Torquay boss Jimmy Ball insists “difficult” change is coming – and it has to, if the club is finally to drag itself back into the English Football League after 12 long years.
Right now, it feels a long way off.
Nineteenth in National League South. One win from six. A flat 2-0 defeat at Farnham Town on Bank Holiday Monday to cap a stuttering start. For a club that has spent the last two seasons flirting with promotion, the drop-off is stark.
Ball, who took over from Paul Wotton in March, isn’t hiding from it. He’s not sugar-coating it either.
“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.”
The word “change” hangs over Plainmoor like a challenge. Not just new faces or a tactical tweak, but a reset of mentality and commitment.
Ball says his summer was riddled with “a lot of disruption” in the transfer window. Not from boardroom chaos or ownership drama, but from players looking elsewhere.
From day one of pre-season, he says, heads were turned.
He talked of players distracted by offers, opportunities, the lure of other deals. That, he believes, has bled into performances and helped shape this sluggish opening.
“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 said.
It’s a revealing line. There’s more going on than a few missed chances and soft goals. This, in Ball’s eyes, is about who is truly in, and who isn’t.
He has set the bar clearly enough. He wants every player “100% committed” to Torquay United, ready to “sacrifice and give everything”. Anything less and they are of no use to a club trying to claw its way out of the sixth tier.
The contrast with recent seasons is sharp. Torquay finished second two years ago, only to fall in the play-off semi-finals. Last term they went again, finishing third, only to lose 3-2 to Hornchurch in the play-off final. Two near-misses, two heavy blows.
Now they are staring up the table rather than down it.
Little wonder some supporters are nervous. This was meant to be the year they finally finished the job, not one where they glance anxiously at the bottom half of the division.
Are the fans right to be worried? Ball’s answer was blunt.
“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 would “love to tell the fans everything,” he added, “but you simply can't.” The implication is clear: there are issues in the background that cannot be aired in public, at least not yet.
So he falls back on the one thing he can control – the players he picks and the standards he demands.
“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.
Hope. Commitment. Change. They are powerful words, but they will be judged on what happens next.
That starts on Saturday, and it doesn’t get any easier. Third-placed Folkestone Invicta come to Plainmoor unbeaten in their first five matches, carrying momentum and confidence Torquay currently lack.
For Ball, it is more than just another early-season fixture. It is a test of character, of buy-in, of whether his demand for “difficult” change is being heard inside that dressing room.
If it is, Torquay’s season can still be salvaged.
If it isn’t, that 12-year wait for league football may start to feel a lot longer.
