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DevonBee wrote: ↑12 Jan 2018, 17:29 Appreciate your reply Jeff....but time to secure a striker is something we don`t have ! We are bottom of the league, points adrift and I think we should be panicking....only my opinion of course .

I don’t disagree, but don’t you think that Gnabouyou felt like a bit of a panic signing and that didn’t work out at all. Providing we are pursuing some striking options - which we simply must be! - we are only going to get one chance to get it right. We can’t afford another Gnabouyou!

According to DT on Devon Live podcast we've had a striker training with us this week

Surely Jeff you mean "we can't afford another Gnabouyou"?

nickbrod wrote: ↑12 Jan 2018, 18:26 Surely Jeff you mean "we can't afford another Gnabouyou"?

Yeah sorry, edited to remove the deliberate mistake......

I would go as far as say that we can not sign another striker and treat him like another Gnabouyou!

The striker we sign needs to start every game (90 minutes and barring injury) until this seasons destiny has been decided. Anything else would be complete incompetence and seen by me, as a management recruitment failure!

Jeff wrote: ↑12 Jan 2018, 18:08

I don’t disagree, but don’t you think that Gnabouyou felt like a bit of a panic signing and that didn’t work out at all. Providing we are pursuing some striking options - which we simply must be! - we are only going to get one chance to get it right. We can’t afford another Gnabouyou!

He was definitely a panic signing and was on good money too until they realised he was no better than myself, Merse or Brucie would be. Another balls up by the management on the back of him scoring 2 tap-ins in a behind closed doors friendly at Cheltenham. They were lucky he agreed to tear up his contract ...............

Jeff wrote: ↑12 Jan 2018, 18:08 I don’t disagree, but don’t you think that Gnabouyou felt like a bit of a panic signing and that didn’t work out at all. Providing we are pursuing some striking options - which we simply must be! - we are only going to get one chance to get it right. We can’t afford another Gnabouyou!

Yes agree GG 1 Shot was a panic buy for sure.......it could have worked and he would have been a star........that`s life

Trust me, he was NEVER going to be a star. Probably saved the club from huge embarrassment by leaving that quickly. The player recruitment has been shocking up until now.

Just appeared to be another rather anonymous 'safety first' merchant in the mould of JP and a host of other rather low key forwards who have been at the club in recent seasons........mind you that's based on a short cameo appearance at Boreham Wood for me and THAT aspect of his opportunity to switch from one style of football in Finland to another in England and get used to it was shocking in it's inefficiency of using resources.

When bringing in players from the continent; it has to be done with the overriding awareness to factor in that they need time to adjust as we saw time and time again with Wes Saunders' use of French players. It's a big change in pace and patience; the priority of maintaining possession over there and that of creating openings here

Guy Gnabouyou could only ever have been a season long project; I feel it was handled badly and insensitively when you factor in the poor and shabby way he was left alone at his hotel on Christmas Day too until 'someone' had a last minute concern that he might actually welcome some company.

I think the management and club really shot themselves in the foot with this one!

Southampton Gull wrote: ↑13 Jan 2018, 09:05 Trust me, he was NEVER going to be a star. Probably saved the club from huge embarrassment by leaving that quickly. The player recruitment has been shocking up until now.

Yes sure you are right......however as we all know some players need a cuddle, some a rocket up there ass, every player has a different mindset and it is GO job to get the best out of them with his experience !!!
I do wonder if the current management have the skills to encourage these youngsters ? I totally agree the recruitment has been a total shambles, embarrassing and as I have said before......where are the dynamic duos contacts ??????????

i hope the new recruits hit the ground running .....and a victory this afternoon is the reward

merse btpir wrote: ↑13 Jan 2018, 09:20
Guy Gnabouyou could only ever have been a season long project; I feel it was handled badly and insensitively when you factor in the poor and shabby way he was left alone at his hotel on Christmas Day too until 'someone' had a last minute concern that he might actually welcome some company.

... and this has always been a huge problem at our club; the provision of 'pastoral' care to lads away from home.

I especially remember the shabby way that Zebroski was treated by our club (and by the many other clubs that took his goals but gave little in the way of a friendly arm around the shoulders in return) when he had to appear in court after a night out in Torquay town centre with a fellow team member - iirc one who'd made a name for himself as a 'hard man' but who did a runner on the night. Zebroski was given no advice by the club; no-one went with him to court; no-one even advised him to put on a jacket and tie. I despise Plymouth for the way they dealt with Zebroski's 'incident' there without dealing with the reason for it. I hope he finds success, and some purpose in his community work, at Eastleigh.

Ok Southampton Gull (Dave), Merse & anybody else with SENSIBLE IDEAS how do we start to get the club we all obviously care so much for back ?
Is it by protesting inside the ground on match days, outside the ground with banners ? I'm seriously at a loss on what to suggest for the best, we all know who is the perpetrator in all of this (I'll do him the honour of calling him by his given name for the moment ) Geoffrey Harrop , he has put selfish ambition before the longevity of the football club all bankrolled by his wealthy brother in law.
We need to weed out this blood sucking parasite out but in a manner that makes his position untenable.
Surely the Herald Express must know what's going on within the club on a day to day basis ? Dave Thomas professes to be at the training ground most days why on earth can he not tell us the bloody truth on what he sees or hears. The local press could be a vital part if only we could get them onside & make the questions on press conference days more uncomfortable & awkward for the management, get them to tell us how it is, these charlatans need outing especially for the nay believers amongst us.
So come on guys & gals it's all very well posting angry derogatory comments on here about the club & each other, let's all unite & get something going it's in our name for Christ sake or are we now Torquay Disunited ?

Even if Osbourne sacrificed harrop, you still have Osbourne as owner and that is the real issue. This club is going nowhere unless Osbourne decides to relinquish it.

Plainmoor78 wrote: ↑14 Jan 2018, 01:19 Even if Osbourne sacrificed harrop, you still have Osbourne as owner and that is the real issue. This club is going nowhere unless Osbourne decides to relinquish it.

Precisely this. Despite my personal dislike of trusts I'd come to the conclusion that trust led community ownership was the only solution, however the response from those currently running TUST has shattered any miniscule hopes I had left that there was light at the end of the tunnel. I'm a born fighter but I'm not sure I can stomach any more of this. We don't have a club that is at the heart of the community like Portsmouth, Wrexham even Exeter save for a couple of thousand people with probably 20% of those being exiles.

With the demographic of Torbay as it is I can't see the club surviving this because there just isn't the same kind of love for the football club that there is for the others I mentioned. That leaves only a wealthy benefactor as the answer and anyone with that kind of money will be only too aware of the dangers of becoming a bedfellow of Clarke Osborne. Oh wait a minute......

I hope to God I'm wrong but what I saw yesterday felt like I was witnessing the death of the club I've loved for 50 years. How I would love to have fresh memories akin to those of the matches my father used to take me to in the sixties and early seventies. Then we had a club and support to be proud of. Sadly that doesn't exist any more.

Crikey Dave, if you have come to this too (I have been reconciled for some weeks now) it really is the end...or at least the beginning of the end.