What impact would conference football have?

[AustrianAndyGull]

First things first, we're going to be safe from relegation

If we were to end up in the conference again then just how badly would it effect us as a club?

I know a lot of you on here have said that you will stop attending and i'm sure many of you will be true to your word, however i'm sure lots of you are just talking out of frustration and will indeed return to Plainmoor next season should we be in the BSP. Obviously crowds would be lower but would they really be THAT much lower than this season?

It all depends on what would happen during the summer, how we started the season and if ticket price increases were implemented i suppose but in real terms, how much worse off would we actually be? I must confess to not knowing anything about the clubs finances and operating costs but it worries me when i hear people on here saying that relegation will mean the end for the club. Surely this is not an accurate forecast? I suppose relegation from the conference might test this but surely not being IN the conference?

I think the key issue would be the playing staff and who we could bring in on what would be less than peanuts. Would we be able to mount a promotion challenge if we decimated our squad and brought in mostly inferior players? I don't think we would be anywhere near promotion and many ex league clubs have found it really tough going in that league but these ex-league clubs are perhaps the leagues saving grace as many of them regularly get 2000 plus crowds just like in league 2 and so many games in the conference will certainly be relatively well attended and games we can look forward to.

Obviously we are going to have to go to places like Alfreton which is 8 miles from my house and nothing more than a large village and home attendances at Plainmoor for these games are going to be pretty depressing but overall i think it will be sustainable and i actually like going to some of these village grounds and i'll be at most too i dare say.

If we can survive financially and start from the beginning again we can build and flourish eventually but i reckon we would be in that league for a very long time.

I don't want people to think this is a negative post, i'm simply enquiring about what you all think wil happen to us as a club if we were to go down.

[Modgull]

Well I for one will still renew my season ticket - its what SUPPORTERS do you know!

[Plymouth Gull]

It'll kill us. Gates would fall to 1300/1400 average, I'd say about 40/50% of ST holders wouldn't renew (I wouldn't either Modgull).

We'd be more of a Lincoln/Stockport/Darlington than a Grimsby/Wrexham. It'd be awful.

Last time it was a novelty, we were winning more than we were losing, but this time, well no chance. At least we have a big screen to look at...

[AustrianAndyGull]

Nick, when you say it will kill us do you mean we will actually struggle to stay afloat as a football club or just on the pitch it will do for us in terms of getting promoted back into the league within a certain timeframe? Cheers.

[Plymouth Gull]

Possibly both.

[goodluckgull]

I believe the youth team set up will suffer through receiving less funds. On leaving the ground yesterday it was hard not to notice the miserable look on the youth team players who were watching the game. Earlier in the day the youth team had beaten Hereford 4-0 Danny Sullivan scored all four goals.

[PlainmoorRoar]

Pointless thread, hope you didn't waste too much time typing it

[Burnhamgull]

I'd be interested to know how many supporters from outside Torbay would still make the effort to travel down for home games if we went into the conference. I'm sure once a new season started, locals would start to attend and get behind the team but for those who sacrifice their whole Saturday, would the appeal be so strong?

I live in Somerset and homes games are a 140 mile round trip. Last time we went down, I renewed my ST because the club had new owners, a new manager full of enthusiasm and almost every day we seemed to be signing a new player so there was real buzz around TQ1. This time I don't see the same thing happening and relegation would almost certainly see me take a break.

[ROADRUNNER]

we support our club whatever league we are in dont we? for christ sake what are supporters for, people say they wont go if we get relegated, then how the f--k does anyone think we would get back without the fans, we have done it bfore and we will do again if the fans stick with it, what the hell is wrong with people, CALL YOURSELF SUPPORTERS, AND AS FREDDIE MERCURY SAID, I WILL BE HERE TO I FU--ING WELL DIE, AND SO WILL I, I BLEED YELLOW AND BLUE .

[AustrianAndyGull]

Pointless thread, hope you didn't waste too much time typing it

Constructive response too, well done.

[Colorado Gull]

Pointless thread, hope you didn't waste too much time typing it

Please inform me why this thread is pointless? Not only is it a relevant topic as we're in a proper relegation fight and if we go down we'll be in the conference, but educated views on the financial side of the club if we're in non league will be posted. Good thread Andy!

My opinion, is the same as Nick's!

[Plymouth Gull]

we support our club whatever league we are in dont we? for christ sake what are supporters for, people say they wont go if we get relegated, then how the f--k does anyone think we would get back without the fans, we have done it bfore and we will do again if the fans stick with it, what the hell is wrong with people, CALL YOURSELF SUPPORTERS, AND AS FREDDIE MERCURY SAID, I WILL BE HERE TO I FU--ING WELL DIE, AND SO WILL I, I BLEED YELLOW AND BLUE .

Yeah I fully understand that. However I'm not a sheep, I'm not going to follow and pay hard-earned money time and again on something that angers me and is boring. I'll still go to some games, I'll still follow but I don't want to feel like I HAVE to go as there are other things I can be doing on a Saturday afternoon! I admit I never thought I'd say that, but there you go.

[ROADRUNNER]

WELL LETS ALL PACK UP NOW, LOCK THE DOORS THROW THE KEYS AWAY AND GO AND DO SOMETHING ELSE ON SATURDAYS, SUPPORTERS MY A--

[AustrianAndyGull]

Thanks Danny. Nick is correct IMO and i have been saying this for a long time and got some stick for it but it's all about value for money and the enjoyment you get out of the activity you are paying to do/see. Watching Torquay this season has been a total waste of money and out of all the games i've been to i'd be hard pushed to say i enjoyed any of them. I still go because i love football and i love going to games and all the experiences a matchday brings so i will keep on going regardless but those of you who may decide not to go anymore because of how dire we have been then i fully understand. It wouldn't have been so bad if we were 3rd bottom but now and again played some cracking entertaining football and gave it a go but it's just been monotonous rubbish every week and so i can understand why people would not go as often or not at all. Generally speaking i think we have to keep going through the bad times as well but i think this season has been an exception. Every game i have seen has been exactly the same and each fixture that comes around i get in my car and travel to wherever it is and watch the same carbon copy of a performance that happened the previous week, no goals no shots, no effort and no excitement. If i had 3 weeks of this and then saw a game which was really good out of the blue i could kind of shrug it off but it's always the same. There are fans like Roadrunner who probably believe that if we can go to the games when we are doing well then we should go to the games when we are not as that is the true essence of a supporter and i agree to some extent but i want to see my team have a go at winning games now and again and i haven't seen that at all this season and that is just not acceptable.

[ROADRUNNER]

andy you are right we all want to see our team win and to play good football, but we know that dont always happen and this season has been poor and there are times i wish i didnt like football and there are times i want to stay at home, but yes this is my club and ive been going since 1965 when my grandad first took we and i love the club and i would never turn my back on them.
ive seen the dave webb days and you know what shite they were churning out then and weve seen more bad times since, and we have had some good times aswell and ok if people want to stop going then that is upto them but the way i see it we support the club the team the management whatever league we are in or what is the point of supporting them all those years.
the good times will come back they always do, TORQUAY MY TEAM.