Reserve Team for 2018-19?

[budegull1954]

Amongst all the doom and gloom surely this news has to be slightly more encouraging? I would say that it's essential that the club has a fully functioning reserve team.

http://www.devonlive.com/sport/football ... rve-950069

[Dave]

Yes a positive step, if you want to develop young players, they need both coaching, and game time, one doesn't work with out the other.

[wivelgull]

Good news - and about time too! I wonder if the reserves will get crowds of 1000+ as they did in - say - the 1963-64 season. I used to go up now and again to a reserve game and there was always a good crowd. I once saw Jack Swindells turning out in the reserves for the United.

[budegull1954]

If the Gulls Reserves are allotted a place in the South-West Peninsula league, the standard of football is actually very competitive. Have watched Bude Town a few times over the past couple of years (although they are crap this season and are not in the top division anyway), the reserves would certainly know they have been in a game. Much better than being excluded from the matchday squad or, even worse, being sent to Whitehawk (crowds of only 100+) in Sam Chaney's case. Bring it on I'd say.

[nickbrod]

When I was at St Luke's College, as club secretary (and occasional sub) playing at St James Park for home games, used to enjoy Torquay Reserve games in the Western League.
In my opinion having a reserve side is essential for the benefit of the first team. A good move long overdue.

[stefano]

I wonder if the reserves will get crowds of 1000+ as they did in - say - the 1963-64 season. I used to go up now and again to a reserve game and there was always a good crowd.

1,127 for my debut in 1969 - beat the Western League champions of that season Glastonbury 2-0 - the likes of Alan Welsh, Tony Scott, John Benson, Fred Binney, Allan Young etc all played for the reserves that season. Crowds overall were of course higher at that time on the back of England winning the World Cup 3 years earlier. Our first team (one of the better teams in what is now League 1) were getting 6,000 to 7,000 that season, with over 11,000 for the visit of Argyle. Interestingly 5 of our youth team squad of that season went on to play in the Football League, 3 of them making their first team debuts for Torquay that same season while still youth players. Not me of course, I managed to take mediocrity to an extreme level. Probably why I feel so at home at Plainmoor these days!!

[tufcyellowarmy]

This is very good news indeed.
Fringe players need regular outings to keep sharp and gain match fitness if retuning from injury. With the additional expense the club will incur running a reserve side I presume this was sanctioned by GI . If this is the case then I guess credit where credit is due.

[desperado]

Probably saw you play Stefano, I went to a few reserve games, used to be a few on wednesday nights,
as well as the Western Counties Floodlit League which contained several first teamers
Tell me your initials and what position you played and I'll tell you who you are
Always had a cup of tea and a pasty, remember the old guy in a long raincoat, wandering to the Babbacombe
End to hang those metal square numbers on the half time scoreboard. I seem to remember Welton Rovers
being always around the top of the league. Wonder what happened to them?

[budegull1954]

More on the 'revived reserves' below, seen from Argyle's perspective.

http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/sport/f ... les-954009

[merse btpir]

I seem to remember Welton Rovers being always around the top of the league. Wonder what happened to them?

Still in it; they are currently members of the Western League Division One and still play at West Clewes. Founded in 1887, Welton Rovers provided the opportunity for the mining community of Midsomer Norton and Radstock to play and watch football. One of a number of long-established clubs in the North Somerset coalfield, their ground is the oldest in the area.

I'm no so sure the the wooden stand shown below is still there. It was built in the 1930's but is rapidly approaching the end of it's lifespan as the club have received planning permission to pull it down and replace it with a more modern structure.

When Steve was playing in the Western League for Torquay United, Welton had a legendary striker called Ian Henderson who (under the managership of Bristol Flower Market trader Arnold Rodgers (who's son David later played for the Gulls) was as good a striker playing below the full-time levels of the Football League as was ever possible to imagine....

In 1964–1965: Welton reached the 1st round proper of the FA Cup, but lost to Weymouth after a replay. The team won the championship 3 points ahead of Bideford.
In 1965–1966: They went unbeaten for the entire league season, Welton Rovers finished 11 points clear of Portland United and won the championship for the second year running. Henderson, scored a club record of 53 goals that season, including six hat-tricks. On 11th September 1965 Welton won 10–0 at Dorchester Town.
In 1966–1967: Rovers won the championship for the third consecutive time, finishing 5 points ahead of Minehead.
and in 1967–1968: Welton again reached the first round proper of the FA Cup, but lost 3–0 at Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic.

A great institution in the history of the game in the North Somerset coalfield!

[align=center]
West Clewes: no great shakes as a ground but one with a lot of history [/align]

[wivelgull]

I've been there, during my 'tour' of Western League grounds 1979-99. When I lived in Wiveliscombe I used to go to Elmore a lot. Saw the great 'Lors' playing for them before he was thrown out after drunken shenanigans at the end-of-season party.

[merse btpir]

I presume this was sanctioned by GI . If this is the case then I guess credit where credit is due.

Gaming International no longer own Torquay United........

Riviera Stadium Ltd who actually own Torquay United was a wholly owned subsidiary of Gaming International Limited which is registered in England & Wales. Gaming International Limited is controlled by Toklon Limited which was the ultimate holding company as at 31st March 2017.

But Gaming International Limited disposed of its shareholding during September 2017. The company is now under the direct control of RSL's sole shareholder, Clarke Osborne.

Read more: http://thelondonlabia.proboards.com/pos ... z51pESnD5p

[tufcyellowarmy]

Err thanks that’s put me straight. It’s odd you haven’t put anyone else straight on various threads apart from me up to now.
But “hair splitting “ aside the move by the “owners” if they sanctioned it is a positive move and deserving of some credit , don’t you agree ?

[Jerry]

Probably saw you play Stefano,
Tell me your initials and what position you played and I'll tell you who you are

I know he's getting on a bit but I reckon he already knows who he is.

[merse btpir]

Err thanks that’s put me straight. It’s odd you haven’t put anyone else straight on various threads apart from me up to now. But “hair splitting “ aside the move by the “owners” if they sanctioned it is a positive move and deserving of some credit , don’t you agree ?

I do indeed; and it lifts my faint hope that just maybe Clarke Osborne sees the club as a venture to be re-structured and them moved on......a capitalist venture.

The cessation notice regarding Gaming International and Riviera Stadium Ltd has been on BTPIR since November 16th when it first became apparent so make sure you keep up to speed on there for constant monitoring of Clarke Osborn and whatever appears on the Companies House website. Questions were being asked such as was Osborne trying to stop United dragging down GI's profits? Making the club easier to sell via being a stand alone entity? Allowing him to do some dodgy deals such as loading loans onto the company without being under as much scrutiny?

It's the spectre of loans into the company that need to be keenly monitored for this is the stealth by which he acquired the football club in the first place. Don't expect him to come out and say just what he is up to ~ that's not his style by a long chalk

If TUFC were to be sold, then GI won't want to sell it as a 'division' of theirs; they'll want to sell it as a stand-alone company. And any buyer in their right mind wouldn't want to buy a bit of GI; they'd want to buy a company in its own right would they not? If Osborne continues to put money into the club ~ but as loans intended to be called in at some point after having got his hands on the freehold ~ having those loans appear on a less well known company's balance sheets is far better for him. Rather than having them appear on GI's where there are more stakeholders and more interested parties to ask awkward questions.

Osborne has far more promising, and presumably more time-consuming, enterprises than Torquay United in his non-GI portfolio. Chief amongst these might be TrueSpeed Communications of which he is chair. This is a business that was formed in 2014 and is involved in bringing "ultra fast" broadband to rural communities. It all started in the Chew Valley, south of Bristol, where he lives. Earlier this year TrueSpeed received £75 million from Aviva Investors. Last week TrueSpeed announced details of further expansion into north Somerset with future plans to move into Devon, Wiltshire, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire. The company's website talks of its product being "faster, fairer, future-proof"...big business eh?