Our Club

[kevgull]

The simple questions for me are this:

When the dust settles at the end of this transfer window, do we have the required personel at TUFC to prevent us being relegated to the Conference South?

If there was a pole on this site today, I would vote NO

Would I watch Confernece South football next season?
My answer would be NO

TUFC is in a state of decline, bad news follows bad news I'm afraid.

[Gullible]

On the comment by iangull01 about players brought in by Cox not being able to hack it under Nicholson, I don't think that's the case at all. I think it's a case of getting rid of the players who the club can get some money for, as come the end of the season when their contracts are up, they'll walk away with nothing coming into the club. I also think the reason Butler is still here is that Nicholson needs him in front of him to help him do his job at LB.

[gateman49]

Jerry, Chardie, Neal , Scott and others,

I'm with you and I'll be there to let you in!

[Yorkieandy]

Me too, because I'm a supporter, not a customer.

Interesting debate to be had here.

I find it fascinating those who vehemently profess their 'support' for a club and who do so seemingly regardless of how much shit they get back from the club they support. However, this kind of comment is totally irrelevant because everyone has a limit to their 'support' in terms of the day that comes when they decide enough is enough.

For example Chardie, if the club dropped into conference south and put prices up to £35 a ticket (won't happen obviously but hear me out =D ), if the club did this then would you think twice about going? If you continued to support and the club put prices up to £50 a ticket and replica shirts at £70 then would you still attend and still buy the shirts?

If you paid into the club a tidy sum of cash each month to help out in one of the schemes and never heard anything would you still continue to do so no questions asked?

Of course not. Every fan has a limit therefore no one person can ever have a pop at others for examining what they actually get out of 'supporting' a club in terms of cost/benefit because there is a point that even YOU will decide enough is enough when you're limit is eventually reached.

There will be fans who don't go to many games (for a variety of reasons) and perhaps are in the TUST and buy merchandise now and then and therefore the physical, mental and financial toll of travelling and then watching a complete load of shite on the pitch week in week out whilst simultaneously being mugged off or ignored by the board is not an issue. There will be fans who go through the mill every week home and away too but some tolerate it better than others.

It's so easy to proclaim you're a super supporter but in reality you can only claim to 'support' until your tolerance in terms of physical, mental and financial has finally disappeared. Would you pay £100 a ticket? Would you go for a meal in the GN and pay London prices? Would you buy a programme at a tenner? We're all customers ultimately and the issue at lower levels of football is that clubs actually need to move away from looking a people as supporters and look at them as customers. Only then can they look at their 'business' objectively and change how they operate in order to survive. The new support in terms of kids are only trickling through and many older fans of clubs are either increasingly unable to attend due to ill health or the like or they are increasingly deciding in greater numbers that the club they support just don't do enough for them anymore and they find something else to do or stop going. It's all about treating 'supporters' as customers and being inventive and engaging and doing this can go a long way to keeping people motivated and more willing to make the effort to attend and part with their hard earned cash for what essentially is 95% an extremely poor 'product' and an extremely poor form of 'entertainment'.

I don't like using those terms when it comes to football but football at all levels has changed and the way people 'consume' football has changed. Everyone who spends their money is a customer to someone. Anyone who hands over money without question is supremely dim. You wouldn't even give cash to your own kid without proviso's.

[gateman49]

In response to your contribution, Yorkieandy, perhaps instead of the scenario you picture on your third paragraph, and the theme that you develop concerning 'customers', there is a viable alternative.

That is that the club will end up, like a growing number of other clubs, owned and run by the fans via TUST.

[RussianGull]

Nicholson seeming to miss the point here, for me - a bit of a knob thing to say really. Surely he can see why the fans are frustrated! Why are we frustrated, we've got rid of the only player left who'd scored over 5 goals!!!

"If I was getting rid of players who had scored one goal every two games, I could certainly understand the fans' frustration.
"But it's done now and in the past."



Read more: http://www.torquayheraldexpress.co.uk/T ... z3yYMzLYcN

[Tarrboy1]

Ok, like alot of you, I've supported Torquay all of my life. My grandfather moved to Torbay in the 1930's and started going to Plainmoor, then he took my dad and my dad took me etc etc. 39 years later and I've had some excellent times supporting Torquay and some equally disappointing ones. The current situation is the worst that I can remember.

I try not to get involved in "emotional" stuff on here and try and stick to comments about games I've seen or players I know. I've never criticised the board (not that I can remember anyway). At this precise moment in time though, I'm feeling decidedly depressed about the state of my football club.

Supporting Torquay, I dont expect to win things. I dont expect to win the league, get promotion, get to cup finals or beat better teams in the FA Cup. If it happens on the odd occasion, that makes it all the more special and I'm grateful.

What I do expect though is for my team to try. To try and sign decent players (and keep them). To try and win games. To fight for all we are worth for the shirt and the club. Thats both on the pitch and off it.

What I'm seeing at the moment is a complete acceptance of the fact that we are not going to stay up. That TUFC is doomed to relegation to play in a league that I was nearly good enough to play in (and I'm rubbish at football). WTF?

We are a proud, full time professional football club. Please can we start behaving like one.

Torquay United are my team. I will always support them as they are part of me. Part of my life. I dont want them to die. There is only one outcome if we carry on as we are though.

[taxilady]

Tarrboy, you make a lot of sense.

[Burnhamgull]

Ok, like alot of you, I've supported Torquay all of my life. My grandfather moved to Torbay in the 1930's and started going to Plainmoor, then he took my dad and my dad took me etc etc. 39 years later and I've had some excellent times supporting Torquay and some equally disappointing ones. The current situation is the worst that I can remember.

I try not to get involved in "emotional" stuff on here and try and stick to comments about games I've seen or players I know. I've never criticised the board (not that I can remember anyway). At this precise moment in time though, I'm feeling decidedly depressed about the state of my football club.

Supporting Torquay, I dont expect to win things. I dont expect to win the league, get promotion, get to cup finals or beat better teams in the FA Cup. If it happens on the odd occasion, that makes it all the more special and I'm grateful.

What I do expect though is for my team to try. To try and sign decent players (and keep them). To try and win games. To fight for all we are worth for the shirt and the club. Thats both on the pitch and off it.

What I'm seeing at the moment is a complete acceptance of the fact that we are not going to stay up. That TUFC is doomed to relegation to play in a league that I was nearly good enough to play in (and I'm rubbish at football). WTF?

We are a proud, full time professional football club. Please can we start behaving like one.

Torquay United are my team. I will always support them as they are part of me. Part of my life. I dont want them to die. There is only one outcome if we carry on as we are though.

Absolutely on the money with this post.

[SenorDingDong]

The people calling Brucie a lunatic in this thread are for once totally wrong. He's actually one of the few on this site to be talking sense for once.

As for those of you who want the TUST to save us, they've managed to make roughly £15k during 18 months of crisis and until very recently were still entertaining the frankly insane idea of purchasing Plainmoor for £250k when their net worth is £15k. They are not the answer, they are not Exeter's TUST, they are clueless.

[CP Gull]

The people calling Brucie a lunatic in this thread are for once totally wrong. He's actually one of the few on this site to be talking sense for once.

As for those of you who want the TUST to save us, they've managed to make roughly £15k during 18 months of crisis and until very recently were still entertaining the frankly insane idea of purchasing Plainmoor for £250k when their net worth is £15k. They are not the answer, they are not Exeter's TUST, they are clueless.

Have to agree, disappointed to have to admit that, although he TUST came in with a lot of great intentions 12 months or so ago, They seem to have regressed in terms of activity in recent months and I really don't think that is the way forward. The only hope left for us, in my opinion, is for an investor to come in and take the club forward.

[Southampton Gull]

People need to take a look at themselves here. Wait until the rebuilding is finished before lambasting the manager and the board. We're not affluent enough to just bring players in at the drop of a hat. It has to be done carefully and with the very future of the club at stake it has to be a success. This latest round of ins and outs isn't finished yet. Let it play out before slagging off Steve Breed and Kevin Nicholson. If that isn't good enough then throw £30k of your own money into the pot and go get the player of your choice.

I'm amazed at the reactions of several people who really should know better. I can promise you all one thing here, the club are doing their very best to give us a chance of staying up, at least they've got the balls for a fight, that's more than most of you have got.

[Burnhamgull]

I think that's because nowadays people have more choice on a Saturday afternoon. The feelings are "Why continue throwing money at a poor product"?

Some say we're fans, some say we're customers. I say we're both. Loyalty to the club has always been tested because it's never been easy following Torquay United. The events of the past three years however have pushed many to their absolute limit and gradually those fans are turning their backs. We are fans because many of us grew up locally and follow the club no matter where we now live. Some are fans through some obscure links but ultimately we're all customers of a business that serves up a rubbish product time after time and is now having what looks like a fire sale.

It's all very well saying the TUST could make it work but after 18 months, how many members does it now have? I'm sorry but this club does not have a fanbase big enough to pull it out of the quagmire.

You can even see how the fanbase is dwindling by looking back at the good times. Each time we got to Wembley, the number of fans attending became less and less. I remember 20,000 going to watch the Sherpa Van trophy final in 89. When we went to Wembley last time against Cambridge, only a fraction of that number went. Look around Torbay and see how many Torquay shirts are worn by kids at weekends.

Football is a business and the more customers you have, the bigger you'll be. Cities and big towns will always boast successful clubs because when the chips are down, fans will turn out in their thousands.

If the next home game was Torquay United's last ever game and we offered free admission, I still doubt we'd fill the ground.

[IanGull01]

People need to take a look at themselves here. Wait until the rebuilding is finished before lambasting the manager and the board. We're not affluent enough to just bring players in at the drop of a hat. It has to be done carefully and with the very future of the club at stake it has to be a success. This latest round of ins and outs isn't finished yet. Let it play out before slagging off Steve Breed and Kevin Nicholson. If that isn't good enough then throw £30k of your own money into the pot and go get the player of your choice.

I'm amazed at the reactions of several people who really should know better. I can promise you all one thing here, the club are doing their very best to give us a chance of staying up, at least they've got the balls for a fight, that's more than most of you have got.

Again this bloke talks sense!!

[CP Gull]

People need to take a look at themselves here. Wait until the rebuilding is finished before lambasting the manager and the board. We're not affluent enough to just bring players in at the drop of a hat. It has to be done carefully and with the very future of the club at stake it has to be a success. This latest round of ins and outs isn't finished yet. Let it play out before slagging off Steve Breed and Kevin Nicholson. If that isn't good enough then throw £30k of your own money into the pot and go get the player of your choice.

I'm amazed at the reactions of several people who really should know better. I can promise you all one thing here, the club are doing their very best to give us a chance of staying up, at least they've got the balls for a fight, that's more than most of you have got.

Dave, they may have thrown £30k at it, but based on their latest pronouncements (most recent fans forum) their "investments are still solid" which suggests to me at least that, as things stand, they haven't lost any money! I stand to be corrected.