Torquay United Fans Forum

ROADRUNNER wrote:never was a director, just CEO, has gone as far as i know.

stefano wrote:
Not that it matters. Quite a few of us read all 3 forums. Hell of a lot of forums for such a small club!

Gloomy Gull wrote:I must confess to being a little confused/concerned by these current events.

> The current board have agreed a deal to sell the club to GI - albeit not yet fully completed
> The current Chairman takes the decision to offer a 3 year contract to KN.
> The current CEO is made redundant - "the position of chief executive was made redundant due to restructuring".
> "The club can also confirm that it is not currently in any discussions with former Torquay United Head of Youth Geoff Harrop regarding joining the club in the near future."

Are GI still moving forward with their purchase the club?

If so, is it the new Director's (to be appointed by GI) who have sanctioned the very long contract term for the manager, undertaken a restructure review and instructed the current Chairman to implement these changes OR has Dave Phillips arbitrarily made and implemented these decisions without reference to the supposed new owners and looked to secure Nicholson's future, either in employment or not? If the 3 year gamble does not come off OR the new owners have other ideas - Nicholson's income is secured for 3 years.

The views on this site, from some posters, were that Harrop was to be included in any future plans of the proposed New Owners, yet the current Chairman's statement is very definite about Harrop not returning to the club any time soon. Again I query, has this decision been made with the full agreement of GI, or has Phillips taken another decision that would help secure KN's position(either as an employee or as a paid off manager) if the sale completes.

If all the above decisions have been made after full disclosure to the prospective purchasers and their agreement thereto...then I cannot foresee any future issues. If these have been made without notification, has Phillips, who is still in overall control, made such important decisions to secure the clubs immediate future with one eye on the probability that the sale is faltering?

Should this sale fall through..how are we going to fulfill ongoing business as usual cash flow requirements, as the most recent rhetoric coming form the boardroom was that "additional investment" was required, and that we have been struggling to survive against the original budget that was set.

I, and I may be the only one, am concerned and confused by the messages that the current movements have made.

I know there are some out there that are much closer to the current board than others, so perhaps they can settle my nerves that the movements by Phillips do not jeopardise the ownership change, or if he is remaining in total control that we have the funding organised to meet the coming season's expectations.

BobBobBob wrote:Another impressive aspect to Kevin Nicholson's great escape is that he moved quickly to

My only concern is that Nicholson ends his Facebook post by saying that we are manager. I'd rather he was manager, to be honest.

Jeff wrote: I don't think anyone is celebrating the fact that we finished 18th. It's the context in which it was achieved.

The club had the playing budget slashed to presumably its lowest level, we were at the bottom of the table on a rotten run of form and only heading in one direction. I for one had totally given up hope.

Nico has come in, and TBH I thought made some huge decisions and used some big talk in press conferences etc. Up until Feb I thought that he was going to look completely stupid as he failed on the minimum requirement, but look what happened in the end. I think people forgot just how dead and buried we were in February, so although finishing 18th in itself isn't an achievement the manner in which we recovered is.

When Nico was appointed, some posters (myself included) argued that look at what Eddie Howe did for Bournemouth - why couldn't that happen for us. Well so far, it has happened for us so who knows how far this can go. All indications at the moment point towards us being onto a good thing

It is with great excitement and honour that I can announce I have agreed a contract with the Chairman David Phillips to remain as Manager of Torquay United. I am personally ecstatic and so proud to be given the chance to continue the rebuilding of this great club.

I am very grateful and flattered by the interest from other clubs. However, I consider Torquay “home” and this is the only club I really want to Manage and the only place I really want to be. They will have to drag me out kicking and screaming to get shot of me!



I cannot comment on the negotiations between the club and potential investors. All I can say is that I trusty implicitly the decisions of David Phillips and can let you all know that he is working tirelessly to ensure the long term security of this football club. He is at his core, a true supporter, and man of great integrity, who has taken on responsibility for the clubs survival when no one else would. He deserves everyone’s respect and great support.



My sole focus now shifts to the 2 major goals for the 2016/17 season, namely:

1, Promotion. Take this club back to the football league, where it belongs.

2, Produce a team you can be proud of and inspired by. Form a group of players who you can believe in and enjoy supporting.



The “Great Escape” was of course a huge achievement but only the start. What we were able to achieve through a tumultuous period, on and off the field, with a tiny budget and by “beg, steel and borrowing” was something I will always be proud of.

But it was just the first step in the overall “Blue (and yellow) print” we have to rebuild and regenerate this club. Now we must commit every resource and all our energy to this year.

That starts with me working to resign many of the great players who performed so admirably last year and proved what they can accomplish even in the most pressurised and often less than ideal circumstances.



BUT I REALLY NEED YOUR SUPPORT TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN...

Our financial situation remains challenged, and I would therefore ask that you all do whatever you can to support me and this club. Whether that be through the purchase of a season ticket, through donations to the players fund or if you are in a position, through sponsorship and partnership.

If we can resign many of the core group from last year, which based on finance is far from certain, we have a great platform to build from.

I will personally come to meet any interested sponsors to outline our plans, to reaffirm our core values and to hopefully convince you that the vision and journey we are aiming for, is one that you will want to share in and can be proud of.

I do not believe the relationship between sponsors and the club is “x for y”; to me it is a partnership of the values of both businesses, and we want to ensure that we fulfil every obligation to our sponsors and make them very proud of everyone we do on the pitch and in the community.

I, the players, the club, really need the support of you all. As I always say, this football club exists for the supporters and the community first and foremost. We as staff are custodians of that responsibility. Right now we all need to be together more than ever before.

Thank you again for all your support and being the real “12th man” throughout last season. I hope we can all come together, players, coaches, supporters, businesses, the whole community, and that our shared energy can be the driving force behind this club achieving things others consider impossible.

You have my word I will not rest until the goals and targets that we have set have been achieved.



You’re Manager

Kevin Nicholson.