***** 23rd March **** Your neighbours need your support - Torquay United in peril

[Average Joe]

Remember when City fans wanted Gary Johnson as our manager..

Tisdale wasn't so bad after all.

 

[Bridgy 81]

Back in the day I used to come down from where I live in Somerset to support City then, on occasions, carry on afterwards to see Torquay when you played your home matches on Saturday evenings.
I invariably enjoyed both.
I wish you good luck with your current struggle and hope things soon turn in the right direction for you.

 

[DB9]

Unlike us the majority shareholder there isn't going to hand over the club (and £4m debt) for £30k.

Start the phoenix club now I say. So long as the council stay resolute that they won't sell up and if the phoenix club can attract enough support then they could be moving into Plainmoor themselves in a few years.

I understand that but what do you call enough support? TUFC have never had big crowds and if some go down the phoenix club route, That's very noble but if some fans don't want to be part of it, I think it would struggle, Especially with a TUFC around, FC United the off shoot of Man U get an average (Ive just looked up) of about 1660, Dam good but it comes from discontent with a huge club like Man U, How many would turn up after an initial song and dance about a new club, Also i think if the local council had any thoughts about a new stadium, It would be for TUFC because if they're still around that would be the biggest vote winner. Perhaps if there are local elections in the Torbay area this year maybe put up a candidate with the situation at TUFC a concern? Please note, All this is just my opinion and i do wish YellowMayday all the best.

 

[Pete Martin (CTID)]

Well times at Torquay United are dire indeed.
Most of us fans who have followed the club through good and bad times are of the mind that our owner is overseeing a managed decline to achieve his end goal.

I think that has been fairly obvious from day one to be honest and I do feel for you. When I was on our Trust Board, I attended, by invitation, a couple of TUST meetings down there with others of our Trust Board and TUST seemed quite proactive at that time, maybe 5-6 years ago, but I sense a real degree of inertia since then, which won't help yur cause. I always thought that your/their biggest problem was numbers.

 

[YellowMayday]

I understand that but what do you call enough support? TUFC have never had big crowds and if some go down the phoenix club route, That's very noble but if some fans don't want to be part of it, I think it would struggle, Especially with a TUFC around, FC United the off shoot of Man U get an average (Ive just looked up) of about 1660, Dam good but it comes from discontent with a huge club like Man U, How many would turn up after an initial song and dance about a new club, Also i think if the local council had any thoughts about a new stadium, It would be for TUFC because if they're still around that would be the biggest vote winner. Perhaps if there are local elections in the Torbay area this year maybe put up a candidate with the situation at TUFC a concern? Please note, All this is just my opinion and i do wish YellowMayday all the best.

Years ago, we actually used to get crowds in the region of 9-10K, but that was years ago, but just to note, we haven't always been a 2.5K average gate club.

There are of course many hurdles and potential ways to fail with a Phoenix club. The goal is to have a contingency in place, and also, through generating heat and awareness, possibly find a way to save TUFC as is. Whilst we can't be 100% certain that the club will cease to exist in the coming years under Osbrone, we can analyse his modus operandi, cross reference with the mountain of dissolved companies on companies house in his name, cross reference with on pitch matters and the seemingly immune from the sack Johnson, and we can make a reasonably good assumption that his itrue intentions for the club long term are not good (at best)

Ultimately, we also have to accept that none of these efforts may make a bit of difference and we may not have a club at all in future.

 

[YellowMayday]

I think that has been fairly obvious from day one to be honest and I do feel for you. When I was on our Trust Board, I attended, by invitation, a couple of TUST meetings down there with others of our Trust Board and TUST seemed quite proactive at that time, maybe 5-6 years ago, but I sense a real degree of inertia since then, which won't help yur cause. I always thought that your/their biggest problem was numbers.

I think there was more energy back then because the feeling was that the club was in immediate danger. But Osborne played his cards right and set about allowing for just enough success to convince enough people that whatever was happening it wasn't too bad because of the success on the pitch, which culminated in a miraculously unlucky NL play of final against Hartlepool where a referee saw fit to disallow two perfectly good goals (make your own minds up if you think money may have changed hands and between who)
Ever since then we've been in decline.

But yes, inertia is a nice way to put it regarding TUST and lack of grit.

 

[Rosencrantz]

I think we were lucky in a way that R&L provided a sudden(ish) implosion at the end of the season with the arrests and police being involved. Up until that point the campaign against them wasn't a united one although there was fierce and vocal resistance from those doing so. Most of us were more numb bystanders and only really came together when the the upheaval happened and the club was fighting for it's very existence. Luckily Ivor also still held the shares as mentioned already.

What is happening at Torquay is more akin to what has happened at Reading (although the motives of the owner's maybe different) where it's a slow puncture of decline. As such there is no one occurrence shocking all supporters to pull in one direction. With the power in the hands of the owner's I don't envy either side in their attempts to try to force the issue.

Hopefully something can be done with help and support from the local authorities and a solid, organised and well supported action can put pressure on the ownership. I doubt it will be straightforward and will sure to have opposition and some division, but hopefully will trigger something better to happen.

 

[jase 07]

Wonder if the plumbers in the H&R ranks will be effected?

Maybe they can help sort the Gulls leaky defence

 

[YellowMayday]

Maybe they can help sort the Gulls leaky defence

is conceding 15 goals in 4 games considered as a bad thing

 

[SaintJames]

Remember when City fans wanted Gary Johnson as our manager..

Tisdale wasn't so bad after all.

About two or three maximum hardly a mass movement