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Sunday, 23 November, 2008, 16:44.15
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Topic: Torquay United FC (Read 1181 times)
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PBP
Supporter Trusted
Team Coach
Karma: -106
 Offline
Posts: 1,875
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is it the same geezer wo said he would sack divers?
good on him for saying that,
i am a leeds fan so whatever torquay fans are going through ive been through alot worse so no sympathy from me im afraid
sympathy aside, at the end end of the day, why the **** are supporters controling a club, they support the club, the clue is in their name, they aint no chairmen, it's like Dan becoming chairman of the angels and putting his missus on up fornt 
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Oooooooooooh....
Posh Spice is a slapper
With 22-inch heels
When she's shagging Beckham
She thinks of Johnny Beales
Johnny Beales, Johnny Beales, Johnny Beales
Johnny Beales, Johnny Beales, Johnny Beales
E.t.c
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neilw
Supporter Trusted
Youth Team
Karma: 2
Offline
Posts: 107
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As a fan who has supported Torquay for more than thirty years, I find all that is happening at the moment very sad.
Yes aaronangel - thats the guy. Will anyone in football take any notice ? I doubt it.
I was in the west country over Xmas & New Year & saw Torquay play Macclesfield. It was an awful game played in awful conditions but the atmosphere was even worse. Whatever has happened since Chris Roberts took over takes some believing. At least under Mike Bateson, you knew that the club would hold its head above water financially & had him to underpin it. He did insist that the club live within its means, which is why they have struggled for many years, frequently just avoiding the conference trap door. Fans often vented their frustration at him but scarcely understood the reality that football is a business, even at Tonbridge's level, and must cut its cloth accordingly. Torquay average gates of around 2,000, so will never be wealthy & survived according to their means. After the Macclesfield game, l listened to the local radio reports & interviews on the way back down to Penzance . What I heard horrified me. There was the recently appointed Czech coach stating that the dressing room was full of discontent, yet in the morning paper the players were alleged to "have liked the guy & full of support for his style of football". What do you believe ? Within three days of the game, two of the better players ask to go on the transfer list. There was also reference to the club having difficulty meeting its wage bill. Yet under the previous regime, fans were at least assured that the club was financially sound. What do you believe ? I have the accounts from Companies House for the past four years & whilst it is clear that life at the lower end of the football league is not about wealth & glamour, Torquay's finances were reasonably sound. Certainly better than many League Two clubs I imagine. Where has this money gone ? Certainly not on the team. The current squad is three men down on the opening day squad so its not down to increased playing costs. However, under Mike Bateson we had one man in charge of team affairs, now we have three. Wise or not ?
The Chairman cancels a fans forum citing the press release by the supporters trust as being offensive & the core reason behind his decision. Admittedly, it was a poorly worded statement, ill timed & ill conceived but it might have not been necessary had communications between the fans & the club been better. Mike Bateson may have been disliked by many fans at Plainmoor but at least he was open & answered questions honestly. In defence of Chris Roberts, he eventually agreed to a similar approach, inviting questions from fans via the website. Answers were published but limited and often failed to address the questions asked, which though direct were not by & large offensive. Those that were, were quite rightly ignored.
So what of the future ? Mr Roberts says at least six new players will come in during the January wondow. Three have already arrived, a Polish goalkeeper of little experience & two lads from Cardiff with a handful of games between them. In the interim, two other players have left the club. The last five games have seen Torquay fail to fill the bench, an appalling situation for a football league club to find itself in. Given that it is likely three more current squad members will leave before the end of the month, that effectively means the club needs to get in far more than six players and of a calibre that would improve the playing performances. That will not happen as the Coach & his assistant do not have the width of contacts they need and the club cannot afford wages that even compete at conference level.
The fans have their forum cancelled increasing their frustration. Mr Roberts has agreed to meet a select few tonight to answer their questions & offer reassurances. I, like many fans, am not overly optimistic about the answers. I can only see the club situation worsening, with the team struggling towards certain relegation. Its all very well to talk of grandiose plans for new stadia & facilities but to serve what ? A team at conference level or lower, or worse folded up completely. I want to share Mr Roberts' dream & believe in him but he needs to come up with some convincing facts to support his proposals & that needs to start with his assurance that we would not be relegated. Frankly, I cannot see it happening and neither can I see any Supporters Trust having the answers or the nous to resolve matters either. I share the view with Jane M, that Chris Fleet & his colleagues appear as untrustworthy as the man they hold responsible for the present state of affairs.
Come on Mr Roberts, give the true Torquay fans cause for optimism !
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BSC
Supporter Trusted
Reserve Team
Karma: -2
Offline
Posts: 297
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i am a leeds fan so whatever torquay fans are going through ive been through alot worse so no sympathy from me im afraid sympathy aside, at the end end of the day, why the **** are supporters controling a club, they support the club, the clue is in their name, they aint no chairmen, it's like Dan becoming chairman of the angels and putting his missus on up fornt
Aaron, when you grow up, maybe you'd like to take your head out of your arse and stop talking bollox.
Quick question for you Aaron.... where abouts in Leeds were you born?
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« Last Edit: Tuesday, 09 January, 2007, 23:52.00 by BSC »
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Torquay United FC - BSQP Champions 2007/08
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neilw
Supporter Trusted
Youth Team
Karma: 2
Offline
Posts: 107
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Jane - It is alleged (nobody outside the club has evidence of course - including the local press who made the allegation) that the money has been set aside for the initial funding of the development proposals.
Today's news will appease some as Colin Lee is something of a folk hero at Plainmoor, having been one of the three manager's in history to have staved off the conference drop, whilst acting as caretaker manager. He is also a very shrewd businessman, with good managerial experience and, more importantly, good contacts. On the downside, the indications are that Mr Roberts has placed something of a cap on player wages, with the figure of £ 300 per week currently being bandied around. Personally, I have some doubts about that though I would concede that the three players signed yesterday & today would likely not be paid much more than that. The typical average in League Two is around £ 700-1000 per week. During the Bateson era, we tried to compete with that but the real problem in persuading players to come to Plainmoor was the local cost of living, with property prices in particular, akin to those of our own part of the world.
Like all League Two clubs there is a wage cap in force, which hits the poorer supported clubs more than most. Falling gates will have hit club coffers but conversely, we should have made around £ 100k from the FA Cup run, including the £ 40k prize money. That would be sufficient to offset the shortfall. However, if Colin Lee is to attract better players, and quickly, then he will need the pwer to be able to negotiate sensibly with players/agents. At £ 300 per week he doesn't have a prayer & relegation looms.
Perhaps Torquay need a period of stabilisation & reorganisation in the Conference. There are two problems with that. Firstly, wages are similar to the levels of League Two & secondly, many fans truly doubt that this squad would survive in the conference & would be in Conference South within another year. On the evidence of the steady deterioration I have seen in four games watched this season, that seems distinctly possible.
There have been no postings to either the official or unofficial website regarding the meeting that was scheduled for last night with a select band of supporters. It will make interesting reading.
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neilw
Supporter Trusted
Youth Team
Karma: 2
Offline
Posts: 107
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Jane, you make an excellent point there about the right of club officials to exercise their judgement in what they disclose to fans or not.
Over the years, I got to know Mike Bateson fairly well & even spent a day with him some years ago, when he took the trouble to show me a great deal about what went on at TUFC. It was very gracious of him really, especially as it was transfer deadline day & he was fairly busy with the then manager, Roy McFarland in trying to acquire a permanent signing & a loan signing, both of which were ultimately achieved. It was very interesting being privy to the negotiations !! Though I kept my word not to divulge any details & continue to do so. It was very much a business strategy first & football second, though Mike made it clear that any available funds or "bunce" money (cup revenues, transfer income etc) would first benefit the playing side before being expended elsewhere. The overriding proviso being that the club remained solvent & could meet its bills on time. Mike never failed to achieve that though I know his own wallet was sometimes called upon to meet that aim, as the annual accounts show. Though not wealthy by any means, the club was on a stable footing when Chris Roberts & his consortium came in & there has to be concern that this now appears not to be the case.
Please don't get me wrong, I am not anti Mr Roberts at all. As a true fan, I just want some assurances that my club will survive & will not become a casualty or second class citizen of some developer's dream. (Most of Chris Robert's funding for the takeover was funded by a property development company). I also agree that it is fair to give the new "owners" time to organise the ship as they would wish to run it. (Technically, they do not yet own the club as Mike Bateson still has 51% of the shares, which have yet to be paid for. As I understand it, the next tranche of money is payable next month & many fans believe that funds have been siphoned off for that purpose. Not a view I share)
Unfortunately, as I stated in an earlier post, Mike B was very forthcoming with facts on the website & always answered questions via e-mail or would even take phone calls, if free. This has largely disappeared & alienated some fans in the process. Regrettably, they are largely not the sort to accept the ethos of what you say in your last post, preferring to jump on a bandwagon under the banner of a "supporters trust" with a foolish dream of taking over the club, always pre-supposing Mr Roberts & his colleagues (legally aided by Mike B) wish to sell it !!
Supporters Trusts can work, as Exeter City have proved (which being local of course has added strength to the belief of those involved). Sadly, for the newly forming TUFC trust, they do not seemingly have people of the calibre that the Exeter trust had. For the most part, I doubt many of them have any business acumen at all & would have little or no idea of how to run a professional football club. If they were headed by responsible businessmen, I would give them more credence. But then if they were of that calibre they would not have behaved as these so called fans have. I wish the true supporter well & hope that these matters reach a happy conclusion. I am encouraged by the arrival on the scene of Colin Lee & hope his sensible influence helps to steady the ship.
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