Every Wednesday in the Herald Express, our Torquay United correspondent Richard Hughes takes a sideways look at what's going on in the World of the Gulls. This week, he discussed that horrific defeat at the weekend and wonders what, if any, changes need to be made.
It wasn’t very nice at Plainmoor on Saturday and I came away thinking perhaps things had reached a turning point – but writing this on Tuesday afternoon, before Torquay United’s visit to Maidstone United, Gary Johnson is still the manager and Clarke Osborne still owns the club.
If that woeful performance against a spritely but hardly world-beating St Albans City team, and all that noisy protest inside and outside the ground, didn’t generate a ‘turning point’, then I am not sure what will.
I have argued in his column in recent weeks that if the Gaffer is not going to quit, and the board aren’t going to sack him, what is the point of protesting? I said, get behind the players and try to build their confidence, whatever your thoughts on the structure off the field.
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But Saturday was so bad even I left the ground feeling like it might be time for a change – whatever that change might be. It was hugely frustrating to watch the St Albans media guy fistpump each St Albans goal like they were winning their cup final 1-0, 2-0, 3-0, 4-0.
It was hugely frustrating listening to the 70-odd St Albans fans down the far end of Bristow’s Bench spend 90 minutes making more noise than a thrash metal band in an echo chamber – and it was so, so sad to hear so many new voices in Bristow’s Bench singing ‘we want Johnson out’. So, so sad, but not so surprising.
The Gaffer had to watch the game from the directors’ box after picking up his third yellow card of the season at Worthing. It must have been excruciating for him to watch that shambles play out on the pitch without being able to influence proceedings. I am not defending the Gaffer this time – it was such a poor performance and these are all his players – but I did feel for him somewhat. It really wasn’t a pleasant afternoon for anyone.
I don’t see this column as a conduit for change – my job is to watch and document, and in this column, comment, but not necessarily encourage any one way of thinking or another. But cripes, when performances get that low, I would be stupid not to wonder if a new manager might be able to get things on track.
Gary would have been drowned out by the drumming and chanting from outside the front of the ground had been interviewed in his usual spot in front of the dugout. So I don’t blame the media team for doing the chat inside. But what could Gary say, really – apart from what he did?
I note Nick Brodrick’s comment that there was no apology forthcoming, but I am sure GJ is very sorry about this one. It was as bad as it gets.
What he did say was: “We think that we are better than that, we have been better than that, and at the moment we are going to need some form of change-around. Who that is, what personnel that is, we will wait and see. So it’s a disappointing night for us, I didn’t enjoy watching the game from the directors’ box ... and it was tough, tough. The whole club will have a discussion and see what comes out.”
It will have been interesting to see who was available for last night’s game at Maidstone United, a team who have beaten the Gulls twice already this season and who are riding high on a wave of FA Cup glory after reaching the fifth round by beating Ipswich Town. To be honest, that was not the fixture we wanted after Saturday’s drubbing. But with four to six key players possibly back sometime this month, I don’t think all is yet lost, even if Gary is still in charge for the rest of the season – which I suspect he will be.
The man we have missed the most – striker Aaron Jarvis – can’t be that far away now, can he? And spare a thought for new signing Austen Booth, the 25-year-old son of Jon Gittens, who grew up supporting the Gulls. He didn’t look half bad in a game where some of his teammates went missing for a whole afternoon. Booth played some good balls forward – but Dillon De Silva couldn’t do anything creative with them.
I like Gary. I have spent five years of my life talking to him every week and he is always accommodating and ready to answer questions, whether it is good times, or bad. But on Saturday that was really bad, and embarrassing, and I can only hope the players stood up, were counted, and showed more commitment and courage last night.
Otherwise the clamour for change from the fans when Torquay turn up at Plainmoor on Saturday afternoon to take on Slough Town will be absolutely deafening.
Due to Herald Express print deadlines, the column was written before Tuesday's 3-2 defeat to Maidstone United
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