Jimmy Ball calls for difficult reset at Torquay United
Jimmy Ball did not bother dressing it up. Torquay United, marooned in the sixth tier and limping through another slow start, need change – and not the easy kind.
The Gulls sit 19th in National League South after a flat 2-0 defeat at Farnham Town on Bank Holiday Monday, their fifth game without a win in six. For a club that has spent 12 years looking up at the English Football League, the patience is wearing thin.
Ball, who replaced Paul Wotton in March, knows exactly why he was hired.
“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.”
Last season Torquay finished third, only to lose 3-2 to Hornchurch in the play-off final. The year before, they fell at the semi-final stage after ending the campaign in second. Two near misses, no promotion, and now a stuttering start.
This time, the problems began before a ball was properly kicked.
Ball spoke of “a lot of disruption” over the summer, pointing the finger at players distracted by offers elsewhere and the lure of moves away from Plainmoor.
“I’m not playing down the start, because it is not acceptable, but I believe there has been a lot of disruption,” he 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.”
That phrase – “heads turned” – hangs heavy. It hints at a squad not fully aligned with the club’s ambitions, at a manager trying to drive standards while juggling uncertainty and unsettled dressing-room dynamics.
Ball’s demand is blunt: total buy-in or step aside.
He wants players “100% committed” to Torquay United, willing to “sacrifice and give everything”. Anything less, in his eyes, is not enough for a club trying to fight its way back into the EFL after more than a decade away.
He admits there is more going on than supporters can see, and more than he is willing – or able – to reveal.
“I would love to tell the fans everything but you simply can’t,” he said. “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.”
Some fans are already anxious about the table and the trajectory. Ball pushed back at the idea that panic helps anyone.
“I don’t know of any scenario when panicking is beneficial,” he said. The message is clear: acknowledge the poor start, but don’t let it spiral.
There is no time for self-pity. Third-placed Folkestone Invicta arrive at Plainmoor on Saturday, unbeaten in their first five matches and carrying the kind of early-season momentum Torquay lack.
It is early, but it already feels like a test of character as much as quality. If Ball wants his “difficult” change to take root, this is the sort of afternoon where Torquay’s players have to show exactly where their heads are.
