Are GI Investing?

[PhilGull]

I've avoided this place for most of the summer, it's just too damn depressing!

Over the summer we seem to have signed quite a few names that all Conference fans and a lot of League fans will recognise, a lot of them I imagine earning more than any new signing over the last few years. The fact that a lot of them appear to be crocks is I guess one of the reasons for Nicho's sacking. Given they have sacked him and are now reportedly doing a lot of due diligence to appoint an experienced manager it does appear to me that GI are actually spending a lot of money (in comparison with the last few years at least).
Are GI actually trying in their own ham-fisted way to do this properly?

[Bristolgull]

I'm not sure if GI are investing but there is £75 million being invested into another company that Clarke Osborne is the chairman.

Clarke was on the local news last week being interviewed about Aviva investing £75M into truespeed. I don't suppose he could siphon 1% of that for TUFC!

Here's the story http://www.truespeed.com/news/2017/true ... 75-million

[portugull]

It looks like Mr. Osborne has more arrows to his bow than we thought!!

How good a shot is he that is the question.

[GullatPlainmoor]

FFS!!!!!
What the hell interest does this shark have in TUFC when his grinning mug is all over a £75 million broadband investment and he is not seen at matches.
Whatever is happening now with our new manager is only a sop to his greedy, greedy property and money pile building activity. The freehold to build houses on is his ONLY concern!!!! -- bas****
http://www.truespeed.com/about/team
Scroll to the bottom of 'About', then 'Meet the Team'

[merse btpir]

Over the summer we seem to have signed quite a few names that all Conference fans and a lot of League fans will recognise, a lot of them I imagine earning more than any new signing over the last few years. The fact that a lot of them appear to be crocks is I guess one of the reasons for Nicho's sacking. Given they have sacked him and are now reportedly doing a lot of due diligence to appoint an experienced manager it does appear to me that GI are actually spending a lot of money (in comparison with the last few years at least).
Are GI actually trying in their own ham-fisted way to do this properly?

Well the fact that Clarke Osborne has an interest in so many varied aspects of business tells you all about his approach to owning Torquay United........like Mike Bateson, he won't be in it to lose money.

If it is the slowest of slow burners, one way or another he will turn a profit on the deal one way or another. If he doesn't get the freehold deal he so publicly seeks he will move the club on and to do that he needs to knock it into some sort of business like shape.

It might not make for pretty watching and it might no be what we want but for sure he wasn't going to tolerate the playing budget being spunked in the manner that it has been on the sick, lame and lazy.

Of course he is insisting on plenty of due diligence. Clarke Osborne does not know football so he employs Geoff Harrop and Dave Hedges to know it for him. They in turn are not here to be manager so they have to source that manager and a manager who will not spunk the precious resources is the number one priority.

To do that research, enquiries need to be made with the previous employers of anyone on that short list that they can indeed perform adequately within the budgets they were allocated in their previous jobs.

Nicholson's budget might well have been restricted and the new man's will be strictly limited so it is imperative that a manager who can operate on what he is given because the last one clearly couldn't!

My local Isthmian League clubs ~ Wingate & Finchley and Haringey Borough ~ both operate on the smallest playing budgets within their leagues and successfully operate with a Head Coach in one case and a manager in the other who CAN manage on their limited resources. You don't find that calibre of person by sticking tails on donkeys whilst blindfolded or gifting the job to ex players.

[OllieGull]

Don't think this needs a new thread, and this is the most relevant one right now. But Kevin Foster MP met with Mr. Osbourne today:

[Dazza]

I think that's a super spot Ollie Gull. Congrats. So that's how it now being played. The danger might be exactly the same but it's a significantly different game...

[arcadia]

Don't think this needs a new thread, and this is the most relevant one right now. But Kevin Foster MP met with Mr. Osbourne today:

Perhaps he's going to be the new manager.

[merse btpir]

This is alarmingly naïve once again. Who owns the club that would 'own the stadium' Mister MP?

[Dazza]

They aren't just going to go away Merse. The angle is now materially different however and we need to cover this one as well.

[merse btpir]

They aren't just going to go away Merse. The angle is now materially different however and we need to cover this one as well.

I'm not suggesting 'They are going to go away' ~ far from it. What I'm warning against is the naivity of saying 'the club' will own it without questioning who owns the club? It's one and the same person isn't it..........Clarke Osborne.

So what is the different angle you are referring to?

[arcadia]

Merse there could be a change of views!

[Soupdragon]

So ... no change there, at all. That's what they've always said: they'd purchase the freehold as part of a deal to build a stadium elsewhere. What's new?

[Dazza]

The proposal has seemingly moved from a request to own the freehold through to that request being considered in the context of a detailed proposal to seemingly now the matter being considered towards the context of a development package (whose viability can at least be considered it might be hoped ). The more that has to be tabled, which presumably has to take paper account of the assurance from Osbourne that the stadium will be built first, the better from everyone's sake. The nigheve suggestion first mooted that to give the club viability they ought to be given the freehold seems at least to have been developed into a wider requirement/ proposal. Don't get me wrong I still have no trust or faith in GI, particularly given their track record, but the more the requirement on GI to show detail the better. This is no victory or even a clear step forward to save the club but the more steps sideways GI are required to take the better imo.

[arcadia]

I heard something a little better than that but it would be silly to talk when we do not know the facts.