FL2: Torquay United v Bradford City 30th Jan 2010

Agreed jm gull there was only ever going to be one winner once Bradford had equalized and the Pop side response

"Theres only one Chris Hargreaves"

Its easy to support a team who are winning aint it

Sure is

It's a sure sign of the mentality of some of our fan base.......when they think that having a pop at the club is in any way helpful after a sickener like that.

If releasing a guy, who's been slightly better than mediocre this season, just shy of his 38th birthday is the reason for our failure to gain a mid table spot then we really must be shafted.

I did not hear any Hargreaves comments. It was like a morgue for the first ten minutes but the fans really got behind the team after that.

The only reason when I got home that I wished I had not gone to the game today was not because of the result, but the cold air badly effected me as I have not even been outside my front door since Tuesday due to being unwell.

I’m not a violent person or one that often loses his temper, but if Aussie and I could have got to one so called fan after the game we would have knocked his block off, the abuse he gave to our players and more importantly Paul Buckle had me seeing red and I tell you what I felt for Paul Buckle today.

When Bradford’s second goal went him some other so called fan decided he wanted to let Buckle know just what a so and so he was for keeping Thompson and getting rid of Hargreaves, do fans really not understand or even know why Hargreaves has left our club.

Not feeling I was up to talking with people today I decided to give the popside a miss and stand beside the dugouts and also watch Paul Buckle up close and I learned a lot about him and just how much he really cares. OK I can hear you all saying that caring is not going to be enough to keep us up this season, but he lived and kicked every ball today, he never stopped once to take a breath as he encouraged his players, gave them instructions and for his efforts he put into this game, he deserved more than he got.

If I’m honest he did not look very relaxed when he came out at the start of the game and looked very much on edge and I could see just how badly he needed to get a result today, if that second goal hurt us the fans, let me tell you it really hurt Bucks, its not a job most of us could do believe me, I hope he can turn things around soon,

With no Carlisle as expected Bucks started Danny Stevens who had a very poor game and also hit the post in the second half when he should have put us two and we would then have probably won this game. I felt O'Kane should have started on the right wing, but Bucks decided to play Zebs out there and we all know where he really plays best for us.

But to be fair Benyon worked his socks off up front, was so much stronger than he has been and against some big and tough defenders and deserved to be the man of the match far more than Nicky Wroe who did win it.

We did not start that wonderfully but we created enough chances to have won by three of four goals, but then he rode our luck a bit at times, on six minutes Mansell went on a good run and slipped Stevens in on goal but his shot was blocked but it was clear to see Bradford were a bit slow at the back.

Bucks saw that and gave our fullbacks instructions to get the ball in behind them and told Benyon to run the channels more and for a time it was working and Benyon was also winning us a few free kicks. One such free kick found Rendell on the edge of the box but his header lacked any real power and ended up an easy catch for the keeper.

On 14 minutes Wroe made a great tackle on the halfway line and played the ball to Rendell, he looked up and saw Benyon on a run and played a perfect pass to him, Benyon went into the box and his shot got defected just past the far post. From the corner the ball was only half cleared and came out to Robertson who fired the ball into the back of the net

On 20 minutes Benyon won another free kick that was sent into the Bradford box but was headed back out by a defender, Thompson hit a good volley that was not that far over the bar, it was the only thing he did well in the whole match.

We were a bit guilty of not keeping the ball as he should have been doing and Bradford at times were playing the better football and in one move they made four or five one touch passes that ended in a shot from the edge of the box that just went over Pokes bar.


We should have been two nil up around the 35 minute mark, Zebs had played a good low and hard ball across the face of the goal, Rendell took a swing at it and missed the ball, it came to Stevens who had to score as the keeper was stranded on the other side of the goal, but he went and scooped the bar over the bar, it would have been easier to score.

Four minutes later Benyon battled hard and won the ball wide right of the Bradford box, played in Stevens who hit a left foot shot that flashed past the right hand post and that was our last chance of the first half and we could have been going in three up if the chances had been taken.

At the very beginning of the second half we came so close to getting that second goal a good move saw Benyon going across the edge of the box and just when you thought he was going to shoot he flicked the ball to his right and into the path of Rendell who hit a great side foot shot across the keeper but it just missed and went past the post.

We stared to get a bit lucky on front of our own goal and Mansell found himself just outside the left our box, got beat far too easily and the ball was flashed across our goal mouth, the ball just went behind a Bradford player running in and the warning signs were starting to appear.

Rendell then went off with an arm injury, he sure looked in a lot of pain when he came over to indicate to Bucks he could not continue and so on came O'Kane and a chance to get a better look at this young man. He looks good and put into the box some of the best balls played in during the whole game and after a really great move he fooled everyone and rolled a great ball for Stevens to come on to and hit, sadly Stevens hit the post and at that stage of the match you felt were going to need a second goal.

Then things turned against us, Benyon lost the ball on the halfway line far too cheaply, the ball found its way into our box and Thompson for me was so lucky not to give a penalty away as he looked like he was all over the Bradford player and somehow we got the ball away for a corner. It came in and there was a bit of a scramble and the ball got poked into our net.

We started becoming second to every ball and were on the back foot and when the board went up showing there was four minutes of injury time and he said plenty of time to get a goal and win this game, I replied and yes also to lose it.

Had to be Stevens to give away an unnecessary free kick in our half and it was taken to the far post, headed down and put in the net again from close range.

OK another game we were winning we lost at home again, but the players gave all they had and if Bucks can’t bring any more experienced players here, he needs to put more faith in the young players he has brought in. For me O'Kane should have started as should have Cox and Thompson should have only been on the bench and Mansell in the middle to give us the bite we are missing that Hargreaves gave us. Zebs has to be only played up front and Robertson needs to be dropped and I would expect it will be Branson who takes his place, but I would start Ellis. Got to talk with Mark today, that boy is a credit to himself how he deals with all the disappointments he has here to deal with.

It’s not over until the fat lady starts singing; she is still only clearing her throat

I'm not commenting on the game , as you quoted me verbatum you can see I was commenting on the selection and my feelings about it before the first whistle.

Benyon might well have played well in your opinion, but who failed to retain possession that lead to the corner for their first, and who lost possession (as well as missed a few chances to seal the win) for the second? Benyon and Stevens. As ever, and true to past history I'm afraid.

I watched close up on Tuesday as Rendell and Thomson struggled to work with Benyon's totally unorthodox and quite frankly; thoughtless running off the ball in the first half and to be perfectly honest a decent half intelligent "near post" striker would have thrived on Thomson's ability to put the ball into the position of maximum opportunity from where a glancing header or deftly touched shot would produce an attempt on goal.

In my opinion Benyon is the product of poor coaching early in his development and is incapable of making good decisions whilst Stevens will always struggle to impose himself and put to good use his excellent technique unless he acquires an upper body strength he simply doesn't have right now. Look at Smith, look at Cox; they have it. It has nothing to do with being short, it is to be with not having the physique.

So there we have it, I said I had no confidence in gaining a result with these two starting. They started and we failed to get a result.

Is it your intention that this now becomes a humourless forum?

I was poking fun at Mr Larcombe's frequently changing persona to which any half brained idiot can see through.

I don't complain at being painted as a pantomine dame, like him I post in a no holds barred manner and like him I'm old enough and ugly enough to take it on the chin.....................a Mary Poppins character I am not and neither is he!