Kevin Nicholson - 3 year contract

[Gulliball]

I loved Hargreaves as a player, and loved Nicholson as a player. As managers though, they are nothing alike.

A three year deal is absolutely brilliant news for us - he is the biggest asset the club has. Appointed to a team at the bottom of the Conference and in his first press conference he says he has been planning for this moment for years. He wants to give something back to the area rather than take, take, take.

He's taking the players into schools, building the next generation of Torquay fans. Supporting the ladies team with a different player to coach them every week and sending players to other community projects. The feel-good factor in the last few months has been brilliant, all on the back of the work Nicholson has done. Now he's pushing for new sponsorship deals and offering himself to meet and arrange the dealings - is there any other manager we've had who cares even a fraction about the club as a whole rather than just the first team squad?

Just over a year ago I was back in Torquay for a holiday, and it coincided with a 'Meet the Players' event the harbour side. The players did a lap over the bridge and then were off. I think there were three fans there and it was an awkward, embarrassing experience. All of that squad left last summer and we were better off for it. Nicholson is promising a side that the fans can connect to and be proud of, which for a club of our size is absolutely massive.

2800 at the last game and a cheap season ticket deal is something that we can use as a springboard to accelerate our growth. Having a manager who can unite the fans and give them a cause to get behind is absolutely key to that. Without our end of season form we would have been averaging about 1600/1700 last season. Next season we should be well over 2000, and that is the absolutely quantifiable effect of Nicholson as manager and fans having optimism for the future of the club.

[tomogull]

First of all, I'm pleased the club have offered Kevin a new contract as it provides a bit of stability after what was a turbulent season.

However......3 years? A tad generous I feel and perhaps a 2 year contract would have been more than enough. Secondly, the comments regarding ownership and the need for more investement shows that this proposed takeover is nowhere near complete yet, unless the board are trying to taper excitement and quash the daily rumour mill. Third and finally, I think it was a shame that Steve Breed didn't get more than a short sentence to confirm termination of his role.

Yes - I also thought it was poor that Steve didn't get more than a one sentence mention tacked on to the end of the chairman's announcement. I'd like to be a fly on Steve's living room wall to hear what he really thinks about the proposed takeover. Before the arrival of Gaming International, it was Steve making all the Press announcements and being interviewed on the radio. Then when GI emerged on the scene, Steve seemed to take a backward step and it was David Phillips making all the announcements and Press releases. I don't recall Steve saying anything positive about Gaming International so maybe he feels rather lukewarm about the deal. I love conspiracy theories !

On the other hand, he might be quite happy to step down as Chie Exec to allow more time to run his business which I'm sure brings in more money than his Chief Exec role. Either way, he deserves greater acknowledgement for what he has done because it was he who was the driving force behind putting together a consortium which has helped the club to get through this season. Thanks Steve.

[Scott Brehaut]

Seriously, a bloody 3 year contract! Have they learnt nothing from the mistakes of the previous board, after Hargreaves I never thought we would see anything like this again. Nicholson eventually did his job and fulfilled his remit but a lot of you have got so carried away. The way some have carried on here I am surprised you havent asked for an open top bus parade to celebrate Nicholsons "achievement" of finishing 18th.

I surely hope there is a set amount of some sort of pay off clause if things arent working out, if we are going tits up by Christmas then God help us if we have to pay up 2 and a half years.

I cant believe this club sometimes. :no:

Seriously, has Kev shagged your Mrs or something? You've not really had a good word to say about him at all.

[Jeff]

Seriously, a bloody 3 year contract! Have they learnt nothing from the mistakes of the previous board, after Hargreaves I never thought we would see anything like this again. Nicholson eventually did his job and fulfilled his remit but a lot of you have got so carried away. The way some have carried on here I am surprised you havent asked for an open top bus parade to celebrate Nicholsons "achievement" of finishing 18th.

I surely hope there is a set amount of some sort of pay off clause if things arent working out, if we are going tits up by Christmas then God help us if we have to pay up 2 and a half years.

I cant believe this club sometimes. :no:

I don't think anyone is celebrating the fact that we finished 18th. It's the context in which it was achieved.

The club had the playing budget slashed to presumably its lowest level, we were at the bottom of the table on a rotten run of form and only heading in one direction. I for one had totally given up hope.

Nico has come in, and TBH I thought made some huge decisions and used some big talk in press conferences etc. Up until Feb I thought that he was going to look completely stupid as he failed on the minimum requirement, but look what happened in the end. I think people forgot just how dead and buried we were in February, so although finishing 18th in itself isn't an achievement the manner in which we recovered is.

When Nico was appointed, some posters (myself included) argued that look at what Eddie Howe did for Bournemouth - why couldn't that happen for us. Well so far, it has happened for us so who knows how far this can go. All indications at the moment point towards us being onto a good thing

[Neal]

Really good news. I reckon they had to move or start losing the better players to other clubs, including Nicholson I would imagine.

One step nearer to renewing my season ticket.

[Across the Bey]

It would a surprise if Steve Breed doesn't get more an acknowledgement after his departure, I am sure he will. With regards to Nicho's 3 year contract I must admit I raised an eyebrow. I think due to the fact it's a rare thing to come across in football nowadays, more so in recent years.

However, the decisiveness from the board, I feel, is a positive sign. 'This is our man and we will get him signed up for this amount of time'. It has kept the momentum moving forward. The pre-season can now be approached in the appropriate way, this has to start with the retention of a strong nucleus from the current squad. I'm sure Kevin has already started with that process.

There is still the lurking figure in the shadows that is GI. I think the decision to take on Nicho, with the contract he has been given is a message of intent to the prospective new owners. I'm not about to dwell on how that situation will unfold. What I will do (for how long I do not know) is enjoy the moment. We currently have everything in place to move the club forward to those long awaited better days.

[Scott Brehaut]

For those of you not on the book of face, here is a full statement from Kev:

It is with great excitement and honour that I can announce I have agreed a contract with the Chairman David Phillips to remain as Manager of Torquay United. I am personally ecstatic and so proud to be given the chance to continue the rebuilding of this great club.

I am very grateful and flattered by the interest from other clubs. However, I consider Torquay “home” and this is the only club I really want to Manage and the only place I really want to be. They will have to drag me out kicking and screaming to get shot of me!



I cannot comment on the negotiations between the club and potential investors. All I can say is that I trusty implicitly the decisions of David Phillips and can let you all know that he is working tirelessly to ensure the long term security of this football club. He is at his core, a true supporter, and man of great integrity, who has taken on responsibility for the clubs survival when no one else would. He deserves everyone’s respect and great support.



My sole focus now shifts to the 2 major goals for the 2016/17 season, namely:

1, Promotion. Take this club back to the football league, where it belongs.

2, Produce a team you can be proud of and inspired by. Form a group of players who you can believe in and enjoy supporting.



The “Great Escape” was of course a huge achievement but only the start. What we were able to achieve through a tumultuous period, on and off the field, with a tiny budget and by “beg, steel and borrowing” was something I will always be proud of.

But it was just the first step in the overall “Blue (and yellow) print” we have to rebuild and regenerate this club. Now we must commit every resource and all our energy to this year.

That starts with me working to resign many of the great players who performed so admirably last year and proved what they can accomplish even in the most pressurised and often less than ideal circumstances.



BUT I REALLY NEED YOUR SUPPORT TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN...

Our financial situation remains challenged, and I would therefore ask that you all do whatever you can to support me and this club. Whether that be through the purchase of a season ticket, through donations to the players fund or if you are in a position, through sponsorship and partnership.

If we can resign many of the core group from last year, which based on finance is far from certain, we have a great platform to build from.

I will personally come to meet any interested sponsors to outline our plans, to reaffirm our core values and to hopefully convince you that the vision and journey we are aiming for, is one that you will want to share in and can be proud of.

I do not believe the relationship between sponsors and the club is “x for y”; to me it is a partnership of the values of both businesses, and we want to ensure that we fulfil every obligation to our sponsors and make them very proud of everyone we do on the pitch and in the community.

I, the players, the club, really need the support of you all. As I always say, this football club exists for the supporters and the community first and foremost. We as staff are custodians of that responsibility. Right now we all need to be together more than ever before.

Thank you again for all your support and being the real “12th man” throughout last season. I hope we can all come together, players, coaches, supporters, businesses, the whole community, and that our shared energy can be the driving force behind this club achieving things others consider impossible.

You have my word I will not rest until the goals and targets that we have set have been achieved.



You’re Manager

Kevin Nicholson.

[cambgull]

I don't think anyone is celebrating the fact that we finished 18th. It's the context in which it was achieved.

The club had the playing budget slashed to presumably its lowest level, we were at the bottom of the table on a rotten run of form and only heading in one direction. I for one had totally given up hope.

Nico has come in, and TBH I thought made some huge decisions and used some big talk in press conferences etc. Up until Feb I thought that he was going to look completely stupid as he failed on the minimum requirement, but look what happened in the end. I think people forgot just how dead and buried we were in February, so although finishing 18th in itself isn't an achievement the manner in which we recovered is.

When Nico was appointed, some posters (myself included) argued that look at what Eddie Howe did for Bournemouth - why couldn't that happen for us. Well so far, it has happened for us so who knows how far this can go. All indications at the moment point towards us being onto a good thing

If I may add something with the ability of hindsight too:-

When we survived relegation in the seasons under Knill and Hargreaves, in hindsight we scraped through both times. They both managed to arrest the plummeting league positions but offered little more than slightly above relegation form. Enough for safety but you felt that if the season were 10 games longer, we wouldn't have improved that much more.

In Nico's case, we pretty much had play-off form and given another 10 games we'd probably be closer to mid table.

The proof in the pudding will be this summer and the beginning of next season. If he can instill that fighting belief we've had at the back end of this season and combine it with confidence and good football, I think we'll be in for a very fun season.

[BobBobBob]

Another impressive aspect to Kevin Nicholson's great escape is that he moved quickly to get rid of players that weren't fit for purpose and replaced them with players a large amount of us will hope we keep for next season. I'm someone who would have used the defence for Chris Hargreaves that he inherited a lot of junk from Alan Knill that he couldn't shift. Nicholson has proved himself adept at not making excuses and getting on with the job. Okay, maybe it was a slightly different set of circumstances and the likes of Tonge, Harding, Benyon and Hawley were on ridiculous money for their respective lack of talent. Regardless, it's a fact that Paul Cox loaded us with absolute garbage and it speaks to Nicholson's off-field abilities that he was able to remove all that crap and replace it with decent quality. And he did it on a lower budget than Hargreaves!

I'm happy it's a three year deal, I think it's great that Nicholson has such a strong affinity for the club, I don't get the feeling that he'll run off to Bristol Rovers or whoever should we have success. I also think football clubs need to be more sensible, stable and spend more time building towards success. This commitment is a two-way street. It's important that we do our bit and not call for his head whenever we go into a bad patch of form. No club at this level can afford to sack managers every six months. No club can afford to have a handful of managers sign 30+ players in a single season and hope to achieve anything either.

My only concern is that Nicholson ends his Facebook post by saying that we are manager. I'd rather he was manager, to be honest.

[VillagerSparky]

Let's hope this marks the beginnings of a long run of good fortune for Nicho and the club!

[Lloyder5]

Another impressive aspect to Kevin Nicholson's great escape is that he moved quickly to

My only concern is that Nicholson ends his Facebook post by saying that we are manager. I'd rather he was manager, to be honest.

That is just a grammatical error, I am crtain he meant to say, 'your manager'.

[Gloomy Gull]

I must confess to being a little confused/concerned by these current events.

> The current board have agreed a deal to sell the club to GI - albeit not yet fully completed
> The current Chairman takes the decision to offer a 3 year contract to KN.
> The current CEO is made redundant - "the position of chief executive was made redundant due to restructuring".
> "The club can also confirm that it is not currently in any discussions with former Torquay United Head of Youth Geoff Harrop regarding joining the club in the near future."

Are GI still moving forward with their purchase the club?

If so, is it the new Director's (to be appointed by GI) who have sanctioned the very long contract term for the manager, undertaken a restructure review and instructed the current Chairman to implement these changes OR has Dave Phillips arbitrarily made and implemented these decisions without reference to the supposed new owners and looked to secure Nicholson's future, either in employment or not? If the 3 year gamble does not come off OR the new owners have other ideas - Nicholson's income is secured for 3 years.

The views on this site, from some posters, were that Harrop was to be included in any future plans of the proposed New Owners, yet the current Chairman's statement is very definite about Harrop not returning to the club any time soon. Again I query, has this decision been made with the full agreement of GI, or has Phillips taken another decision that would help secure KN's position(either as an employee or as a paid off manager) if the sale completes.

If all the above decisions have been made after full disclosure to the prospective purchasers and their agreement thereto...then I cannot foresee any future issues. If these have been made without notification, has Phillips, who is still in overall control, made such important decisions to secure the clubs immediate future with one eye on the probability that the sale is faltering?

Should this sale fall through..how are we going to fulfill ongoing business as usual cash flow requirements, as the most recent rhetoric coming form the boardroom was that "additional investment" was required, and that we have been struggling to survive against the original budget that was set.

I, and I may be the only one, am concerned and confused by the messages that the current movements have made.

I know there are some out there that are much closer to the current board than others, so perhaps they can settle my nerves that the movements by Phillips do not jeopardise the ownership change, or if he is remaining in total control that we have the funding organised to meet the coming season's expectations.

[PhilGull]

I must confess to being a little confused/concerned by these current events.

> The current board have agreed a deal to sell the club to GI - albeit not yet fully completed
> The current Chairman takes the decision to offer a 3 year contract to KN.
> The current CEO is made redundant - "the position of chief executive was made redundant due to restructuring".
> "The club can also confirm that it is not currently in any discussions with former Torquay United Head of Youth Geoff Harrop regarding joining the club in the near future."

Are GI still moving forward with their purchase the club?

If so, is it the new Director's (to be appointed by GI) who have sanctioned the very long contract term for the manager, undertaken a restructure review and instructed the current Chairman to implement these changes OR has Dave Phillips arbitrarily made and implemented these decisions without reference to the supposed new owners and looked to secure Nicholson's future, either in employment or not? If the 3 year gamble does not come off OR the new owners have other ideas - Nicholson's income is secured for 3 years.

The views on this site, from some posters, were that Harrop was to be included in any future plans of the proposed New Owners, yet the current Chairman's statement is very definite about Harrop not returning to the club any time soon. Again I query, has this decision been made with the full agreement of GI, or has Phillips taken another decision that would help secure KN's position(either as an employee or as a paid off manager) if the sale completes.

If all the above decisions have been made after full disclosure to the prospective purchasers and their agreement thereto...then I cannot foresee any future issues. If these have been made without notification, has Phillips, who is still in overall control, made such important decisions to secure the clubs immediate future with one eye on the probability that the sale is faltering?

Should this sale fall through..how are we going to fulfill ongoing business as usual cash flow requirements, as the most recent rhetoric coming form the boardroom was that "additional investment" was required, and that we have been struggling to survive against the original budget that was set.

I, and I may be the only one, am concerned and confused by the messages that the current movements have made.

I know there are some out there that are much closer to the current board than others, so perhaps they can settle my nerves that the movements by Phillips do not jeopardise the ownership change, or if he is remaining in total control that we have the funding organised to meet the coming season's expectations.

Really? I know that some people don't appreciate David Philipps as much as others but surely you cannot think he is this stupid!
Either GI are no longer interested or all of this has been done with their blessing/at their behest. Obviously.

I'm thinking the most likely scenario is that the position of CEO has been made redundant beacuse a lot of the work Breedy did was specific work to cut budgets that has now been completed. If GI do take over then it seems like Philipps may reman as Chairman and as such will fullfill a lot of the 'CEO duties'. If GI end up walking away then Philipps will remain and will be able to add the pennies that were being paid to Breedy to Nicho's war chest.

[Gloomy Gull]

So glad it is that simple!

I do appreciate what Dave Phillips has done, but have no specific knowledge of him personally or how he conducts business, which is why I raised my confusion/concerns. Didn't think my comments called his intelligence into question? I appreciate that he has worked hard to sustain the club this season - but did he ever see this as a long term situation for him personally? I don't know.

Was it not Phillips who was saying during the season that additional investment was very much required for this coming season? yet he has seemingly made decisions that could be detrimental to ongoing finances - e.g. Season Tickets @ £200 - need to sell 50% more than usual to break even on that scheme, (any above that number will, of course, be cash positive), 3 year contract to KN - unless that is at the same salary as for this tenure adds to the outgoings and could (and before anyone gets excited this is a worst case scenario) be costly to break if KN does not go the full term, unless he is poached by another team and we receive compensation.

Thanks PhilGull, for putting my mind at rest with your assessment of the current actions that there is no need to worry, he has it sorted and if GI fall away will be able to add to Nicholson's playing budget with the savings on Breed's salary, and if GI are still in the driving seat for the purchase, all has been done with their full understanding.

Waiting now for the update on the sale of the club, which will settle any concerns I may have about the financial impact of the current decisions/agreements.

[Southampton Gull]

Not that it matters. Quite a few of us read all 3 forums. Hell of a lot of forums for such a small club!

Evolution Stef. Apparently not all Torquay fans get on, not that I've ever had that problem myself