Guardian Article On Torquay

[CP Gull]

More inaccuracies here ....

Just to reiterate the baffling inaccuracies, the journalist clearly not having his best day at the office refers to ‘Torquay United’s threadbare 15-man squad’.
Please, please just do some research and bring your abacus.



Presuming Alan Merson gave the interview sometime after the Aldershot game and before the Lincoln one - then a 15 man squad is entirely accurate as that is precisely all we had last time out at Aldershot!!! In fact, when you consider that one of those "15" was the Manager himself who hasn't played since gawd knows when (and the last thing he, as Manager, needed for such an important game(s) is to be preparing for the game as a player) and a kid who bar one appearance last season, had never played above SW Peninsula League level .... I think Merse was being quite generous!!!!

Perhaps, someone else needs to get their abacus out!

[nickbrod]

Stikes me that all Nicholson has to do today to motivate the players is to pin up a copy of the club's "response" in the dressing room.

[Neal]

Well I ve had my disagreements with Merse on here, and to be honest havnt liked many of his posts for different reasons.

But well done for getting the situation of TUFC into the national media, that is no mean feat.

Its odd, because I read the response and other than the tone thought it was good. UNTIL some of you pointed out the actual words used, and then you can see it actually said nothing and it seems inaccurate in itself. I don't know what the players earn, where they live or anything, I go on gut feeling and what I see and hear. Which yes, might not always be accurate BUT Im old enough to not trust much these days unfortunately and I don't trust the current owners of TUFC.

So well done Merse, and lets all build on this to get our club back.

[DevonYellow]

In what way has this turned the fans against the team? Christ some of our fans are ridiculous. Have you not read the "clubs" response? Is that the kind of people you want running the place? Are you happy that we cotould be relegated to the Conference South today?

The article is actually perfectly timed in so much as it should, if we have enough fans who understand what is going on now, mean a very supportive crowd of the team, and a very anti the board atmosphere. Our chances of staying up are tiny, so it's better that there is some sort of protest against GI hole the season is still on and there are home games left to highlight it.

If the game today passes off with little protest, nothing for the media to latch on to, the the fan base will be guilty of letting GI get away with this, and it will be they who are the idiots, not Merse, who is trying against the odds to bring GI down.

Any protest should wait until HT or the end of the game. The lads and Nicho need our 100% support during the game. Be vocal. Encourage. They're young and will make mistakes don't berate the misplaced pass or miss hit shot.

I know of 6 people who used to go regularly who are coming back today. Hopefully many more are doing the same.

[stefano]

It is my opinion that whoever wrote the response has some form of 'Paranoid Personality Disorder'.

Came over as too much Doombar to me!

I loved the observation from Diving Boy that the club response is like something out of the United Airlines Public Relations Manual. What our club media man does not seem to have grasped is that the rant (well it did come over as a rant....on the official club website!) merely reinforces what fans are concerned about in respect of the running of the club and the complete inability to communicate effectively with the fans.

Excellent comments to the media by Merse. I smiled when Merse commented that he is too old, fat, and grumpy to be intimidated by anybody. I knew him as a young man....and he was certainly not a shrinking violet then!

The comments by another poster who would appear to be connected in some way to the club about us fans sitting (!! - well pointed out Lucy) in the away end, when we should be getting behind the team is on the same scale of ridiculousness (is that a word?) as the statement on the club website.

Does this poster not realise that the fans he is aiming his ire at are the fans who spend hundreds of pounds traversing the country to support the club....and so have every right to raise their concerns about the situation the club now finds itself in. A couple of years ago when 'Brucie' was coming in for some stick on here I did a rough calculation that he would have spent in excess of £150,000 in supporting the club. If any posters do their own calculations for themselves it will make your eyes water!

Enough to buy a semi-detached house in Torbay? (as put forward by the club before the last sale). Well no....that turned out to be £1!

[gullpower]

Which bit of Torbay "doesn't care"?

1) The Council? The Council isn't just one opinion, no doubt some don't care but others clearly do.
2) The residents? Some certainly don't care, some are actively hostile, but I can assure you that a good number of residents DO "care" about their local football club. You can't equate not attending regularly with "don't care", I don't go to see the Tics play rugby but I do "care" and want them to do well as I regard a decent rugby club as part of the fabric of a town.
3) The Mayor? Well, we shall see.
4) Visitors? Some football enthusiast go to the odd game, I am sure that they "care".
5) Exiles, who had to leave Devon to find work? Plenty of them care.

Please be careful of making generalisations that sound like what they are, sound bites. I do get very pissed off with fans who don't live in Torbay slagging off the locals. Torbay has high unemployment and low income, many locals can't afford to go to football, but they do "care" about Torquay United.

[brooker]

[quote=SenorDingDong post_id=203709 time=1492381038 user_id=23513]
Having a lurk around on Twitter and it seems the club's erm 'less than well judged' response is making waves beyond Torquay:

https://x.com/townsendaround/status/853716002810585088 (Non League Football twitter)

https://x.com/liam7harrison/status/853729152855404545 (Bournemouth fan)

https://x.com/RedRobinsCAFC/status/853717565213945856 (Charlton Athletic Fans Group)

https://x.com/sunderlandred/status/853712750786359302 (Sunderland fans)

Good day's work from GI.

Merse has done really well, and the article has forced GI into a dialogue with the unbiased media. It's important to mention though, however lame it seems that it's worth sharing or retweeting the article, and all of the subsequent chatter on Facebook and Twitter. It means that it'll be more widely seen, and the measurable exposure justifies the reporters efforts, encouraging future pieces.

[merse btpir]

Just a quick post to confirm that 'this idiot' was approached by The Guardian after using his contacts in the quality media ( a few of whom are members of BTPIR) that there was a story building of yet another instance of the public being hoodwinked by local bureaucracy and big business ~ another 'Brighton' or 'Hereford' if you like.

Far from turn the fans against the players; I rather hoped it would (and will) be the opposite. The interview WAS between the Aldershot and Lincoln games for the record.

I have a very busy schedule with my two youngest this morning but intend to be free to listen in from 2pm. I will not be 'spiritually' in the away end as Tim Herbert suggests but very much 'there' on the Pop or in Bristows.

I normally go to a live game myself on a day like this; but not today as United just have to win!

[aldershotgull]

Just a quick post to confirm that 'this idiot' was approached by The Guardian after using his contacts in the quality media ( a few of whom are members of BTPIR) that there was a story building of yet another instance of the public being hoodwinked by local bureaucracy and big business ~ another 'Brighton' or 'Hereford' if you like.

Far from turn the fans against the players; I rather hoped it would (and will) be the opposite. The interview WAS between the Aldershot and Lincoln games for the record.

I have a very busy schedule with my two youngest this morning but intend to be free to listen in from 2pm. I will not be 'spiritually' in the away end as Tim Herbert suggests but very much 'there' on the Pop or in Bristows.

I normally go to a live game myself on a day like this; but not today as United just have to win!

Those in the know understand the situation and applaud you for what you have done. You dont have to justify yourself.

[DevonYellow]

Those in the know understand the situation and applaud you for what you have done. You dont have to justify yourself.

Absolutely. The rest of the foobtall community are now aware because of your good work.

Also, thanks to the ridiculous GI response, 1000s of other fans have read the article when they otherwise would not have! A spectacular own goal on so many levels.

Might even get a mention on the excellent Guardian Football Weekly Podcast.

[Soupdragon]

As well as drawing attention to the immediate plight of our club, this ‘media storm’ has now ensured that any decision by the mayor, any report by Kevin Mowatt/Liam Montgomery, and any general mucking about by the council over the terms of the ACV taken out by the Trust on the Plainmoor ground will receive national scrutiny.

Not just ‘scrutiny’ by a few disinterested Tory councillors. Their continued silence on where they stand on this issue is becoming deafening.

[nickbrod]

Just a quick post to confirm that 'this idiot' was approached by The Guardian after using his contacts in the quality media ( a few of whom are members of BTPIR) that there was a story building of yet another instance of the public being hoodwinked by local bureaucracy and big business ~ another 'Brighton' or 'Hereford' if you like.

Far from turn the fans against the players; I rather hoped it would (and will) be the opposite. The interview WAS between the Aldershot and Lincoln games for the record.

I have a very busy schedule with my two youngest this morning but intend to be free to listen in from 2pm. I will not be 'spiritually' in the away end as Tim Herbert suggests but very much 'there' on the Pop or in Bristows.

I normally go to a live game myself on a day like this; but not today as United just have to win!

Wonder if BBC Radio Devon will call you up Merse for an interview this afternoon? After all this is a breaking news story not just for Torbay but for a much wider audience.

[6667GULL]

Please be careful of making generalisations that sound like what they are, sound bites. I do get very pissed off with fans who don't live in Torbay slagging off the locals. Torbay has high unemployment and low income, many locals can't afford to go to football, but they do "care" about Torquay United.

Oh no I don't live in Torbay I live in Chudleigh.

However this is my 50th season watching the Gulls.

I stick to my 'generalisation/soundbite' that Torbay doesn't care.

[oldcommsboy]

As well as drawing attention to the immediate plight of our club, this ‘media storm’ has now ensured that any decision by the mayor, any report by Kevin Mowatt/Liam Montgomery, and any general mucking about by the council over the terms of the ACV taken out by the Trust on the Plainmoor ground will receive national scrutiny.

Not just ‘scrutiny’ by a few disinterested Tory councillors. Their continued silence on where they stand on this issue is becoming deafening.

That's a very good point, Soup. Hopefully the Mayor and councillors will have read the Guardian article and the Club's reply and act accordingly.

[Eirik]

And the only thing HE does is to repost the club statement: http://www.devonlive.com/torquay-united ... story.html