my worst season

[FavGull]

Do "staff costs" also include payments to ex-managers?

Almost certainly

[Scott Brehaut]

Almost certainly

That could, then, provide some sort of reason as to the rushing staff costs as quoted earlier then.

[hector]

That's pretty good, Hector - your description is just as bleak as it really was. Just one correction I think Impey, Sims and Turner took over the running of the team after Bruce Rioch's punch up with Anderson - i.e. before Webb's arrival. Webb left at the end of 85/86 and Stuart Morgan was appointed from 86/87 to salvage something from the wreckage of Torquay United AFC. I don't recall John Sims being manager whilst Webb was still at the club. I thought Sims departed after a bust-up with Webb but I might be remembering that wrongly. Oh - and I'm 90% sure there were two fires in the Stand ......... ??

Sorry Tomo - I think you are wrong. Jimmy Hargreaves took over the running of the team when Rioch left - Hargreaves was youth coach. Sims was manager for 33 days at the start of 85/86 season until Stuart Morgan took over. Morgan had the guts of 2 seasons as our manager. Webb appointed him because he knew him from Bournemouth where Morgan had worked. He then stayed on as manager when Lew Pope's board regained control of the club. They got rid of the blue kit and then changed the badge to what it is now away from the palm tree one.

Morgan then managed us during the first great escape season, only to resign at the end of the season when the board did not extend his contract. He quit and went to manage Weymouth.

[Neal]

Thanks for that Hector, gee that brought back memories. I lived in the bay then and went to nearly every game in those years. In some ways it was worse then but in some ways not. As I remember that team under Webb was awful but I sort of remember it fighting harder than the current lot, would anyone agree.

And yes I was on the pop side at the babbacombe end when Tony Currie scored that great goal. Those years the crowds had dwindled away to about 1000 fish so its interesting to note they haven't dwindled as much this season, wonder why? Because it the football has been as dreadfull.

Do we "oldies" look back with affection now at those days, and will those still going to plainmore in 25 years do the same. In some odd way I do look back and think I enjoyed going even though the football was really bad.

Now this had made me think,

[hector]

Thanks for that Hector, gee that brought back memories. I lived in the bay then and went to nearly every game in those years. In some ways it was worse then but in some ways not. As I remember that team under Webb was awful but I sort of remember it fighting harder than the current lot, would anyone agree.

And yes I was on the pop side at the babbacombe end when Tony Currie scored that great goal. Those years the crowds had dwindled away to about 1000 fish so its interesting to note they haven't dwindled as much this season, wonder why? Because it the football has been as dreadfull.

Do we "oldies" look back with affection now at those days, and will those still going to plainmore in 25 years do the same. In some odd way I do look back and think I enjoyed going even though the football was really bad.

Now this had made me think,

I was around 15 at the time and it was bad then and some games I did miss. I remember I had a girlfriend who lived in Thurlow Road and for some of the games - especially midweek - my Dad would drop me off on his way to the ground and pick me up on the way back. Probably only missed a few, looking back, because I didn't go out with her for very long!!!!!

The Webb years I cannot look back on with any joy at all. I still, almost 30 years later, cannot abide Webb for what he did.

The team that stayed up in 87, should have done better. It was a decent side. Cyril added Phil Lloyd, Sean Haslegrave and Dave Caldwell plus Sharpe came through, with one or two decent loans and we were suddenly one of the best teams in our history. I remember during the 86/87 season, David Thomas wrote a big article about Morgan with the headline 'Back him or Sack him' - fairly controversial stuff for DT, as he would never be so daring now.

At the time, I felt Morgan wasn't really doing a very good job because we had good players such as McNichol, Impey, Cole, Kelly, Dobson, plus Phil King who when he went to Swindon we got Gardiner plus McLoughlin and Charlie Henry on loan.

Cyril coming in, sort of proved that point and it went from the worst ever seasons to my best ever as I wasn't around for the glorious 60s.

I guess there is no reason, if the club want it enough, that we cannot challenge next year. The danger is the club itself getting sucked into the hole of apathy that their decisions and actions so far, have generated amongst the fanbase.

The infrastructure at the club is probably better than it has ever been. The ground is better than it has ever been. There is much for the club to learn in terms of trying to create a match-day experience, to try and build the fanbase, to encourage youngsters to come and watch - a daft bloke dressed as a seagull is not enough!

[tomogull]

Cheers Hector - thanks for refreshing my seized-up memory cogs !! Neal - I was one of the many who boycotted Plainmoor during that goddam awful second Webb season because of the way good loyal players were treated by Webb with, presumably, the agreement of the Board. The few games I did see, you couldn't fault the effort (which can be questioned of some players this season) but players brought in from King George V playing fields and Barton Downs were out of their depth. I have good memories of the Frank O'Farrell days (I wonder what he's thought of what he's seen this season - he still goes to matches) and Kevin Hodges days and even Eric Webber's days (yeah - I really am that old !!). But I certainly don't hanker for the Webb seasons although to be fair, he went on to be a successful manager at Southend and even managed Chelsea for a while I think. But he sure shafted us.

Skyblue's original post got me thumbing back through my Centenary 'bible' and I was surprised to find that when Don O'Riordan was manager, we had even less points than the Webb 84/85 season. O'Riordan was sacked after we lost 8 - 1 home to Stockport. Gawd - I wuz there !! O'Riordan, Saunders - popular players, poor managers. Mike Green - popular player, so-so manager, Kevin Hodges, Paul Trollope (though not for Torquay) - popular players, good managers. It remains to be seen what category Mr Hargreaves will fall in.
P.S. Thurlow Road, Hector ? That must have been the bird I was knocking off at the same time !!! :devil:

[Neal]

I remember THURLOW Rd

[tomogull]

I remember THURLOW Rd

So ...... you as well then, Neal ?? B*STARD !!!!

[Sunnysideup]

O'Riordan was sacked after we lost 8 - 1 home to Stockport. Gawd - I wuz there !!

Do you mean Scunny?

[tomogull]

Do you mean Scunny?

Ah yes - I do ! Thanks. Senility is creeping on quicker than I thought .......

[chunkygull]

Do you mean Scunny?

It was this game. I was there!

[youtube]v-9smRZsOp8[/youtube]
I remember being in a crowd on the pop after the game, we were showing our discontent, Bateson came over for a chat, 1 lad in particular climbed on the advertising boards and asked questions intelligently, Bateson was quite responsive until a bunch of others started swearing, so he walked away. :no:

[hector]

Cheers Hector - thanks for refreshing my seized-up memory cogs !! Neal - I was one of the many who boycotted Plainmoor during that goddam awful second Webb season because of the way good loyal players were treated by Webb with, presumably, the agreement of the Board. The few games I did see, you couldn't fault the effort (which can be questioned of some players this season) but players brought in from King George V playing fields and Barton Downs were out of their depth. I have good memories of the Frank O'Farrell days (I wonder what he's thought of what he's seen this season - he still goes to matches) and Kevin Hodges days and even Eric Webber's days (yeah - I really am that old !!). But I certainly don't hanker for the Webb seasons although to be fair, he went on to be a successful manager at Southend and even managed Chelsea for a while I think. But he sure shafted us.

Skyblue's original post got me thumbing back through my Centenary 'bible' and I was surprised to find that when Don O'Riordan was manager, we had even less points than the Webb 84/85 season. O'Riordan was sacked after we lost 8 - 1 home to Stockport. Gawd - I wuz there !! O'Riordan, Saunders - popular players, poor managers. Mike Green - popular player, so-so manager, Kevin Hodges, Paul Trollope (though not for Torquay) - popular players, good managers. It remains to be seen what category Mr Hargreaves will fall in.
P.S. Thurlow Road, Hector ? That must have been the bird I was knocking off at the same time !!! :devil:

I had a lot of sympathy for O'Riordan. I think he was shafted by Bateson to be honest.

He was a victim of his own success. He built the team, that in 93/94 qualified for the play-offs. This team was a mixture of free transfers, youth team graduates and a couple of lucky finds in Gregory Goodridge and Chima Okorie. That team did incredibly well. Two seasons later - a bit like current times, the team was rock bottom but O'Riordan had the tiniest budget. The team photo for the start of that season had about 15 players, one of which was physio Damien Davey and another Gregory Goodridge, who even though he sat amongst the players for the team photo, had already signed for QPR. O'Riordan had to start the season away at Leyton Orient with David Byng and Ellis Laight up front. He was allowed to sign Jamie Ndah and Rodney Jack but the writing was on the wall and that 8-1 defeat to Scunthorpe followed earlier heavy defeats.

However, O'Riordan had to - for example - swap Buckle for Russell Coughlin. O'Riordan took the blame but really he was hamstrung by the tools he was given. Indeed, even Mike Bateson later admitted that his biggest mistake at Torquay was the knee-jerk sacking of O'Riordan, who has had a reasonable coaching career since. To rank him alongside Saunders, I think is unfair

However, I wouldn't shout about the Thurlow Road girl too loudly, Tomo, because as I was 15 (it was 1985), she was a similar age, perhaps even 14 and if you around in the 60s then that may be something that is somewhat frowned upon these days!!!!! :slap:

[tomogull]

However, I wouldn't shout about the Thurlow Road girl too loudly, Tomo, because as I was 15 (it was 1985), she was a similar age, perhaps even 14 and if you around in the 60s then that may be something that is somewhat frowned upon these days!!!!! :slap:

Touche, Hector .... touche !