Torquay United's Jimmy Ball Calls for Difficult Change to End 12-Year Exile

Torquay United boss Jimmy Ball says the club must embrace “difficult” change if it is finally to end a 12-year exile from the English Football League.

The problem is immediate, not theoretical. Torquay sit 19th in National League South, with just one win from their opening six games, and are coming off a flat 2-0 defeat at Farnham Town on Bank Holiday Monday.

Ball did not try to sugar-coat it. He pointed to a summer riddled with “a lot of disruption”, and laid the blame squarely on players “having their heads turned” by offers and interest elsewhere during the transfer window.

He told BBC Radio Devon he wants only one type of player in his dressing room now: those “100% committed” to Torquay United and ready to “sacrifice and give everything”.

This is not a club that has been drifting mid-table. Torquay have twice gone close to promotion in the past two seasons. They lost 3-2 to Hornchurch in last season’s play-off final after finishing third, having fallen at the semi-final stage the year before despite ending the campaign in second.

Those near-misses form the backdrop to Ball’s stance.

“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,” said Ball, who took over from Paul Wotton in March.

“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.”

The slow start has understandably rattled supporters. Asked if fans were right to be worried, Ball pushed back against any sense of panic.

“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, but I believe there has been a lot of disruption.”

He hinted at issues the public cannot see.

“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 admitted.

Ball stressed that there are limits to what he can reveal.

He said he “would love to tell the fans everything but you simply can’t”. The job, as he sees it, is to ride out the turbulence, weed out any half-heartedness and trust the players he selects.

“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.

There is little time for reflection. Third-placed Folkestone Invicta, unbeaten in their first five matches, arrive at Plainmoor on Saturday.

For Ball and Torquay, the need for that “difficult” change will be measured not in soundbites, but in how they stand up to a side that has forgotten how to lose.