All Aboard

[brucie]

The Conference Express. Its been a long winding road but we caught the train on the first the day of the season and we have been meandering towards our rightful destination ever since. Now we are reaching the end of the line the train is gathering speed as we hurl headlong to oblivion.

So what does Hargreaves do next season. Luton are walking the league with players such as Benson and Gutteridge. Good players in their day but certainly over the top now.

Its all very well saying we should clear all our players out - thats all very well but then we will only attract worse players than we have already.

I have no idea who is under contract and who is not. I guess that we can safely assume Mansell,Nicholson and Stevens will all be offered contracts which is hardly a promising start. Bodin is out of contract - he has always impressed against Exeter so no doubt he will be off there. Thats probably why **** Tisdale fielded his youth development side against Wycombe tonight.

Other than that what do we do? - whats the plan? what players will we keep? Does anyone actually care?

[Dave]

Bruice, we caught the train to the conference long before the first day of this season, we caught it when the club banked nearly £600k on player sales and wouldn't allow Martin Ling to spend any of it on the team, then spent £200k on a training ground we can't forking use.

As the for the players, not many of these will be hear next season, the club will be able to afford most of them, as I've said on another tread, £250k premier league solidarity payment is lost straight away, £430k T.V and sponsorship money is halved year 1 and then lost, £180,000 ringed fenced for the youth set up is halved for 2 years then lost.

Sorry club has taken the piss out of the fan base once to often, can win the fan base back ? We will see.

[AustrianAndyGull]

I care.

Cambridge, Wrexham, Grimsby, Lincoln and others. They are all proper old league clubs who will all one day regain their league status. So will we. It is regeneration.

I expect a total and full clearout of our playing personnel as they don't warrant employment any more. Anything less and we still have a diseased element.

I expect the club to offer incentives to fans to soften the blow because this time around, it won't be an adventure. It will be a sentence.

I expect Chris to believe in himself and his abilities.

I expect an enjoyable day out on our first away day and last away day and all inbetween and show the conference that we are Torquay and really don't give a f*ck.

We keep the club afloat but if we get mugged off then we protest.

We survive and we grow.

There is no plan. We go with the flow and see where it takes us. Most probably Tamworth.

COME ON YOU YELLOWS!! I LOVE THIS CLUB!!

[kevgull]

All season long we have had a conveyor belt of players and managers.

We still only have 1/2 a dozen players amongst our squad, worthy of playing for such a God forsaken shirt! " Lemon stripes Army!"

Very occasionally we put in a performance that warrants our League 2 status, unfortunately is has been far too often.

A wise man once said: " You can't polish a turd, although sometimes you can cover it in glitter!!"

See you all next year in the Conference.

[oxgull]

Well I can't see any instant return to the FL for a load of seasons as, I believe, we will settle into mid table Conference mediocraty. I know, that's spelt wrong! Important questions are (a) do the club stay full time? b) what players will stay, those on contracts? (c) financial melt down appears to be looming due to loss of income so how do the club attract investment??? (d) will a second relegation hit attendances? It's no adventure this time around.!!!

Cluster and f**** springs to mind. Could be worse, we could do a Stockport and keep falling or, worse, Darlington and go out of business. Shouldn't tempt fate by saying that! If football is cyclic then I look forward to our return to the FL in 2056.

Rambling on cause I am DEPRESSED

[BayGull]

More to the point is how long will Thea Bristow be happy to continue to tip money down the drain?

Okay, so she has an 'investment' in the club - but that 'investment' is costing her more money day after day, week after week, month after month etc!
Bare in mind it was her late (and great) husband who had the interest in the club, not her.

There must be a time when she will say "enough is enough" - as she is getting no return on her investment and it is doubtful any of the other directors (sheep) are in a position to buy her out - so what will she do with a relegated club that is deep in debt?

Answers on a postcard please!

[Sunnysideup]

Bare in mind it was her late (and great) husband who had the interest in the club, not her.

Answers on a postcard please!

Thea still kept attending matches here even when Paul had become disenchanted with Mike B some seasons ago and stopped going.

[brucie]

Clearly to retain crowds at leats of the two thousand mark we would have to be challenging for promotion. The Conference last time around was really full of dire teams. In a way it doesn't matter what league we are in - fans will turn up if the team is winning. Anything less than mid table or below and we will be playing in front of 800 people if we are lucky.
The likes of Poke,Pearce,Downes and Benyon would be decent players at Conference level however clearing out all our players is all well and good - we wouldn't be able to attract anything better though. Its all very depressing.

[AustrianAndyGull]

I can't believe I might actually be watching Torquay at North Ferriby next season. It can't happen! It WON'T happen!! I've spent time in Ferriby and for those of you who don't know it is a small village just outside Hull. Jesus get us out of here!!

[Yellow4life]

These are out of contract this season:

Michael Poke
Martin Rice
Kevin Nicholson
Tom Cruise
Lee Mansell
Damon Lathrope
Nathan Craig
Niall Thompson
Joss Labadie
Ashley Yeoman
Billy Bodin
Shaun Cooper

Along with all the loanees.

Leaving us with a total of 10

[OllieGull]

These are out of contract this season:

Michael Poke
Martin Rice
Kevin Nicholson
Tom Cruise
Lee Mansell
Damon Lathrope
Nathan Craig
Niall Thompson
Joss Labadie
Ashley Yeoman
Billy Bodin
Shaun Cooper

Along with all the loanees.

Leaving us with a total of 10

I would only offer Yeoman, Craig and Lathrope new contracts for the conference, based on we wouldn't be able to afford Bodin, Labadie etc. and the others are just not good enough.

[Gullscorer]

The margin between success and failure can be a very narrow one. So it may take only a small change or two to see our fortunes improve. Whether such positive changes will be too little too late remains to be seen, but we cannot give up now.

One such change, which will certainly be beneficial, will be an improvement in the state of the pitch, and with the worst of the wet weather behind us we can expect to see that happen, and that alone could help us achieve better results through March and April.

String two or three such results together and confidence, fighting spirit, and desire to win will return to the team. With so many games still to go, the manager and players should definitely not give up.

And neither should the supporters. If we call ourselves supporters, now is the time, more than any other time during the season, when we should turn out and support the team.

Those who don't will certainly not deserve League Two football next season..

[sam_]

These are out of contract this season:

Michael Poke
Martin Rice
Kevin Nicholson
Tom Cruise
Lee Mansell
Damon Lathrope
Nathan Craig
Niall Thompson
Joss Labadie
Ashley Yeoman
Billy Bodin
Shaun Cooper

Along with all the loanees.

Leaving us with a total of 10

Keep,

Poke - Helped us out of that league
Rice - If he isn't off to city, then keep him, knows the league, good back up keeper
Nicholson - Same as Poke, maybe not a starter, but again, knows the league
Cruise - Give him a one year deal, see if he can do a job in that year
Mansell - Same as Nicholson
Lathrope - Quality
Thompson - A good talent, decent crosser of the ball, pacey - Conference must
Labadie - If he would stay for the conference
Bodin - Same as Labadie

Release,

Craig - Good left foot, that's about it, hasn't cracked it under three managers now
Yeoman - Same as Craig really, can't be that good, four managers said no to him now


Cooper - Not sure yet, need to see if he gets fit whilst here

Offer Blackburn money for O'connor, and we nearly have a half decent team. Sign some goalscorers. Get rid of Tonge, Hawley, Cameron. Get Marquis on a season loan.

[Behind-the-Gulls]

We still have some unfinished business with regards to FA Trophy. Lets aim for another trip to Wembley and the chance of winning our first trophy ever. (Oh,no sorry,forgot Devon Professional Bowl!)

[Scott Brehaut]

We still have some unfinished business with regards to FA Trophy. Lets aim for another trip to Wembley and the chance of winning our first trophy ever. (Oh,no sorry,forgot Devon Professional Bowl!)

We were given one after winning the play off final weren't we?