NO MORE VIDEO NASTIES TO FRIGHTEN GULLS BOSS GARY

GARY OWERS says it’s time the Torquay Great Escape DVD was consigned to the bargain bin – and believes he’s the man to turn around their fortunes.

Owers, 48, has been charged with leading the Gulls away from the foot of the National League table after leaving Bath City for the vacant job.

He replaces Kevin Nicholson, who was sacked just four games into the new season with the club winless.

Six games later, they were the only club in the division still waiting to bank three points from a game – a record that leaves them bottom of the table.

Owers feels the first win will lift some of the gloom, but warned it will take time to get their heads back above water.

Catch-up

“The famous Great Escape video that comes out at the end of the season has become a box set at Torquay,” Owers told The NLP. “It can’t go on. It catches you out in the end. We have to stop that scenario. We don’t want to be going into January and February looking at the fixtures thinking we’ve got to win X amount of games.

“We’re trying to solve that problem now. However, it will take us a number of weeks to get out of the position that we’re in because we’re playing catch-up.

“One win will lift everyone. The reason why we all do this is to get that feeling of winning a game and the feeling it brings with it. I used to get is as a player, I get it as a coach, and it’s the same feeling the supporters get. That’s what everyone wants to have.” Owers has vast experience to call upon. He’s managed Forest Green Rovers at this level and was Malcolm Crosby’s assistant at Gateshead after spells as No.2 in the Football League with Aldershot Town and Plymouth Argyle. And he says the experience of Argyle will stand him in good stead as he takes over a team in crisis.

“I went into Plymouth as assistant manager with John Sheridan and they were going out of the League,” Owers said. “It was a dreadful scenario and we turned it after we managed to win nine out of 17 games. That was probably more difficult at the time because of the low amount of games left.

“There’s plenty of games left here, but it’s not good when you look at the situation and think they’ve had ten goes to win a game and haven’t managed to win one yet. So that’s the first thing to fix.”

Owers says he’s proud to leave Bath City, who have placed Jim Rollo in caretaker charge, in a strong position in the National League South.

“It was a difficult decision,” Owers said. “I’ve been on the road; I’ve worked in Scotland, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Gateshead, Aldershot.

Professional

“When I played I always lived where I played, I didn’t understand the lads who used to get in their cars and drive all over the country. When I got into the coaching I realised that side of it. So it was time to stay at home with the family for a little bit and I really enjoyed it. It’s a great club, great people, great supporters who own the club now and a great group of players.

“We lost the first three games of the season and then we’ve taken 19 points out of the next eight games. We were on one hell of a run and I’ve left them in a good place, three points off the top of the league.

“That had to come in the thinking. We won on Monday at Hungerford – that was the third game in a row we’d won. But I’ve been a professional all my life. The attraction of full-time football, working with the players every day, was always something that was going to interest us.”