Torquay United's Jimmy Ball Calls for Change Amidst Struggles
Torquay United boss Jimmy Ball says the club must embrace “difficult” change if it is ever to end its 12-year exile from the English Football League.
Right now, that goal feels a long way off.
Nineteenth in National League South, one win from six, and coming off a flat 2-0 defeat at Farnham Town on Bank Holiday Monday, Torquay look nothing like a side that has spent the last two seasons circling the promotion places.
From play-off nearly men to stuttering starters
This is a club that finished second and third in consecutive campaigns. A club that reached back-to-back play-offs. A club that fell 3-2 to Hornchurch in last season’s final after finishing third, having gone out in the semi-finals the year before.
Close. Twice.
But not close enough.
Ball, who took over from Paul Wotton in March, made it clear in an interview with BBC Radio Devon that near-misses are no longer acceptable.
“The truth is it has been a long time since Torquay have played league football, and yes, the last two seasons have been close, but it's ultimately failed,” he said. “That's not to blame anyone, but I was brought in to change that and sometimes change is difficult and slower than we would like – but it is absolutely necessary.”
Those words land heavier when set against the current table.
“Heads turned” and a disrupted summer
Ball did not hide his frustration with what he called “a lot of disruption” during the summer window. He pointed firmly at players “having their heads turned” by moves elsewhere from the first day of pre-season.
That kind of uncertainty corrodes a dressing room. It drags standards down. It shows on the pitch.
“I can't tell you what's going on behind the scenes, which has been caused through players having their heads turned since day one of pre-season and players not quite being at it,” he said.
He insisted he would “love to tell the fans everything but you simply can't”. The implication is clear enough: the issues go beyond tactics and team selection.
What he can control, he says, is commitment.
Ball wants players who are “100% committed” to Torquay United and prepared to “sacrifice and give everything”. Anything less, in his view, will not carry this club back into the EFL.
No panic, but no excuses
Supporters have every right to look at 19th place and worry. Asked whether they are justified in their concern, Ball pushed back against any sense of hysteria.
“I don't know of any scenario when panicking is beneficial,” he said.
He did not try to dress up the performances, though.
“I'm not playing down the start, because it is not acceptable,” he added, again pointing to the turbulence of the summer as a key factor.
This is the tightrope he must walk: acknowledging the reality of a poor opening run without allowing the mood to turn toxic. Demanding more from his players without losing them in the process.
Folkestone test for a club at a crossroads
There is no time for a reset camp or a gentle run of fixtures. Third-placed Folkestone Invicta arrive at Plainmoor on Saturday, unbeaten in their first five matches and full of early-season confidence.
For Torquay, it already feels like more than just another game in August.
Ball has called for men who are “100% committed to Torquay United Football Club”. The next 90 minutes will show how many of them he actually has.
