New Chairman/Chairwoman - Thea Bristow

[Jerry]

I can't see how this is a bad thing.

Thea is by all accounts a lovely person and I think the articles on the OS make it pretty clear that she will be more of an ambassador than anything else to begin with. "It is my job to a good spokesman and ambassador for the club". If there's one thing the club needs it's some good PR and who better than a universally liked chairwoman?

Meanwhile the clamour for Alex Rowe is satisfied as he is now one of the vice-chairmen.

Also we will now have a full-time chief executive keeping an eye on the running of the club instead of a group of people who all have other jobs to take up much of their attention.

Then there's the addition of Paul and Thea's son to the board which tells me that the Bristows are committed for the long term and not about to either ask for their money back or stop injecting more if we need it.

[ferrarilover]

Oooh, this could cause the biggest fight yet...

I think Chairman is acceptable for a woman, since it's the name of the position, rather than with reference to the gender of the incumbent. Thea is right, Chairperson is a ridiculous phrase dreamt up by people who understand neither the sociological, historical nor grammatical implications of the phrase Chairman.

Matt.

[Fonda]

EddUK12 , just read through the whole thread and it looks like you are the only one who may have understood it , sorry if I missed something along the way.

Have to be honest and say that does surprise me, but thinking about.I am not sure I am right in saying this so Budliegh or anyone else for that matter feel free to correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't money invested into the club convert to shares.

If so, then Thea Bristow is likely to own atleast if not more than 50% of the club, she may well have been advised to take control of the club, but of course that maybe far from the truth, it may down to Thea Bristow being very popular with the fans and move to head off bad feeling.

That is why I think this is actually a very smart move, Baker and Phillips are which ever way you look it at the two with the finger on the button and hands on the purse strings, defeat to Barnet will leave us in massive trouble moving those two into the back ground to me is an obvious move, because at the end of day we may well win, but we could also lose.

I think probably a few more of us were able to read between the lines and guess exactly what might be going on here Dave. But, speaking personally, I was loathe to suggest it.

[Dave]

"

Dave, I'm sure Sainsbury's do talk to their customers and staff, but I've never once been in there and been either consulted on the composition of the Board or informed of their strategic plans for the future.

Matt.

Matt, you made the comparison between TUFC and Sainsburys when said...TUFC PLC is a business. You wouldn't expect Sainsbury's to justify their senior management decisions to its customers as they come through the door, so why is Torquay United any different?

My point was simply, Sainsburys do not make decisions that directly effect it's customers then implement them with the attitude we do not have to justify it to our customers, we make the decisions the customer can either like or lump it, and if we feel they need to explain it we will, if do not, then we will not.

Sainsburys make these decisions based on what market research tell them the customers want, of course there is a big difference Sainsburys is a massive buinsness compared to TUFC, however fans are now customers and if the club does not connect with it's fans well you know what will a happen.

[DTG]

[quote

I wouldn't mind, but it doesn't seem to be based on anything. A load of speculation with no evidence at all. People making assumptions and then moan when those assumptions seem to result in negative outcomes.

Maybe Thea is an MBA. Maybe she is on the Board of a dozen Fortune 500 companies, but she chooses to remain anonymous. Maybe Simon Baker has 3 weeks to live, so has been replaced so he may enjoy the last few days of his life in peace. Maybe she's taking over running the show in exchange for as non-repayable, interest free loan of £1,000,000 which we will use to buy our way out of the division next year. None of us knows and making up your own story and then bashing the club with it is just about the stupidest thing I have ever encountered.

If the Board want us to know, then we will be told. If the Board doesn't want us to know, then we won't. TUFC PLC is a business. You wouldn't expect Sainsbury's to justify their senior management decisions to its customers as they come through the door, so why is Torquay United any different?

Matt.[/quote]


Hilarious mate, are you an Accoumtant? You clearly have no understamding of CRM.

[Gullscorer]

Oooh, this could cause the biggest fight yet...
I think Chairman is acceptable for a woman, since it's the name of the position, rather than with reference to the gender of the incumbent. Thea is right, Chairperson is a ridiculous phrase dreamt up by people who understand neither the sociological, historical nor grammatical implications of the phrase Chairman.
Matt.

If a chairwoman is happy to be called chairman, that's fair enough. Time was, though, when feminists might have insisted, in the name of fairness and equality, that there should be both a chairman and a chairwoman, and the term 'chairperson' would have been looked upon with suspicion by many as it might have hidden a multitude of gender-related sins. These days, some feminists, raised on a false history of patriarchy and a supposed ongoing subjugation of women, would regard men as unworthy of even being a 'chair', and would see the appointment of yet another chairman as being the action of a typically misogynistic board. And to call a chairwoman a 'chair' might be interpreted as suggesting that she was suitable only for sitting on, men of course being only suitable for shit ting on..!

But at least Plainmoor's glass ceiling has now been broken... =D

[Dave]

I think probably a few more of us were able to read between the lines and guess exactly what might be going on here Dave. But, speaking personally, I was loathe to suggest it.

Indeed Shane, I was wrong to suggest that more had not read between the lines, however sometimes to get a point across on here, we posters need to be a little bit more direct in what we say.

In answer to your question about ongoing prospects, to be honest if she has taken control of the club to protect their family investment, I do not know the answer. It might be a good thing, because to fully protect the investment you would not want the club relegated, if however that can not be avoided , then to me it changes the picture some what.

As said it could well be because Thea is popular with fans as is Andrew Candy who done so much to help individual fans, that is why I can not understand why some do not get the timing, Barnet is so crucial, if that match goes against us this may have been done now to fend off potential bad feeling, to me that is obvious.

[yellow]

I wouldn't mind, but it doesn't seem to be based on anything. A load of speculation with no evidence at all. People making assumptions and then moan when those assumptions seem to result in negative outcomes.

Maybe Thea is an MBA. Maybe she is on the Board of a dozen Fortune 500 companies, but she chooses to remain anonymous. Maybe Simon Baker has 3 weeks to live, so has been replaced so he may enjoy the last few days of his life in peace. Maybe she's taking over running the show in exchange for as non-repayable, interest free loan of £1,000,000 which we will use to buy our way out of the division next year. None of us knows and making up your own story and then bashing the club with it is just about the stupidest thing I have ever encountered.

If the Board want us to know, then we will be told. If the Board doesn't want us to know, then we won't. TUFC PLC is a business. You wouldn't expect Sainsbury's to justify their senior management decisions to its customers as they come through the door, so why is Torquay United any different?

Matt.

He is a TUFC fan. That won’t be possible...!

[Fonda]

All fans of TUFC know the debt we owe the Bristow family. But I can't comprehend why anyone would think having Thea as some kind of 'figurehead' is necessary, or sensible from a business perspective. It probably was time for a change at the top (or at least would be at the end of the season). But I'd personally prefer to have someone with some knowledge of the position taking the reigns, rather than someone who's credentials *appear to be* her popularity with the fanbase.

*****But as said by many above, there might be a myriad of other reasons why this has occured*****

[budleigh]

Of course, the whole situation may be far less complex than being made out.

Let's say that with a larger-than-normal amount of board members at Torquay United it has been agreed that the role of chairman is to be restricted to a set term; two years? This allows a new member of the board to put themselves forward to take the position, if so desired, without seeming to show a lack of confidence in the person already at the helm.
If so, maybe it had already been decided that the vice-chairman, Thea Bristow, would be the new chairman come the end of this season. But the club now finds itself in a position where there is a fair chance of dropping out of the league with three games to go and Thea who, along with her husband Paul, has given so much to the club over the last five or so years, would find herself taking the helm of a non-league outfit.
Maybe the board felt that it would be the right thing to offer her the chance to be the chairman of Torquay United as a league club, even if it only proves to be for a minimal amount of time, and so brought forward the appointment. At least she can say that she was a football league chairman.
Of course, the conspiracy theorists may think this complete baloney; and they may be right, what does anyone really know?

[Fonda]

Simon Baker seems like a thoroughly nice chap, but it's fair to say his tenure as Chairman has been less than smooth at times - possibly due to his lack of experience in such a role. And we're now looking to repeat that process?

[Dave]

Thing is budliegh, when you put a simple explaination on soemthing and thanks for doing so, rumours can not start, nor can conspiracy theories, something our club can learn.

Matt will tell us why should the club have to come out an justify it's decisions, well see how helpful it could be if they did, of course not saying that Budleigh is directly connected with our club, however trust me would know.

[Jerry]

Thing is budliegh, when you put a simple explaination on soemthing and thanks for doing so, rumours can not start, nor can conspiracy theories, something our club can learn.

Got to agree with this.

Why couldn't the club have just told us what Budleigh just has?

Then all the hand-wringing and conspiracy theories wouldn't have got off the ground.

[ferrarilover]

Hilarious mate, are you an Accoumtant? You clearly have no understamding of CRM.

No pal, I haven't, I don't even know what it is, perhaps explain it since you're in the know?

Matt.

[SkyBlueGull]

SBP

You wrote

"The timing of this is ridiculous.

Good news for Andrew Candy- Hes a lap dog for Bill Phillips."

You are talking absolute B#ll#cks

I can assure you from personal experience that Andrew Candy is no lap dog for Bill Phillips and if you care to PM me I will explain a current situation that would prove this.

I am not prepared to go into reasons publicly on the forum but after a recent communication with Bill Phillips, my first in over 10 years supporting the club, I can categorically state that he is, in my opinion an absolute, ##### (rhymes with cat) and is living in an obscure parallel universe .