The biggest plus for me over the last 2 games is the improvement shown by a few of the players and the consistency shown by some of the others.
It also highlighted that we have a reasonable TEAM at the moment who could possibly push for a play off place, however the SQUAD is weak so mid table is the best we can hope for unless we boost the SQUAD.
My take on the players used over the last week, starting with the starting 11;
Olejnik; Solid, great shot stopper, punches well, good kick and always alert to getting the ball out to defenders quickly.
Nicholson; Has been bombing forward and overlapping with Danny really well. Seems to be fitter than ever, possibly because he no longer has to run all over the park just to take every throw in and corner.
Oastler; Best I have seen him play on Saturday, a few more performances like that and the right back spot will be his for the rest of the season.
Saah; Another who had 2 of his better games, still not completely convinced about him though.
Ellis; Played well on Saturday, although he wasn’t my MoM. Still prone to errors, but also glad to see him back in the team, a better option than Robertson for me. Hope he stays there now.
Stevens; Playing out of his skin at the moment, long may it continue. Also playing with a new found confidence. Causing defences loads of problems.
Lathrope; Unsung hero at present. Playing as well as I have ever seen him play. Doing a great job in the centre of midfield.
Mansell; As solid and dependable as ever, the odd misplaced pass but always fights to get it back. Added bonus of a few goals which is always good from a midfield player.
O’Kane; Awesome at the moment. We will be lucky to keep him come the end of January. Tuesday nights performance the best from a Torquay player in years, in my opinion.
Bodin; A quiet game on Tuesday but a great game on Saturday, was my MoM. Sign him up if we can.
Howe; Strong as an ox, holds the ball up well and brings others into the game. Knows where the back of the net is. Could be a 20 goals a season striker.
Now this is where the problem starts. Those 11 can give most teams a run for their money, but thats as good as it gets. The bench is as weak as I can remember.
Benches win games. We will struggle if we pick up any injuries and suspensions.
Atieno; Wouldn’t look out of place at Buckland. A bit harsh maybe, but definitely not good enough for this level. I haven’t seen him have a decent 5 minutes yet, let alone a decent game. Doesn’t look committed and my Nan has a better first touch, and we buried her 6 years ago.
McPhee; Lovely lad by all accounts and married to a local girl. That’s as good as it gets.
Leadbitter; To be fair haven’t seen much of him, but he was really poor at Bradford. Haven’t seen any reserve games this season but would be a surprise if he was up to anything at this level.
Macklin; Awesome game against Exeter in the pre season Friendly, nowhere near that in any game I have seen him play. Ordinary.
Halpin; Hasn’t been given a chance, apart from 20 minutes a few games back. Need to see more of him. Don’t know why he wasn’t given a 20 minute run out against Wimbledon when the game was dead and buried. Guessing the manager doesn’t rate him that highly or he would been given more game time.
Robertson; A good back up, or even worth a try in place of Saah. That said Ellis & Robertson have never really looked comfortable when they have played together as centre half’s. Still has a tendency to pull shirts and commit silly fouls.
That’s about it for the bench.
Really surprised we haven’t got into the loan market yet, it is open isn’t it.
