The Robins Nest Forum

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Wow that was quick!

Flippin’ ‘eck I’d only just posted an item saying it would be good to see him do well at TUFC if appointed, on the other thread.

Great stuff, well done Mr Johnson, and good luck to you and Torquay. I hope he works his magic again. Wonder what that means for brother Pete?

Wonder if he would like to take some of our "fringe" players that he signed a few months ago, on loan with a view to a permanent deal ?

Fuller wrote:Wonder if he would like to take some of our "fringe" players that he signed a few months ago, on loan with a view to a permanent deal ?

LOL !!

Wow that's a shock, I would be very surprised if Downes isn't appointed as his number 2.

I also wonder if we could lose Pete Johnson but equally I doubt Torquay could afford a full time scout or any of our senior players.

Why would we want any of our players under his control ?

Lord Elpuz wrote:Flippin’ ‘eck I’d only just posted an item saying it would be good to see him do well at TUFC if appointed, on the other thread.

Great stuff, well done Mr Johnson, and good luck to you and Torquay. I hope he works his magic again. Wonder what that means for brother Pete?

Hear hear. I'm pleased for both Gary and Torquay. I think this could be a good fit and I very much hope he steers them to a title success just like he did with the Robins.

...hope it works out well, although the fans aren't too sure about the owners who want to relocate and sell Plainmoor.
We all know how that turns out sometimes.

Surprised they could afford him.

I imagine that Pete Johnson would be identifying different players for that level so no conflict of interest perhaps.

I'm really pleased for Gary.

We should all remember that despite the demands for his sacking, he rescued our club and as has been said previously, without his experienced steerage following relegation, we may well have been part time by now. Promotion in the past to League 1 was fantastic, promotion back to League 2 was essential.

I think most will agree it wasn't really working for him here after that success (which will forever be remembered). I just wish we could all have said thank you and goodbye properly after a match (won or lost) at home. I certainly would have been there and on my feet for him.

Along with the other champions, he should rightly be considered a legend at our club and I wish him every success at Torquay.

You have a good heart, cheltersfan, and I agree entirely with your sentiment.

My hope is, in time, that all Cheltenham fans will see it that way and that Mr Johnson gets a decent welcome if and when he comes to Cheltenham. Football has a funny habit of pitching old comrades and acquaintances against one another after a parting of the ways.

It is however, a hard fact in football management that you are only remembered for the most recent run of matches, and the fans who once heartily sang your name, will turn their anger against you when the shine begins to fade. It’s a career that is often very short lived at each club managed, and an extremely stressful occupation.

Gary is probably our 3rd best manager ever, I would hope we all wish him well. A shame it turned sour towards the end but I do feel his sacking was justified.

Of the three best managers of recent vintage - I include Cotts and Ward as the other two - Gary is certainly the one who arrived with the most difficult short-term goal - and achieved it.
Cotts had the makings of a very decent squad at his disposal with which to achieve the immediate goal of promotion. Ward had no expectation on his shoulders. Gary had to clean up the detritus of the previous regime, put the soul back into the club and get us smiling again - oh, and get us promoted.
Further, the ramification for the club of failure were far greater than for either Cotts or Ward.

That's a cracking appointment for Torquay - good luck Gary.

No doubt we'll draw them in the Cup 1st Round.

Ward was brought in to stop a team hurtling towards successive relegations with an absolutely shocking squad.

I don't disagree that that GJ's short-term goal was the most difficult, but to say that Ward had no expectation is a bit remiss.

I do wonder if any future manager would be given the time Ward was though, the two 14th placed finishes were hardly exciting seasons before the fantastic 3rd season.

I wish GJ all the best at Torquay, whilst I firmly believe his time had come here, I am more than grateful for how he turned us around in 2015.

Wishing the best for Gary, and hopefully he takes Torquay up and proves some of the doubters on here wrong who says he's lost his magic.

His knowledge of ground sharing will come in useful.

Hope he has found a match that will bring back his spark. Maybe NL is now where his skills are best applied ? ATB

I personally don't wish Johnson success because that might come at the expense of City, who are in the same league, but also because of their fans who I had the displeasure to meet a few weeks ago. If they weren't letting off flares and provoking a scuffle, they were moaning about how they were too good for this league and some were incandescent that they had only secured a single away point at our place.

For Johnson himself I am pleased that he is back in football as he seemed to have been retired by some of you, but he is a football man he'd be lost without the cut and thrust of the game.

Has there been any word on his assistants? Given how much he rates Downes and how much Downes likes Torquay, I wouldn't at all be surprised if he joins him as Robin said.

Shade wrote:Has there been any word on his assistants? Given how much he rates Downes and how much Downes likes Torquay, I wouldn't at all be surprised if he joins him as Robin said.

Presume there would be some compensation involved? Would be more worried if MD wanted him to stay and he left

I doubt Torquay could afford any compensation and I would imagine if Downes wanted to leave he would be allowed.

GJ was given the role of first team manager and first team coach. That suggests to me that they won’t be hiring anyone else.

Assume Torquay are part-time now?

......hope some ex-ctfc squaddies quietly inform the Torquay players not to cross GJ, dispute any point or argue with him if they wish to continue living amongst the palm trees.

Shade wrote:Assume Torquay are part-time now?

. apparently not.

How have they managed that, amazed they stayed full time in the conference given they get lower crowds than we do.

Robin wrote:I doubt Torquay could afford any compensation and I would imagine if Downes wanted to leave he would be allowed.

If we don't want to retain him, then yes. Otherwise, why should we be a soft touch ?

theidlerich wrote:......hope some ex-ctfc squaddies quietly inform the Torquay players not to cross GJ, dispute any point or argue with him if they wish to continue living amongst the palm trees.

I'm sure Captain Asa Hall will share his thoughts on his new manager with his players.

Robin wrote:How have they managed that, amazed they stayed full time in the conference given they get lower crowds than we do.

Vanarama South no less, Robin.

There is always a smattering of clubs in the two feeder divisions who gamble on promotion but only 2 go up from each. The others quite often then have to slash their budgets or go into financial difficulties they struggle to recover from.

The sort of gamble that you took a couple of years ago, which could have seen us back playing derby games if it had gone wrong.

But Torquay were having problems in the vanarama main Shandy, they were really struggling financially that season we were down there.

They've never been right since that Erdogan took over.

SHANDY VOR wrote:They've never been right since that Erdogan took over.

Very good!

SHANDY VOR wrote:They've never been right since that Erdogan took over.

I must admit that made me

...Torquay live on BBC Saturday when they play at Lymington,conquerors of Lydney in the FA cup.

I note that the team bottom of Vanarama South (Weston S Mare) with two points beat us 4-1 in a preseason friendly !