TUST Updates

[Jerry]

Well let's be honest Jerry, some of those posts were deserved and some were not. All I can do is speak as I find and I'm very impressed by what Matt has set in motion and also how quickly they are mobilising. That hasn't always been the case as you well know. Better late than too late though.

United 62 makes the very valid point that I've been raising lately and that's why it's so frustrating that Dave Thomas doesn't seem to have the stomach or the strength of character to tell some simple truths.

Yeah fair enough Dave. Wasn't a criticism as such as most of the stuff posted on here was justifiable.

Seems that TUST are upping their game now though and interacting with supporters much more, something that always frustrated me in the past.

[Southampton Gull]

I have been nothing but impressed to be honest. After upsetting the applecart on Saturday they have been making contact with a lot of people and actively seeking help which can never be a bad thing.

Before people knock Merse they should take the time to consider that he is actually a very knowledgeable football person and definitely as passionate about TUFC as anyone else and more than most. He's made some very good suggestions and like myself is happy to make suggestions and sit back out of the way for fear of upsetting people, we both know we're expert at that. He brings a lot to the table in terms of contacts, ideas and knowledge of how different clubs and trusts engage their communities so in my opinion it is definitely worth keeping that in mind when picking his posts apart. (Not a dig at you Jerry, I value your pedantry )

The emphasis must be on uniting the fans and spreading the gospel as far as TUST are concerned.

[Matt Gorman]

Folks: - A copy of a note sent to TUST members tonight. To join TUST visit: www.torquaysupporters.co.uk
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TUST CALL TO ACTION!

Your club needs “YOU”

Dear All

I am writing further to my e-mail of last night to confirm the arrangement of a Special General Meeting (SGM) of members at 7.00 pm on Tuesday 30th January at the Livermead Cliff Hotel, Torquay.

I wanted to expand on this meeting and to seek your help where possible.

First of all – It is imperative at this point that we look to grow our membership numbers. We need to unite supporters at this most difficult time both on the pitch and off it where concerns lie over the long term future of our club.

We are seeking to become far more actively engaged with the fan base and other stakeholders in our club. There are lots of things we need to do, but we are a very small team of individuals and we need some help! Over the last week or so in particular the team have been talking to many key people and personalities in the Torquay United community and we have been heartened by the responses we have had from these individuals both within and outside of the existing membership database.

We have seen a steady flow of new members over the last week which is great, but we need more! To that end, the first targeted action is an exercise before this Saturday’s home game with Bromley to hand out leaflets to supporters to advise them of the upcoming SGM and to encourage non-members to join TUST. The SGM is open to members only, but that does not stop people joining before then and becoming eligible to come along.

There are only 4 of us on the team locally (with Matt Carpenter and Sean Horstead living out of the area and not in attendance on Saturday). Therefore we need some help with this initiative. We are awaiting a response from the club to our request to hand these leaflets out at the turnstiles, but if this is not permissible we will continue with the exercise as we have obtained permission from the council to distribute on the public footways close by. We have 2000 leaflets printed and are ready to go. We just need some helpers to hand these out and where possible to articulate the benefits of becoming part of our community.

We aim to be in position by 2.00 on Saturday. Therefore we would like to “rendezvous” with willing volunteers at 1.50 at the Top of Marnham Road (on the opposite side of the road where it meets Warboro Road). With that in mind can all volunteers please e-mail [email protected] if they can help with this exercise? Your assistance would be very much appreciated!

The second point to mention at this time is the SGM itself. This has been called in order to provide face-to-face interaction with the TUST team to enable us to listen to your thoughts, concerns and importantly ideas for what we can do moving forward to unite our supporter base and be best prepared to do what we can to ensure the long term sustainability of our wonderful club.

However, it is imperative that we use the meeting to generate positive and constructive ideas to fulfil these objectives. We will be keen to seek out members who are happy to get involved and help. There are huge amounts of great ideas but we need bodies to help push these ideas forward. We need to look at specific areas where members can help, for example Social Media, Marketing, Database Management to name but a few. We need to find a way to reach out to all of the Torquay United population. The SGM is the starting point from which I hope we can really get some momentum. It is very simple really. We all love our club and now is the time to show just how much…

We have booked the Livermead Cliff Hotel who are able to cater for the number of people we expect to attend. However, we would be hugely grateful if you could e-mail [email protected] with your name and Membership Number (if known) to confirm your attendance just so we have some idea of attendees in advance.

Refreshments will be available on the night from a bar which will be open.

Apologies for the length of this note, but I trust you understand the importance of it at this time and I look forward to your support.

Kind Regards

Michel Thomas
TUST Chairman
pp. TUST Board

[Matt Gorman]

Folks: - A copy of a note sent to TUST members in the last few minutes:
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ITV Westcountry

TUST Interview - Tonight (Fri 19th January)


Dear All

I wanted to make you aware that ITV Westcountry will be broadcasting an interview (recorded earlier in the week) tonight during their early evening news programme (from 6pm).

The interview was provided as part of a wider piece of work ITV Westcountry were undertaking to cover the club.

Kind Regards

Michel Thomas
TUST Chairman
pp. TUST Board

[Southampton Gull]

Please find a copy of the TUST Application form. You can print from here.

[DB57]

Very helpful - thank you.

[Yorkieandy]

Will the Westcountry interview be put up anywhere afterwards for those of us who live out of the area?

[Tired Old Gull]

Hardly an interview, around 20 seconds .. the Chairman of TUST (M Thomas) was asked on Torquay seafront what his concerns were - he said the club was owned by someone who never attended matches and didn't communicate with fans - then asked what he thought the owners intentions were for the Club .. he replied no idea.

That was it!

[Yorkieandy]

Hardly an interview, around 20 seconds .. the Chairman of TUST (M Thomas) was asked on Torquay seafront what his concerns were - he said the club was owned by someone who never attended matches and didn't communicate with fans - then asked what he thought the owners intentions were for the Club .. he replied no idea.

That was it!

Seriously.

Not impressed.

[oldcommsboy]

One of the many things that TUST will need to do is to appoint a media-savvy spokesperson. Someone who knows how to get points across crisply and effectively. This is no criticism of the current leadership - it is an art form which some people are born with. Ideally someone with media experience.

With the right person many of Osborne's statements can be demolished decisively in the press. He has no grasp of dealing with the media, preferring to be something of a recluse. We can use that to our advantage.

Chris

[alitufc]

It is difficult isn't it, what else could M Thomas have said in the time given to him, to fit into the very short clip on Torquay United? I believe the contents of the clip were done on Wednesday as well, before the owners statement.

[Plainmoor78]

The truth is there is not a lot Michael can say about osbornes plans without getting sued.
Although it is strongly suspected that Osborne wants nothing more than land for redevelopment and has no intention of building a new stadium, this is only based on past history and wouldn't be enough to prove future intent I would guess.

[chunkygull]

When tv programmes do interviews like this they usually record for quite a few minutes then edit down or just show a clip of what they want to show. Looked to me like only a snippet was shown because it seemed to be just cut off part way through the answer.

Anybody asked questions by print or tv media has to be careful in case anything said could be deemed as libellous. Also words can be twisted or taken out of context. Doesnt mean I wouldnt have cheered my ass off if the guy had said Osbourne wants to run the club into the ground to gain the freehold of Plainmoor to build houses on it.

Would be interesting to find out from the guy how the interview went and what was actually said.

[Yorkieandy]

I am aware that you can't just appear on the telly and start accusing people (CO) of things willy nilly without any evidence to back up the allegations. Obviously doing this could have ramifications in terms of legal action and therefore it's a given that any TUST spokesman would also be aware of this.

However something along the lines of, "We at the TUST are becoming increasingly concerned for the future of the football club under Clark Osborne's stewardship. Given his involvement with sporting clubs in the past, many of which for whatever reason have run into various problems and given his frequent absence from Plainmoor on a matchday, the ongoing communication issues at the club alongside the clubs perilous league position, we feel that serious questions need to be asked of Mr Osborne."

That would do for starters i guess unless anybody has any objections?

The real issues need to raised and not pussyfooted around but obviously done so in a manner which doesn't contravene any legal frameworks.

I accept it's difficult to make the most of any exposure given however and don't want to come across as harsh or negative. I think what i think.

[lucy6lucy]

Please find a copy of the TUST Application form. You can print from here.

I've been a TUST member for over 3 years, I live in Wigan which is more insane. I personally feel embarrassed paying £2 a month. I would happily pay more, so with that respect those on this forum that comment and regularly make posts that aren't a member of TUST, I can only say shame on you.