FL2: AFC Wimbledon vs Torquay United - 11th January 2014

What a difference with the removal of one under performing employee from the workplace. Knill has indeed left the building !

That's a good way of describing yesterday's performance. I'm sure Chris Hargreaves is his own man, and will try all sorts of approaches (some more successfully than others), but I was reminded of the style we often saw under Paul Buckle when Hargreaves was at his most effective as a player. That, for me, is encouraging. Indeed, I wonder how yesterday compares to when we went to Wimbledon in the FA Trophy all those years ago? I sense we did a well-thought out "job" on them both times.



Absolutely. Twenty games to go so this requires a more sustained, measured approach than a crash-bang firefighting effort over the frantic final 6-8 weeks. Yet I'm surprised just how upbeat I've become about Hargreaves' appointment. Leaving aside the events of the last few months, it kind of "feels right". I also suspect this particular feeling will persist into next season even if the worse comes to the worst. If we stay up, the man would have done a good job. If we don't, I doubt he would have necessarily done a bad job. And, as Rags says, it's crucial we stay up. But, should we fail, I feel we'll give it a decent shot next season as opposed to quietly withering away. Clearly, as ever, finance - together with expertise and nous - is key. It will always remain a case of distinguishing between what we would like to do and what we are realistically able to achieve.

Nonetheless, bizarrely I suppose, the whole club appears stronger to me than it did a fortnight ago. That may be an entirely illogical and illusionary viewpoint. Perhaps things were never as bad as they seemed; maybe I'm now being sucked into a false impression of matters being better than they actually are. Jon and others are correct in urging caution. But I smell a turn for the better and, vitally, an important change of mood. Good Lord, at this rate of excitement I'll soon be labelled a "jacket spud" (cheese and beans please) elsewhere on the Internet.

Naturally it is far too soon to write history. To state the obvious we may be entering a downward, upward or generally straight line phase of the club's existence. Yet, with respect to future interpretation, my inkling is that the event of and aftermath of Martin Ling's illness - which became apparent a few days short of a year ago - will be regarded eventually as effectively immersing (and possibly submerging) the club throughout 2013. That's not a criticism of anybody merely an observation. If that's the case who would have thought it when it was announced that Martin Ling wouldn't be in charge that night at Exeter?

Those of us who browse other Torquay United content on the web will know of Alpine Joe's politically-inspired interpretation of recent events at Plainmoor. This sees a continuing struggle - almost literally to the death - between Lingism and Knillism of very much North Korean proportions.

Now, as a seasoned politico, Alpine Joe will be aware of the slogan "Neither Washington nor Moscow but International Socialism". I wonder if he now wishes to provide his thoughts on "Neither Lingism nor Knillism but Buckleism". Is this a Buckleist Revolution, AJ?



I'm missing the Sunday Janner and dear old Ross's eternal optimism. Never a man to suggest a crisis until it's at least three months in the past. I trust somebody will be able to post next Sunday's "Hargreaves Targets Promotion Push" article for those of us outside the Janner's circulation area.

The Sunday Independent? The Back Beach at Teignmouth? A New Era at Plainmoor? It's enough to persuade me to move back to Devon.

Barton Downs 

I'll be very interested to get my first look at Chris Hargreaves' team next Saturday. Of course should there be any noticeable signs indicating a similarity of approach to a Torquay team of an earlier era, it might well give further credence to the belief that it was someone other than PB who was pulling the strings during those successful years.

Did Emperor Buckle have to hastily make himself some new clothes in an attempt to conceal his inadequacies as a Manager when he left Plainmoor ?, and therefore are the only fans who have witnessed true Buckleism, those of Bristol Rovers and Luton Town ?

Of course Chris Hargreaves could come out in the next week or so and declare ' Forget Eddie Howe and the numerous other managers I've worked under, it was the managerial genius of Buckle at Torquay who taught me the secrets of football management'.

To be fair, perhaps Chris is particularly glowing in his praise for PB in his book, and I really should get hold of a copy and find out for myself. Hargreaves has stated that the players put down a marker with their fine performance at Wimbledon. Equally, I believe that in the team he selected, Hargreaves put down his own marker for the players.
Attitude and work rate maybe won the day over outright footballing ability in a couple of cases, and had that cost us a couple of short term results to get the principle established, it could still have been a price worth paying.

Whatever system Hargreaves uses will be fine by Torquay fans if it somehow enables us to scrape enough points together to avoid relegation. If that mission can somehow be accomplished, he'd have a Summer to bring in some different players and really establish the team playing in a style that reflects his preferred approach, rather than what can hopefully provide a short term points fix on what will probably be a difficult playing surface after it was badly churned up by the Morecambe game.

The biggest plus point in our fight for survival is that Mr.Knill is no longer our Manager, and as Maggie would say....." Just rejoice at that news".