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It's just a thought & only a thought, but if you look at Hereford fc they are riding high in the southern league & enjoyed a decent crowd of over 2400 for a midweek victory v St Neots (1-0, Hereford ) & are expecting a near 3000 gate for a top of the table clash on Saturday v Weymouth ( another old foe now flying high again ).
My question is this, if we could do a Hereford would you accept at least another relegation to the evostick southern league to start climbing up again in a sustainable manner & with a sound business plan under fan / TUST ownership ?
The thing is Hereford fc are no bigger a club than us & we have a very similar fan base, or would another relegation next season be the end of TUFC completely ?

Your over thinking the thinking. Whilst this club is owned by Osborne and his moron of a son in law (how he has the nerve to live in Torquay is laughable)the future is in there hands. It all boils down to TQ1 and the council. Once the council keeps the freehold can we rebuild this great club

lucy6lucy wrote: ↑23 Feb 2018, 20:57 Your over thinking the thinking. Whilst this club is owned by Osborne and his moron of a son in law (how he has the nerve to live in Torquay is laughable)the future is in there hands. It all boils down to TQ1 and the council. Once the council keeps the freehold can we rebuild this great club

And that's unfortunately the truth of it. We can argue all we like about the merits of the manager (whoever they may be) and the quality and commitment of the players, but until the ownership situation is sorted out we aren't going anywhere (except possibly downwards).

Yeah ok I get that bit , but Merse is alluding on BTPIR that he has a feeling Osborne is ready to pull the plug.
So if we / Tust can get a rescue package going what way would be acceptable ? Suffer regular defeats or find a level we can be competitive at & build from there no matter what league it is.
Or have you given up the ghost completely ?

In that case the first thing will be to find the level were we are financially secure. Then the task will be to fully exploit whatever revenue streams we have with our current resources and slowly grow the club that way. The focus must be on serving the local community, even if that means dreams of rejoining the EFL have to go on the backburner for a few years.
Yes I would accept further demotions if it means that our now very much broken club can be repaired.

Teigngull wrote: ↑23 Feb 2018, 21:19 Merse is alluding on BTPIR that he has a feeling Osborne is ready to pull the plug...

I pointed out on BTPIR months ago now that the word was that Mr Osborne would be handing over the reins at the end of this season. May, I heard.

Haven't been able to get back onto that site for yonks, so can't confirm when I posted it.

Plainmoor78 wrote: ↑23 Feb 2018, 21:07 And that's unfortunately the truth of it. We can argue all we like about the merits of the manager (whoever they may be) and the quality and commitment of the players, but until the ownership situation is sorted out we aren't going anywhere (except possibly downwards).

Agreed until the club from top to bottom have a common denominator then no

Teigngull wrote: ↑23 Feb 2018, 21:19 Yeah ok I get that bit , but Merse is alluding on BTPIR that he has a feeling Osborne is ready to pull the plug.
So if we / Tust can get a rescue package going what way would be acceptable ? Suffer regular defeats or find a level we can be competitive at & build from there no matter what league it is.
Or have you given up the ghost completely ?

Merse is wide of the mark, Osborne is actively trying to coax people to form a local "Board". The only problem with that is everybody keeps turning him down when they realise that he has the final say on EVERYTHING.

He even turned down Westley, not that I blame him, and it was he (Osborne) who chose Owers. Hedges is his puppet, reporting back to his Master.

He definitely doesn't like the negative publicity he's getting so wants to "distance" himself as soon as possible.

Southampton Gull wrote: ↑23 Feb 2018, 23:10 Merse is wide of the mark, Osborne is actively trying to coax people to form a local "Board". The only problem with that is everybody keeps turning him down when they realise that he has the final say on EVERYTHING. He even turned down Westley, not that I blame him, and it was he (Osborne) who chose Owers. Hedges is his puppet, reporting back to his Master. He definitely doesn't like the negative publicity he's getting so wants to "distance" himself as soon as possible.

This stems from this I posted on BTPIR tonight: http://thelondonlabia.proboards.com/thr ... um?page=16

I am deducing that therefore Mr Osborne is on his 'Plan B'; maybe I am right, maybe I am wrong; but as we stand Nightingale Park is not being persued ~ at least in an above board manner, although what underhand and behind closed doors stuff is going on is anyone's guess.

I don't think he is very energetically trying to form any local 'board' for the very reasons Dave outlines; one will never be formed although the usual suspects of Ian Hayman, Bill Phillips and the like would jump at the 'prestige' aspect but when it comes to people who would lend some gravitas to the prospect; forget it. After all what would be in it for them except an Aunt Sally role where they take all the local flak while the paymaster sits in his ivory castle ninety miles away.

Distance himself? You can say that again!

haldonrambler says on BTPIR tonight:
'Aside from this I’ve also come down on the side of feeling that Clarke Osborne isn’t going to proceed with Nightingale Park. But, in the absence of clues, I wouldn’t advocate complacency. Not at all; I'm nervous even writing these words. Either way I don’t think we’ll hear much until after the event. What he does as a consequence I’m not sure. Come what may we can probably guarantee a large helping of obfuscation along the way.'

Trust nobody in all this; people like Clarke Osborne don't get involved in anything for nothing but he has a history of 'cashing in his chips' as diligent research has shown.

merse btpir wrote: ↑23 Feb 2018, 23:27 This stems from this I posted on BTPIR tonight: http://thelondonlabia.proboards.com/thr ... um?page=16

I am deducing that therefore Mr Osborne is on his 'Plan B'; maybe I am right, maybe I am wrong; but as we stand Nightingale Park is not being persued ~ at least in an above board manner, although what underhand and behind closed doors stuff is going on is anyone's guess.

I don't think he is very energetically trying to form any local 'board' for the very reasons Dave outlines; one will never be formed although the usual suspects of Ian Hayman, Bill Phillips and the like would jump at the 'prestige' aspect but when it comes to people who would lend some gravitas to the prospect; forget it. After all what would be in it for them except an Aunt Sally role where they take all the local flak while the paymaster sits in his ivory castle ninety miles away.

Distance himself? You can say that again!

I know for a fact that he's recently approached one prominent prospect who declined his offer but there's one name missing from your list who was previously on the Board and is keen to get involved. Moves were made as recently as yesterday so I wouldn't discount it from happening. Like you say though, what powers would any Board member actually have? This is the reason for the latest target turning them down after I voiced the very concerns you have. There's nothing to be gained by anyone accepting his offer other than the "free ride" that accompanies it.

Anyone who does accept is on a hiding to nothing in my opinion.

Soupdragon wrote: ↑23 Feb 2018, 22:29 I pointed out on BTPIR months ago now that the word was that Mr Osborne would be handing over the reins at the end of this season. May, I heard.

It was back in November that you posted:
'It seems to fit with information I've shared here recently. If TUFC is to be sold, then GI won't want to sell it as a 'division' of theirs; they'll want to sell it as a stand-alone company. And any buyer in their right mind wouldn't want to buy a bit of GI; they'd want to buy a company in its own right. No?

It wouldn't surprise me either if that (mooted) buyer also has things to say about future expenditure commitments. Remember that 'free' club that the Phillips bunch took over? If it were me, I wouldn't want those sorts of surprises, come next spring.'

....and of course; Torquay United are no longer 'a division' of GI are they.

What we definitely want to avoid is repetition of the situation at Dulwich Hamlet as it is evolving, even as we discuss this:
http://thelondonlabia.proboards.com/thr ... is?page=28

An owner/developer owning a football club but starving it of funds due to their pique at being held to affordable housing quotas by the local authority. That club slowly but surely being choked to death and facing up to seeking the assylum of a ground share away from their rightful home ~ it couldn't happen at TQ1 could it..........could it?

Put it this way I will buy a season ticket if we are in the southern league and Osbourne is gone. And the board / owners are football fans and want to stay at Plainmoor. I dont care if they are not true TUFC fans, MB supported Blackpool for example. But they must at least be fans of the game.

I will not buy a season ticket while Osbourne owns anything to do with the club.

merse btpir wrote: ↑24 Feb 2018, 06:18 It was back in November that you posted:
'It seems to fit with information I've shared here recently. If TUFC is to be sold, then GI won't want to sell it as a 'division' of theirs; they'll want to sell it as a stand-alone company. And any buyer in their right mind wouldn't want to buy a bit of GI; they'd want to buy a company in its own right. No?

It wouldn't surprise me either if that (mooted) buyer also has things to say about future expenditure commitments. Remember that 'free' club that the Phillips bunch took over? If it were me, I wouldn't want those sorts of surprises, come next spring.'

....and of course; Torquay United are no longer 'a division' of GI are they.

What we definitely want to avoid is repetition of the situation at Dulwich Hamlet as it is evolving, even as we discuss this:
http://thelondonlabia.proboards.com/thr ... is?page=28

An owner/developer owning a football club but starving it of funds due to their pique at being held to affordable housing quotas by the local authority. That club slowly but surely being choked to death and facing up to seeking the assylum of a ground share away from their rightful home ~ it couldn't happen at TQ1 could it..........could it?

Thank you, Merse. November, eh?

The mayor continues to maintain, I'm told, that no decisions would be made on things relating to TUFC/the Plainmoor ground/etc etc other than in full council and after open discussion.* One does wonder what the point was of all those lovely plans and designs drawn up just to sit unloved in a cupboard at TUFC? Not cheap, are they? Though the cost will of course have been added onto TUFC's indebtedness to Mr Osborne.

*Interesting to note, too, that there appears to be something of a rapprochement among the various Tory council factions in the Bay currently. Must be an election in the not too distant future ... although I expect them to go back to full-on malevolence mode following 2 May 2019 (and that's just among themselves). Also, watch for local coups in the next month or so: the current local Tory chairman, one Cllr Bye, is on extended leave on the other side of the world; usually a signal for some overthrowing/deposing/general mayhem.

I put in a the freedom of information request to see whether anyone had made a pre-application enquiry about relocating Torquay United or any other club specifically at The Willows or anywhere in Torquay. The answer was - no one had. This does not preclude closed door, private talks with the mayor/planning department (Nolan report?) but shows that no official relocation and new ground project is in the offing. It struck me as a bit odd that the promotional video came out while I was waiting for a reply (application submitted 2nd Feb - answer received yesterday). This is a really big building project involving demolition, contamination, drainage. No public consultation has been done yet, an essential ingredient of an application this size. No big property consultancy has been called in yet as far as I know. This makes me think, and I would add that this is only my private gut reaction, that GI are not really interested in progressing their project until they get a thumbs up from the decision makers at the council. The good work by the forums which hopefully can be disseminated to the decision makers in the absence of our local press will show that GI are not to be trusted, that you cannot complain about their stadium building as they haven't built any.