The Great Escape?

Still think 50 points "should" be enough so now only 2 wins from that target! Reading the programme last night, it was stark to see that at the original date of this fixture, we were at our nadir with just 20 points after 29 games - what a turnaround!

All those postponed matches may not have been a bad thing after all....

Know haven't bn around for majority of season if not all........this isn't the great escape it's the great great escape.....lol......but it's great to to cheer a relegation fight.......but in this situation I am .....i take my hat to nico and staff for pulling us out of this.......on a positive note we could well do a Leicester next season......don't know who's under contract for next season but if most of this squad are still here .....u never know what this group can achieve ......ok mayb getting carried away.....but why not.....well done again to you all.....so proud to b a gull as always ......si

Alpine, take your time and do us proud on this - Saint King Kev.

Arise Sir Kevin!

Like everyone else. I'm pleased that the pressure is off for the last 2 games of the season, and above all that we've not sunk to an even lower division. Although surviving in, rather than being relegated out of the National League wouldn't be anything to boast about under most circumstances, I think we have to be satisfied given the lack of resources we've had to achieve anything more.

With an experienced Manager assembling the squad (in fact one who had previously achieved promotion from this League), backed up by an experienced coach, along with having the luxury of a Director of Football to call upon also, it was still decided that the task being put before Paul Cox was so great that if a man of his proven abilities could get us to fifth from bottom by season's end, then that would be classified as a successful season on the pitch, given the restrictions and lack of cash and resources within the club.

Cox then states: "When I arrived at Torquay, the board explained the financial situation the club was in and that my remit was to 'keep the club in the National League this season. I was told that finishing fifth from bottom of the league would be classed as a success"  (Herald Express 22nd December 2015)


Now I don't know if a further large chunk of money had to be taken out of the club later to buy some shares off someone, but if so, then the financial difficulties only escalated. With no managerial experience of his own to fall back on, I think we do have to congratulate the mini bus driver for delivering the successful season that the Directors had initially hoped that Cox and Ramshaw might achieve......although it is worth remembering that by the time both Cox and Ramshaw had left the building we were already occupying a relegation spot.

With an empty piggy bank and no open transfer window, the option of kicking out the majority of those with no stomach for the fight and bringing in quality replacements right away just wasn't possible. But when Nico did get the chance to bring in some of the players he wanted, and could dispense with those whose committment to the TUFC cause was a pale shadow of his own, then I think we've all been pleased with the new recruits. And however much we praise Nico, it's been Luke Young getting his shin sliced open and Durell Berry getting his leg broken, and the other players who have battled away to get us out of a dire position and accumulate the points to keep us up.

So some deserved praise for Nico, and I'm sure there'll be plenty more of it for a while, and in a few months time when Cap'n Manse comes down to perform the unveiling of the Nicholson statue, but in the end it was a really hard working group of players,who weren't the most skilful or the highest paid, who went out there and won the points to keep us up.

When the curtain comes down, our final league position won't look anything spectacular, but it'll signal the finish to one of the most memorable seasons for many of us; thanks to the amazing turn around in our fortunes engineered by the Club Legend we're so privileged to have as our Player Manager.

Worth a read.

Taken from The Football Pink.

Good read that Bri, shame he couldn't spell Hotspur correctly!