The Eternal Optimist wrote: ↑20 Dec 2023, 17:36
If the club leaves Torquay it will be diminished. If it leaves Torbay it will be finished. Yes the club may make more money, with all the promised avenues of revenue that will be available, it may even be sustainable, but the football side will be the poorer for it. Torquay United will not be the main revenue interest. Support will be much lower than today. Clearly, there is not a suitable site in Torquay, and I can't think of anywhere in Torbay. Perhaps one place is the old gasworks site on the Paignton / Torquay border? That seems to have been given up by the current developer. Chaos though, getting there, and nowhere to park. Plainmoor is a good stadium for us. It will be hard to create a better one. It is in a good location easy to get to, plenty of on road parking. You won't find better anywhere in Torquay, let alone Torbay. I don't look forward to any move away from Plainmoor.
Would agree with your assertion that the club would be finished if it left the area; even moving to somewhere like Seale Hayne isn’t that different to franchising.
Clarke Osborne almost inadvertently gave his game away during the forum. He repeatedly mentioned getting involved with clubs “when they were on their knees”. He’s an opportunist, seeking to take advantage of an organisation’s misfortune, mismanagement or sheer bad luck to further his own nefarious agenda which is property. He pays no regard to the history, the heritage and emotional meaning attached to a sports venue. He was involved with his own “beloved” (yea, sure they are, Clarke) Bristol Rovers being kicked out of Eastville so he won’t shed any tears if ever TUFC left the only stadium any of us known them play in.
Football clubs need to be protected from people like Clarke Osborne and George Edwards, who think they can waltz in and decide that they think they know what’s best for a community’s football club that they themselves have absolutely no link to.
And how Clarke bristled when it was suggested TUFC was badly run!
Torquay United is appallingly run!
It wouldn’t be in the NLS for a start if it was being run well. Well-run professional football clubs don’t drop into regional football twice in 5 years. “Catch yerself on, Clarke!”
Blimey, even under Lew Pope we managed to stay in the EFL, nearly get promoted to what’s now League 1 and reached Wembley and yet George Edwards sits arrogantly saying we were a refereeing decision from getting back into the EFL, as though he has some modern-day footballing Midas touch.
For them it’s a game. It’s about winning and victory for them will be when Plainmoor is flattened and crumby housing is built on it and we are playing in some tinpot ground, probably in somewhere like Bovey Tracey. Anyone who believes a word they spouted in that video needs some help!
