TorquayFans.com | Torquay United Fans Forum

I can't help thinking that this has been on the cards for a few weeks now. I feel that they were just waiting to get Martin at the ground to speak with him. I wonder how much this contract termination has cost us financially with Martin having a rolling contract. Poor performance or ill health are not grounds on their own for dismissal so I understand he would be entitled to some kind of payment so I am sure some kind of compromise agreement has been made. I am sure to most fans this doesn't matter but at the end of the day financially this could be quite expensive and may have an impact on next seasons budget.

to give Ling assurances that he's returning to his post only to sack him is amateurish beyond belief. There could be some legal proceedings here. Messy.

Shaun Taylor will be the next to go.

his son on twitter!

@samling96: Some snakey movements done by the Torquay board, i'll shit on them all

royalgull wrote:to give Ling assurances that he's returning to his post only to sack him is amateurish beyond belief. There could be some legal proceedings here. Messy.

I would say a lawsuit beckons

It wont get messy. Who said he was returning?

Of course they are going to say that, they can't make out that once he's back from illness they're going to sack him.

He'd be a fool to take it to a tribunal, the evidence against for misconduct is, large, shall we say

MF68 wrote:It wont get messy. Who said he was returning?

They did to him by all accounts!!

royalgull wrote:to give Ling assurances that he's returning to his post only to sack him is amateurish beyond belief. There could be some legal proceedings here. Messy.

At the same time though, the board wouldn't have known what league we were in until Saturday. And if they'd said to him "you're not coming back" soon after he went that could have destroyed our season. Personally it does sound like something that could be problematic, but at the same time I don't see what else the board could have done.

Agreed, from Martin Ling's comment it would certainly appear that he may be considering a claim for unfair dismissal on the grounds of ill health - however I am reliably informed that any claim could only amount at most to a years salary - I guess that's still a reasonable amount of money. Personally whilst I think the decision is the right one, sacking someone over the telephone is a little poor. They could have requested that he attend Plainmoor but then again - all that way to have your contract terminated? So maybe they took the right approach.

Ouch, sounds like our joke board has given into peer pressure from the crowd on Saturday,

Really? Do you not think that maybe this decision had been made some time ago, but it was prudent thinking by the board to wait until after the season had finished so as not to rock the boat?
Who knows? But a board who aren't known for making snap decisions to suddenly make a snap decision doesn't sound credible...

They could have said lets see what the situation is at the end of the season, Lingy basically vacating his post was always going to run the risk of someone coming in doing well and the board acting, but from what Ling has said that the board up until very recently had given him assurances that he was the manager and was returning to work...to then sack him by phonecall on the Sunday night I find all a bit amateurish and gutless for use of a better word.

ill maybe but the guidelines should have been a lot clearer and then not go back on your word overnight. if Ling is under contract there could be a case to answer here for wrongful dismissal.

Have to say though that however they've got to this decision I think it's the right one.

I have posted before that a rolling contract does not mean you get a years pay

Essentially the club sat down after the year and as they were not happy with Ling's performance thay are free to let him go.

I suspect they paid him up to the review date in June and that was it

I cannot see any grounds on which Ling could claim unfair dismissal

Let's all just 'give thanks' and concentrate on the pitch activities and let the board deal with any come backs...GREAT desision on behalf of the fans