Jimmy Ball's Call for Change to End Torquay's EFL Exile
Jimmy Ball did not sugarcoat it. Twelve years outside the English Football League, and Torquay United look no closer to ending that exile on current evidence.
Nineteenth in National League South. One win from six. And a flat 2-0 defeat at Farnham Town on Bank Holiday Monday to underline the malaise.
For Ball, who took over from Paul Wotton in March, the message is blunt: if Torquay want their way back to league football, the club has to change – and it will not be comfortable.
“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 told BBC Radio Devon. “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.”
Disruption, heads turned and a fractured summer
Ball pointed squarely at a turbulent summer as a key factor in the sluggish start. He spoke of “a lot of disruption” during the transfer window, much of it triggered by players looking elsewhere.
From “day one of pre-season”, he said, some members of the squad had their “heads turned” by offers or interest away from Plainmoor, and that has bled into performances.
“I’m not playing down the start, because it is not acceptable, but I believe there has been a lot of disruption,” Ball said. “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.”
The frustration is obvious. Torquay were within touching distance of promotion in each of the last two campaigns – second one year, third the next – only to fall in the play-offs. A semi-final exit was followed by last season’s 3-2 defeat to Hornchurch in the play-off final.
Those near-misses have hardened expectations. This year was supposed to be the one where they finally finished the job. Instead, they are glancing anxiously at the wrong end of the table.
‘No scenario when panicking is beneficial’
Supporters have started to worry. Ball understands the concern but will not indulge the anxiety.
When asked if fans were right to be alarmed by the slow start, he pushed back.
“I don't know of any scenario when panicking is beneficial,” he said. “I'm not playing down the start, because it is not acceptable.”
He insists the focus must be on commitment and mentality. Nothing else.
Ball wants players who are “100% committed” to Torquay United and ready to “sacrifice and give everything” for the club. Anything less, and they will not be part of his long-term plan.
“You have to deal with it the best you can and hope the men you're putting out on to the pitch are 100% committed to Torquay United Football Club,” he said.
He admitted he “would love to tell the fans everything but you simply can't”, a line that hints at deeper issues behind the scenes but stops short of airing them in public.
Folkestone test looms for under-fire Gulls
There is no time for soul-searching. Third-placed Folkestone Invicta arrive at Plainmoor on Saturday, unbeaten in their first five matches and full of early-season confidence.
Torquay, wounded and restless, will have to show they can still fight.
If Ball’s demand for “difficult” change is to mean anything, it has to start translating on the pitch – and quickly – or that 12-year wait for league football will begin to feel less like a gap and more like a new reality.
