TALKING POINTS

Dom Roman – @DomRoman

Dom discusses the key points

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WOTTON OUT

Saturday’s embarrassing loss ended up being the last game in charge for Paul Wotton as Torquay United manager, and there was an air of inevitability about it as the lifeless Gulls were thrashed and the Yellow Army sung for his sacking. I have to admit I was never convinced that Paul was the right man to take us up. Tactically it felt like he wanted the team to play attacking football, but in critical moments when the team should be pushing forward, too often we took the conservative approach and that felt reflective of his personality. Away games became a constant source of consternation and made home form far more vital than it should be, and the cup ties were simply disastrous.

But that’s not to say I didn’t like him. An honest and hard working guy, he was excellent company when the GEV team interviewed him in Boots, engaging and full of good humour, totally motivated to do the business at Torquay, you could feel his burning ambition, and he almost got the job done at the end of that first season at Plainmoor. At their best his team were industrious, focused and organised, and had players like Young, Dennis, Mussa, Dolan and Jay who could create something out of nothing. Clearly these aspects have suffered in recent weeks, and it’s a real shame that his time at Plainmoor will finish on such a sad note (whilst the manager carries the can, the players should be ashamed of what they served up on Saturday and ready to make amends asap). Anyway, I wish PW well for whatever comes next, I’m sure he’ll give it his best shot.

NEIL

And so it comes to pass, Neil Warnock steps into the managerial role for Tuesday night’s game at Plainmoor and unsurprisingly it’s caused a stir amongst the sporting press! It doesn’t appear like he wants the gig permanently (and you can’t blame him), but even at the age of 77, he’s still got energy and enthusiasm to help motivate a team into life, and after Saturday’s performance he’ll need it! The Yellow Army will approach the game in a different manner with Neil in charge, and it would be no surprise if we see a big improvement from the players. Good luck NW!

GET ORGANISED

Defensively we were all over the shop against Chelmsford, and much of that was based around the midfield areas as big holes appeared for the away team to run into. I’d expect Neil to set a solid midfield base in front of the back four and demand more aggression and commitment in our pressing and tackling. I’d also expect Tizzard to start at centre back alongside Palmer, meaning Foulston and Thomas can both play in their preferred full back positions. Meanwhile we need our keeper to stop making errors at the back and rediscover that form we saw at the end of last season, locked in and fully concentrated to help win us games. Back to basics, maybe even some clean sheets for good measure, now that would be very welcome.

THE ATTACK

Key men Louis Dennis and Jordan Young were both desperately poor on Saturday. Louis looked unsure where he was playing and coughed up the ball far too many times, we all know how good he can be, and we need him to show it again soon. I’m not sure if Jordan Young was fully fit at the weekend, he offered very little and found himself double teamed without a regular overlap, making it far too easy for Chelmsford to blunt his play. Two quality players who can make Plainmoor pleasurable again, maybe NW can spark them both back into form.

THE OPPOSITION

Spencer Day’s Farnborough team have been struggling all season long, but are just about out of the relegation positions, currently in 20th with a symmetrical 33 points from 33 games. Much like us they have been leaking goals recently with 5 shipped against Enfield and Dorking, but they do have 4 points from the last two games, with a win over Chippenham and a creditable 2-2 draw at Ebbsfleet. However, it’s still the perfect chance for United to get back to winning ways and boost their confidence in a season that offers hope and the possibility of promotion. Neil will certainly demand a proper performance that’s for sure!

COYY – DOM

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