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That response from the club is frankly embarrassing.

Criticise the article for not giving the club the right of reply, by all means. But that overly-sarcastic and petty tone is completely unprofessional and doesn't paint the club in a good light.

I sense whoever penned that article may well regret posting so hastily in the cold light of day tomorrow morning.

Frankly it doesn't matter about the timing, the key issue is that our situation is now in the public domain. And the club owners are clearly rattled.

GI have got DT and the rest of the Herald Express crew in their back pocket. What they didn't bank on was a national paper bringing it to a wider audience and therefore creating an uncomfortable environment for Osborne and bunch of clowns.

We need to make ourselves heard tomorrow and maybe one or two other publications will get onboard and take a deeper interest in our predicament.

**** me a lot of anger is misplaced on here Am I here to defend GI, Harrop, Tim Herbert, the manager or players?
No.
Do I want our club to be in the Conference South?
**** no.
Do I think this article will help or hinder the plight to avoid that?
Without doubt it is a cancer to the little hope that remains.
There is a time and place and whilst I congratulate Mr Merson for getting our circumstances in a national tabloid I cannot but question the timing behind him doing so. Other than self promotion and importance I fail to see the helpfulness of it. Energy is needed elsewhere currently. Bring it on come the final whistle of the final game but if you think this is helping anyone who truly cares about this club right now then you are deluded.

gullpower wrote: ↑16 Apr 2017, 22:03 Do GI think the fans are stupid?

Never mind "Shaun Harrad, Myles Anderson, Aaran Racine, Jared Hodgkiss, Jordan Lee, Paul Rooney, David Fitzpatrick, Ruairi Keating...eight players who spring to mind as either signed permanently, new loans agreed or extended loans, since ‘Osborne arrived’." The question as to why badly needed players weren't brought in to bolster the squat to stave off relegation before the transfer deadline has never been answered and still hasn't in their reply to the Guardian article!

Should also be noted, that of those players Keating was initially playing for free and is now only on a very low wage, Fitzpatrick went back to Wimbledon a month and a half after GI's takeover of the club (and was loaned before GI's takeover - thus was an ongoing obligation when the club was never over, not a GI sanctioned deal), Rooney returned to Millwall a good while ago and also predates GI's takeover of the club (he was extended under them only - not a 'signing'). So that list is 'creative' at the very best and only Harrad, Anderson, Lee and Keating remain - which was the original point of the Guardian article - that the squad is ridiculously thin right now, naming players that have been and gone or that were legacy contracts from pre GI days is bollocks.

Also, the usual smoke and mirrors. Loads of waffle about wages and The Lodge but they neatly side stepped:
"The owner of Gaming International, a company with a history of investing in sports grounds for redevelopment purposes, Osborne is a wrecking ball with a history of razing stadiums on the promise of building replacements that never materialise. To date, he has been responsible for the eviction of Bristol Rovers from Eastville and the closure of greyhound and speedway tracks, in places such as Reading and Milton Keynes."

Mr Osborne - is it any wonder that we don't trust you and don't won't you here!?

Should also be noted that they avoided this question during Osborne's Q&A, I asked a variant of this question, as did many people on this forum but Osborne pointedly refused to answer it.

Sorry Rich, I disagree.

As said, the local media have been nothing short of woeful at covering the situation. I am delighted that it has hit the headlines - it has got the message out there. I do not see it as self-promotion. If anything it has created more energy as more people are aware of it now.

I would 100% have rather had this now than in three weeks time when our future is confirmed, and I'm sure I'm not alone in that.

Bench against Gateshead

4Lathrope
5Gallifuoco
7Chaney
17Rooney
18Reid

Aldershot strengthened bench

9Harrad
14Williams
23Hancox
33Nicholson

The day before the biggest match in our club's history, and this article drops...and then the reply drops. Just when you thought TUFC couldn't become any more of a circus, BOOM.

I personally don't think there can be a bad time for criticising the lack of normal support or normal communication the clubs supporters have had from GI. It is a fact that that lack of backing now makes tomorrow's game as important as it is. It need not have got to this and we are all very aware of this.

The clubs response which must I presume have at least been cleared by those in ownership is full of half truths - it's about as convincing as something coming out of North Korea- and as a reflection therefore of those owners it is massively worrying. It's totally amateurish I'm afraid.

It has been evident for some time that the players are backing themselves. They know what's going on just as we do. Their performances have shown passion and been impressive during what must for them have been a really difficult time. They have shown real guts. I am certain they will continue to do that and we will support to them very fully. If as the manager says they can play to the same level over the next three games I feel certain we will stay in this league. We are supporters and we will support because we want our club to win and be successful and that is our sole purpose.

Couldn't believe what I was reading when I saw that response from the club. Who thought that would be a good idea to post? Clearly GI are rattled now a media outlet has actually bothered to place them and their promises under some scrutiny, like the HE should have done months ago.

Yet again GI repeat the claim that they did indeed bring players in under their watch, yet we all know that when we were crying out for for new blood in March, nothing happened. Osborne's deliberately vague answer to this question fooled no one, and TQ1's (who seems to have disappeared) attempts to justify this opaqueness just looks desperate. I'm embarrassed by the conduct of my club over this.

I look forward to hearing the general reaction to all this on the Popside tomorrow.

Orange Gull wrote: ↑16 Apr 2017, 22:39 Couldn't believe what I was reading when I saw that response from the club. Who thought that would be a good idea to post? Clearly GI are rattled now a media outlet has actually bothered to place them and their promises under some scrutiny, like the HE should have done months ago.

Yet again GI repeat the claim that they did indeed bring players in under their watch, yet we all know that when we were crying out for for new blood in March, nothing happened. Osborne's deliberately vague answer to this question fooled no one, and TQ1's (who seems to have disappeared) attempts to justify this opaqueness just looks desperate. I'm embarrassed by the conduct of my club over this.

I look forward to hearing the general reaction to all this on the Popside tomorrow.

Osborne was also, after all, the same person who laughably claimed that Torquay's player budget was in the top-half of the National League....

gullpower wrote: ↑16 Apr 2017, 22:03 Do GI think the fans are stupid?

Also, the usual smoke and mirrors. Loads of waffle about wages and The Lodge but they neatly side stepped:
"The owner of Gaming International, a company with a history of investing in sports grounds for redevelopment purposes, Osborne is a wrecking ball with a history of razing stadiums on the promise of building replacements that never materialise. To date, he has been responsible for the eviction of Bristol Rovers from Eastville and the closure of greyhound and speedway tracks, in places such as Reading and Milton Keynes."

Mr Osborne - is it any wonder that we don't trust you and don't won't you here!?

Exactly.

Of all the stuff contained in that piece in the Observer, I can pretty much guarantee that this particular part of it will have irked Osborne the most and yet unsurprisingly it has been totally ignored in the "Club response". Should we be surprised? Of course not!

Similar questions were put forward to ask Osborne in his Q & A session - unsurprisingly though they didn't make the "final cut" ... I wonder why?

This article will no doubt be the cause of some serious embarrassment to GI and given the national exposure and the fact that the local MP, the Mayor, local councillors and local media are all now aware of it, it will make future engagement with these stakeholders just a whole lot more uncomfortable I'm sure!

The response from the club is far too knee jerk and should have been far more considered. Trying to "big up" the transfer activity since GI have come in may seem impressive to "outsiders" but as TUFC fans we all know that most of those were both cheap and short term and that the sale of Nathan Blissett may have gone a large way to paying for them anyway! And yes, a 15 man squad is correct - look at Aldershot away game for evidence of that!

To say osborne wants his dirty mitts on our ground...didnt see much defending of previous on statement from club

They obviously admit he is a wrecking ball

divingbboy wrote: ↑16 Apr 2017, 22:50 Osborne was also, after all, the same person who laughably claimed that Torquay's player budget was in the top-half of the National League....

If that was ever the case then I'm a Dutchman. Who did he think he was kidding? I hope this claim (which directly contradicted what Dave Phillips said at a fans forum last year) will be challenged at the fans forum, whenever it's held.

Having a lurk around on Twitter and it seems the club's erm 'less than well judged' response is making waves beyond Torquay:

https://x.com/townsendaround/status/853716002810585088 (Non League Football twitter)

https://x.com/liam7harrison/status/853729152855404545 (Bournemouth fan)

https://x.com/RedRobinsCAFC/status/853717565213945856 (Charlton Athletic Fans Group)

https://x.com/sunderlandred/status/853712750786359302 (Sunderland fans)

Good day's work from GI.