Torquay United Fans Forum

I am one of the supposed "rose tinters" and those who cannot accept views that differ from mine. To that accusation I would say this - all I ask for is a sense of realism. TUFC is what it is - always has been and probably always will be - it is run by well meaning people with limited resources who sometimes get things right and occasionally horribly wrong. What useful purpose does it serve to constantly snipe when things don't go the way we would like? -what does it achieve other than possibly making the person complaining feel better for a while.
Does the club lack ambition - yes without any doubt but only because clubs of our size are basically looking to survive rather than progress. Membership of the Football League still means a lot. The lower leagues may be catching up but they still lack the kudos of league membership. There are many examples of clubs whose desire to progress has resulted in financial catastrophy. Are we better supporting a club of limited ambition who manage to stay in the lower leagues or one who presses forward and ends up in financial meltdown. For instance, it would seem that Buckle United are going to be in one hell of a mess if Buckle dosn't win them promotion. You have to think that they are taking one almighty gamble on winning promotion and if they fail it won't only be Buckle out on his ear.
All i've tried to say is that we need to be realistic in our expectations - if you want big money signings and expectations you are supporting the wrong club.
TUFC is never going to be like that much as we might like it to be. Supporting Torquay is something to be endured rather than the pleasure we would like to be and full of the attendant frustrations.
I'm sorry views such as mine do not seem acceptable on this forum and for that reason I will join "monkeyboy" on the sidelines.

Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit Southampton Gull - I should know as i've been a skilled exponent of it for many years!!!
Whingers was the word I was searching for - and there are some skilled exponents of it on this forum. If Martin Ling could find a few players as good at football as we are as at whinging we would be promotion certainties.

Well said Warwickgull - my thoughts exactly

Why is it that people on this forum jump at any opportunity to get at the board & the club. The Bristol evening rag says BR paid £35000 and it suddenly becomes fact - IT IS ONLY SPECULATION NOT FACT. The OS states that BR met our valuation -THAT is the ONLY fact we know - everything else is guesswork. As previously mentioned the £35000 may be a first installment (after all they are paying Buckles compensation in installments) we don't know, so for crying out feckin loud stop wittering until we know the FULL facts as and when they ever come out.
How many of the serial wingers on here are likely to take up the opportunity to join the forum being proposed by Andrew Candy to do something genuinely useful to help the club - very few I suggest and I fear that what is a good idea will decend into the usual chaos and recrimination. I know that if my work and family commitmernts were different I would do all I could to help. Some of you need to ask yourselves whether you really want TUFC to thrive because if it did you wouldn't have anything to moan about - but on the otherhand -----------!!!

Goalkeepers always get mixed reactions from supporters. However good, if you ask a hundred supporters you will always get some negative views. The general feeling seems to be that we made a decent signing here and with the added bonus of Brian Saah the defence looks as strong as last season. Midfield looks OK, although perhaps Easton would be a good addition. Up front is the problem area as its not immediatley obvious where the goals are coming from. Not quite sure what we need here until the Zebroski situation is sorted out.

I see on the gasbags forum someone is saying that Zebroski is in talks with them with Joe Kuffour coming the other way. Interesting!

Teeboo for me.
His grammer and spelling may be crap but he's been a breath of fresh air. Stunningly accurate info and some interesting insights into events behind the scenes. Someone with his finger very much on the pulse.

Simon Barker probably had it posted to give some of you the opportunity to have a go at the board seeing its been quiet on that score for a while.
OK, so it seems odd, but does it really warrant a thread all of its own? After all its fairly obvious that at least the principal candidates would have been notified by e-mail two weeks ago when Martin Ling was appointed. Board bashing or manager bashing seems a favourate on this board. Get behind the club for Gods sake they are trying hard to improve and the appointment of Andrew Candy will really help to speed things along.

Couldn't agree more Warwickgull. Why is it that some people still want to be so anti. We need to move on and accept the situation as it is.
I would imagine there is hell of a lot going on behind the scenes at the moment. If we havn't seen an assistant and some players by this time next week there would be cause for concern but until then lets try and stay calm and await events. Mind you we could sign Messi and someone on here would be moaning that he was rubbish!!!

Zeb

I'm not so sure - The Rovers piece mentions him working well with another potential signing we hope to bring in". Hope it isn' Zeb

Perhaps in retrospect Simon Barker would have been better saying that we exceeded pre season expectations rather than that we over achieved. But at the end of the day its down to a matter of interpretation. I think it has become a habit for the club to set low levels of expectation and the time has come for a more positive approach.
We all know the club is not in the front rank in terms of finance but that dosn't mean we can't move forward. The likes of Dagenham & Redbridge managed promotion on a shoestring and although they came straight back down again they didn't go without a fight. They managed it on gates and resources below ours so if they can do it there is no reason why we can't reach L1 and stay there. Rochdale & Hartlepool both spent more time than most in L2 yet have both moved up and survived in L1 (Rochdale with some success) again on average gate not that much higher than ours. We may need a season of consolidation & rebuilding to get there but it can be done and it is what the club should be aiming for. Negativity and lack of ambition breeds mediocrity so lets see the club showing a bit more fighting spirit together and a bit more professionalim behind the scenes swouldn't go amiss either.

Having now come to terms with appointment of Martin Ling it struck me that perhaps the club was right after all to go for an experienced manager rather than a novice. As someone who was in the Nicky Forster camp this is a u turn for me - but then, if the goverment can do it why can't I. The deciding factor was the thought of Nicky Forster using Torquay as a stepping stone on to bigger things as Paul Buckle before him. There is every chance that Forster will develop into a decent manager in the next few years so we stood the risk of being treated the same way we were by the "Trouser Snake Kid".
Reflection makes me think that an experienced manager and hopefully a good player coach is the best way forward after all.

This was never going to be anything other than a brief chance to say all the right things. This he did and I probably feel slightly more reassured than I did yesterday. Having said that, words are cheap and his actions over the next few weeks will be far more closely scrutinised. But as I say I remain wholey optimistic & upbeat.

Fonda - I think you will find that is the official TUFC tie - not very inspiring is it

Boom Boom - get a grip, shake off the depression and cheer the f--k up.

Taunton Gull

Bill Phillips spent most of his career as an executive in the food industry. He ran what was then the St Ivel factory in Paignton and then Devon Desserts in Newton Abbot for a number of years. I worked under him at Newton Abbot for a while and would describe him as a pretty hardnosed businessman with his head firmly screwed on. I believe he did consultancy work more recently but our paths havn't crossed for about eight years. He was of course prominent in local refereeing circles and I think he made league line level but not referee - he used to be called on to referee pre season matches at Plainmoor years ago.

Much as many of us would love to see Alex Russell back at Plainmoor it is more important that the new manager has somebody he is comfortable with rather than someone foisted on him by the club. If that person is Russell thats great - if he prefers his own man then we should accept that. Its the norm these days that the incoming manager picks his own people - usually those they have worked with before.