This week's Npower League Two fixtures for Plymouth Argyle and Torquay United could go a long way to deciding the fate of both sides.
The Pilgrims find themselves bottom of the Football League and two points from safety after their 1-0 defeat against Northampton Town.
John Sheridan's side travel to fellow strugglers AFC Wimbledon on Tuesday night before facing Edgar Davids' Barnet at Home Park on Saturday.
Both are games that Argyle cannot afford to lose and if they fail to obtain a minimum of four points from those two matches-then their situation will begin to look extremely precarious.
That is not to say that the Pilgrims are not capable of doing this.
In their six matches under Sheridan, they have secured two wins, two draws and two defeats, which includes a win and a draw against fellow strugglers Aldershot Town and Accrington Stanley respectively.
This comes after previously winning once in their previous 16 matches in all competitions under Sheridan's predecessor Carl Fletcher.
Meanwhile, Torquay, after narrowly losing 1-0 to Port Vale on Saturday, host Wycombe Wanderers ahead of their visit to Accrington on Saturday.
Interim Manager Alan Knill is still looking for his first win in , after being named as a temporary stand-in for manager Martin Ling, and is also seeking to arrest an alarming slump that has seen the Gulls lose their last six matches.
Perhaps equally as concerning, Torquay have only scored three goals during this run: two of which have come from the penalty spot.
With the Gulls' poor record at Accrington- which in recent years reads played four, lost four-the visit of Wycombe is a contest that Torquay should be looking upon as a must-win game.
Monday 25 February 2013
Wednesday 20 February 2013
DEBUT INSPIRATION
Should Alan Knill need a source of inspiration for his new charges after being named as Torquay United’s new interim manager- he can look no further than his own international debut in 1988.
Alan- then a centre-half with Swansea City in the ‘old’ Third Division- was handed his one and only start for Wales by their then manager Terry Yorath in a World Cup Qualifier against the then reigning European Champions Holland in Amsterdam.
If that in itself was daunting enough, he was to be handed the task of man-marking Marco Van Basten-scorer of what is considered to be one of the greatest goals ever scored against the Soviet Union in the final of Euro 88.
On paper, it looked like a contest that wouldn’t have been out of place in a Roy of the Rovers comic as Alan- the winner of a Fourth Division play-off winners’ medal that he won after helping Swansea defeat Torquay in a two-legged final- prepared to line-up against arguably the best striker in the world.
Yorath opted for a 5-3-2 system, which saw Peter Nicholas deployed as a sweeper with Alan partnering Mark Aizlewood in centre of defence. Playing behind the trio, of course was the ever reliable Neville Southall who, like Alan, would find a home at Plainmoor later in his career.
Van Basten proved to be an anonymous figure as the plaudits afterwards went to Alan as the Dutch only managed to beat the Welsh by a solitary goal, which was scored by Ruud Gullit in the 83rd minute.
Wales striker Mark Hughes described Alan’s performance as ‘the best international debut that he had ever seen’ and West Germany manager Franz Beckenbauer- who was observing the game- admitted he was surprised that Alan was only a Third Division player.
However, the injury crisis which was handed Alan his opportunity soon resolved itself and, despite being the radar of Yorath for the remainder of his reign as Wales manager, Alan did not receive any further caps.
He continued his playing career with spells at Bury, Cardiff City, Scunthorpe and Rotherham United before embarking of the managerial career with Rotherham, Bury and Scunthorpe prior to his appointment at Plainmoor.
Alan will now take charge of the Gulls until the end of the current campaign-in the continued absence of Martin Ling- after watching their 1-0 defeat against Aldershot in mid-week.
His reign starts against high-flying Port Vale on Saturday and if the Gulls can subdue Valiant’s leading scorer Tom Pope-in the same way that Alan managed to prevent Van Basten from finding the target that night in Amsterdam- then there is every chance that his tenure would have got off to a positive start.
Alan- then a centre-half with Swansea City in the ‘old’ Third Division- was handed his one and only start for Wales by their then manager Terry Yorath in a World Cup Qualifier against the then reigning European Champions Holland in Amsterdam.
If that in itself was daunting enough, he was to be handed the task of man-marking Marco Van Basten-scorer of what is considered to be one of the greatest goals ever scored against the Soviet Union in the final of Euro 88.
On paper, it looked like a contest that wouldn’t have been out of place in a Roy of the Rovers comic as Alan- the winner of a Fourth Division play-off winners’ medal that he won after helping Swansea defeat Torquay in a two-legged final- prepared to line-up against arguably the best striker in the world.
Yorath opted for a 5-3-2 system, which saw Peter Nicholas deployed as a sweeper with Alan partnering Mark Aizlewood in centre of defence. Playing behind the trio, of course was the ever reliable Neville Southall who, like Alan, would find a home at Plainmoor later in his career.
Van Basten proved to be an anonymous figure as the plaudits afterwards went to Alan as the Dutch only managed to beat the Welsh by a solitary goal, which was scored by Ruud Gullit in the 83rd minute.
Wales striker Mark Hughes described Alan’s performance as ‘the best international debut that he had ever seen’ and West Germany manager Franz Beckenbauer- who was observing the game- admitted he was surprised that Alan was only a Third Division player.
However, the injury crisis which was handed Alan his opportunity soon resolved itself and, despite being the radar of Yorath for the remainder of his reign as Wales manager, Alan did not receive any further caps.
He continued his playing career with spells at Bury, Cardiff City, Scunthorpe and Rotherham United before embarking of the managerial career with Rotherham, Bury and Scunthorpe prior to his appointment at Plainmoor.
Alan will now take charge of the Gulls until the end of the current campaign-in the continued absence of Martin Ling- after watching their 1-0 defeat against Aldershot in mid-week.
His reign starts against high-flying Port Vale on Saturday and if the Gulls can subdue Valiant’s leading scorer Tom Pope-in the same way that Alan managed to prevent Van Basten from finding the target that night in Amsterdam- then there is every chance that his tenure would have got off to a positive start.
Friday 15 February 2013
TEMPORARY VACANCY
First of all, I would like to wish Martin Ling a speedy recovery from his illness and I hope he returns to work at Plainmoor in the near future.
In the meantime Torquay United are on the lookout for an experienced coach to work alongside assistant manager Shaun Taylor after it was announced that manager Ling has been diagnosed with a debilitating illness.
Ling has missed the Gulls’ last four matches with the condition, which were against Exeter, Cheltenham, Fleetwood and Rotherham, and he is set to miss the rest of the season.
Gulls Chairman Simon Baker has stated that the club will be looking for an individual with managerial experience to work with Taylor and his team of coaches.
The ideal candidate for Torquay in this situation would be someone that Taylor would be happy to work alongside and guide him through any difficult situations until the end of the season when, hopefully, Ling will be ready to return to work.
One possible candidate whose credentials might suit the position is former Plymouth Argyle Director of Football John Deehan who worked alongside former Pilgrims boss Carl Fletcher last season.
Deehan has also held similar roles at Lincoln City and Grimsby Town in recent years, working alongside younger managers, and could act as a potential sounding board for Taylor.
Another option for the Gulls could be a third return to Plainmoor for Leroy Rosenior.
During his previous spells with the Gulls, Leroy guided Torquay to their first automatic promotion for 38 years before returning for his infamous 'ten minute' spell in 2007.
Leroy is currently working as a pundit on the BBC’s Football League Show, but could he be persuaded to return to Torquay for a temporary spell in charge.
His footballing philosophies not to differ greatly from that of Ling and with his punditry work, he would not be looking for a return to management in the long term and he also briefly worked alongside Taylor at Bristol City.
Also, it would not be the first time that a pundit has stepped into a managerial position on a temporary basis: Trevor Brooking took charge of West Ham for three games during the 2002-03 season after Glenn Roeder was diagnosed with a brain tumour.
In the meantime Torquay United are on the lookout for an experienced coach to work alongside assistant manager Shaun Taylor after it was announced that manager Ling has been diagnosed with a debilitating illness.
Ling has missed the Gulls’ last four matches with the condition, which were against Exeter, Cheltenham, Fleetwood and Rotherham, and he is set to miss the rest of the season.
Gulls Chairman Simon Baker has stated that the club will be looking for an individual with managerial experience to work with Taylor and his team of coaches.
The ideal candidate for Torquay in this situation would be someone that Taylor would be happy to work alongside and guide him through any difficult situations until the end of the season when, hopefully, Ling will be ready to return to work.
One possible candidate whose credentials might suit the position is former Plymouth Argyle Director of Football John Deehan who worked alongside former Pilgrims boss Carl Fletcher last season.
Deehan has also held similar roles at Lincoln City and Grimsby Town in recent years, working alongside younger managers, and could act as a potential sounding board for Taylor.
Another option for the Gulls could be a third return to Plainmoor for Leroy Rosenior.
During his previous spells with the Gulls, Leroy guided Torquay to their first automatic promotion for 38 years before returning for his infamous 'ten minute' spell in 2007.
Leroy is currently working as a pundit on the BBC’s Football League Show, but could he be persuaded to return to Torquay for a temporary spell in charge.
His footballing philosophies not to differ greatly from that of Ling and with his punditry work, he would not be looking for a return to management in the long term and he also briefly worked alongside Taylor at Bristol City.
Also, it would not be the first time that a pundit has stepped into a managerial position on a temporary basis: Trevor Brooking took charge of West Ham for three games during the 2002-03 season after Glenn Roeder was diagnosed with a brain tumour.
Thursday 14 February 2013
APOLOGIES FOR THE INCONVENIENCE
Unfortunately, due to a few technical issues I haven't been able to blog this week.
I realise that a lot has happened recently and I will strive to update the blog as soon as possible.
I realise that a lot has happened recently and I will strive to update the blog as soon as possible.
Monday 11 February 2013
BENYON IS BACK
Following his return to Plainmoor on loan from Southend United, Elliot Benyon goes straight into the Gulls squad ahead of tomorrow's League Two clash with Rotherham United.
It is just over two years since Benyon left Torquay for Swindon Town in a deal worth £125,000 after spending three-and-a-half years at Plainmoor.
His first spell proved to be a happy one as he helped the Gulls win promotion back to the Football League in his second season and in the third campaign, he finished the season as the club's top scorer and won the Player of the Year award.
However, since then he found opportunities of first team opportunities hard to come by as, during the 2011-12 campaign, he was loaned to his home town club Wycombe Wanderers by Swindon manager Paolo Di Canio before he joined Southend.
Unfortunately for Benyon, he also found his chances limited at Roots Hall as he has been to 28 appearances, 16 of which came from the sub's bench, and scored just twice.
He has also found himself fifth in the Shrimpers' striking roster behind Watford loanne Britt Assombalonga, former Gulls' loanee Gavin Tomlin and the experienced Freddy Eastwood and Neil Harris.
Following his return to Plainmoor, Elliot now has the chance to re-ignite his career and there is also the potential of forming a potent strike partnership with Gulls' leading scorer Rene Howe.
With 14 goals to his name so far this season, which equals his total for the previous campaign, much responsibility has fallen on Howe, who returns from suspension this coming Saturday against Rochdale, in terms of finding the back of the net, the next highest goal scorer in scoring charts is fellow striker Ryan Jarvis with 6, but the arrival of Benyon could see that burden reduced in the coming weeks.
It is just over two years since Benyon left Torquay for Swindon Town in a deal worth £125,000 after spending three-and-a-half years at Plainmoor.
His first spell proved to be a happy one as he helped the Gulls win promotion back to the Football League in his second season and in the third campaign, he finished the season as the club's top scorer and won the Player of the Year award.
However, since then he found opportunities of first team opportunities hard to come by as, during the 2011-12 campaign, he was loaned to his home town club Wycombe Wanderers by Swindon manager Paolo Di Canio before he joined Southend.
Unfortunately for Benyon, he also found his chances limited at Roots Hall as he has been to 28 appearances, 16 of which came from the sub's bench, and scored just twice.
He has also found himself fifth in the Shrimpers' striking roster behind Watford loanne Britt Assombalonga, former Gulls' loanee Gavin Tomlin and the experienced Freddy Eastwood and Neil Harris.
Following his return to Plainmoor, Elliot now has the chance to re-ignite his career and there is also the potential of forming a potent strike partnership with Gulls' leading scorer Rene Howe.
With 14 goals to his name so far this season, which equals his total for the previous campaign, much responsibility has fallen on Howe, who returns from suspension this coming Saturday against Rochdale, in terms of finding the back of the net, the next highest goal scorer in scoring charts is fellow striker Ryan Jarvis with 6, but the arrival of Benyon could see that burden reduced in the coming weeks.
Friday 1 February 2013
BODIN NAMED
Torquay United forward Billy Bodin has been named in the Wales Under-21 squad to face Iceland in Llanelli next week.
Bodin, who played a key role in helping the Gulls defeat Exeter City in last week's Devon derby, has previously been capped 14 times by Wales Under-21's and has scored twice.
He is one of two Torquay United contracted players to have represented the principality at that level, the other being Alex Lawless who appeared for Wales against Northern Ireland Under-21's in February 2006.
It will be the third time that Billy has featured for the Welsh at this level since signed for the Gulls permanently last summer as he was selected in their previous two fixtures against Armenia and the Czech Republic.
Exeter's Elliott Chamberlain, who recently signed for Bath City on loan, is named as a stand-by player.
On the same evening, their senior counterparts face Austria at the Liberty Stadium in Swansea.
The Full squad:
Connor Roberts (Cheltenham Town), Danny Ward ( Liverpool), Danny Alfei (Swansea City - On loan at Wrexham), Kieron Freeman (Derby County), Jonathan Meades (AFC Bournemouth - On loan at AFC Wimbledon), Scott Tancock (Swansea City ), Joe Walsh (Crawley Town), Billy Bodin (Torquay United), Elliott Hewitt (Ipswich Town), Emyr Huws (Manchester City), Lloyd Isgrove (Southampton), Tom Lawrence (Manchester United), Lee Lucas (Swansea City), Jonathan Williams (Crystal Palace), Wes Burns (Bristol City), Jake Cassidy (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Chris Dawson ( Leeds United), Robert Ogleby (Wrexham)
Standby: Oliver Davies (Swansea City ), Lee Evans (Newport County ), Jordan Holt (St Mirren), Aaron Oakley (Swindon Town), Elliott Chamberlain (Exeter City), Michael Doughty (QPR), Gwion Edwards (Swansea City), Josh Pritchard (Fulham), Louis Thompson (Swindon Town), Theo Wharton (Cardiff City ), Tom Bradshaw (Shrewsbury Town)
Bodin, who played a key role in helping the Gulls defeat Exeter City in last week's Devon derby, has previously been capped 14 times by Wales Under-21's and has scored twice.
He is one of two Torquay United contracted players to have represented the principality at that level, the other being Alex Lawless who appeared for Wales against Northern Ireland Under-21's in February 2006.
It will be the third time that Billy has featured for the Welsh at this level since signed for the Gulls permanently last summer as he was selected in their previous two fixtures against Armenia and the Czech Republic.
Exeter's Elliott Chamberlain, who recently signed for Bath City on loan, is named as a stand-by player.
On the same evening, their senior counterparts face Austria at the Liberty Stadium in Swansea.
The Full squad:
Connor Roberts (Cheltenham Town), Danny Ward ( Liverpool), Danny Alfei (Swansea City - On loan at Wrexham), Kieron Freeman (Derby County), Jonathan Meades (AFC Bournemouth - On loan at AFC Wimbledon), Scott Tancock (Swansea City ), Joe Walsh (Crawley Town), Billy Bodin (Torquay United), Elliott Hewitt (Ipswich Town), Emyr Huws (Manchester City), Lloyd Isgrove (Southampton), Tom Lawrence (Manchester United), Lee Lucas (Swansea City), Jonathan Williams (Crystal Palace), Wes Burns (Bristol City), Jake Cassidy (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Chris Dawson ( Leeds United), Robert Ogleby (Wrexham)
Standby: Oliver Davies (Swansea City ), Lee Evans (Newport County ), Jordan Holt (St Mirren), Aaron Oakley (Swindon Town), Elliott Chamberlain (Exeter City), Michael Doughty (QPR), Gwion Edwards (Swansea City), Josh Pritchard (Fulham), Louis Thompson (Swindon Town), Theo Wharton (Cardiff City ), Tom Bradshaw (Shrewsbury Town)
TRANSFER WINDOW ROUND-UP
The January 2013 transfer window closed last night with a number of South West clubs making alterations to their squads ahead of the second half of the 2012-13 campaign.
Plymouth Argyle were busiest in the region with new manager John Sheridan drafting in six new faces and letting three leave.
The first player to depart Home Park was experienced central defender Darren Purse who joined promotion chasing Port Vale on a free transfer.
His departure allowed Sheridan to bring in Guy Branston, as a direct replacement for Purse, and Anthony Charles, who was released by Northampton Town, on permanent deals until the end of the season.
The former Oldham and Chesterfield boss has also recruited four loan signings in the shape of Ronan Murray, Gozie Ugwu, Reuben Reid and Jason Banton, who arrived from Ipswich Town, Reading, Yeovil Town and Crystal Palace respectively.
Amongst those leaving Home Park are Joe Lennox, Rhys Griffiths and Robbie Williams. Lennox, who scored Argyle's equaliser against Exeter City in December, was released following the expiry of the one-month deal he agreed with former manager Carl Fletcher, prior to his departure, whilst Griffiths and Williams were both released by mutual consent.
The loaning of Reid to the Pilgrims has been Yeovil Town's only major departure during January. The Glovers have secured the signature of Irish striker Paddy Madden on a permanent basis, following a successful loan spell from Carlisle United, and have also snapped up Keith Dawson from Shelbourne.
Exeter City and Torquay United both declined to make any new additions to their squads, but the Grecians have loaned out Elliot Frear and Elliot Chamberlain to Salisbury City and Bath City respectively.
One surprise move of the window was the signing of Truro City goalkeeper Luke McCormick by Oxford United.
The move sees former Argyle keeper McCormick make a return to league football for the first time since he was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving in 2008 and he looks set to features for the U's against the Pilgrims when they meet at Home Park on February 16th.
However, clubs will be able to start recruiting loan players and free agents until the end of March after February 7th.
Plymouth Argyle were busiest in the region with new manager John Sheridan drafting in six new faces and letting three leave.
The first player to depart Home Park was experienced central defender Darren Purse who joined promotion chasing Port Vale on a free transfer.
His departure allowed Sheridan to bring in Guy Branston, as a direct replacement for Purse, and Anthony Charles, who was released by Northampton Town, on permanent deals until the end of the season.
The former Oldham and Chesterfield boss has also recruited four loan signings in the shape of Ronan Murray, Gozie Ugwu, Reuben Reid and Jason Banton, who arrived from Ipswich Town, Reading, Yeovil Town and Crystal Palace respectively.
Amongst those leaving Home Park are Joe Lennox, Rhys Griffiths and Robbie Williams. Lennox, who scored Argyle's equaliser against Exeter City in December, was released following the expiry of the one-month deal he agreed with former manager Carl Fletcher, prior to his departure, whilst Griffiths and Williams were both released by mutual consent.
The loaning of Reid to the Pilgrims has been Yeovil Town's only major departure during January. The Glovers have secured the signature of Irish striker Paddy Madden on a permanent basis, following a successful loan spell from Carlisle United, and have also snapped up Keith Dawson from Shelbourne.
Exeter City and Torquay United both declined to make any new additions to their squads, but the Grecians have loaned out Elliot Frear and Elliot Chamberlain to Salisbury City and Bath City respectively.
One surprise move of the window was the signing of Truro City goalkeeper Luke McCormick by Oxford United.
The move sees former Argyle keeper McCormick make a return to league football for the first time since he was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving in 2008 and he looks set to features for the U's against the Pilgrims when they meet at Home Park on February 16th.
However, clubs will be able to start recruiting loan players and free agents until the end of March after February 7th.
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