Brett Williams Leaves

[Dave]

But he's only been a '20 goal a season striker' once (2013-14) in his career and that was at Aldershot.

Yes this of course correct. I'm not in anyway saying Nicho was wrong in the way he handled Williams or wrong to let him go, but if we just compare the season you refer to at Aldershot, to last season with Torquay.

(2013-14) 43 appearances, 39 of which he played the full 90 minutes, substituted on/off 4 times, minutes on pitch 3,787, goals scored 24
(2016-17) 39 appearances, 8 of which he played the full 90 minutes, substituted on/off 31 times, minutes on pitch 2,064, goals scored 10

The only other time in his whole career he had more appearances was 14-15 season also for Aldershot, scoring 15 times, however substituted on/off 17 times during the course that season. Yes we know he comes with baggage, but kind also suggests all this lad needs is for someone just to believe in him.

[merse btpir]

Yes Nicholson only playing Williams from start to finish on eight occasions having pushed the wages boat out to secure his signature is a shocking example of his incompetence as a manager ~ any experienced manager who had learned his trade and secured his survival in the job would never have been so stupid as to have behaved in that manner.

But that's what you get when you put someone in charge of something they are not qualified to do; as I alluded to earlier in the thread, hopefully Nicholson is two years wiser and two years less incompetent ~ time will tell but time will also surely be called n him if he starts in the same rubbish fashion he began last season.

Surely Clarke Osborne will not sit back and put up with that crap; and his time between now and the first whistle of the new season is vital to Kevin Nicholson to show that he can assemble and effectively coach and get fit a squad fit for purpose in this league; right from that first whistle, away from home as well as at Plainmoor, and that never again does he spunk valuable resources on someone he clearly couldn't manage.

[nickbrod]

Hard hitting as ever Merse but relevant. For me June will be a crucial month to assess the calibre of signings as to whether the coming season will be more of the same or a sign of better times ahead.
Will these signings be the manager's or Dave Hedges' or a mixture of the two?
You mention Clarke Osborne - is he likely to be controlling close season matters - as he's still the only director (and chairman) - or is everything in the hands of the General Manager?
Wonder how he recruitment of a local board is going? We were told this was to come off the back burner during the close season.

[desperado]

Not sure a 20 goal striker does guarantee you will be top half of the table
Michael Cheek 19 for Braintree and Alabi , Chester and Ugwu , Woking got 17, ok not 20 ! but near enough
I dont think you can have 11 players not all giving 100 per cent if you want to be in the top 5

[merse btpir]

Will these signings be the manager's or Dave Hedges' or a mixture of the two?
You mention Clarke Osborne - is he likely to be controlling close season matters - as he's still the only director (and chairman) - or is everything in the hands of the General Manager?

I would respectfully suggest Nick you ignore the periphery and focus on the FACT that it is Osborne's club and he pays the wages ~ surely he will not pay them to incompetents?

Everyone has to justify their employment and remuneration; that's in our interests as supporters as well as the owner's.

Owning Torquay United is not Clarke Osborne's only business venture ~ far from it ~ For Geoff Harrop, Dave Hedges and Kevin Nichoslon it is their only job. If Harrop is employed to run the show from his General Manager's desk then so be it; if Hedges is employed to be head of recruitment then that is what he is employed to be. Nicholson (for the first time in his managerial career) will have to produce results and let's all hope he can do so.

[Plymouth Gull]

Well it is because wherever the club may be located they have to compete with all the other clubs ~ from wherever they may be located ~ on as level a playing field as possible. That they can't is because they have consistently failed to put in place revenue streams that other clubs have managed to do.

Being in Devon does not stop them marketing their off the field facilities within the stadium in a busy and effective manner; putting on a summer revenue raising event in a professional and competent manner without losing money hand over fist. Have their kit marketing strategy up and running in plenty of time to have it active before last season ended. Fail to put in place any initiatives or opportunities that it's location within a tourist resort affords them........these are still deficiencies that have been glaringly obvious within the structure of the club for years yet even though they are now owned by a company that specialises in maximisation of stadium services; they still exist.

It isn't even just one off events too. I was reading something the other day it was the same old thing about off-field revenue. It appears every other club at our level make good income from it, yet we don't. Dagenham was the side in question - a dilapidated old venue in London, where I imagine there are hundreds of other alternatives. Yet they are active for off-field functions at their ground on a regular basis, with weddings, funerals etc. Yet Plainmoor, located a short walk away from some fantastic sea views from Babbacombe Downs, is not rarely used at all. It's been the same old story, and you've mentioned it many a time - relying on match day income alone is not enough, but we have no where near exhausted Plainmoor enough to justify a new stadium yet.

Fwiw, Williams - I feel it's a tad harsh not to offer anything at all, but when you only actually turn up for a handful of matches, I don't think you can expect much else. Have heard this morning that we are close to being in a position to announce somebody soon, but I've no idea who.

[merse btpir]

It appears every other club at our level make good income from it, yet we don't. Dagenham was the side in question - a dilapidated old venue in London, where I imagine there are hundreds of other alternatives. Yet they are active for off-field functions at their ground on a regular basis, with weddings, funerals etc.

When the future of the club was up for grabs; Dagenham's clubhouse was identified as being in need of a re-vamp and upgrade by would be owner Glenn Tamplin and motor trader Glyn Hopkin who emerged as the one at the head of the current regime.

Subsequently a total re-vamp is being undertaken on the first floor facilities and the ground floor will follow next summer. Gates have always been low at Victoria Road and the club had declined to a point where the social facilities had become shabby and somewhat unattractive; now they are returning to the ethos they held as a thriving amateur club realising that the club house income is a significant percentage of the total turnover.

On this Derby Day it is apparent that Torquay United are still in the starting stalls when it comes to commercial enterprise.

[tomogull]

Ah - hindsight is such a wonderful thing ! I seem to recall that when Nicho signed Brett Williams, most on here were positively salivating. I suspect that Williams was viewed as a good partner for Nathan Blissett and in theory, that looked a good match with Williams feeding off a target striker. But for whatever reason, it didn't work. After Nathan's departure, Williams was tried as a target man because there was nobody else as funds were not made available to bring in another target man, and that didn't work either. It wasn't until the arrival of Keating that we saw Brett's potential.

He may well go on to score 20 goals for someone next season ...... or he may finish up as a bench warmer. What he seemed to learn during his time at Plainmoor was it was futile to pick up silly bookings match after match, several for arguing with refs, as he did at the beginning of the season. I don't think he picked up any bookings in the last couple of months. As for Nicho - heads he loses; tails he loses. If Brett goes on to score a hatful of goals, Forum Warriors will be criticising Nicho for not offering him a better contract. If he goes on to be a 'bit-player', Nicho's critics will be posting "I told you so - Nicho should never have signed him in the first place".

[merse btpir]

Ah - hindsight is such a wonderful thing ! I seem to recall that when Nicho signed Brett Williams, most on here were positively salivating.

Salivating? I posted this on BTPIR when he was signed:
'He played twenty minutes of the Plainmoor game last season when coming on as a sub and lasted an hour up there when playing in the game at Forest Green without making any impact. Three goals in seventeen starts suggest he was a squad player at best for FGR, and if Harrod re-signs then I expect no more of him at Plainmoor.'
Read more: http://thelondonlabia.proboards.com/thr ... z4ixKgU3FG

[Chelston TUFC]

Agree with Merse on hoping that Nicholson is 2 years wiser. From reading between the lines on Nicholsons own comments he's struggled with;
Players not doing what he's asking of them
Players who haven't come out of academies of higher level clubs
Players who may lack ambition to play at a higher level
An over ambitious view of his ability to develop players
Players with varying levels of motivation

I'd like to think that he's learned to manage players in a more individual manner and players who have had a different footballing education to himself and ultimately may be lower level journeymen footballers where football is a job which pays the bills. At this level players aspirations may be varied but I'm guessing that many would see that the peak of their careers may be National Leagues and if they are lucky to scrape the odd season playing League football.

A number of the problems were down to the manager...on a personal level he's a smashing guy and was a decent player for the club. He was lucky that the club issues were a smokescreen to the fact that there was a squad that underperformed. This season will be a measure of his own development. If he's learned and progressed then we'll be on the up. He's in need of a mentor.

Let's hope it's not the Great Escape 3. Players and final day turn up fans celebrating like we've won promotion will be as pathetic as it was this season along with the chants of "Nicholson".

What's the role of the guy from Winners gym? That's been an odd one to me too.

[tomogull]

Salivating? I posted this on BTPIR when he was signed:
'He played twenty minutes of the Plainmoor game last season when coming on as a sub and lasted an hour up there when playing in the game at Forest Green without making any impact. Three goals in seventeen starts suggest he was a squad player at best for FGR, and if Harrod re-signs then I expect no more of him at Plainmoor.'
Read more: http://thelondonlabia.proboards.com/thr ... z4ixKgU3FG

As you once told me, please read postings through carefully. I posted ..... MOST ON HERE WERE POSITIVELY SALIVATING. I couldn't care a f*ck what you posted on BTPIR or any other inferior forum.