Torquay United Fans Forum

Thank you to the Bristow family for their support. It is a shame for their tenure to end like this and I don't put any blame on them at all.

The position we are in now was predicted by myself and others years ago. We were ignored and now we find ourselves bang up to our necks in self inflicted shit! The blame lies four square with the supposed "respected" businessmen. I said it then.....never put your business in the control of lawyers or accountants, we did both. Ignorance of basic marketing and communication, actually no, it was worse. They didn't even recognise the need for basic skills. I went to the club in 2012 and told them how to do it. I would have gone a lot further but it was obvious then that they just didn't get it. That completely incompetent fool Phillips was left in charge along with the other idiot Baker to steer the ship straight into an iceberg, in broad daylight with people standing all around screaming "look out for that **** great big iceberg!!" I hope both of these retards will be shown the door with immediate effect.

I listened to the match loud and clear here in Phuket. I've installed Hola and the Torch browser, go to the bbc commo page and after a couple of fails it loads fine. The only game I've missed is the Lincoln one. For some reason it wouldn't work. As for the rising tone at the end of sentences. When you work with Aussies you know exactly how it's found its way into the English language. I blame Home and Away along with Neighbours. All those single mothers with nothing to do other than smoke fags and watch daytime telly with their Kylie and Jason asbo wannabee brats! Drives me nuts.

I move to Hanoi next week and that might present a different challenge on matchday.

TUFC stopped treating Fans as Customers a long time ago. The CRM at Plainmoor is downright awful as I witnessed and experienced first hand at the GAWS home game September 2012 (the last time I was in the UK). The Stewards regard all fans as a problem and react accordingly even to polite requests. I have worked in customer focused roles all my working life and have learned that, it's not the problem that is the problem, it's how it is handled. I have had really pissed off customers baying for heads and blood on the carpet at first, become life long advocates of the company after having their problem dealt with professionally. When was the last time a problem was handled this way at TUFC? The customer problems just keep coming, far more often than any company should experience. While that continues, TUFC will lose more paying customers to other uses for their hard earned cash. Should I ever return to the UK, Plainmoor will be low on my list of priorities for a visit. I will listen or follow on t'internet as I have been for the last 10 years or so.

Steve, he's not working for free tho is he? Let's look at facts rather than hearsay and innuendo. His decision making and PR gas been poor at best. His control of finances has hamstrung our competitiveness. He has taken the club backwards in terms of Customer Relations Management. He has led the Club back to the Conference. In short Bill Phillips has cost TUFC a fortune in lost revenue and supporters. By any measure that's a fail and deserves to lose his job.

Bill Phillips is a cnut! Anyone who has done business or worked with him will tell you. This man has to be got out of TUFC.

Thanks Scott.

Anyone know how we can listen to the game from overseas without Gullsplayer? I've got the proxy wotsit but it's saying on the RD website that commo is not online! However I listened to the Gateshead game........all very confusing!

The surprise is that anyone's surprised given that the 2 idiots are still pulling the strings. Sorry to have to say this but I've been telling you for years now. Very poor timing but that's nothing new. No meaningful communication from the club as per usual. Patronising drivel as some sort of reasoning. Farce.

So, what are we left with? Thea and her money (but for how long?), Baker and Phillips (dear God how much longer can these two utter fu*king idiots be left in any control capacity?) and a spineless rump of Directors doing nothing to stop it. Not good at all. As for generating some excitement about the season, attracting some floating supporters back to the club bringing revenue with them? I guess we'll find out the first Home game.

Is this another one of Bill Phillips clangers? Whichever genius came up with this idea needs another lesson in saving pennies but costing pounds handbook of avoiding ****! But then they learnt so much last season and look where we are because of it.

Evening Gray. I assume we will be tuning in for the Gateshead clash. Can we listen to it on RD now overseas or do we still have to go through .com?

I don't see why you'd presume that a side with a home attendance of, say, 4000 would fail to raise a single away supporter. Hyde FC, who get about 400 at home were still taking a minibus full to away games last year and that's to watch a side which managed 10 points all year.

I think a number of people would see it as a cheap way to follow their team without having to stump up for an expensive first team ticket. Once teams are established, the away following would follow pretty naturally. Ok, Stoke B might not bring many, but then, I doubt that we'll be seeing the away end opened for Halifax or Dover FC next season either.

For some sort of evidence of success of brand new teams with an attachment to an existing PL giant (I know the circumstances are somewhat different), have a look at FCUM, FC United of Manchester. Alright, they started off as a protest vote, but the initial excitement of it being something new has long since passed (remember the Ebbsfeet thing, 25,000 supporters in year one, about 600 in year two once the initial gloss of "owning shares in a football club" wore off) and they still get anywhere between 3 and 6 times the gates of everyone else. I can't find their away figures, but there's talk on the website of offering coach travel, except where demand fails to suffice (so the presumption is that a coach will run. That's the same situation as at Torquay). This is in the Evo-Stik, which is so far down the pyramid that I'm not even sure how far down they really are.

I think there are still, just, enough genuine football fans left at the top of the pyramid that away attendances would be comparable with the Conference. On that score, the argument against looks extremely weak. Elsewhere, it's stronger, and it's in those areas that any sensible objection to the proposals should be concentrated.

Matt.[/quote]


I am loving the irony of FL jacking off all enthusiastic about the B Team league and its promotion yet refuses to want or even acknowledge the sense of Marketing TUFC. Matt, dear boy, stick to carrying papers for other jumped up, self important chinless wonders.

I am loving the irony of FL jacking off all enthusiastic about the B Team league and its promotion yet refuses to want or even acknowledge the sense of Marketing TUFC. Matt, dear boy, stick to carrying papers for other jumped up, self important chinless wonders.

TorquayGull2014 wrote:For clarity please can those in the know complete the following

Phillips and Baker are responsible for position that Torquay United find themselves in because:
a

b

c

d

etc

Answer:

a,b,c,d etc Because they've been the ones in charge for the last 3 years or so and we now find ourselves relegated to the Conference.

Well, the simple answer is that they were the Chairmen and the ones in charge. However it's not just these two that are in the frame, they were the leaders. The others just sat back and allowed it to happen. I'm not sure what other conclusion you can draw from this.

Why does this Board of Directors have such a Teflon coating? In the past we have crucified Webb for his ......erm......car lot, local player team with a little bit of arson thrown in approach to TUFC. Roberts took us down with his brand of witchcraft. And yet, for some reason, this Board can do no wrong in some peoples eyes while they took us down to the Conference again. It beggars belief! So while Webb and Roberts are hated for doing their best to ruin us, this bunch of incompetents are just too fluffy to blame. Steve, I was there when you ripped into Wes for his dismal performance, hero tho he was to most of us. Where has your judgement and fire gone? Did you need proof of Wes' incompetence? No! It was plain to see form any angle you cared to look. So what's the difference now Steve? Have you mellowed in your old age or fatherhood calmed you down a bit? i don't believe that for one second. See it for what it is, a bloody disgrace with none of the culprits willing to own up!