Torquay are down. Time to start saving for an expensive season.

As good as today was, and as much as Warren deserves a lot of praise after the last few weeks form, I do have some frustration that the players couldn't have replicated this performance more over the season. The cynic in me finds it strange that performances have picked up when players are playing for deals next season.

Let's see what the summer brings.

Polo wrote:

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As good as today was, and as much as Warren deserves a lot of praise after the last few weeks form, I do have some frustration that the players couldn't have replicated this performance more over the season. The cynic in me finds it strange that performances have picked up when players are playing for deals next season.

Let's see what the summer brings.

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 Was thinking along the same lines.

Someone said about Warren on the club Twitter, "You won't get where you want to go with him". That really stuck in my mind, and actually made me realise everything revolves around that.

So if the club is ambitious, and wants play offs and promotion, it is hard to make a case for him, as he does not have consistent success one needs, and though he always places inconsistency on the players, it is actually him.

But if the club is complacent, happy just not to be relegated, and want a manager that leaves the owners alone and lets the owner's daughter's boyfriend play fantasy football on the side of the pitch, then Warren is perfect for them.

I think anyone who understands football will be disappointed and understand we massively underperformed this season, only rarely fulfilling our potential, which is so frustrating, as when we fulfilled it we were as good as anyone else in the league. Now the dust settles on the whole season, and one can see it more clearly, it feels as if most managers could have done at least as well as Warren with this squad, and most could have done much better.

If the owners have sense they will realise football is a business, and it is bad business having a manager who alienates fans, and creates a downward spiral of reducing match day income from low attendances, and so makes the club less money, less money for quality players, less good results, less fans watching losing poor quality football.
It is a shame Warren doesn't realise any of this and change his arrogant approach to fans, who as the season showed quickly knew more than him what needed to be done to fix things.

Our final midfield position was 10 points above relegation, 16 points below a play off spot, so looking down, not up. If it were my decision I would move Warren to a new role in the team, as he has lots of qualities, and bring in Sam as manager, with Keith Boanas as assistant, as between them they have enthusiasm, experience, modern media friendly and connection with the players that, rightly or wrongly, I have never sensed Warren has with the squad, after the ridiculous way he behaves to them with his endless criticisms of them collectively and individually.

From last season we only kept Sam Jackson, Taylor Curran, Aaron Barnes, Jamie Sendles-White and Chi, and only 2 of them have been regular for us this season, so retention wasn't that effective. The new retention list released in May will be intriguing, it is bound to be lower if he stays, I really wonder how many of us fans if hypothetically we were players, would think we would like to stay and risk another season of disappointment or underperformance with Warren, but would stay if there is a new manager, as the last 8 games in total showed we can beat anyone in the league, and play some of the best football. Fans have walked away from Warren, players most likely will too.

Just as a final note, as usual Warren's interview was full of nonsense and poor excuses, this time about needing time to move up the table, as he is all about trying to buy more time in the job. If you look at the 6 play off teams and compare this season to where they were last season, 3 have massively improved over last season, so, bar the tactics used for most of the season, there is no reason why we couldn't have done that too.

Dartford 2 4/21
Oxford 3 5/21
Worthing 4 promoted from Isthmian League
Chelmsford 5 19/21 (third from bottom)
St Albans 6 9/21
Braintree 7 17/21 (fourth from bottom)

bexleylion wrote:

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A very good website of non league attendance stats that JH will be able to write reams in comment!

www.thelinnets.co.uk/turnstile.php

What amazes me is how Feeney's love of supporters shines through in the increased average attendance this season, up 22% to 818. Can this be right given all the 450 attendances towards the end?

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 Looked at this site earlier in the season and we were the only NLS club on a plus. The figures then were over 35% thanks to the first month or so.

Truro beat Bracknell with a goal deep into stoppage time.  A nice long trip, lol

And no doubt mid week in winter

Odin73 wrote:

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And no doubt mid week in winter

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 We have had mid-winter away games at Torquay twice, so an overnighter in Devon wouldn't be a rarity.

It is the most contradictory inconsistent season I know of, very strong start, collapse, very strong finish, for every plus there is a minus. There has been too much managerial change in recent years, but sometimes change is needed. There is an unpleasant aggressive toxic side to some people working in the club, that infects behaviour in other areas, with stupid rows between some people working in the club and fans. It is such a shame, that nonsense distracts attention from when players concentrate on quick passing football, attacking and defending we are so enjoyable to watch.

Just a quick word about James Dunne, I was disappointed with his leadership earlier this season, I couldn't see why he had that role as he wasn't particularly showing leadership out there or doing a captains job of addressing problems. Then late March he clearly thought enough was enough, and decided to lead by example, driving forward to help attacks. Previously his usual place on the pitch was around the halfway line, now he was playing miles further up often on the edge of the penalty area. In the same way Manny improved the team defensively by his new holding midfield role strengthening us defensively, so James' similar linking role behind the strikers helped us in attack.

St Albans beat Chelmsford in first play off

A nice night out in Union street Mark

Odin73 wrote:

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Worthing beat Braintree in play off

Woking lost to Bromley in play off..which is nice 

-- Edited by Odin73 on Wednesday 3rd of May 2023 09:57:20 PM

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 And Steve King's play off woes continued when Gloucester lost to Brackley on penalties.

The AGM cup could be interesting. Southend and Yeovil are both in big financial difficulties. 

Should they not survive, Torquay would get a reprieve. If only two are relegated, then two at step 2 would get a reprieve. Kettering Town and Leamington both have a better record than Dulwich which would remove the need for a club to move north, and could even mean one coming over to the south (Steve King's Gloucester City?).

Not looking good for them.......

Eastbourne Borough have signed Heads of Terms with an external investor for the purchase of the club and its assets.  Of course they will have to pass the directors test first. Its going to be a tough league come August.

Dirtford lost to St Albans on pens .hohoho

In the north kings lynn got pipped to promotion and as so often happens fall apart in the playoff list 4-1 at home to Kidderminster who finished 25 points behind and Chester lost to Brackley who were 15 points behind

It is all very sad, things are going the predictable route.

Warren will stay as he has such a close relationship with the owner, and the owner's daughter's boyfriend, who may become assistant manager. Most players will walk away as they don't want another season of those two, so we will be doing a pretty much total rebuild, so will be at a disadvantage compared to teams together for longer. Good people connected with the club, admired by the fans, will go, as these people, just like the exodus of fans, don't want to be involved in this toxic noisy nonsense.

The fans don't rate the manager, so attendances won't be great, and we will be in that dangerous recurring cycle of low attendances, low finances, can only afford poor players, poor results...

It has all the hallmarks of a car crash of a season, as by now Welling has stopped being about football based decisions, as results no longer really matter, and is just based on the overly close and unprofessional personal connection of the manager and owner.

Realistically, the only prospect for any positive change of manager would be a change of ownership, or results being so fatal that even the owner realises we have the football equivalent of the Titanic managing us. But the ownership isn't likely to change any time soon, and they'd probably keep him on even if we were relegated, as results no longer matter, as Welling is now just a toy for certain people to noisily play with, rather than a meaningful football club.

Two ells in Welling wrote:

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JH whilst you make some pertinent comments re Club Management any long standing Wings fan will tell you that every season in recent memory, even including the Jamie Day era a decade ago, has seen an exodus of players and large number of new players arrive.

 

It is a sad fact of non league football and Welling especially.

 

Whilst you are not wrong regarding welling at all, more and more teams in our league are beginning to keep the majority of their players for a few seasons at least. The knock on affect of that is fans/players build a good relationship and spirit together whilst each season improving the team with a couple more and pushing for playoff places.

Most of ours will leave and we're starting again, as we have done for years, hence our position in the table (among other things).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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