SHOULD WE MOVE TRAINING BASE AND GO PART TIME?

Post by **Gulliball** » 18 Apr 2018, 21:56

Jerry wrote: ↑18 Apr 2018, 21:36 Don't Truro do exactly this though? I thought they trained in Torquay?

Which would also be an argument that you can have a successful tier 6 side based in Torquay, would it not? Which given that our club is based in Torquay would be quite convenient, and we could also offer more in terms of full-time football and wages than Truro can.

chunkygull · Post by **chunkygull** » 18 Apr 2018, 22:30

Some good points but no I dont expect to see the best players or a team that always wins, christ 31 years of watching TUFC you dont expect much at all. But we should want to see our team win every game, have some ambition and give ourselves the best chance of success. I would say the main thing at the moment is survival and plugging the holes that are haemorrhaging money and reducing debts. We havent been getting value for money from players in a long time, so if we can find an alternative way to do this then its worth exploring.

Again this community thing. Have the club and players really got involved and done that much, really? Again, how many of them have actually relocated here properly and spend most of the week here. There are other clubs that have taken these exact suggested measures to aid recruitment. Also a fair few of our supporters dont even live in the area anyway so why would they be too bothered about training location or keeping it local when they arent even local themselves. If the team is winning then will they really care where we train. As long as the club begins to do the right things and makes the community part of the TUFC family then who gives a toss if most of the players arent seen until matchdays.

When I was a kid TUFC used to train at clennon valley field and astroturf , I could look out our lounge window and watch them all morning, sometimes even strolling over and getting up close. That was awesome to me and a few friends at the time, great memories. But these are changing times, trying times and a unique situation for us, something big has to change. We need to do something drastically different.

You have to weigh up all the pros, cons, costs or savings, what gives at least some chance of success.

merse btpir · Post by **merse btpir** » 18 Apr 2018, 22:59

This club is now at the level where players living and training out of town and only arriving in the place on match days is the norm rather than the exception.........Truro, Weston-Super-Mare, Chippenham, Weymouth ~ yes folks it's down at this level we are at. Do you think the players of Bognor Regis, Eastbourne or Dover live in those towns? I don't see the need to stay full-time either because at this level you only get full-timers who aren't really fit for that purpose anyway and certainly can't get it elsewhere.

Seale Hayne is a write-off from November to April anyway and a new training ground isn't going to appear out of the ether overnight is it.

The youth set up is so far from being an 'academy' it is a travesty calling it that; it is an after school club with half the players miles away from showing the commitment needed. It has been put in place as a political animal to appease local councillors in the attempt to get them onside and sell the Plainmoor freehold.

Enjoy your piss-up to Truro larging it up as if this were somehow still a professional football club worthy of the name; the get the map out for places like Hungerford, East Thurrock and Concord rangers and get a does of reality when you arrive at those little grounds barely better than community sports grounds.

We used to play clubs like Swansea, Bournemouth and Plymouth Argyle you know; look where we are now!

greb46 · Post by **greb46** » 18 Apr 2018, 23:12

You have to cut your cloth accordingly and as gates decrease part time seems logical and as many have stated part time teams have already beaten full time ones ,it comes down to desire of the players and attitude which sadly is lacking for Torquay at present so wherever they train it can't have any bearing .What's needed is a mix of experience and keen youth

Porky · Post by **Porky** » 18 Apr 2018, 23:12

Yes merse I can remember us taking Bournemouth apart at plainmoor and should have won away had the ref not played 20 minutes injury time (exageration) but it felt like it.

Plainmoor78 · Post by **Plainmoor78** » 18 Apr 2018, 23:19

To those who are so concerned about the players having a "connection" with the local community, how come the One Torquay born player in the squad gets so much dog abuse?

Rjc70 · Post by **Rjc70** » 19 Apr 2018, 01:56

M4 corridor? Chew Magna or Swindon? Handy for Owers. Osborne could Skype from the same BT Openzone.

brucie · Post by **brucie** » 19 Apr 2018, 12:17

Is Gosling the "very good player" that now plays for us or is he in fact the "missing link" - talk about a player with a decent reputation who has bombed spectacularly!!

Merse - I know you live in the big city but I guess that even most of us yokels could find Hungerford - don't you just point your car in one direction and head on up that big road with three lanes and no potholes?

As for East Thurrock though - where on earth is that??

Isn't Hungerford famous for one of those sad losers who went banzai with a gun?, back before mass murder was fashionable. Can't recall the name of the ****.

As for lording it up over Truro - well surely we deserve at least some pleasure in life. And if all that we can look forward to is trebling their home gate and giving Masters and his tribe of in bred imposters a damn good spanking then I will take that.

Actually I am still to be convinced that crowds will drop next year. Attendances are still holding up remarkably well. Surely we can produce a winning team -it cant be that hard can it?

merse btpir · Post by **merse btpir** » 19 Apr 2018, 12:58

brucie wrote: ↑19 Apr 2018, 12:17Merse - I know you live in the big city but I guess that even most of us yokels could find Hungerford - don't you just point your car in one direction and head on up that big road with three lanes and no potholes?

As for East Thurrock though - where on earth is that?? Isn't Hungerford famous for one of those sad losers who went banzai with a gun?, back before mass murder was fashionable. Can't recall the name of the ****.

East Thurrock FC
Rookery Hill, Corringham
Essex
SS17 9LB

Michael Ryan was the Hungerford mass murder ~ apparently he wanted to 'make Berkshire great again'

East Thurrock entertain Whitehawk at Rookery Hill & barely a spectator in shot

United62 · Post by **United62** » 19 Apr 2018, 13:21

Indeed! if that was the fixture just before Christmas 2017 the crowd was a staggering 202 (no, I didn't miss a 'zero' off).

I've been looking at some (almost all) of the grounds we'll be visiting next season..... be prepared Gulls fans.... it's going to be an eye-opener.

Remember those days of taking 2k to Home Park? Remember those days we played at Wembley/Old Trafford? Remember those days we had a (almost) packed away end at Plainmoor? ... Well, that's all they're going to be... memories.

Some of the average attendances this year in NLS are woeful... for example Oxford City (almost typed 'United'... old habits die hard) have a minimum attendance of just 125 with Whitehawk, E Thurrock and Concord not fairing much better.

The highest average attendance belongs to Dartford (and that doesn't even reach 4 figures) but as it looks like we may be passing each other on the way down/up, there is little chance of us playing at Princes Park next time out (shame really, as it's one of the 'local' grounds for me)

Some bed-time reading:

https://www.footballwebpages.co.uk/nati ... ttendances

PhilGull · Post by **PhilGull** » 19 Apr 2018, 14:16

Our past performances in the Football League (remember those days!) and the current performances of Argyle and City show there is no problem with recruiting players to live, train and play in Devon.

merse btpir · Post by **merse btpir** » 19 Apr 2018, 14:18

Of course there isn't ~ as long as you are offering a wage and standard of football commensurate with the standard of player willing to do that.

We are not and haven't been able to be that type of club for seasons now.

PhilGull · Post by **PhilGull** » 19 Apr 2018, 14:53

merse btpir wrote: ↑19 Apr 2018, 14:18 Of course there isn't ~ as long as you are offering a wage and standard of football commensurate with the standard of player willing to do that.

We are not and haven't been able to be that type of club for seasons now.

I would argue that we are doing that now. Look at the results over the last month or so. Had we started the season with this squad and a better manager we would be closer to promotion now than relegation. We are more than capable of bringing in players who can win promotion. We just need the right management (both in the boardroom and on the pitch).

brucie · Post by **brucie** » 19 Apr 2018, 15:49

So are you saying that you would want the current group of player with a different manager (rather than Owers) - for all the shellacking that Owers gets he has assembled a better squad of players than we had at the start of the season. Unfortunately it appears that we were so far behind by the time its al been impossible to catch up.

Another issue was that when the first crop of loanees disappeared and we were shafted over by the likes of Davey playing for Boreham Wood when turning out in our colours, it seems that Owers had to accept the likes of Fletcher from Plymouth who wasn't the answer.

This situation wasn't avoidable but as you say this squad of players would have easily been nowhere near the bottom had we started the season with them.

Wolborough · Post by **Wolborough** » 19 Apr 2018, 16:16

No and No!

We should regroup and make every effort to get back to the National League - not sure that part time and shedding facilities is the right thing to do next season as we would need to have diffident structures in place if promoted. However if we fail miserably in Southern League there are two questions for 2019/2020;
1. Does TUFC go part time
2. Does TUFC bother to carry on

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