Dave
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Post by Dave on Nov 15, 2009 13:04:18 GMT
Another very tough looking game at home and one the team will have to work very hard if we are to get anything out of this game.
Holding on to our unbeaten run has to be our first aim and then trying to get all three points, as while it is good to be unbeaten for a while now, getting one point at a time is not going to see us move up the table.
Its clear in my mind that Bucks should only play Thomson on the wing and I would love to see Rendell play, even if it is coming off the bench in the second half.
my guess is will be see a gate near the 3000 mark as you would expect Rotherham to bring a good number of fans down with them. All games are winnable and this one is no different, so I'm going for a win for us by the odd goal.
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Dave
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Post by Dave on Nov 20, 2009 22:45:19 GMT
With two new players available for the game and Hargreaves not being fit, plus Charnock not able to play due to his red card not being rescinded, what do you think the line up will be and the formation we will play.
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rjdgull
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Post by rjdgull on Nov 20, 2009 23:12:27 GMT
Poke
Mansell Robertson Ellis Nicholson
Thomson Wroe Thompson Carlisle
Sill Zebroski
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Rob
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Post by Rob on Nov 20, 2009 23:42:14 GMT
Poke
Smith
Robertson
Ellis
Nicholson
Carlisle
Mansell
Wroe
Thomson
Sills
Zebroski
3-1 (Zebroski 3)
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Post by aussie on Nov 21, 2009 10:49:13 GMT
Poke
Smith
Robbo
Ellis
Nicho
Wayne
Manse
Thompson
Thomson
Zeb
Benners
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Dave
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Post by Dave on Nov 21, 2009 11:11:25 GMT
A damp start to the day in Torbay and the wind and the rain seem to be increasing,but that won't dampen my enthusiasm for todays game.
I'm sure any players left out of the starting eleven to make way for the new signings, will understand the good of the team and results are the most important thing and their chance will come again to break back into the first team.
I'm really excited about going today, its a sure indication to me how good things are now at our club. I do feel the weather will have an effect on the game, even more so if the wind picks up much more, it does seem to getting much stronger now.
The new players would have had no real chance to work in training with the rest of the team, but I'm sure their quality and experience will compensate for that.
Lets hope for a good gate, the weather once again may play a part in that, but what else could you do on such a damp wet day, far better to go and support the team and give a welcome to our new players.
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Post by aussie on Nov 21, 2009 12:57:09 GMT
The wind proved to be an effective leveler for the youth squad the other night and they battled to victory brilliantly in those conditions!
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Post by ohtobeatplainmoor on Nov 21, 2009 13:22:46 GMT
I don't disagree with the "quality" element of your posting, but perhaps "experience" is pushing it - certainly in the case of Adam Smith! That said, Thomson seems to have adapted very well very quickly.
I think Zebs will be just fine, although it might be a bit much to expect that he will pick-up where he left-off.
I'm sure that it will be:
Poke
Smith Robertson Ellis Nicholson
Carlisle Thompson Mansell Thomson
Zebs Sills
Not sure about which wing Thomson / Carlisle will start on. It would surprise me to see them switch wings every now and again.
The conditions are pretty lousy at the moment - it's bound to have an impact on the game - hopefully it will be a "bit of a leveller", but I don't think that we have anything to fear from any club at this level - however well they are doing this season.
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Rob
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Post by Rob on Nov 21, 2009 13:42:38 GMT
Is Wroey definitely out? I haven't read this anywhere. Still whiplashed?
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Rob
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Post by Rob on Nov 21, 2009 14:47:11 GMT
It's 4-4-2. Smith and Zebs down the left. Thomson and Nicholson miss out. Wroe and Thompson in the middle. Sills and Benyon up top.
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Rob
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Post by Rob on Nov 21, 2009 16:58:44 GMT
Sounds like we got suckered. Think I might go up to Port Vale in the week. We are making hard work of trying to move up the table.
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petef
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Post by petef on Nov 21, 2009 17:44:03 GMT
Robbed but it was always on the cards with the opposition's quality and experience at this level.
Couldn't have asked for any more from any of the players who did everything but score in the most entertaining match you could wish for considering the dreadful early conditions.
The players were really up for it and without going into to much detail should have scored when we were on top and didn't and as so often happens paid the price .
I really do feel sorry for the players as they gave it their all with a noisy and enthusiastic crowd behind them they should have had some reward for some fine spells of play and pressure.
You dont always get what you deserve but if we continue in this vein we will have no trouble climbing the table as make no mistake Rotherham are a very capable side and were very fortunate today and although I and my fellow supporters were devastated by he result I made sure I stayed and applauded the players off the field.
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Post by Swanny on Nov 21, 2009 18:25:41 GMT
I think most fans are scratching their heads wondering how we lost, as for the majority of the match Torquay were comfortably in control of the match and Rotherham rarely threatened. I suppose from a Rotherham viewpoint it was a pefect smash-and-grab win. Crowd 2,551, officially 208 from Rotherham in atrocious conditions. The driving wind and rain did ease off the longer the game went on, however in places the ball stuck in the wet conditions. Sponsors MOTM debutant Adam Smith for his impressive skills and tackling at left-back showing his class.
There were not that many chances in the first half but Torquay were firmly in control. Smith at left-back showed both his tackling ability and also showed much promise attacking down the left. He showed he had the better of the Rotherham players and was instrumental in Torquay's moves. It was good to see Zebrowski back at Plaimoor who slotted on the left wing with Carlisle on the right. 0-0 at half-time but there was plenty of promise, and Poke had hardly touched the ball.
Rotherham woke up more in the second half and came close shortly after the re-start and Poke had to make a double save. Torquay were putting on good pressure. A Sills looping header was just tipped over by their keeper, Warrington, who performed well despite his aging appearance complete with baggy shorts that made him look someone from the 1950's ! Thomson came on for Benyon, so Thomson went left wing with Zebrowski up front with Sills. Warrington then made a great double save from Thomson (I think) as Torquay turned up the pressure. A goal from Torquay seemed likely but the time was ticking on.
Sadly the deadlock was broken in the 85th. minute following a free-kick from Rotherham. Poke saved well but the ball fell loose and they scored with the rebound. Very harsh on Torquay. A minute later Carlisle curled a free-kick from 25 yards and the ball crashed against the crossbar and that was the nearest Torquay came. Torquay pushed desperately for an equaliser but following a Rotherham breakaway in injury time, the ball was lifted over Poke into the net. Cue hoards of supporters leaving the ground. Those who did stay did give the team a rousing reception, as Torquay had done everything in nasty conditions but score.
As for the players, Smith certainly caught the eye at left-back and his skill level was a pleasure to watch. The crowd responded warmly to him. The defence looked comfortable during the match apart from the lack of cover for Rotherham's first goal. I was impressed with Thompson in central midfield who also did some good defensive duties. Zebrowski looked strong on the ball but his shooting was well off-target when he had a chance. Carlisle was quiet but was unlucky when his free-kick hit the crossbar. Thomson made some good runs down the left-hand side when he came on. They all played well and worked hard but sadly no-one could put the ball in the net.
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Post by ohtobeatplainmoor on Nov 21, 2009 19:01:43 GMT
I'd like a big helping of clotted cream with that slice of humble pie - if it wasn't for the fact that I feel sick as one of Bateson's parrots (no - I'm not talking about Marvelous Mervyn B!) after watching that!
That was a really, really unfitting ending to the match that looked as if yet again we had shown much improvement but yet again failed to put the ball in the onion bag.
Rotherham were similar in many ways to the "stereotypical northern league 2 team" - resolute at the back, not adventerous at all and kept good shape. I would say that they played the game in the right spirit and not the cynical approach that Morcambe took a few weeks ago, but it hurts to be beaten by a totally unremarkable team. It's a familiar tale this season.
The amount of pressure we exerted on Rotherham for so long looked sure to eventually yield a goal.
However, it was more or less inevitible that Rotherham would sneak it at the end - to see Poke so exposed when they scored was infuriating, the second goal was a typical break-away against a team pouring forward for the equaliser. I was really, really disappointed that we could play so well for the first hour but bring that result upon ourselves in that manner.
Adam Smith's debut was excellent and a joy to behold. Not only did he demonstrate pace, vision, awareness and good passing ability, he was also disciplined with this positioning, firm and well timed with his tackles, impressive in the air for a player of his stature, two-footed and showed real maturity. I would love it if we could keep him until the end of the season.
I thought he worked well with Zebs on the left. Zebs himself showed flashes of the ability that we know he has - he also was very disciplined, worked extremely hard and was a real danger.
The performance of Sills was disappointing. He did some of his trademark headers and holding of the ball and drew a corner after Warrington (who made some excellent saves today) got his fingertips to it, although I'm not sure it was going-in, other than that he was fairly uninspiring.
I felt that Mansell and Thompson were below-par today as well. I think we missed Hargreaves today big time - for the role that he plays as captain and also his knack of being in the right place at the right time.
I think that it was obvious that we lacked pace through the team at the start of the season. Bucks has addressed this - Zebs, Thomson and Adam Smith possess this attribute in abundance and will be of real benefit to the team over the coming months (if we can keep them!!). Perhaps this will see more points picked-up away from him as well?
I think that there are some better times ahead with this group of players, but it goes without saying that we need to relieve the immediate pressure of a catastrophic return to the BSP with some wins ASAP.
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Dave
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Post by Dave on Nov 21, 2009 19:26:55 GMT
It’s a long time since I walked out of Plainmoor after a game with a tear in my eye. It was not that we lost the game that upset me, it was the feeling that our players fully deserved to win the game and gave such a great performance and played some really good football.
It’s the same old story that you need to score to win games and we failed to do so, it was not for the lack of efforts on goal, for we had by far the most, but we were foiled by some good saves, the wood work and lady luck not being on our side and a ref who clearly also was not on our side.
I’m not one, who normally moans about the ref, but he lacked any consistency, saw fouls by TUFC players that nobody else did and in my view played a part in today’s defeat. How he can let a Rotherham player blatantly trip and then bring down Smith and not book him I do not know, it took a third foul before he gave him a yellow card.
Wroe made one challenge that was a very debateable free kick in the first place and got shown the card for just the one offence and even the foul conceded by Robertson that lead to their first goal had a question mark on it for me. But then Robertson could have gave many more fouls away, why he has to hold the man he is marking is beyond me, something he really needs to cut out of his game.
Bucks earned my respect well before the game, the rain was pouring down in bucket loads yet he was out there in his tracksuit, talking the players through their warm up exercises, the pitch looked first class, but there was the odd pocket of water on it near the box at the family stand end.
I was very happy with the team bucks put out to start the game and it was clear we were not going to let Rotherham have any time on the ball, Zebs got stuck right in from the off and won so many tackles, he also showed he was not afraid to have a shot if he got the chance.
I think the biggest surprise today was young Smith, what a prospect he is, has pace, very clever feet and has great vision, loves to run at players and go past them, if we can keep him here to the end of the season, then we will have no worries about going down, not that I have by the way.
Did all the team watch the youth players on Wednesday? Despite the driving rain we played some really great football, we kept the ball on the floor and you would have hard pressed to know what team was near the top of the table.
Our first half chance came as early as two minutes, Benyon laid the ball to Zebs, who played it into the box, and it came back out to Thompson, who just blasted the ball high and wide. Smith started going on some good runs and the only way the Rotherham could stop him was to trip him up or bring him down.
Smith showed what vision he has as he fed a ball for Sills to run out and receive; he in turn played it to Benyon, who got a shot away that was saved by the Rotherham keeper.
On 12 minutes saw the effort being put in to stop Rotherham being able to get their game going, first Zebs got in a block on the halfway line, then Smith did, it looked like Smith clearly handled the ball on the floor. Nothing was given and the ball broke kindly to Sills who ran toward the box and put the ball in, it got cleared back just outside the box and Thompson was there to hit it again, only this time it just went wide of the left hand post.
Carlisle was having a fine game and If I can fault anything into days game it was that we so often over hit our crosses and free kicks, Carlisle sent in one great ball but Robertson just could not get his head on it, if he could have I’m sure he would have scored.
Zebs had two or three shots in the first half, cutting in from the left toward the centre just outside the box, they lacked any real power and were never going to beat the keeper, but on a wet old day, it was worth a try.
I can’t remember any save of note Poke had to make during the first half and I felt we had the better of it and maybe should have gone in at the break at least winning by one goal.
The second half was all ours, yet we could not get the ball into the net, I did not agree with Benyon going off when he did, yes I could see why Bucks wanted to bring on Thomson on the wing and put Zebs up front, but Benyon was lour best player up front and I thought it should have been Sills who was taken off.
Ellis who gave another good display and hardly put a foot wrong, should have just put is boot through the ball as it fell near the goal line just outside the box, he tried to take a touch, it was a poor one and gave away a very cheap corner. The ball was swung into our box, a player got a shot that Poke somehow blocked, the ball came back outside our box and a another shot was fired in, this time being blocked by a defender, only for a third shot to be fired in that once again Poke just about blocked with his body.
Danger over and then the game was played mostly in the Rotherham half, Zebs went on a good run and fired on a good low and hard shot that just went past the post. Ellis then picked the ball up just inside their half and played in a great cross to Sills on the edge of the box, his header was lopping in just under the crossbar, until the keeper managed to tip it over onto the roof of the net.
Another really great move saw Carlisle play the ball to Sills, he then played in benyon on the right hand side of the Rotherham box, and Benyon jinked this way and then that way before laying the ball across to the edge of the box to Zebs, who could not keep his shot down.
Off went Benyon and on came Thomson, who soon came very close to scoring for us, Zebs went on a great run and laid the ball to Thomson, his shot was saved but he found the ball coming back to him. He got off a great header that looked like it was going in, but the keeper pulled off a really great save.
The ref may have been kind to us just the once, Rotherham had won a corner, we were asleep as they took it short the ball was then played into the box and struck Robertson’s arms, I have seen them given before, but the ref did not see it as deliberate handball thankfully.
So nearing the end of the game and thinking we deserved far more than the point it looked we were going to get, it all went horribly wrong. Robertson was judged to have committed a foul; a simple ball was floated to the back post and headed back across our box. There a few yards out was a Rotherham player to head it goal ward, Poke once again just blocked the effort with his body and the ball then fell at the feet of a Rotherham who just blasted it in.
If we thought our luck was not in, it was proved just after they had scored, Carlisle hit the sweetest free kick and it hit the right hand post, it had goal written all over it when it left his boot. The final nail was then driven into our coffin, pushed up a bit too far looking to get a goal back, Rotherham hit a long ball that feel to a player and Poke came rushing out to try and get to the ball, but was chipped from the edge of the box. I thought the ball was going well over the bar and could not believe it when it dropped into our goal
2551 a good crowd considering the weather, Smith man of the match and fully deserved, but then the whole team derived to win it as well and certainly did not deserve to lose this match.
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