Torquay United Fans Forum

This may sound a tad extreme, but the last "best" owner for me was Mike Bateson, I know that may p*ss a few people off, but on his watch we were solvent, pretty successful, playing league football, Wembley visits and all that, it wasn't all champagne and roses with him, but he always had the club's best interests at heart, sadly the biggest disaster for him was being conned by Chris Roberts, how Mike ever fell for his pack of lies I'll never know, since he sold TUFC, we've never truly recovered on and off the park, yes he was pretty dour and blunt, but I always liked the bloke, he was a realist, he knew the score on how to run a club,

Gulls 2-1 Chippenham.

On a different note, we never saw enough of him in a Gulls shirt, but how good was Ricky Aguair?, Weird he played two games and never featured again, when I saw him very briefly he actually looked okay, he probably had a point to prove today

It really is a sad state of affairs, we are all Gulls fans and today hurts, being in this league hurts, some fans I sense are happy to,"enjoy the ride" and are almost accepting of 6th tier regional football, but for someone who first saw Gulls in 1983, this isn't good enough, we can all finger point and blame GJ but it's bigger than just him, I'm just gutted for the fans who went today and witnessed this display..It needed a bigger clear out in the summer, and I think the mentality isn't there, i do actually feel for McGavin, I get no pleasure in posting this but his confidence must be shot, even this level is beyond him, it's disappointing to read GJ hasn't got the courtesy to speak with the fans or applaud them, yet celebrates a meaningless friendly with his first pumping and chest thudding, it's pretty obvious now the players aren't listening to him or the messages he's giving aren't working, it needs a fresh change and a freshen up...Just a shame i need to even post this tonight, gutted.

Gulls 2 Worthing 1...

A point on the road is never a disgrace, but with all things considered, I'm surprised we didn't win, not sure if the conditions were difficult, always a bit of a leveller, but to be 2up and only come away with a point is frustrating, I still stand by post about pre season results being totally meaningless, it's all about fitness, so I was surprised to read GJ chest thudding when we beat ECFC in a fitness exercise... Anyhow back to today's game, it's a point, we'll take it, still not convinced by this set of players, but perhaps in my pre match prediction I underestimated Dover, they're a work in progress with a new XI but sounds like they deserved a point..

Dover 0 Gulls 3.

If you've played higher than NLS in your career, and you end up at TUFC and you end up playing in that division (talking about the previous relegation to this level) your pretty much going to look good being an ex league pro and full time as well, players may arrive at us at a bit of a low ebb, so confidence wise GJ may of boosted that, but surely playing in a winning team helps?, But being FT and having the players we had the NLS title was a given...Ben Whitfield was or had already been a football league player, he came to us and in his short time, he did well, but it wasn't much of a suprise to me, he already had that ability,Jamie Reid was a big fish in a small pond in NLS, he's done okay since that wonder season, but I wouldn't say he's been amazing, his scoring record beyond that title win is so so, you could argue that if GJ had improved him that much, he would of done better?,scoring around 50 goals in nearly 200 games isn't bad...What I would say, and I'll cut him some slack, you don't always get time, time build and nurture talent, work with it, and bring those players on, esp with the situations we've found ourselves in, we've very much needed quick fixes, so in his defence maybe he's had to bomb out players such as Lolos, Umerah and others because ultimately it's a results based business...

I get it that some fans think GJ is "The Don" but football pretty much is about the here and now, and right now we are playing regional 6th tier football Vs part timers, and GJ is the brains behind this outcome, I genuinely don't think he's got any player better or improved, all his signings have played previously at a higher level,yes they have done well with us, but that's a confidence thing,not some managerial masterclass by GJJarvis did well for probably half a season, we had defenders on the books who were so bad we needed to draft in loanee after loanee to patch up the defence, I'm really still not convinced we won't be an upper mid table team at best in NLS, before people get carried away, Dover stayed up by default, they lost last game of the season however they got mega jammy with a series of results going their way, staying up on goal difference, they should or could easily be a 7th tier club, I'm not being pesimistic but I see us top 10 with an outside chance of play offs, still not convinced.

A lot names I'm hearing had already played league football, I wouldn't put Ben Whitfield in a group GJ improved!, He has already played for the likes of Piet Vale, there a stack of players we've also had who GJ let go only to prove him wrong, we haven't got a youth scheme where we are bringing players through,

I can't speak for other fans posting on here, but I can't think of one youngster on our books (TUFC being his ONLY club), GJ has got hold of him, worked with him, progressed and elevated him to new heights, and he's gone in to become a good regular player??.I know of someone linked to SD College, and he's told me a few things about GJ and his total lack of faith in our youngsters, he's basically binned them off, has zero intention of getting any youth scheme off the ground, and wants to go out and sign a load of cobblers like his Marquee signings, oh hang on, they weren't really, but they were going to become marquee signings, he must have nuts the size of cantaloupes for us to believe his nonsense...

Here's the thing, we won NLS when we were the only FT club in the league, and GJ has dined out on that pretty much ever since, we should of got promoted to League 2, but we blew up badly and what happened at Ashton Gate happened, but ever since its been fairly bad, I know we've lost good, reliable talent, but last season was awful, some of those performance rank alongside the worst I've ever seen, and I'm including being the mid 80' and mid 90's when it was bleak....GJ in my view should of walked, the whole set up and no communication is weird, and just in keeping with things

I thought B teams were all phased out in about 2001!!, It's flowering it up to call them Saints B team, we all know it was their U21's,...I said many weeks ago when we beat Reading's U16's I take nothing from pre season friendlies, they are merely a fitness exercise, I cannot believe people PAY good money to watch them?, What is the point??.GJ DOES owe us, it was his squad and his marquee signings, his formations and tactics, I'll stop now but you get my drift, sadly I can see us in NLS few a few years to come, this is our new level.

Remember Argyle fans causing trouble in 1984 in a milk cup tie, they think they're this colossal sleeping giant, but let's face it, they aren't, some decent history, but not that much, I did like Dave Smith and he did of course manage Gulls and was a great character, was sad he died not that long ago.

Great post by happytorq, I just don't get the arrogance thing with what the other fan posted, it does help being leagues higher, and they've built it up over time, they were in conference, and very nearly went bust, I always thought their tribute to Adam Stanfield was very special, they've never hoofed it in the last 10 years, big clubs cherry pick their talent, yet they held their own in league 1 last season..I don't get arrogant vibes from them, in this forum last year we had fans taking the piss out of Dorkings set up, and last time in NLS we had pricks letting off flares at away games, us thinking we're to good for NLS etc, I find that arrogant..