Eunan O'Kane

[robc]

I can see it now JK Rowling's new book, Harry Potter and the magical bank holiday get away, no that didn't happen, the majority didn't go away. The very fact it was a bank holiday weekend, and our attendance proves my point, the attendance should have gone up, not down.

The bank holiday consists of, all day Saturday, Sunday, Monday. A mans guide to a bank holiday weekend; Saturday = football, Sunday=rest day, Monday= Family time. All bases covered.

My point about a percentage of our fan base being pathetic stands, already know of 1 so called TUFC lives in Newton Abbot who is watching the game on T.V, lets see what todays attendance is.

Really good to get confirmation that you received 400 individual phone calls to inform you that each and every person just couldn't be bothered to attend. Puts my mind at rest.

The complete inability of some people on here to demonstrate a nuanced response to TUFC-related matters baffles me. Some people went away, some people were put off my two poor defeats on the spin, some people might work one weekend on/one off, etc..

For what's it worth, my opinion is that supporting a football club is an expensive business. Going week in, week out costs a lot, so I don't blame anyone who gives it a miss when we're playing sh*te from time to time. So if 100-200 of those 400 decided against it despite not being away, that's their choice to make. Doesn't make them any less valid TUFC supporters.

[Burnhamgull]

Exeter are jammy bastards in getting GREAT LUCK IN CUP DRAWS.

True but they also earned replays against both Manchester United and Liverpool and the money from those games is what really set them up.

[Burnhamgull]

I'm not going this afternoon and I won't be watching on the TV either. I haven't been at all this season after holding a ST for many years. I made a decision to stay away for a while because it's become all too depressing watching events unfold at Plainmoor over the past few years.

Last weekend, I went to watch Bristol City beat Villa and, to be honest, I enjoyed it.

I 'm still a fan of the club, I still hope things will improve but I have fallen out of love with TUFC.

[Dave]

Your not alone Burnham. Know many who used to go home and away for years, who don't go anymore for the same reasons you point out, that's why the club has to work at rebuilding it's fanbase , that's why I'll always maintain, despite being fully well aware of the financial risk, the cheap season ticket deal was a good idea.

Yes watching football is expensive, and wages have been squeezed, but being a football fan is about having passion, and this is true there's no arguing it, TUFC fans on whole compared to a lot of other club lack passion. How many times have I heard, the excuse 'to cold' 'to wet' 'wife wanted to go shopping' from a TUFC fan, doesn't happen at many other clubs, snow, rain, wind, draw, lose, their fans are turn up week in and out.

There's an old saying 'use it, or lose it' if some of our fans don't get with programme soon, turn up to games and use the club, we WILL lose it, we had it good during the Bristow years, they were covering loses like some of us, still wouldn't believe, there's no one at the club with the will or the money anymore.

Plan ahead, I do, I'm not a rich man, put money aside during the close season so I can afford to go to games, I've said a few times . I may not be able to go after the end September, only reason is down to the fact I will have to find my self a new job as I will not have one soon, and I could end up having to work on Saturdays , especially as I'm training towards gaining a HGV licence, hope not though. But, I still brought a season ticket despite knowing ,I might get less than 10 games, will still buy one next season, regardless of whether I can go or not.

Up until now, no matter the weather, the team form, I've gone week in and out, and stood with a group of lads, some I don't know that well, who have done the same, no matter what, they're on the popside every game, we've stood and loved some performances, we've stood in despair sometimes, at how poor our team have played, but the following game, the same faces in the same spots.

These lads have passion for their club, they feel the low points, they cheer the high points, and I respect everyone of them.

[Colorado Gull]

I'm not going this afternoon and I won't be watching on the TV either. I haven't been at all this season after holding a ST for many years. I made a decision to stay away for a while because it's become all too depressing watching events unfold at Plainmoor over the past few years.

Last weekend, I went to watch Bristol City beat Villa and, to be honest, I enjoyed it.

I 'm still a fan of the club, I still hope things will improve but I have fallen out of love with TUFC.

I didn't!!!

[Dave]

I didn't!!!

Yes Danny, but you choose to support both TUFC and Aston Villa, unlucky..

[Colorado Gull]

Yes Danny, but you choose to support both TUFC and Aston Villa, unlucky..

Sadly, they chose me... .

[tomogull]

Alex Rowe

Ah yes - of course ! Thanks. Glad your memory isn't as bad as mine !

[tomogull]

I'm not going this afternoon and I won't be watching on the TV either. I haven't been at all this season after holding a ST for many years. I made a decision to stay away for a while because it's become all too depressing watching events unfold at Plainmoor over the past few years.

Last weekend, I went to watch Bristol City beat Villa and, to be honest, I enjoyed it.

I 'm still a fan of the club, I still hope things will improve but I have fallen out of love with TUFC.

I can sort of understand your thinking. After that 7 - 3 thrashing by Bromley last season, followed by a 2 - 1 home defeat by Boreham Wood (who ??? asked my son who lives away from the area) three days later, I was close to saying 'enough is enough'. But I kept golng and there was definitely a change of attitude in the team when Kevin Nicholson took over. We have had a rocky start but the team is now looking much more resilient and playing some good football at times. So don't write them off, Burnham. We hit rock bottom last season but Nicho is turning things around on the field.

[gullpower]

I can sort of understand your thinking. After that 7 - 3 thrashing by Bromley last season, followed by a 2 - 1 home defeat by Boreham Wood (who ??? asked my son who lives away from the area) three days later, I was close to saying 'enough is enough'. But I kept golng and there was definitely a change of attitude in the team when Kevin Nicholson took over. We have had a rocky start but the team is now looking much more resilient and playing some good football at times. So don't write them off, Burnham. We hit rock bottom last season but Nicho is turning things around on the field.

[Plainmoor78]

What did we see last week at Torquay, the team lost 2 games on the spin away from home, and seven days later 400 went missing of our home gate, shows the pathetic nature of some, of our clubs fan base, now that's a frustration I do have.

Community ownership has worked at other clubs at our, or similar level, but, if it came down to community ownership at Torquay, would our fans rally, support, dig deep, turn up to the games in temperatures of less than +7 degrees, and support the club unconditionally as I've asked for as a fan of the club, and that's what's going to be needed for a few season, while the club rebuilds itself, like to think so, but not sure.

The missing 400 supporters are not pathetic. Everyone has a right to spend their free time in a way they see fit, and not according to the whims of the Taliban tendency among our fellow supporters.
Watching football has to compete with other varied past times and if the fare on offer falls short of expectations then those supporters will vote with their feet and go elsewhere.
So what is the answer to this you might ask, well spend more money on the team of course. But we haven't got any money, so the team becomes poorer and more supporters stay away, so then there is even less money to spend on the team and even more supporters jump ship and so on and so on, until the club eventually goes out of business. This is the situation faced by TUFC now.
This is why Dave Philips has suggested the answer is a new stadium with revenue generating facilities not linked to the team, so the club can raise revenue regardless of the team's on field performance and resulting attendances.
The boards under Alex Rowe and Bill Philips do not foresee a time when the Bristows would not be bailing out the club every five minutes, and as a result squandered the Bristow's legacy by not preparing for that eventuality whilst the money to do something was available. As for the fans, we didn't care. We didn't question what would happen when the money run out either, as long as we had a successful team we were happy and sod the consequences.
And now the chickens have come home to roost, and what do we do? We blame the board, or Nico, or other supporters; but what answers have we got? None. At least Dave Philips has a vision. As for TUST I have not heard anything as to how they would secure TUFC's future, if there is a future.

[Neal]

The missing 400 supporters are not pathetic. Everyone has a right to spend their free time in a way they see fit, and not according to the whims of the Taliban tendency among our fellow supporters.
Watching football has to compete with other varied past times and if the fare on offer falls short of expectations then those supporters will vote with their feet and go elsewhere.
So what is the answer to this you might ask, well spend more money on the team of course. But we haven't got any money, so the team becomes poorer and more supporters stay away, so then there is even less money to spend on the team and even more supporters jump ship and so on and so on, until the club eventually goes out of business. This is the situation faced by TUFC now.
This is why Dave Philips has suggested the answer is a new stadium with revenue generating facilities not linked to the team, so the club can raise revenue regardless of the team's on field performance and resulting attendances.
The boards under Alex Rowe and Bill Philips do not foresee a time when the Bristows would not be bailing out the club every five minutes, and as a result squandered the Bristow's legacy by not preparing for that eventuality whilst the money to do something was available. As for the fans, we didn't care. We didn't question what would happen when the money run out either, as long as we had a successful team we were happy and sod the consequences.
And now the chickens have come home to roost, and what do we do? We blame the board, or Nico, or other supporters; but what answers have we got? None. At least Dave Philips has a vision. As for TUST I have not heard anything as to how they would secure TUFC's future, if there is a future.

I freely admit going to watch TUFC (whether they are top or bottom) is NOT my highest priority. I always prefer to participate in sport rather than watch it, so if I can participate on a Saturday I will and I wont goto a game. However I support the club financially. There are so many reasons why clubs like Torquay have found themselves in non league, and if a number of those reasons align then that's where we are. No club, no individual has a divine right to anything, and there is a whole lot of luck required as well. A wealthy benefactor shows interest, injuries especially when you have a small squad. My advise to anyone is to get involved with a sport as number one priority, anything, doesn't matter what.

[tomogull]

I don't think it is fair to lump Alex Rowe and Bill Phillips in the same sentence and I certainly don't agree that the Board under Alex Rowe 'squandered the Bristow legacy'. Yes, Paul Bristow ploughed money into the club and his motive for doing this was to get us back into the league. Paul Buckle was allowed to bring in good players on lucrative contracts and this resulted in Paul Bristow's wish coming true. I don't know what the Profit & Loss sheets showed during the 'Paul Buckle' seasons but the gates were much higher than they are now. We actually had to queue to get in ! One match, I can't remember which, we were queueing way past the swimming pool ! Certainly things went downhill very quickly when Bill Phillips took over.

[Scott Brehaut]

I don't think it is fair to lump Alex Rowe and Bill Phillips in the same sentence and I certainly don't agree that the Board under Alex Rowe 'squandered the Bristow legacy'. Yes, Paul Bristow ploughed money into the club and his motive for doing this was to get us back into the league. Paul Buckle was allowed to bring in good players on lucrative contracts and this resulted in Paul Bristow's wish coming true. I don't know what the Profit & Loss sheets showed during the 'Paul Buckle' seasons but the gates were much higher than they are now. We actually had to queue to get in ! One match, I can't remember which, we were queueing way past the swimming pool ! Certainly things went downhill very quickly when Bill Phillips took over.

Queueing past the swimming pool for tickets was for the match against Crawley in the FA Cup.

The reason you had to queue past the swimming pool was due to issues created entirely by those running the club at the time.

[lucy6lucy]

Queueing past the swimming pool for tickets was for the match against Crawley in the FA Cup.

The reason you had to queue past the swimming pool was due to issues created entirely by those running the club at the time.

Thanks for bringing that match back into my memory. If only we had beat them, the club would have hit the jackpot and most probably still be a league club. Thanks Scott