Facing Reality

[toastkid]

Owers. Even my predictive text doesn't want to say his name!

[Tired Old Gull]

Facing Reality:

The reality is that we are no longer a big fish in a small pond - we are a minnow among minnows!
Even Mr Merse on the Penn Inn sight wrote it was a shock losing to Oxford City - but why?
That is the level we have sunk to now and all teams in our league are at it!
By name and history we might be slightly above others .. but on recent performances we are just another football club looking to survive.
There still seem to be those who think we are a 'big' club - well we are not, reality has put us at the level we are currently at, and it looks as though we might even struggle to remain where we are.
All very depressing.

[budegull1954]

I quite agree, and the other reality is that the decline of Torquay United Football Club mirrors the decline of Torquay itself. When my family moved down from Manchester to Torquay in 1972 the town was a thriving place with lots of good shops in the town centre, great pubs and excellent theatres & concert halls. Each time I go back to Torquay nowadays I get thoroughly depressed at the state of the town. After the East Thurrock game I went down to the harbour for a bite to eat at Prezzo, and the town just gets worse - the disgraceful state of lower Torwood Street, shops boarded up in Fleet Street, The Terrace and Union Street, the semi--derelict Pavilion Theatre, the down-at-heel atmosphere at Castle Circus and Abbey Road steps, homeless people in doorways ..I could go on. The saddest aspect for me though was the complete absence of holidaymakers around the harbour itself - it wasn't a 'beach day', so where was everyone? On a day like Saturday weather-wise in August 1973 for example the place would have been thronging with 'grockles', often disparaged by the locals but who actually brought great prosperity to the town. Where have they all gone? Perhaps to where I live in Bude which is heaving with people at the moment, and no boarded-up shops in sight! Is it any wonder that TUFC is in decline if the guardians of Torquay (the town) have done such a poor job themselves.

[Yorkieandy]

Accrington are doing Ok and compared to Torquay and that's a total shithole. Therefore the correlation between the town of the club being a dump and the fortunes of the football club isn't there.

However good points made and I agree mostly.

Sadly it's most towns now in the UK that are seeing a lack of investment and the flourishing of anti social behaviour. That's why I rarely go into the towns near me unless I absolutely have no choice.

[Yorkieandy]

I don't mind a social underclass so long as they take drugs , fight, argue and get pissed in their own homes and stop **** making everyone else's lives a misery.

I've got **** all money but I don't hang around town centres all day being a ****.

[Neal]

I quite agree, and the other reality is that the decline of Torquay United Football Club mirrors the decline of Torquay itself. When my family moved down from Manchester to Torquay in 1972 the town was a thriving place with lots of good shops in the town centre, great pubs and excellent theatres & concert halls. Each time I go back to Torquay nowadays I get thoroughly depressed at the state of the town. After the East Thurrock game I went down to the harbour for a bite to eat at Prezzo, and the town just gets worse - the disgraceful state of lower Torwood Street, shops boarded up in Fleet Street, The Terrace and Union Street, the semi--derelict Pavilion Theatre, the down-at-heel atmosphere at Castle Circus and Abbey Road steps, homeless people in doorways ..I could go on. The saddest aspect for me though was the complete absence of holidaymakers around the harbour itself - it wasn't a 'beach day', so where was everyone? On a day like Saturday weather-wise in August 1973 for example the place would have been thronging with 'grockles', often disparaged by the locals but who actually brought great prosperity to the town. Where have they all gone? Perhaps to where I live in Bude which is heaving with people at the moment, and no boarded-up shops in sight! Is it any wonder that TUFC is in decline if the guardians of Torquay (the town) have done such a poor job themselves.

I agree, what has happened to the town, on the news today there were reports of record people going to the SW, in fact this week it was stated that there were too many tourists in the SW, they mentioned both Cornwall and Devon. Torquay could be so prosperous, I'm not even sure its down to the council only, when a place gets a reputation for decline its very hard to turn it around. The club has followed suit, the Grand group inc Burton-Race hotel is under administration, its ridiculous. I was told that Brixham is on the rise, houses selling and local businesses doing ok. Dartmouth has always been prosperous, but that has an underclass too actually which isn't obvious but is there. I don't know what the answer is, the bay is beautiful, the beaches are not great, perhaps that's part of it, parking isn't easy either. Perhaps moving the club away from Plainmoor is the answer, although I hate the idea.

[Plainmoor78]

Location has nothing to with it. Liverpool was the dominant force in English football during the 70s and 80s despite mass unemployment and urban decay. Spain was one of the most economically backward countries in Europe during Franco's time but that didn't stop Real Madrid becoming the biggest club in the world.

[Minneapolisgull]

I am not really going to get involved in the social decline of UK, I also agree that there seems no link between Torquay Utd decline and Torquay Town.
What saddens me more than anything is the plight of our once proud football league club. We have fallen so low the NLS is akin to a pub league, No disrespect intended. What are we even doing here and my GOD how did we end up here??? Its just so depressing, I keep wanting to say that its! I am not going to waste anymore time following the results, listening to the games getting myself worked up. But I cannot seem to wash my hands of it.
I had to listen last year to Owers interviews about improving and now its the same again in league lower. What is the expectation this season I think we should settle for nothing more than champions is that realistic? No not by all the games so far. Mid table mediocracy is that the expectation?
If we cannot score goals and win away games. We are in for another dismal season! When will it end? If we are still in such a dismal position and playing so poorly after 10 games we have to change manager(incidentally Owers said that's the best we have played in the second half against Oxford! Do those there agree?) Give me something please...….
If we do not get promoted this year what is going to happen to us.... ??? It's so depressing when you think we are talking about getting back to the national league....
Oh I have just read my post, Now I am really depressed apologies to everyone who will read it...… I need a drink....

[davethegull2]

The Town comparisons to yesteryear are interesting. I come back to the UK once a year and stay in Torquay. Every year I wander into the town centre and can't believe how bad it's got. I think it lost a big part of it's soul when they knocked down Fleet street and put that concrete monstrosity there. It's never been perfect but at least it had character. Having said that I usually meet up with friends on Babbacombe Downs and the Bays beauty still makes me gasp. It's still a nice place to live and if ever I return to the UK permanently (god forbid) that's where I'll settle again.

Now on to football! For me, last season was cast iron evidence that Owers is not going to save us. Despite being bankrolled he managed to watch the mighty Solihull Moors overtake and outplay us. So did Hartlepool, who were even more of a basket case than us. In fact several teams who looked dead and buried during the season, appointed a new manager and then sailed past. What did Owers do? He actually made us worse and somehow kept his job. How is that possible? If I showed such complete incompetence in my job I would be fired, deservedly. So far this season,he has repeated the same MO that failed so badly last time............in a Division lower, full of part timers and shit grounds. This guy is shockingly bad at football management, proven. Our only hope is to get rid of him.

[greb46]

There may be a sudden turnaround in the next few games and the team play brilliant football and rack up some goals but like Dave has mentioned having seen Owers from last season and his inability to change the system when needed it is worrying. The dour interviews after a match win or lose can't install confidence with fans or players alike but let's hope I'm wrong!

[Porky]

I just think what someone like Cyril Knowles would do with this team in this league. He took over, by and large, the squad which almost got relegated and turned them into promotion contenders.
I don't think Gary owers is the answer, but I'm going to stay positive. But if we are in the bottom half after ten games and he hasn't been sent on his way (a) I will be amazed and (b) I will join the conspiracy theory camp and go to enjoy some away trips and my season ticket and face facts that we are screwed.

[Parkys People]

I just think what someone like Cyril Knowles would do with this team in this league. He took over, by and large, the squad which almost got relegated and turned them into promotion contenders.
I don't think Gary owers is the answer, but I'm going to stay positive.

I'd echo that and suggest the same with a Roy McFarland.

Found the season highlights of the 01/02 season in the shed and watched it this morning. Roy Mac took over after Colin Lee following the Barnet relegation decider.

Adding Alex Russell straight away and Kevin Dearden who was our player of the year. As the season wore on Steve Woods, Reuben Hazell, Lee Canoville, Jason Fowler all came in.

Roy Mac wasn't able to get that team into the force they would become under Leroy the following season, infact just avoiding relegation. But he laid the foundation for a successful team. Is that happening now? Hmmm.