Captain Chris to stay!

...This week just gets better ;D

Great news and a fully deserved new deal...

That is fantastic news. I think his lust for life will add a huge amount of torque behind the momentum the club already possesses. To be able to assist him in prolonging his life within football is the ideal way to reward a man who has given so much to our club this season and last.

Great news! Since he's been here, Greavsie's been a superb ambassador for the club, both on and off the pitch. His handling of the media has been first class, and he presents all footballers, and in particular Torquay United, in an excellent light. Long may he continue.

Was walking into work this morning, having read the posts last night of his retirement, thinking how could we replace someone like Greavsie?

We really do need a period of stability, the last thing we want is for this squad to break up in the summer and for PB to re-build.

If we can keep him on board and even get him to play a dozen games it would be ideal.

He is such an inspirational figure for the fans, I can only imagine what he must do for the players.

buster

I don't think that there will be anything like a break-up of the squad - I just think that the only questionmark is whether Greavsie will give it another season.
I think that there will be little in terms of "high profile" signings - maybe just a high energy central midfielder and a striker?

Bucks has to decide how many coaches he wants - it looks like Steve Adams might be moving into that next season.
That said, at Exeter they had John Yems as Assistant Manager and also Rob Edwards and Marcus Stewart as senior players / coaches. Given that Bucks has looked at Tisdale's successes (among others - he's not just a one-trick pony!), perhaps this is one thing he will be looking at next season?

Great news - once he actually signs on the dotted line on Monday- although there is nothing of the Marriott / Akinfenwa / Kuffour / Bedeau / Woozely / Hazel etc etc etc about Chris Hargreaves to even give me an inkling that he won't!!
Not sure how he has progressed with his coaching badges - it isn't something that has come-up on his action-packed blog! It's a natural move for him to make, despite his hectic lifestyle he has a fantastic level of fitness, but he is coming to the stage where footballers have to look at what is coming next after playing. At a stable and growing club with the Board already backing young talent, it's got all the variables to allow him to develop and make the step from player to coach.

I think Robertson was always going to be the biggest doubt as to whether he would stay around, although I think Benyon wouldn't have been short of offers - especially at some of the "bigger" BSP clubs that have ambitions of promotion in 2009/10 who would be in a position to offer more money than us (although whether they will be able to pay it over the duration of the contract due to their financial positions would remain unknown!).

I think with regards to Hargreaves being a manager at TUFC in the future I think it is a difficult one to call, Dave. To make the break from being "one of the lads" to being "The Gaffer" is something many aspiring managers seem to fail to make within the same club. Hopefully replacing Bucks is something we don't have to think about for a long time - we've already seen from Tisdale being linked to other jobs that such interest is something that goes with success at this level!

Great news that Greavsie is staying, however.......

I am a bit worried whether he can do the business in League 2 without the opportunity to have a regular rest. I think he was overused last season because PB did not have anyone he trusted to slot in. Despite him stretching every sinew and giving the very maximum effort, I felt that many games passed him by last season. Where he was nicking balls away the season before, he seemed to be a split second late last year.

I thought he was playing like a man that realised the sands of time were catching up with him in some games. He has said himself that tragic events in his family life seemed to inspire him to play with more freedom towards the end of the season when he was inspirational.

He also often mentions the affect each game has on his body. I think that Tyrone Thompson could back him up but even when Greavsie was struggling he was not on the bench. We must improve the squad from last season or at the very least keep the same one. Getting cover for a 37 years old with dodgy hamstrings has got to be a priority.

Digressing slightly, PB should work hard to keep Robbo. To me he is better than Toddy in most aspects.

If the reserve keeper is going to be Ricey, we should continue to loan him out, despite the number of subs allowed. At least he would be match fit in the event of an injury to Scott Bevan.

I hate seeing Australian fixtures in the Sunday papers!