Why has the number of people posting gone down

[Louis]

Has anyone else been receiving protection warnings that the 'site is unsafe' ? If yes, that could be the reason. On the other hand, it could be just my computer. It's been doing all sorts of strange things since Christmas ..........

I saw that. That was down to one of the adverts being reported to McAfee or another well known site scanner service. So whenever the ad loaded it would say there is unsafe content. It's not unsafe and never will be. I won't let that happen, security is a big passion of mine as a webmaster. I think that advert is no longer in rotation.

I'm hoping following more excitement at the club the fans will post more on here as I have spent a lot of money upgrading us to a new server this month and hope you're noticing the difference (need the traffic to make the money back in ad revenue). Our average posts per day has still stuck at over 100 mark so for a stat man we are still going strong.

[Trojan 67]

I have spent a lot of money upgrading us to a new server this month and hope you're noticing the difference . . .

Time then for VIP members to put their hands in their pockets and fork out (again) for the privilege.

[Louis]

I am confident we should earn it back in a few months. Don't like taking people's hard earned money once let alone twice.

[Trojan 67]

Don't like taking people's hard earned money . . .

HMRC has a different outlook than you Lou.

[hector]

The problem is, it's at times like this, in seasons like this, that clubs need their supporters more than ever. It's understandable that many fall by the wayside, the fair weather friends, in these circumstances, so it's up to all true supporters to make an extra little effort in whatever way they can, to help keep the club going, whether financially or perhaps volunteering or to drag a friend or neighbour along to a match. I suppose the reduced number of posts on this forum is a reflection of the general situation around Plainmoor, but we must all do what we can, if we want a future for professional football in Torquay.

I resent the implication that to be a 'true' supporter, you have to attend no matter what. Why on earth should they?

For me there are two strong reasons to not go to Plainmoor in current times.

1) Financial - it isn't cheap. In every other aspect of people's lives, especially in current times, one looks for value for money. You wouldn't spend £20 every fortnight watching crap films at the cinema and there comes a point, when money is tight, that is is hard to justify forking out for something you just don't enjoy. One can argue that the club is losing out on revenue, but then so is every individual who pays money to go into Plainmoor and whilst we are not losing as many matches as last year, we are in a division lower and not doing especially well in it. I have a season ticket, and even then, for 3 matches in a row before Christmas, I had better things to do. Had I not had a season ticket, that decision would be far easier - such as the FA Trophy game at home. When you feel just total apathy and despair with your club, it becomes difficult to justify spending money on a product when there are groceries to buy and energy bills to pay.

2) Enjoyment - Torquay United don't add anything to life. In fact quite the opposite. It subtracts. When you indulge in leisure activities/hobbies etc, you generally hope to have your well-being improved. Such pursuits take your mind off the everyday, work, bills etc. Torquay United for these last three seasons, just add to list of things to feel unhappy and cross about. I find now, that I have just accepted a dismal fate for this club and I am trying to almost emotionally distance myself, so that the endless disappointments don't hurt anymore. Last week, losing to Altrincham, is another new low, yet I met it with little more than a shrug of a shoulders. It is what I have come to expect and I am expecting even worse to come and that prospect now, almost doesn't really bother me. It is almost a case of 'what will be, will be' but I am not 100% convinced I will participate in it long-term. There are better things to spend money and time on.

And it is because of a longstanding love for the club that it has hurt so much; I have been going to Plainmoor since 1979 but I find I have insulated myself against the pain by slowly withdrawing to the point that I feel fairly ambivalent about what goes on there now.

Perhaps, therefore, in some people's eyes that means I no longer qualify as a 'true supporter' but after 36 years of watching, and not missing that many games, I have contributed a fair amount of my time and money to things TUFC and there comes a point where you just don't know if you want to do it anymore.

[Southampton Gull]

I guess I qualify alongside you then Hector. I felt total apathy last season, not because of what was happening on the pitch but more because of what was happening off it. This season has just added to that feeling of falling out of love with the club and I've not felt like that since becoming a fan at a tender age. I'll still go to games but they will be ones that are local to wherever I live rather than making the 300 mile round trip as I used to for almost every game.

I can take being in the Conference, I could even take relegation from it, what I can't take are poor decisions after poor decisions from within the boardroom. They only have themselves to blame, some of us saw it coming years ago. I'm just relieved that Mrs Bristow has finally taken a very astute decision to protect herself from those that would quite happily see her sink like the Club is.

[Gullscorer]

If the club is going to release a few players in the summer who are no longer affordable or who no longer fit into the scheme of things, perhaps it could similarly benefit from a clear-out of a few directors from the apparently overloaded board, those (if any) who no longer contribute anything useful..?? In this regard I must admit to not having detailed knowledge of the situation at Plainmoor; just asking..

[Neal]

It was sad to hear that some might not contribute to being criticised and their posts ridiculed. Ok, I know these were not that actual words used but I think it summed it up.

Mmmmmm...... the apathy question due to where we are, I don't actually have that. But maybe its because going to TUFC is my 2nd option at weekends, its better to do a sport than to watch has always been my view.

Being now a "mature" fan I don't link my everyday happiness to a football team I have no control over.

BUT.....I enjoy going to see a live football match, and I like a pint, a pie and I love the ground. Its sort of familiar and Ive been going for years and years so its part of you. I also enjoy going to a handful of away games and seeing new grounds, AND oddly I prefer the smaller stadia!!

Give all the above what league we are in is sort of secondary to me.

As for contributing on this site, our attendances have held up well actually, so mmmmm not sure if it is an apathy thing. I go on a forum related to my sport and that is similar actually, a few contribute a lot and others seem to disappear, they still do the sport but they obviously for some reason don't like the forum.

Maybe it is US, the regular contributors who are the problem?

[Trojan 67]

Hector and SG sum it up for me. My bruv saw the writing on the wall towards the end of Dinger's first season and stopped attending. The problem has and is at Boardroom level. Thea surrounded and supported by astute competent businessmen? Collectively, they know f*** all about the football buisness. Like the Mafia, football is like no other buisness. Maybe, the Mob will takeover the club and make Baker & Phillips especially, "an offer they wont refuse". Plenty of water around here "to swim with the fishes".

:devil:

[Trojan 67]

To Hector and SG : If we get to Wembley this season, we'll be going, wont we ?


together will the other missing 8000.

[EmetEdadsBeard]

One word - GullScorer! Bored myself and probably many others away.
I'd rather have root canal surgery without anaesthetic than have to trawl through his mind numbing anti feminist ramblings. So I very rarely bother these days despite having once been the elected King of the Jokes and Whinge, Moan etc threads.
Might return on a more regular basis again one day when he disappears.

So don't hold your collective breath.........

[Gullscorer]

Or could be because a certain person whose attempts at humour were long ago reduced, for the most part, to pathetically unfunny, dirty and vulgar jokes, but who is obviously still king of the whinge and moan, has bored nearly everybody to sleep or driven them away, whilst Gullscorer's intelligent, perceptive, articulate and informative posts on a wide variety of subjects are actually keeping the Popside Forum alive?

And this is where the threads and posts complained of are to be found. Hours of interesting reading here. Take a look at the Popside and judge for yourselves folks: http://forum.torquayfans.com/viewforum.php?f=6

Note that the whinger and moaner never enters the fray with his own reasoned arguments in response to the issues raised, and never begins threads on new topics of interest, but almost always resorts to personal attacks and abuse, something I always try to avoid. Though I really must try to speak to him in his own language now, to give him a chance of understanding, and say that the numbing of his mind probably has more to do with his dead brain than with anything else, and I should be more than happy to stand for election against this bellyacher any day..

[EmetEdadsBeard]

Or could be because a certain person whose attempts at humour were long ago reduced, for the most part, to pathetically unfunny, dirty and vulgar jokes,[/b] but who is obviously still king of the whinge and moan, has bored nearly everybody to sleep or driven them away, whilst Gullscorer's intelligent, perceptive, articulate and informative posts on a wide variety of subjects are actually keeping the Popside Forum alive?

And this is where the threads and posts complained of are to be found. Hours of interesting reading here. Take a look at the Popside and judge for yourselves folks: http://forum.torquayfans.com/viewforum.php?f=6

Note that the whinger and moaner never enters the fray with his own reasoned arguments in response to the issues raised, and never begins threads on new topics of interest, but almost always resorts to personal attacks and abuse, something I always try to avoid. Though I really must try to speak to him in his own language now, to give him a chance of understanding, and say that the numbing of his mind probably has more to do with his dead brain than with anything else, and I should be more than happy to stand for election against this bellyacher any day..

God you're still here
Well I'll address the above points.

Firstly, My jokes are funny whether vulgar or not. I've read yours and if you find the stuff you've written funny God help us all. You'd laugh at a falling leaf.

Secondly. I've bored everyone to sleep and driven them away? You have now actually made me laugh for the first time . You are an utter bore, you could send a glass eye to sleep. And I'm not the only person on here who have noticed that you have totally hijacked the Popside mostly with your pathetic anti feminist ranting. She must have really taken you to the cleaners.

Thirdly. You always try to avoid personal attacks, yet then go on to------

Fourth and last. A personal attack, yet again trying to make out I'm less intelligent than yourself because I don't constantly talk gobbledegook (I would have said utter sh1te but you'll see that as my lack of intelligence rather than me just saying it as it is), try to speak to me in my own language? numbing of my mind? dead brain? bellyacher? (the last one made me laugh again).

I'll not go through the tedium of listing all my qualifications taken over the years again for you, you'll only conveniently forget them again, needless to say the Popside was thriving until you hijacked it.

You can draw your own conclusion as to why it's dying at the moment, but from where I'm standing it definitely started when you started to post.

Why haven't you got a job anyway? Might take your mind off feminists for a millisecond or two.

[Gullscorer]

Seems to me that you're the one who's obsessed with feminism; you focus on that one small part of my output and ignore the rest. We're talking here about the Popside forum of course, which never had as many visitors as the main forum. It would be interesting to see actual figures for each forum's visits to compare percentage decreases over the past couple of years (not that it would indicate the reasons for any decline) assuming you can be bothered to have regard for such things.

If you're bored with the stuff I post why don't you start threads on topics which interest you? With your brain that should be easy. Oh, wait...

The tedium of listing all your qualifications would indeed be mind-numbing. To judge from the tone and content of your posts you also have qualifications in feminist indoctrination, egomania, prejudice, bigotry and intolerance.

By the way, whatever personal attacks you perceive coming from me are certainly not personal attacks. They are expressions of sympathy..

[madgull]

Seems to me that you're the one who's obsessed with feminism; you focus on that one small part of my output and ignore the rest. We're talking here about the Popside forum of course, which never had as many visitors as the main forum. It would be interesting to see actual figures for each forum's visits to compare percentage decreases over the past couple of years (not that it would indicate the reasons for any decline) assuming you can be bothered to have regard for such things.

If you're bored with the stuff I post why don't you start threads on topics which interest you? With your brain that should be easy. Oh, wait...

The tedium of listing all your qualifications would indeed be mind-numbing. To judge from the tone and content of your posts you also have qualifications in feminist indoctrination, egomania, prejudice, bigotry and intolerance.

By the way, whatever personal attacks you perceive coming from me are certainly not personal attacks. They are expressions of sympathy..

The highlighted bit is an argument. The rest is not. Try again.