I support TUFC regardless...

[Yorkieandy]

Ok, agreed. But again 'what if'??

And also

'What if' we get a new stadium in a better location that increases revenue streams and in the long run equals sustainability. Another 'what if' albeit a different view. My view.

I've lived in Chesterfield for over 15 years and seen them nearly go bust under the stewardship of Darren Brown who subsequently went to prison.

The fans saved the club and eventually handed it over to people they thought best placed to take the club forward. A new stadium was built, extra revenue streams were created with the likes of Tom Jones and Elton John performing there and the club doubled their attendances and went on a winning run that saw them promoted to league 1 and on the brink of promotion to the Championship in the play offs and also winning the JPT at Wembley.

We move forward to today and Chesterfield Football Club are now potentially another Torquay / Orient / York and many fans are predicting a slide into the Vanarama.

What went wrong? What possibly could go wrong when you have the new stadium and all the trappings? Why are Chesterfield even in this position?

Bad owners is the answer. Owners who are adept at keeping up a pretence that all is ok for a period of time in order for them to get what they want and then BOOM! The rot sets in, the club lose money, sack staff, get relegated and are up for sale with nobody wanting to buy. The fans argue, attendances dwindle and the club just become a going concern waiting for someone to put it out of it's misery.

This is the lesson folks. Chesterfield HAD all this. They had the new ground and the big name acts playing there. They had a future.

Now they are up for sale by a man who contributed to this and who won't sell because he is asking too much than people are willing to pay for it. Others have jumped ship having done very well indeed out of their association with Chesterfield Football Club over the last few years and i'm still paying some off the f**king stadium off out of my council tax!

A new ground and a new start means nothing if the owners are wrong. It can still all go belly up.

Surely it's worth saying goodbye to all these problems and start taking control? A new club from scratch run by us when every fan contributes and is accountable. Might be in the pub leagues but we make the decisions and not bloody GI. It's not giving in to GI. The only winners are the fans in this or do you want another X amount of years moaning about the owners? Is it really all worth it?

Wouldn't you love to have the sense of pride and self respect as a fan such as the likes of Hereford, Wimbledon, Scarborough Athletic have?

The only people who truly care deeply at heart about a football club that doesn't make any money are the fans themselves. They give up their time and money and make sacrifices for their club and expect nothing in return.

Why have all your eggs in one basket?


T

[tomogull]

Eh.. Can you tell me the answer to number 3 please.

Come on, Plainmoor78 - you should know this and so should three little piglets. It's bleedin' obvious. You must remember Charlie Drake's song - Ernie, the fastest milkman in the West? So the answer surely must be ...... Ernie Pym !!!
Actually, I don't know the answer either. So please, Wivel - reveal this piece of useless information you have.

I thought it was unfair that Threelittlepiglets was put under a three degrees interrogation before his postings were considered valid by some and I'd like to tentatively support his opinions, but I'm most certainly no flag waver for Gaming International. However, they have taken control of the club and if they hadn't done so, TUFC would have probably gone into liquidation. Whether you agree with the appointment or not, a Chief Executive has been appointed. A scout (can't remember his official title) has been brought in. I understand that the team is now travelling by coach to away matches (and I think that has had an effect on the recent improved form of away games). All that has been financed somehow, and it aint the season ticket money which ran out ages ago ! I remain suspicious of Gaming International's long-term plans and I'm dead against them getting their hands on the freehold of Plainmoor, but you have to give them a little credit where it is due.

[chunkygull]

I remember Carl Airey being a milkman for a while, but I'm sure that was after he finished playing for us. Bit harsh trying to make somebody prove they are genuine supporters with a bit of trivia as we are all of different generations but could be a good game on a thread (Gulls trivia quiz) when this Saturday is done and things are less tense.

[nickbrod]

Come on, Plainmoor78 - you should know this and so should three little piglets. It's bleedin' obvious. You must remember Charlie Drake's song - Ernie, the fastest milkman in the West? So the answer surely must be ...... Ernie Pym !!!
Actually, I don't know the answer either. So please, Wivel - reveal this piece of useless information you have.

I thought it was unfair that Threelittlepiglets was put under a three degrees interrogation before his postings were considered valid by some and I'd like to tentatively support his opinions, but I'm most certainly no flag waver for Gaming International. However, they have taken control of the club and if they hadn't done so, TUFC would have probably gone into liquidation. Whether you agree with the appointment or not, a Chief Executive has been appointed. A scout (can't remember his official title) has been brought in. I understand that the team is now travelling by coach to away matches (and I think that has had an effect on the recent improved form of away games). All that has been financed somehow, and it aint the season ticket money which ran out ages ago ! I remain suspicious of Gaming International's long-term plans and I'm dead against them getting their hands on the freehold of Plainmoor, but you have to give them a little credit where it is due.

Think you'll find it's Benny Hill with Ernie - not Charlie Drake. Let's get all the important facts correct!!

[SenorDingDong]

Surely it's worth saying goodbye to all these problems and start taking control? A new club from scratch run by us when every fan contributes and is accountable. Might be in the pub leagues but we make the decisions and not bloody GI. It's not giving in to GI. The only winners are the fans in this or do you want another X amount of years moaning about the owners? Is it really all worth it?

Wouldn't you love to have the sense of pride and self respect as a fan such as the likes of Hereford, Wimbledon, Scarborough Athletic have?

The only people who truly care deeply at heart about a football club that doesn't make any money are the fans themselves. They give up their time and money and make sacrifices for their club and expect nothing in return.

Why have all your eggs in one basket?

It's not worth throwing away over a hundred years of history, our lease on Plainmoor, the infrastructure of the club etc. While if a Phoenix club was created everyone would know it was Torquay United, you'd also have the idiots claiming it to be a new club like Celtic fans do to Rangers. There's no guarantee the FA would recognise our old history, hell it's taken Darlington years to get to use their traditional name. Furthermore it wouldn't probably play at Plainmoor to start with, all the infrastructure would be gone and the club would be heavily reliant upon volunteers and people willing to step forward.

Torquay United fans are many things, many of them positive but we've never been that good at organising, volunteering and being activists. TUST was left on life support from the end of the Roberts era until the last two or so years, many people on this forum supported GI until the transfer window debacle, fans are content with mediocrity so long as 'legends' are in charge. These aren't the kind of fans that successfully set up Phoenix clubs, indeed thanks to the economy of the Bay many of the club's fans that are most business savvy and experienced live miles away, these are the guys that you need on hand to make a Phoenix club a success and I highly doubt fans will like a Phoenix Club being run by a Bristol/London/Birmingham clique meeting in the back seats of Merse' cab.

We need to fight for our club, the club joined the Football League when the British Empire was the largest empire in the world, which has roots dating back to the reign of Queen Victoria, which was the first Devon club to reach both the old and new Wembley, which has played clubs as varied as Manchester United and Red Star Belgrade. That is how old it is, how much history, how many shared memories. Only when it's fully beyond our grasp should a Phoenix club be considered.

[tomogull]

You must remember Charlie Drake's song - Ernie, the fastest milkman in the West? So the answer surely must be ...... Ernie Pym !!!

Think you'll find it's Benny Hill with Ernie - not Charlie Drake. Let's get all the important facts correct!!

Ah yes - of course it was ! Thanks for putting me right. I wouldn't want to be accused of spreading fake news !

[wivelgull]

It was Ernie Pym!

[tomogull]

It was Ernie Pym!

well, well - I didn't know that ! I knew that Kenny Allen went on to be either a postman or a milkman, but then I thought - nah, he couldn't have been a milkman - he'd have dropped the bottles .........

[desperado]

He was also a milkman in his later years delivering in the Shiphay/Cadewell areas (there's something Merse doesn't know, no he probably does)
I remember him saying to me once that Frank O'Farrell was a 'Bad un ' -think it was Frank who released him, he would have only been about 31 then, remember him hugging the touchline waiting for the ball, hands on hips and several
teeth missing, but a great player, though I only caught the end of his career

[Lloyder5]

It's not worth throwing away over a hundred years of history, our lease on Plainmoor, the infrastructure of the club etc. While if a Phoenix club was created everyone would know it was Torquay United, you'd also have the idiots claiming it to be a new club like Celtic fans do to Rangers. There's no guarantee the FA would recognise our old history, hell it's taken Darlington years to get to use their traditional name. Furthermore it wouldn't probably play at Plainmoor to start with, all the infrastructure would be gone and the club would be heavily reliant upon volunteers and people willing to step forward.

Torquay United fans are many things, many of them positive but we've never been that good at organising, volunteering and being activists. TUST was left on life support from the end of the Roberts era until the last two or so years, many people on this forum supported GI until the transfer window debacle, fans are content with mediocrity so long as 'legends' are in charge. These aren't the kind of fans that successfully set up Phoenix clubs, indeed thanks to the economy of the Bay many of the club's fans that are most business savvy and experienced live miles away, these are the guys that you need on hand to make a Phoenix club a success and I highly doubt fans will like a Phoenix Club being run by a Bristol/London/Birmingham clique meeting in the back seats of Merse' cab.

We need to fight for our club, the club joined the Football League when the British Empire was the largest empire in the world, which has roots dating back to the reign of Queen Victoria, which was the first Devon club to reach both the old and new Wembley, which has played clubs as varied as Manchester United and Red Star Belgrade. That is how old it is, how much history, how many shared memories. Only when it's fully beyond our grasp should a Phoenix club be considered.

It is that history that we must defend.

Not many teams have that; North Ferriby haven't beaten Spurs

[Yorkieandy]

It is that history that we must defend.

Not many teams have that; North Ferriby haven't beaten Spurs

Wimbledon won the FA Cup. They don't exist anymore.

AFC Wimbledon enjoyed their rise from nothing through the leagues and are now in league 1. New history is being made.

[Yorkieandy]

Good post though Senor and I agree with many of your points.

[Lloyder5]

Wimbledon won the FA Cup. They don't exist anymore.

AFC Wimbledon enjoyed their rise from nothing through the leagues and are now in league 1. New history is being made.

Do you think they don't lay claim to that FA Cup win as part of their heritage. Our club is the supporters and its history, as has been said many times directors, managers and players all move on eventually. Lets make history on Saturday or next season to go with all those other battles against the odds at Plainmoor.

[wivelgull]

More useless information for tomogull: who stated in a TUFC programme interview (I have the programme) that his hobby was ballroom dancing?

[tomogull]

More useless information for tomogull: who stated in a TUFC programme interview (I have the programme) that his hobby was ballroom dancing?

Now I should know this 'cos I also remember reading it in a programme, but I forget who it was. Was it someone from Frank O'Farrell's team - maybe Ken Brown or Jimmy Dunne?