Torquay United Fans Forum

Despite our current league position ok bottom, the fact is the attendances are higher than last season. Andy-you ditched Torquay years ago, either start attending again as a supporter or stop your negative or predictable keyboard comments. It's boring TBH. And that is not a swipe at you. Your either a torquay fan or not.

gateman49 wrote: 09 Sep 2017, 17:11 Well, even allowing for the 21 boycotters and 250 or so from Wrexham, the crowd was up on last week by some 300 locals.

Yep. Seems the only boycotter was the dog in the Skoda.

Well, even allowing for the 21 boycotters and 250 or so from Wrexham, the crowd was up on last week by some 300 locals.

Approximately zilch of what yorkieandy says carries any weight. Will he start supporting York again if we get relegated this season?

Some will boycott, some won't. This is a nothing story that's been exaggerated by the herald as it is easy journalism - someone on the internet said something and others replied. Boring.

Yorkieandy wrote: 09 Sep 2017, 08:25 Except I'm not the one watching it go to shit am I? YOU are.

It's going to shit whether you go or not so neither of us is right really. Just that I'm saving myself money and not watching it unfold in front of my very eyes whilst you continue to give money to those who are trying to fold the football club AND want to go along and watch it happen too.

Talk about masochism.

Can I ask you for an honest answer. When was the last time you came to Plainmoor and supported the team ? If your answer is not the Chester game, then your calls for a boycott carry no weight.

Hit them where it hurts..in the pocket.. .but they prob won't care or indeed be there i guess.

Well done GI congratulations for having this debate amongst ourselves.

I can't see how failing to cheer on the team is going to help get the first win of the season which is what we all want.

However I'm all for protest. Why not chant "You don't know what you're doing" 10 minutes before kickoff before the players come out?

Lol yorkie. It's a 2 way street, he has no obligation to engage with fans especially in worrying times , he could easily however instruct Harrop or another one of his henchmen to get out there and to communicate. What they doing he is a bloody good attempt to isolate the fans to indeed not turn up at games and /or turn up at show how angry they are.
Treating us like absolute fools and I tend to think there is very much than meets the eye in this appointment.

Shouldn't be allowed in football , it's become to much business . Fit and proper test apply to us !!! Disgusting

gateman49 wrote: 09 Sep 2017, 11:07 YorkieAndy, I think that you ought to look up the meaning of memorandum and articles of association of any company.

There is a relationship with the shareholders but nothing formal in this case, as far as I know, with the customers. He doesn't HAVE to respond at all.

Yes apologies gateman. I didn't make myself clear. Obviously he has no obligation to engage with his customers (fans of the club) from a legal perspective but if we're looking at this from the perspective of a successful businessman who knows how business works one would have thought that constant engagement with customers (fans) rather than weeks on end of nothing would be the more appropriate and most intelligent way to conduct yourself if you are wanting to gain respect and reputation.

GI came to to the club with not much respect and a questionable reputation and instead of striving to improve this and prove everyone wrong, they have actually made things a lot worse for themselves, pissed off a lot more of their customers (fans) and their stock amongst the fanbase is at rock bottom.

Now personally, I would say this is not the way to go about things as new owners of a new business. It flies in the face of common sense and with successful businessmen being just that because they know how to make money, GI seemingly are happy just to piss off fans, lose money and stick with it.

It still makes no sense and is as dubious and suspicious as a shifty looking man in a raincoat hanging around a playground.

gateman49 wrote: 09 Sep 2017, 11:07 YorkieAndy, I think that you ought to look up the meaning of memorandum and articles of association of any company.

There is a relationship with the shareholders but nothing formal in this case, as far as I know, with the customers. He doesn't HAVE to respond at all.

Correct. Most rational businesses communicate (or pretend to) with customers to understand their requirements and to deter them from becoming customers of competing businesses. Most businesses therefore try to generate customer loyalty, for obvious reasons. Football has some differences, customer loyalty is less fickle, but can still be lost. Whether GI actually care about fan loyalty at TUFC is still unclear to me, their core business is property development not football, so their customers aren't necessarily football related.

YorkieAndy, I think that you ought to look up the meaning of memorandum and articles of association of any company.

There is a relationship with the shareholders but nothing formal in this case, as far as I know, with the customers. He doesn't HAVE to respond at all.

Osborne HAS to communicate with the fanbase whether he hates them or not. It's good business sense IF you are wanting to grow and establish your business. Does CO want to do this with TUFC?

It's also common courtesy.

He HAS to respond to the fans and their concerns whether he likes them or not.

I would hazard a guess that Vince has considerably more money than GI but i don't know that for sure. That said, Vince took over FGR about 6 years ago and in that space of time has made a village team successful on the pitch and off it and the upward trajectory continues. He has invested heavily in the infrastructure of the club such as the ground and the staff / catering / off field events / communication and media improvements / community based involvement and he has also invested on the pitch with players and managers.

In December it will be 2 years since GI took over and they have invested peanuts on the management and playing side, they don't turn up to games nor communicate with the clubs fans. The infrastructure at the club is as shoddy and unprofessional as it's ever been barring a new club crest and website. In a nutshell they have kept the club ticking over rather than making any great and sustained efforts to revitalise the club. The stadium already is one of if not THE best in the NL and as such needs no investment there so savings aplenty. The club have lurched from one disaster to another and year on year the precarious position of the club in the NL table is getting more and more so.

Th evidence is there for all to see with other clubs that when a club is in disarray behind the scenes and on the terraces then on the field the club is usually faced with an annual struggle against relegation. Without addressing this then by and large the clubs eventually go down. TUFC will go down It's a certainty. It's been staring everyone in the face for a few years now and nobody at GI appears to want to address this.

Appointing Westley isn't the answer.

The sad thing is, the NL is pretty pants. With a decent manager and a decent but not huge budget it should be possible for TUFC to at least hit the play offs each year. We're not talking about the sums of money Vince has dished out but just enough to show that GI have the ambition and drive to want the club to progress. We haven't seen any of that. As others keep saying. How can the club be one of the best supported in the league and still not be competitive?

Dale Vince PUTS IN to FGR because he has the money and wants them to succeed and he wants to see his vision succeed. All the evidence is there to suggest he is doing that.

Clarke Osborne has the money but doesn't put the money in. Well nothing you would say is worthy of speaking about other than the money required to basically keep a football club running. There has been no evidence to suggest he wants TUFC to succeed.

FGR i'm sure would have the wherewithal to form a phoenix club if the current club went under due to Vince pulling out. After all, most of their fans used to go and watch them as a village team so they know what to expect and how it works.

TUFC have no chance of forming a phoenix club because most of the fans just keep placing their blind trust and faith in one bloke after another who rocks up at the football club. One day the owner of TUFC, whether it be GI or whoever will take the club over the edge of the cliff. Along with most of the fanbase.

I am no fan of G.I or Clarke Osbourne, but Andy, there are some clear differences between the two here. firstly compare Ecotricity to Gaming International, whilst Gaming International is along established business, I am not sure it's in the same business league as Ecotricity, although could be wrong.

Dale Vince has run up a reported £5.4 million pound debt on FGR, debt he can, and is quite prepared to service from his own fortune, so from that point of view it's quite easy to communicate with fans who think he's a hero, after all he's bank rolled a village club and put them in the football league, Dale Vince is there, because he wants to be, he's there for the long haul, and has ambitious plans going forward, whether he'll ever succeed, who knows.

Clarke Osbourne, clearly doesn't want to be here, not entirely sure he ever wanted ownership of TUFC either, I doubt, but don't know that Clarke Osbourne, quite has the same personal fortune of a Dale Vince, which would be required to put this club back on the perch it fell from, with out extra revenue streams, and serious sponsorship.

EDIT; In Clarke Osbourne's shoes I wouldn't be too quick to communicate with a fanbase, I knew hated me either, would be a bit like Corbyn trying to make a speech at Britain First rally. Forgot to add, I'm not boycotting the game either.

Great post yorkie....

Even if you get things wrong , if your there at most games , open dialogue with your customers then we would feel we are in same ship even if the mast has holes in it.
This atmosphere is us and them and quite frankly it stinks. We just watching the club be used as tool for land that has nothing to do with football and we are supposed to follow the vision of having this multi purpose stadium which the club owns ( who owns the club ; osborne ) that would end up being we rent for match days at the cost to the club which in turn fills gi pockets.
This is a football club which should always serve the community first and foremost I know the support should be Better but it will only get worse like this. My dear old dad who has been going since 1955 regular as well isn't even going any more , what chance have we for the new generation ??? None
I wouldn't go today , way i feel I don't want to go until I know this club is running for the good of the fans and nor for the good of a bunch of dodgy sharks

Actually if I was back in my dear old native TORBAY today i would prob go so I can whistle at the directors box but even then I'd feel conned when no one is in it