FL2: Torquay Utd v Crewe Alexandra 13th March 2010

I think you're right in that he does have those 4 options, but I think that he will be dipping in to the loan market.
Now we have Bevan back, we had in the team only had Branston and Rendell in the starting line-up with Smith and Thomson on the bench as loanees - I think that there certainly isn't the same problem when we had Poke as a certain starter and Smith and Thomson as those likely to start.

Bevan's performance yesterday was timely for a couple of reasons - firstly because I think it would be a real shame if a fit Bevan couldn't show what he could do for us at this level and secondly, it gives us the flexibility with additional loan players. Obviously Poke is out injured as well!!
He made some very good saves yesterday and I think when his confidence increases through playing for the next few games he will be back to his best for us and I would hope that sees him land a contract for next season.

I have no doubt that Bucks will be on the look out for another striker this week.
We failed to land the Slovakian chap from Bolton - but that was while we had Rendell coming back and still had Barnes, although I don't think Barnes return to Argyle was much of a surprise to Bucks. That seems to indicate that he feels we still need options - unless it was because he wasn't sure how Rendell was going to fare on his return from injury.

Personally I would rather see us sign a midfielder and get Wroe out of the team - like the players that moved-on during the season I think he is one that doesn't offer enough at this level (other than penalty duties!) to make him a "must keep" for next season.

I`ve been trying to tell you all this for f**king ages, he has been working on his upper body strength and ball retention!

Were you at the same game as the rest of us?

Were you at the same game as the rest of us?[/quote]

Just saying it as i saw it aussie....

Which bit didn't you like?

Perhaps i should have put that, Elliott despite having no attempts at goal still looked kinda cute

Just saying it as i saw it aussie....

Which bit didn't you like?

Perhaps i should have put that, Elliott despite having no attempts at goal still looked kinda cute [/quote]
Not even remotely funny, I know your just telling it as you saw it but everyone else watched Elliot play a very good game and even Dario Gradi bigged him up massively so you might just be slieghtly missaligned in your interpretation of Elliot! The boy played great and if he didn`t play that well it would really have exposed how dire the centre of mid-field was! Wroe had a shocker and Manse worked hard but nothing went well for either of them really, with the ball retention up top we would have got battered by a very average team!

A warm sunny afternoon as I made my way to Plainmoor.
The problem was I was late and as I scurried down through St.Marychurch it was almost 2.45pm. As I neared the end of the precinct I couldn't help notice the magnifient collection of birds on their perches...Owls of various sizes & varieties & other breeds of bird I wouldn't like to guess at. I was as enthralled with the beauty of these wonderful creatures as the rest of the adults and children gathered in the area but remembered I had a date with yet another breed...the Gulls.

Feeling guilty at turning up over 10 minutes late from the time agreed I thought maybe the best option would be to lighten the mood with a little humour so I breathlessly asked " is Mo in the starting eleven"? As our section chortled away at such a suggestion I enquired further.." ah so it's only the bench for Mo this week"...luckily this comment was viewed as equally hilariously far fetched and my lateness was soon forgotten.

But the pre match comedy didn't end there as someone glanced at their programme in disbelief before exclaiming "Shoebridge in charge !..they're havin a laugh" ?

Yep it was the infamous Rob Shoebridge..the Ref that Neil Warnock insisted should serve a 12 month ban starting last August for his incompetance in disallowing a Crystal Palace 'goal' at Bristol City that had clearly entered the net before returning to play.

For anyone wishing to refresh their memories

www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footbal....goal-storm.html


Looking across from the Popside the distinctive figure of Dario Gradi could be easily made out with his trade mark tinted glasses.
The last time I'd seen a Gradi team in the flesh was in the very early'80's when his Crystal Palace team lost at the home of that years eventual champions Aston Villa.

Time had moved on & instead of facing a forward line of Tony Morley,Gary Shaw & Peter Withe his side were up against the combined striking might of Zebrowski,Rendell & Benyon.

Both Gradi & Crewe seem to be well liked in football circles. They've stuck with their principles on how the game should be played & stuck with each other. As expected of a Gradi team his side tried to knock the ball about with neat short passes.

Rather than try to beat them at their own game we tried to impose a different style on proceedings, frequently hitting it long out of defence. No Crewe defender could compose himself & play a measured ball out of defence to build an attack as Elliot 'Silly Billy' Benyon was buzzing everywhere, in their faces within seconds, unsettling them.

The first 10 minutes was all we needed to witness some classic Guy Branston play. In that short period of time he'd softened up the whole of the Crewe front line, and on a couple of occasions when the Crewe forward was tackled he stayed tackled..laying face down on the turf for some time before gingerly picking himself up. LRT hadn't had much joy against the pacey Bryon Moore in that opening period and apparantly decided that a more Branstonian approach might be called for. Consequently we saw Moore hobbling off after 12 minutes of the game & Crewe's reshuffle meant LRT then had a far easier afternoon that he'd had up to that point.

I had the misfortune to be standing near a bunch of Wayne Carlisle groupies,their ring leader a loud mouthed Alan Yentob lookalike (if you can imagine such a thing). Plus points being that they cheered Wayne's every move & to their credit were season ticket holders, but the crass comments came thick & fast. Moore should get up as there was "nothing wrong with him" and Donaldson was loudly asked if he was aware of how 'ridiculous'his hair looked.

I'm convinced that such comments achieve little other than to motivate opposition players to ram such comments back down the throats of those who make them & when Donaldson slotted home the equaliser in the 85th minute it was no surprise that his first thought was to run gleefully towards the Pop side while vigorously rubbing his 'fly away'hair.

Two magnificent Mark Ellis headers cleared off the line were a prelude to Rendell sweeping home a 38th minute goal.

H.T and the Gulls lead 1-0. And chat on the Pop side turns to.....Mo ! a lot of concern expressed as to Mo's possible financial hardship if a 'pay as you play' arrangement is in place. Should some sort of Hardship Fund be set up for him..or a one off payment to help him meet bills..maybe along the lines of the Pensioners winter fuel payment ? should the Trust get involved?...maybe a half time collection for him? just as we were debating Mo's life in cardboard city we suddenly found ourselves distracted by a fine pair of black high heeled leather boots tottering out onto the pitch being worn by a far from unattrative dark haired female. As we gazed on..mouths open ..it was revealed that we were in fact ogling Matchball sponsor Emma Butterworth of 'Emma Butterworth Dental' fame.

Now with his history of dental problems I expected 'Chief Groundsman for the Day' Aussie to rush over and ask Emma if she could give his molars a quick once over at the back of the Grandstand after the match but being the consumate professional that he is he kept his mind soley on only one kind of 'forking'

Alan Slough took his eyes off Emma's legs long enough to select 50/50 ticket No.08183... or that might have been the phone number for Emma's surgery by that time I was daydreaming of a thigh boot wearing Emma cracking the whip as I turn up late for a check up.

In a vain effort to get my mind back on football before the 2nd half kicked off I glanced at the programme. Someone had written a few columns about the great Rodney Jack & said it was a 'real shame' that there weren't more clips of him on 'youtube' & other video sites. Well it's the same reason as there won't be many video clips of today's players there either, or still pics of them on Flickr it's because we're not bloody well allowed to take any !

A faster paced and more entertaining 2nd half ensued, a fine glancing header by Chris Robertson being the highlight. Ref Shoebridge had been a bit irritating as free kicks became a drawn out process before he was ready for them to be taken.
Luckily this worked to our advantage as he kept the Crewe penalty taker waiting an absolute age while he cleared players from near both corners of the penalty box and then faffed around for another eternity before he eventually blew his whistle for the kick to be taken. Blasted high & wide..thankyou Mr.S

Some great skill lead to a probably deserved equaliser on the balance of play & so the points were shared. 'Silly Billy' Benyon was named as MOTM and we were all urged to reassemble same time same place next Saturday for another game of 'Where's Mo' ?

I believe young Elliot may well have won over a few of his critics after his display yesterday and all that was really missing was a goal his work rate alone deserved. He has made great progress since he first joined us and while he is never going to have the bulk and big physical presence say of a Steve Phillips, he is learning well to compensate for that by being in defenders faces and not letting them have a second on the ball.

Wroe for what ever reason is not the Rowe we thought would simply step up to league two with no problems what so ever, I really don’t think it’s a case he is struggling in this league as we know he has the ability. I do think wearing the captain’s armband is not helping him and maybe a game or two on the bench might do him good.

Merse said that Branston was not looking to be our captain and I suppose the only other player who could be the captain and in my view do the job well for us is Mansell. There were people behind me yesterday shouting at Wroe to act like a captain and open his mouth a bit more, he was well within earshot of these remarks and afterward I watched him a bit more closely and he was still as quite as a lamb.

Not all players can handle wearing the captains armband and some players do play more poorly when they are wearing it, while Wroe has had a few good games for us this season, I can’t think of one since he became the captain, so would it do any harm to give it to Mansell and see if there is then an improvement and who knows we might see the Wroe back we all know is a far better player than the one we have been watching lately.