Osborne meeting with Kevin Foster MP and Cllr

[standupsitdown]

Osborne does not build stadiums so if he gets the freehold TUFC will cease to exist in any recognisable form. He simply has to be stopped.

Without the freehold he will have no use for the club. Either he puts it into administration, we are relegated three leagues but reform as an AFC, or he is persuaded to cut his losses and sell for a little more than he’d get from administration – which can’t be that much.

Either way we can then have a fan owned club. This must be run according to its means but with our support there is no reason why it can’t survive and progress in the way that the likes of Aldershot & Hereford have. Even in minor leagues fans would turn up if the team was moving upwards. As has been said, the difference is that other clubs are run by chairman who are in it for football not property.

I’ve no idea what players get paid but say 15 players get £40,000, that’s £600,000 / year. Halve wages by going part time and there’s the £300,000 saved.

The fans and town would need to get behind the club. If necessary an appeal could be made to fans throughout the country to fund a buyout – other clubs have done this.

The only future is stopping Osborne getting the lease, getting him out and staying at Plainmoor. Fans mustn't be taken in by his promises. Osborne has no interest in Torquay United and will kill the club.

[Southampton Gull]

That's almost exactly as I see it. I'm not sure why any of us on here given what we know of his history even entertain the notion of a new stadium. We're either staying in our fit for purpose stadium until he pulls the plug or he'll get his hands on it and do what he always does, string the fans along until he sees through the land grab deal and then leave us all high and dry. The events on the pitch are secondary for now, we should all be focussing on coming up with the funds to rescue the club WHEN he stitches us up. Osborne is still swaying certain sections of the fan base with all these ridiculous claims for the future, the only thing in our future is the demise of the club we all love.

NOW is the time to start preparing, in fact we should have started the second he took the club by default. I fear the fans that are capable of leading the drive to secure the safety of the clubs future are already too old and battle worn to summon up the energy to do what is necessary. Let's not fool ourselves, we're more likely to end up as a fan owned club than one with a benevolant Chairman so it makes sense to me to start raising the funds now for the fight ahead. If we could get the club on a sound financial footing then in time perhaps that benevolant Chairman could be found. There's a lot of fighting to be done before that becomes a possibility, isn't it time that the more knowledgeable amongst us come together and set things in motion? Are TUST up for it? I hope so but they need more people driving us forward.

[Neal]

There are already excellent artificial pitches in the local schools. The restriction of use of Plainmoor would involve Plainmoor becoming Westlands sporting area which would prob include an artificial pitch and sale of Quinta for housing. Given Plymouths attempts at using Home Park for concerts and the low disposable income for these events at Plainmoor previously and their lack of success there's no clear route to financial success in this. Given the track record of GI the best route is prob to close the door, let GI stop investing and let's start from scratch and resurrect ourselves through community/supporters group ownership. in short it's a bloody mess but the reality is that it's probably impossible to run the club at any profit that would interest a genuine business person. if it had a chance someone would have stepped forward rather than the on going attraction of cowboys.

[Neal]

That's almost exactly as I see it. I'm not sure why any of us on here given what we know of his history even entertain the notion of a new stadium. We're either staying in our fit for purpose stadium until he pulls the plug or he'll get his hands on it and do what he always does, string the fans along until he sees through the land grab deal and then leave us all high and dry. The events on the pitch are secondary for now, we should all be focussing on coming up with the funds to rescue the club WHEN he stitches us up. Osborne is still swaying certain sections of the fan base with all these ridiculous claims for the future, the only thing in our future is the demise of the club we all love.

NOW is the time to start preparing, in fact we should have started the second he took the club by default. I fear the fans that are capable of leading the drive to secure the safety of the clubs future are already too old and battle worn to summon up the energy to do what is necessary. Let's not fool ourselves, we're more likely to end up as a fan owned club than one with a benevolant Chairman so it makes sense to me to start raising the funds now for the fight ahead. If we could get the club on a sound financial footing then in time perhaps that benevolant Chairman could be found. There's a lot of fighting to be done before that becomes a possibility, isn't it time that the more knowledgeable amongst us come together and set things in motion? Are TUST up for it? I hope so but they need more people driving us forward.

[Neal]

Osborne does not build stadiums so if he gets the freehold TUFC will cease to exist in any recognisable form. He simply has to be stopped.

Without the freehold he will have no use for the club. Either he puts it into administration, we are relegated three leagues but reform as an AFC, or he is persuaded to cut his losses and sell for a little more than he’d get from administration – which can’t be that much.

Either way we can then have a fan owned club. This must be run according to its means but with our support there is no reason why it can’t survive and progress in the way that the likes of Aldershot & Hereford have. Even in minor leagues fans would turn up if the team was moving upwards. As has been said, the difference is that other clubs are run by chairman who are in it for football not property.

I’ve no idea what players get paid but say 15 players get £40,000, that’s £600,000 / year. Halve wages by going part time and there’s the £300,000 saved.

The fans and town would need to get behind the club. If necessary an appeal could be made to fans throughout the country to fund a buyout – other clubs have done this.

The only future is stopping Osborne getting the lease, getting him out and staying at Plainmoor. Fans mustn't be taken in by his promises. Osborne has no interest in Torquay United and will kill the club.

[Neal]

is it time for all TUST members including myself to lobby TUST to take this direction?

[Southampton Gull]

I think there's too much apathy amongst the fans still. Even among those on social media where the evidence has been available for a long time there are still fans that can't see what is glaringly obvious. Until we become more militant and make sure everyone knows what is in motion we're slipping closer and closer to oblivion.

If the bloody Herald would take a more active role in spreading the concerns instead of the bullshit of Osborne it won't change. I can't imagine the local papers of industrial towns and cities in the north just sitting idly by watching the death of their football club.

Stand up and be counted Mr Thomas, it's time.

[oldcommsboy]

Osborne may want the freehold of Plainmoor to do a similar thing as at Eastville - put a supermarket on it. Covenants can be overturned - supermarket chains have big clouts and lots of money. A town near me - Wimborne - has Waitrose on the old Cricket ground. They bought out opposition by providing a public green space running down along a stream beside the store.

[standupsitdown]

Perhaps a leafleting campaign, at matches and in the town.
SAVE OUR FOOTBALL CLUB
Don't let the property speculator kill Torquay United.
Stress his record on not building stadiums, that Plainmoor is a Football League standard stadium, that the Bay needs it's football club. And that there are local elections in May.
We need to do more than moan on the internet to save Torquay United.

[hector]

A lot of supporters bought the David Thomas peddled notion that TUST were a glorified supporters club, raising money for a new lawnmower, whereas with the right support and backing a real supporters movement could have been started. However, in cahoots with the undermining of TUST by David Phillips and Peter Masters who had less than altruistic motives to protect, the Herald undermined - and at the same time helped foster suspicion - of TUST officials from the parochial members of the Pop Side.

Some would say we would have been relegated and struggling had we gone into fan ownership - exactly what happened anyway. If Bath City can prosper under community ownership, in that well-heeled City with little interest in its football team, then why would that be such an unreasonable proposition for Torquay United.

Clarke Osborne will not build TUFC a new stadium. It’s as obvious as night follows day, yet there are gullible fools, no doubt encouraged by David Thomas and the Herald Express buying up this nonsense of a 30,000 capacity venue, even when the drawings for this piece of fantasy (OR OUTRIGHT LIE) are based on images for a stadium in India from 10 years ago. Why doesn’t David Thomas question that instead of going on about some silly video relating to turning a stadium into an arena? He won’t because he’s not a journalist. Spineless and cowardly with his own cosy world to protect rather than question and stadium that is not going to happen!

[lucy6lucy]

A lot of supporters bought the David Thomas peddled notion that TUST were a glorified supporters club, raising money for a new lawnmower, whereas with the right support and backing a real supporters movement could have been started. However, in cahoots with the undermining of TUST by David Phillips and Peter Masters who had less than altruistic motives to protect, the Herald undermined - and at the same time helped foster suspicion - of TUST officials from the parochial members of the Pop Side.

Some would say we would have been relegated and struggling had we gone into fan ownership - exactly what happened anyway. If Bath City can prosper under community ownership, in that well-heeled City with little interest in its football team, then why would that be such an unreasonable proposition for Torquay United.

Clarke Osborne will not build TUFC a new stadium. It’s as obvious as night follows day, yet there are gullible fools, no doubt encouraged by David Thomas and the Herald Express buying up this nonsense of a 30,000 capacity venue, even when the drawings for this piece of fantasy (OR OUTRIGHT LIE) are based on images for a stadium in India from 10 years ago. Why doesn’t David Thomas question that instead of going on about some silly video relating to turning a stadium into an arena? He won’t because he’s not a journalist. Spineless and cowardly with his own cosy world to protect rather than question and stadium that is not going to happen!

I feel Kevin foster and David Thomas left that meeting with uncle Clarke thinking wtf

[standupsitdown]

This is why we need an information campaign so that fans and the people of Torquay are made aware of Osborne's record and that if he gets the freehold our club will die.
As a start, it wouldn't cost a great deal to print 10,000 A5 leaflets and distribute them outside Plainmoor and in the town.

[PhilGull]

Is there actually much value in Plainmoor though? Given the location and the size and quality of roads leading to it, how many homes could actually be built there? I really don't understand why he got involved.

[Shangull]

to a degree they got involved by default....lent £100k to the club on condition if not repaid by a certain date the ownership would fall into their hands. Other parties fell through and we end up with GI. GI money has keep the club afloat and there's plenty of people who are party to the current predicament. Well that's my understanding. Once GI have ownership they might as well make the best of a bad lot is probably their view. Not helped by the council being ambiguous....tin pot councillors messing up Torquay and Torquay United at present

[Porky]

to a degree they got involved by default....lent £100k to the club on condition if not repaid by a certain date the ownership would fall into their hands. Other parties fell through and we end up with GI. GI money has keep the club afloat and there's plenty of people who are party to the current predicament. Well that's my understanding. Once GI have ownership they might as well make the best of a bad lot is probably their view. Not helped by the council being ambiguous....tin pot councillors messing up Torquay and Torquay United at present

That's exactly my understanding. It isn't gi who put us in this predicament, they're just the undertaker!
Everyone is banging on about GI building nothing which is true! Don't forget they are also dealing with Torbay Council where the wheels grind very slowly, pavillion, torwood st, balloons, high st redevelopment and that's just torquay.