Gary Johnson, stick or twist? - As of 07/03/23

[Mr Tea808]

Yes, I agree with your views about GJ owning it, I always get the impression that it's either pride or ego, but he never comes out and holds his hands up, and admits he got anything wrong, he has been good, although winning NLS isn't much to shout about, I believe you're correct about the budget for this season, I posted on here a week or so ago that if he'd "front it up" and explain things, rather than bluff and deflect, us fans would appreciate it more, If there's ANY case for his defence, I'd say regionally we're out on a limb, if we were 150miles east, i think we'd pick up better quality freebies, I'm not sure many players want to come this far..When you list the players that have gone, there's real football league quality, but unless they're tied down to 3yr deals, they will move on, and not many clubs can issue that length of deal..I get the frustration with GJ, and like I've said, I'm not a fan of his, but to abuse him verbally isn't my style, but if certain fans are pissed off, I get that. We all are, just think losing your cool at a nearly 70yr old bloke is over the top.

[UnitedinDevon]

Still think it would be good to get GJ gone asap

I'd rather have a fresh face in to run the rule over the current crop for who stays/goes

I can a classic TQY united situation where we wait till the end of the season, GJ goes and we spend the majority of the close season getting a replacement and have no time to assemble a new squad

[toastkid]

I agree with Gullsunited.

Think of the players who left. What a bunch of players. Never easy to replace.

[jono_Gull209]

Quick question, you think GJ was given the budget to replace Cameron, Nemane, CLE, Lewis, Armani, McDonald, Ben Wynter, Whitfield etc? My guess would be no, unless given the budget to hold players down for multiple years we face the same thing every year, we lose players to better sides and then have to bring in the players who have a 50/50 chance of being good enough, I imagine if we could've held the players down from last year and then got paid by those clubs we'd have had a budget to go and compete again.

Until the owner really throws money to a manager (I'm not suggesting GJ) to go and build a squad decent enough for the level then we can't blame managers for not bringing the best players

Well said!

[SuperNickyWroe]

Quick question, you think GJ was given the budget to replace Cameron, Nemane, CLE, Lewis, Armani, McDonald, Ben Wynter, Whitfield etc? My guess would be no, unless given the budget to hold players down for multiple years we face the same thing every year, we lose players to better sides and then have to bring in the players who have a 50/50 chance of being good enough, I imagine if we could've held the players down from last year and then got paid by those clubs we'd have had a budget to go and compete again.

Until the owner really throws money to a manager (I'm not suggesting GJ) to go and build a squad decent enough for the level then we can't blame managers for not bringing the best players

Eight players there that have got into a decent NL team or League team this season
Throw in Danny Wright & Asa Hall as well as they were playing and that's 10 players.
Impossible task for any manager, given the obvious drop in budget and then throw in our location as well.

[desperado]

Just checked how many players we have used this season - 35.........
including God knows how many loans.
That says it all to me. There are several teams with worse budgets than ours doing a lot better because they have settled teams with players that know each other's games. I don't think they necessarily have better ability players but they really play as a team and work hard together as a team and have that understanding which is obviously impossible when you use 35 players .
I really like Gary Johnson and am willing him to succeed but the way things have gone so horribly wrong this season you have to ask whether he has had his time
Would anybody have the confidence in him now to build a team to win the National South next season ?

[hector]

Stick or twist, it really doesn’t matter.

Those shouting for Johnson to go or making polls about whether he should be sacked are really missing the point. Whether he stays or goes will not make a blind bit of difference.

If TUFC were a well-run club where the owners were in it for the football and had a modicum of ambition, then changing the manager might alter things but we have a club owned by Clarke Osborne. The downward trajectory is set and will continue while he owns the club.

No one knows what sort of budget Gary Johnson has to work with unless they are a liar but just look at the squad; it can’t be much and certainly not one that could attract the sort of players we have lost over the last two years.

Just look at the sporting entities that Clarke Osborne has been involved with and what happens to them; TUFC is just the latest in a long line clubs suffering from “managed decline” - changing the manager won’t alter the direction this club is heading. It’s futile when the ownership have no interest in the team prospering.

We are about to suffer relegation to regional football for the second time in five years under Clarke Osborne, our lowest level previously played at almost 100 years ago and yet here we are about to be in the same division as Taunton Town. If Johnson goes just who do people imagine someone as uninterested as Clarke Osborne is going to appoint?

It’s almost as if there are people stupid enough to think things will get better if we change the manager. This isn’t a normal football club so wake up to who the real villain in this piece is.

[Colorado]

I have to agree with you.
His silence is deafening and indicates he has no further interest in this team. Owning a lower league football team is not going to make you a lot of money…..ever. There needs to be a different motivation that goes beyond money. I’m not saying he’s a bad guy…just not the right guy. But having said that, I’m guessing there aren’t a whole lot of rich people out there who would have the altruism and pride in the team to put up with losing money and getting abused when things go poorly

[culmstockgull]

Managed decline , no imterest, silence is deafening, when was the last time osborne made a statement regarding anything let alone torquay,its not what he does, I believe his last public comment was after the play off final.it must be the slowest managed decline in the history of football if its happened over three seasons, as for no interest , how about the million he has put into the club.As for the second relegation under Osborne, even Moses couldnt have got us out of the first one.

[aggrey_25]

another pointless press call and another friday where we haven't bothered to try and strengthen the team.

corrie andrews will score against us and we will be 9 points off the other clubs, then we will hear the same interview with that absolute clown asking the same questions with the same responses. groundhog day!!

[dawlishmatt]

Stick or twist, it really doesn’t matter.

Those shouting for Johnson to go or making polls about whether he should be sacked are really missing the point. Whether he stays or goes will not make a blind bit of difference.

If TUFC were a well-run club where the owners were in it for the football and had a modicum of ambition, then changing the manager might alter things but we have a club owned by Clarke Osborne. The downward trajectory is set and will continue while he owns the club.

No one knows what sort of budget Gary Johnson has to work with unless they are a liar but just look at the squad; it can’t be much and certainly not one that could attract the sort of players we have lost over the last two years.

Just look at the sporting entities that Clarke Osborne has been involved with and what happens to them; TUFC is just the latest in a long line clubs suffering from “managed decline” - changing the manager won’t alter the direction this club is heading. It’s futile when the ownership have no interest in the team prospering.

We are about to suffer relegation to regional football for the second time in five years under Clarke Osborne, our lowest level previously played at almost 100 years ago and yet here we are about to be in the same division as Taunton Town. If Johnson goes just who do people imagine someone as uninterested as Clarke Osborne is going to appoint?

It’s almost as if there are people stupid enough to think things will get better if we change the manager. This isn’t a normal football club so wake up to who the real villain in this piece is.

Oh dear the Uncle Clarke bashers are finally coming out of the closet. Osborne made a statement following the club's AGM on the 30th of September. In said statement, Uncle Clarke said that he is still fully committed to Torquay united football club and the only thing that has changed is the number 5 in his plans for the club. Blaming Osborne is ridiculous.

[Mr Tea808]

If Osborne is committed to TUFC, why is he virtually an enigma, you hardly see him, he never attends games, throw in the mix his track record running businesses, and promising dreams, but don't worry, he can wear a Gulls scarf, talk about our "plan" and it's all ok??, This may rub people up the wrong way, but give me Mike Bateson all day long, at least he engaged with fans, and was a total realist, probably to much at times, but he knew what he was doing..What strikes me with this Osborne regime is there's no interest at all, if we drop down, a huge chunk of that will be on HIM, no doubt in my mind..After the play off final, and the loss of good players, it's as if he's given up, lost any interest he may of had, the club Could be sailing into the abyss..

[Admiral]

Look at the bloke’s history of asset stripping ffs, it was always going to end in tears. He backed us when we almost went up, he could have probably then sold the club on for a profit and made it ‘sustainable’ if we had got promoted. Now it’s probably plan B… A little bit of communication would be appreciated!

[The deluder]

How do you think Torquay United will ever be “sustainable “. The club is just a money pit for any where.

[MellowYellow]

Blaming Osborne is ridiculous.

I've a tenacity to agree. The club flat-lined under Phillips & co and Osborne (whatever his motives) has at least keep us on a life-support machine for 6 years. Unless anyone has a million quid to lose each year I think we ought to take heed of Osborne's commercial viability plan to support the future of Torquay United (and hope for the best). The alternative: Devon Football League? although Torquay United v Paignton Saints does have a nice ring to it.