism. There is a wonderful “can do” attitude pervading the club, manifesting itself in the huge sales of good quality merchandise, the incorporation of the Supporters Trust into the fabric of the club and the almost frighteningly good PR by, in the main, Michael Westcott and Mark Bowes-Cavanagh. But there is a realism there too. They have selected and appointed good leaders in Paul Wotton and Neil Warnock, and both of them have stressed the need for patience and reminded fans that Rome wasn’t built in a day.

But the fact is that I am impatient. Torquay United is playing in National League South because we aren’t currently good enough to compete at any higher level. This, frankly, continues to boil my urine. I was heartbroken when we lost our League status in 2007 and livid when it slipped out of our grasp again in 2014. “For the want of a nail, the kingdom was lost”. Although the places we now visit are almost always friendly, welcoming and well run, I yearn for longer, more expensive journeys to more heavily stewarded, less conducive League Two grounds.

This is not an impossible dream, but it has probably never been more difficult to get there. Achieving promotion from NLS cannot be taken for granted and escaping “La Bastarda” (as some people call the National League) is a real obstacle, even now the playing field is more level than it was when the likes of Wrexham, Stockport, Notts County & Chesterfield were successfully splashing the cash.

FARNBOROUGH

So we found ourselves back in North Hampshire for the second time in 6 months. As many people will know, Farnborough was where some fans started to get involved in proper protest, partly facilitated by the lovely people at the Supporters Trust. Tom Kelly and I with some “yellow cards”, Simon Bittlestone with his iconic “TUFC is Ours” banner and most but not all of the travelling support that night expressing deep concern about Osborne malign influence on the club we love.

Saturday, of course, was a million miles away from that. The club has been saved and reinvigorated, and we have a united fanbase again. If you’ll forgive our indulgence, Tom and I posted some “before and after” photos from February and August, and the difference isn’t just the sun tans!

Although, as discussed, I’d much rather that Farnborough doesn’t become a regular fixture, I cannot fault the club at all for their welcome, their facilities or their team’s very decent performance. It is a nice characteristic of Non League football that clubs tend to post mutually supportive messages: (“Good luck for the rest of the season”, “Thanks for coming- we look forward to our trip to your place”)- and it’s all good stuff. Football is a community and a pyramid is definitely a strong structure.

MIDFIELD DILEMMAS

Back to on-field matters. My mate Mark correctly predicted that Omar Moussa would be a victim of half-time managerial wrath, and he was hooked after only 45 minutes of a performance where he had rarely been able to exert any control or show his class.

But he was part of a midfield unit that was definitely out-gunned. He, Hayfield and Threlkeld lost the individual and collective battles and “Torquay Nil” was most definitely a fair reflection of the first half.

The captain (Threlkeld) was also subbed at the interval, and the “incomings” were the lively Hasani and the workmanlike Collins. Neither pulled up trees, but will feel that they did much to stake a claim for a starting berth.

For me, Moussa is likely to be a key part of unlocking defences. He is thought not yet to be at full fitness and it may be that withdrawing him was the right call, but I would have given him another 15 minutes to try to make the impact we know he can have.

TT MATCH VERDICT – FARNBOROUGH FC 1-0 TUFC by Tom Beddows

MID-TABLE RUBBISH!

This is not my headline for yesterday’s match report. Neither is it the title of Sam Swann’s latest You Tube project!

No: this is a rant against the match I have had half an eye on whilst writing this: Brentford v Crystal Palace.

Both currently appear to be decently-run, second tier London clubs. Brentford, of course, have a lovely new stadium which they fill every week and a very saleable asset in bookies’ friend Ivan Toney. Their South London suburban visitors boast a lot of high quality firepower and recent England caps, notably the high class centre back Mark Guehi.

But honestly, I have seen so much modern nonsense today.

Firstly, a clear infringement of All That is Right and Appropriate. I refer, of course, to the half and half scarf. A youngster was pictured wearing one of these monstrosities, His parent or guardian should receive a lifetime ban for allowing this purchase. If people are making money out of half-Brentford, half-Palace clobber they should be taxed until their pips squeak. This is the thin end of the wedge. Before we know it Aveley and Hornchurch will be weighing in and all hope will be lost.

Secondly, Palace had a perfectly good goal disallowed. Eberechi Eze’s inch-perfect first half free kick was chalked off by a fussy referring decision. Seeing run-of-the mill jostling on the edge of the box, nowhere near the real action, the rookie referee blew for an extremely harsh Brentford free kick. We were then treated to a lengthy VAR review that concluded as follows:

“Clearly that is a shocking decision. There was probably no foul and if anything it could have been given the other way. But guess what sports fans? Despite taking a couple of minutes scrolling to and fro we actually have no jurisdiction, because the whistle was blown a split second before the ball hit the net. So the contentious decision was the one to award a free kick rather than to disallow a perfectly good goal.”

How much longer must we put up with this nonsense?

I could go on: but you’ll be bored by now and I need to get the tea on!