Gaming International have taken our club hostage

Yorkieandy · Post by **Yorkieandy** » 17 Dec 2016, 00:55

And tomo point 1. Sorry tomo. Just seen it now.

All you had to do was be honest, talk to the fans and try and work through this together.

So in the words of another poster. F off.

Yorkieandy · Post by **Yorkieandy** » 17 Dec 2016, 00:56

Phillips not you Tomo. :na:

Rjc70 · Post by **Rjc70** » 17 Dec 2016, 01:32

Heart felt and wise words from tomo, as I too see it.

GI/Riviera Stadium Limited will chuck a few quid at this problem for now. There may be short term enjoyment from that, however badly many of us feel today. We haven't had a great deal of enjoyment for a while.

Since 2008 I have read and heard a number of statements from Clarke Osbourne of Stadia UK concerning a club I spent much time at for 30 years of my life.

Their stadium was demolished that year. The sport did not return the following season. They no longer exist. It still hurts.

Terry Henry · Post by **Terry Henry** » 17 Dec 2016, 07:06

Surely if the Council hold on to Plainmoor he can't do much though, can he, or am I missing something? Shall we all just calm down a bit and see what he actually does with TUFC in the coming weeks/months? Or deep down do we think the council will flog Plainmoor off to him?

Glostergull · Post by **Glostergull** » 17 Dec 2016, 08:11

So after all the denials the inevitable has happened. No Games left International has taken control of our club. I for one am not amused. As far As i am concerned they have taken our club hostage in payment for a new Stadium which they will milk the hell out of. we will be left stuck eventually with no ground in which to call home and no money as we will have no control of franchises and so little income from supporters that we won't become viable. After all the board assurances i should expect them never to show their heads in Plainmoor again. they should hang their heads in shame.

gullintwoplaces · Post by **gullintwoplaces** » 17 Dec 2016, 09:07

Some of the nonsense on here bleating about the fact that fans are rightly and reasonably pissed off with the Board and the Chairman in particular.

The way in which fans have been treated results in this anger. What the hell do you expect, us to doff our caps and say that nice Mr Phillips knows best? The fans were called "keyboard Wankers" several weeks ago, what a disrespectful, contemptuous way to talk about people who have continued to support their much loved team during a time when various Directors over several years have made screw up after screw up. Not only supported with money through the gate, but have given quite a lot of additional money to the club through the players' fund. And the way in which TUST (the SUPPORTERS Trust!!!!!) has been treated is quite appalling.

So no, I am not going to doff my cap, I am furious with the failure to tell fans the truth, with the contradictions, with the spin and now with the sale (sale? a strange word for a virtually insolvent club) to property developers. I despair for the team that I love so much, I see no future for Torquay United now. We have been sold down the river when there were alternatives available, and that is unforgivable.

gullpower · Post by **gullpower** » 17 Dec 2016, 09:26

tomogull wrote: I agree with much of your post - some of the criticism levelled at David Phillips has been unacceptable. However, he has brought much of it upon himself. He says he has made mistakes. I'm glad he realises it.
1. His total disregard for the lifeblood of the club - the fans. The lack of communication for months and months has been a disgrace.
2. When the original GI deal fell through (when Torbay Council correctly refused to make Plainmoor available), Mr Phillips admitted that GI were not suitable bedfellows and he repeated it at a Fans Forum.
3. He, and the Board members, have now sold the club to these 'unsuitable bedfellows'. The track record of Gaming International and their web of subsidiary companies is there for all to see. Many Fans, me included, begged him not to sell out to Clarke Osborne and his cronies. We have been ignored and I can see no future for the club.

You say you don't know who Clarke Osborne is. Well, franky, you must have had your head buried in sand for twelve months. Just do a bit of digging around and it won't take you long to find dirt about Clarke Osborne and his GI companies.

David Phillips may well be a long-standing supporter and he and the Board members may have 'ensured we had a club to support' over the past two years but I believe that he has today signed the Death Warrant of Torquay United AFC. At no time has Clarke Osborne shown any interest in Torquay United as a football team.

gullpower · Post by **gullpower** » 17 Dec 2016, 09:29

Coming to the party late (after being at a party) I think everything I would have liked to have said has been said.

Apart from “When was Swindon in the Midlands?” Still, that’s Dave Phillips for you. Perhaps his geography really is that bad. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt Give Gilbert a Game.

The name of the new owners and their track record speaks for themselves. Whatever their statement may say they are after our club’s ground. It would be great if that wasn’t the case but a leopard doesn’t change its spots.

Torbay Council as landlords of Plainmoor have the ability to ensure that football carries on being played there. After Riviera Stadium Limited have run the club into the ground the chances of a phoenix club rising from this mess is more likely to be successful if it plays at Plainmoor. Fans need to put pressure on the council by writing to their councillors. There will be some of integrity that GI won’t be able have in their pockets. There is one that is a lifelong Gulls supporter who no doubt is already aware of the situation. Link below to find your councillor’s email:

http://www.torbay.gov.uk/DemocraticServ ... LIST&PIC=0

Those fans that don’t live in the Bay could write to the Mayor.

Also, I know that we say that the general public doesn’t give a monkeys about TUFC, but there are people I speak to about the situation at the club that don’t know what’s going on and do care when it’s explained to them. Perhaps some kind of media attention seeking protests will be in order when the time comes.

Jerry · Post by **Jerry** » 17 Dec 2016, 09:35

grahamsmithygull wrote: Yeah and I mean they've got a proven track record of success in this type of venture so I can see it very much being on the cards in the future, as they've already proposed plans for a new stadium by the willows so I mean although a greyhound track in the freehold of Plainmoor sounds a million miles away, it actually is more a reality than not.

There's also been very strong talk of a future Phoenix club before formed in some capacity of an AFC Torquay setup, I mean Steven Breed who was Chief Executive of the football club, has very strong ties as we all know with the football club, with his various work that he previously did for the supporters away travel, and also radio Devon. To elaborate on this point, Steven left the football club after all due to personal differences and certain divisions between him and the board which left his position untenable in the end, and as we all know he got treated badly by the board come the end. But basically to cut to the chase, I've heard there's actually developments behind this phoenix club, because Steven now manages local team, Watcombe Wanderers, and hes started to go into coaching because obviously for his love of the game but there's more to it than that, and that's that he has ambition and a burning desire to form a Phoenix club of an AFC Torquay setup and basically do an almost like AFC Wimbledon. Because come the end I know that he felt divided from the club and out of touch from it too like many fans do, and he believes now is the right time more than ever to do this, I mean the fans have already raised in an account 20k just incase this takeover fell through, and I know he's had enough of all this constant limbo that our club faces.

Be wary of GI plants on here in the next few weeks trying to sow discord and misinformation. Remember George and Mushroom?

This is standard operating procedure for the vultures in these situations, just ask Hereford fans.

These two seem to be the first.

Steve Breed has laughed off Grahamsmity's ludicrous AFC Torquay comments on BTPIR.

Mrdistance · Post by **Mrdistance** » 17 Dec 2016, 09:54

Very surprised club went with GI. There was another offer on table on. Tuesday, but because they were from overseas there lawyers could not transfer funds until. Jan 2. They were prepared to invest substantial amounts over next few seasons to get club into League 1. But because club required money this weekend they decided to go with GI. Total shame as investors were football people,with major contacts they will now look at other UK clubs to invest millions ,

6667GULL · Post by **6667GULL** » 17 Dec 2016, 10:08

If their is any truth in what Mr Distance says then this just adds to my disgust for Phillips and his cronies and their behaviour.
Surely they won't attend on Boxing Day?
Of course knowing their arrogance they probably will!

Mrdistance · Post by **Mrdistance** » 17 Dec 2016, 10:35

Yes a. Chinese group wanted club, had large investment which was discussed with board , but they needed a cash injection Friday so could carry on unti end of year . Chinese asked for letter to transfer funds but club never bothered . Shame as they sorted funds and ideas to get club to football league , board were not willing to. Chinese lawyers transfer funds on Jan 2

Neal · Post by **Neal** » 17 Dec 2016, 10:38

Yes, I think we will have some new contributions over the next few weeks. Most of it will be total BULLSHIT. Windup merchants, some associated with GI no doubt and others with God knows intentions.

But we all know who the regular contributors are.

The problem I have is what to do now. We will all have our starting positions I guess, our moral and political views, where the club fits into our everyday lives will be different as well.

So living in Basingstoke, both clubs are in a similar position, not exactly of course, but is quite a coincidence where both are from my point of view.

The thing is there are many different routes this can take. If the council refuse to sell the ground then GI have few options. Fold the club, keep it going part-time and live within its means, or full-time and invest. The third option I would guess isn't an option if they want to make money. So all this depends on the council. And I guess we might be able to affect that if we were to lobby the council.

The other option is the council sell the ground, then all is lost in my opinion. God knows what that would mean, a football club with a greyhound track maybe and retail, houses. The club would just be a tenant paying money to a property developer, the tenant would probably be a different company.

The best option as I see it, is don't sell the ground. GI can fold the club, but they cant do anything with the ground. They own the buildings I think or will. Im quite happy with a Pheonix club actually run by TUST. The club is the ground, its fans and its history. Nothing more. You can argue that a Pheonix club does not own the history, that's debatable. But we have the ground and Im guessing 1000 hard core fans. Buckland are trying to join the Southern League with how many fans. A nice little ground yes, but nothing like Plainmoor. We could join the Southern League, Part-time to start but would attract good part time players with the income we would have from attendances of 700 to 1000 (being pessimistic).

My preference and its not everyone's I can see from the postings is a new club run by TUST, with Plainmoor as the ground.

Ive just thought of this, mmmmmmm TUST as the tenant of a new ground owned by GI. Personally I wouldn't go for this, as I wouldn't want to line their pockets. So for me its Plainmoor or Im finished with it all.

Thegulls1981 · Post by **Thegulls1981** » 17 Dec 2016, 10:46

Its actually (allegidly) worse than that-

A group of good people actually got together to raise the funds (within 24 hours) to support the club until the end of January to allow this takeover to go through. Yesterday in the morning Phillips had indicated he was willing to do it, subject to the meeting at 2pm and gaining approval, by 4pm he changed his mind and signed with GI.

Richinns · Post by **Richinns** » 17 Dec 2016, 10:47

Just as Jerry warned - along come the sharks to further destroy. New users popping up all with the same agenda but with seemingly different messages.

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