Buckle turns the corner..

And they say football fans are fickle?

A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog believing Paul Buckle's time was up at Torquay United. I believed he'd lost the players, the fans, and the board alike. Results were poor, and performances were even worse. Many fans agreed with me. He had to go if Torquay United were to prosper as they should.

So, to see Paul Buckle turn it round in the manner he has is nothing short of remarkable. He's proved me and many other Torquay fans wrong, and deserves credit for doing so in what seemed like the biggest adversity.

While the Nortwhich debacle seemed like a new low at the time, , what it really represented was a turning point in the Gulls season.

Yes, we didnt play well, and yes, we rode our luck. But since then, Paul Buckle and his squad haven't looked back.

8 games without defeat have followed since that day, with 6 wins to choose from, including wins against Stevenage and Rushden and Diamonds. Performances are better. The football is more expansive, and less predictable. The team is now defending as a unit, and not as indivuduals, and the team looks more solid as a result.

But more importantly, the spirit is back within the camp.

Players are fighting and playing for each other, when before, heads went down far too easily. Take United's 2-1 win against Forest Green. Faced with the most uphill of tasks after losing goalkeeper Michael Poke early on, striker Tim Sills went between the sticks. And conceding a goal on the stroke of time didnt help matters. But Torquay didnt give up, dug in, and got the three points with a last gasp winner, despite coming from behind to do so.

It was a remarkable victory, but more importantly a real team effort. Every player played their part and worked their socks off.

And that's the most pleasing thing of all.

So credit to Paul Buckle for seemingly turning things around. It seemed so unlikely a matter of weeks ago, but he's well on his way now.

Of course, only promotion would truly heal the scars that still hurt from last season. Is he the man to deliver? We'll have to see.