The Gary Johnson effect

[knightmaregull]

Whether CO saved the club, or was responsible for taking advantage of the naivety of the previous regime by granting them the loan that enabled him to hold them to ransom could be argued all day. I do think that anybody holding him out as a kind of Messiah is deluding themselves though.

My own view remains very much that for whatever reason, having a team doing well suits CO's primary money making objectives and that as soon as those objectives are achieved the team will fall rapidly down the priority list. Personally, I'm just enjoying the purple patch whilst it lasts and in full expectation that we'll revert back to chaos before too long. Hopefully I'm just a eternal pessimist but time will tell!

Whatever your view or stance, beware of Greeks bearing gifts .....

[dawlishmatt]

It is my understanding ( I'm sure I'll be corrected if I'm wrong ) that after the 6 months or so when Clarke Osborne was doing due diligence on the club, the previous board anounced that Osborne was not the board's choice and that they were exploring other options. Not one single serious offer was made to purchase the club for free ( only having to pay back Osbourne's £120,000 loan ) A few months later when not one serious offer was made to save the club, the board decided to call it a day and place the club into administration. It was only the intervention of the Truro city owner Peter masters who had become friends with Osborne that persuaded Osborne to obtain the club for free ( minus the £ 120,00 loan ). Mr Osborne did not hold the club to random, his £ 120,000 loan is just chickenfeed to a multi-millionare like Osborne.

[SuperNickyWroe]

It is my understanding ( I'm sure I'll be corrected if I'm wrong ) that after the 6 months or so when Clarke Osborne was doing due diligence on the club, the previous board anounced that Osborne was not the board's choice and that they were exploring other options. Not one single serious offer was made to purchase the club for free ( only having to pay back Osbourne's £120,000 loan ) A few months later when not one serious offer was made to save the club, the board decided to call it a day and place the club into administration. It was only the intervention of the Truro city owner Peter masters who had become friends with Osborne that persuaded Osborne to obtain the club for free ( minus the £ 120,00 loan ). Mr Osborne did not hold the club to random, his £ 120,000 loan is just chickenfeed to a multi-millionare like Osborne.

The reason that so many on here dont trust him - as has been said several times via posts - is that he has failed to deliver on his promises.
With regard to going into administration, Osborne wouldn't have allowed that to happen as he had his £120k loan in the club - money that he would have lost.
Also, which has been pointed out to you before, there were other serious offers on the table - the previous board had to go with Osborne as he had called in his loan.

[dawlishmatt]

Hi supernickywroe. Can you please tell me of just one single serious offer that was made to purchase the club for a mere £ 120,000. Peter masters had to persuade Osborne to take over the club AFTER the decision to place the club into administration was made by the previous owners. Clark Osborne was on record as saying that he was not bothered that the board rejected his offer to save the club. If it wasn't for Peter masters, there would be no Torquay United today and the £120,000 loan made by Osborne is as I stated previously chickenfeed to a multi-millionaire businessman, whom depending on which website you choose to believe, is worth between 40 and 100 million.

[Southampton Gull]

What is your point then? Please be clear.

And why not answer my question?

I've made my point several times but it seems to have evaded you for some reason. What you've replied with has no relevance to my post, you seem to be arguing about something that to a certain extent I agree with.

As for DawlishMatt, what an absolute pile of garbage. Osborne has NEVER built a stadium but he HAS built houses and commercial premises alongside or on sports stadia land with the promise of a shiny new stadium for the previous occupants that NEVER materialised.

Nightmaregull has hit the nail on the head. Agree with him totally.

Anyone who trusts Osborne or believes he'll build us a new ground is a fool. Anyone who comes on here vouching for Osborne is taking all of us for fools. We're not. Ask Chris Roberts.

[Teigngull]

[quote="Southampton Gull" post_id=236407 time=1549232631

I have to ask if as stated by many the owner wanted the club relegated why then employ GJ, stay full time wasting more money and get promoted? (assuming we do) what does the owner get out of that?

Kudos ?

[Plainmoor78]

With regards to "cash being flashed" , like Southampton I can't really see where it's spent with regards to playing side. Any incoming players since Johnson arrived have probably been afforded from the players he has shipped out, quite a few I believe. It's possible that Johnson is on higher remuneration than Owers but this has probably been afforded by getting rid of the likes of Gowling.
As far as the loanees are concerned, are we actually paying their wages?

[dawlishmatt]

Hi Southampton Gull. I have a conspiracy theory about the real reason why Clarke Osborne took over the club. When the club was first put up for sale there were only two serious bidders, Norman smurthwaite and Peter Masters. Both of them were effectively banned from purchasing the club by FA rules stating that no one person /company could own 2 separate clubs at the same time. Smurthwaite disappeared whilst Masters was still lurking in the background. When Osborne showed an interest in the club, at the time his was the only offer on the table. There then followed a six month excucivity contract between Osborne and the club, meaning that the club were not allowed to talk to any potential new owners whilst due diligence was carried out. Meanwhile masters was still lurking in the background and Osborne made a loan of £ 120,000 to the club to keep it afloat. After the six months had passed the TUFC board announced that they felt that Osborne was not the right person to purchase the club and they were looking elsewhere for potential new owners. Throughout this time, Peter masters was still sniffing around the club. When no serious offers came forward and the club ran out of money, the board voted to put the club into administration. Just a few days before we were going bust, non other than Peter masters stepped forward and pursuaded Osborne to take the club over ( remember after the board rejected osbournes offer, Osborne said himself that he would walk away). So why did Osborne, who by this time had become good friends with Peter masters, change his mind and save the club. I personally believe that Osborne is acting as a" caretaker owner " whilst masters completes his Truro city project and the new Cornwall stadium is built and he can get some of the millions he has invested in Truro. I think he will then sell Truro City and take over ownership of our club from Clarke Osborne.

[Plainmoor78]

How on earth is Masters going to get millions from Truro City? Masters has no financial stake in the S4C. Truro City will just be tenants if it ever gets built.

[Rjc70]

With regards to "cash being flashed" , like Southampton I can't really see where it's spent with regards to playing side. Any incoming players since Johnson arrived have probably been afforded from the players he has shipped out, quite a few I believe. It's possible that Johnson is on higher remuneration than Owers but this has probably been afforded by getting rid of the likes of Gowling.
As far as the loanees are concerned, are we actually paying their wages?

Pretty much as I see it, too. Irregardless of our close link with Bristol City, if we are actually playing loanees in our starting X1 (which we do) from clubs much higher up the pyramid, I would doubt very much that it costs us much, if anything. With parent, loan club and player all benefitting. Bournemouth have said they accept that the new lad fighting for a place will be a good part of his development. The Bristol City lads are regulars when fit and that will be pleasing for that parent club. It’s a well trodden path in football and Johnson knows it inside out.

Shifting out Gowling, Wright, Banton, Bawling, Regis and Williams (no doubt Nabi next) will have made it a ‘net save’ on what was being paid out under Owers. Couple that with increased attendances and GJ is very much a ‘net save’ who has produced great results and emerged with a good nucleus from within for the level above without hefty new player signing on fees being required. His is a financially sound acquisition so far and a bloody good one.

Osborne is what Osborne always was and always will be. A property developer who promises much and delivers little. Unless housing or commercial buildings are your thing. Pretty much everyone who treads these boards know his back catalogue of destruction. Enjoying it while it lasts is sound advice. I intend to.

[dawlishmatt]

Hi plainmoor 78. Why would a multi millionaire businessman Peter masters invest millions in Truro city FC? I remember reading an article about masters being disalusioned with football about 2 or 3 years ago because dispute his considerable investment in the club, the team being successful and yet only attracting around 300 supporter's to home games. Both masters and Osborne are very successful businessmen. As I have been repeatedly told on this forum, Osborne is not interested in TUFC and whatever happens in the future, one thing I know for certain is that neither masters nor Osborne will walk away having lost most of their considerable financing of their clubs.

[Southampton Gull]

sorry was we arguing? I hadnt noticed as i simply discredited your statement about cash not being flashed about in my previous post and asked you a question. Which by the way you havent answered and i can only put down to not being able to. Would you like to try?

No, you're having an argument on your own, you're also forgetting that going part time could arguably have been more costly.

If you want to see it as Osborne"flashing the cash" up to you but where exactly is he spending anything? We lost our groundsman quite some time ago, has he been replaced? As Plainmoor said, players have left and been replaced, we're not paying much for the services of the Bristol City lads so I prefer to see Osborne as lucky. Lucky that Owers was so bad he had no choice but to replace him and lucky that Gary Johnson has proven to be so good.

Crowds are up so no doubt the extra income is welcome but we still read gripes from fans that the club shop doesn't have much in the way of choice or stock. Perhaps if Osborne was flashing the cash he'd have sorted that out. Perhaps he'd have brought our ticketing arrangements into the 21st century.

If he was flashing the cash perhaps there would have been ticket deals available to help entice locals up to Plainmoor.

The official site is better than it has been but not sure much cash has been flashed there.

[Southampton Gull]

Pretty much as I see it, too. Irregardless of our close link with Bristol City, if we are actually playing loanees in our starting X1 (which we do) from clubs much higher up the pyramid, I would doubt very much that it costs us much, if anything. With parent, loan club and player all benefitting. Bournemouth have said they accept that the new lad fighting for a place will be a good part of his development. The Bristol City lads are regulars when fit and that will be pleasing for that parent club. It’s a well trodden path in football and Johnson knows it inside out.

Shifting out Gowling, Wright, Banton, Bawling, Regis and Williams (no doubt Nabi next) will have made it a ‘net save’ on what was being paid out under Owers. Couple that with increased attendances and GJ is very much a ‘net save’ who has produced great results and emerged with a good nucleus from within for the level above without hefty new player signing on fees being required. His is a financially sound acquisition so far and a bloody good one.

Osborne is what Osborne always was and always will be. A property developer who promises much and delivers little. Unless housing or commercial buildings are your thing. Pretty much everyone who treads these boards know his back catalogue of destruction. Enjoying it while it lasts is sound advice. I intend to.

Great post, Rob

Perhaps DawlishMatt could ask Uncle Clarke what happened to the new stadium he promised your other sporting love?

[dawlishmatt]

What about Gary Johnson signing 10 of his squad on extended contracts to the end of next season? I doubt that any of these players are on the same wages as before and have probably had a large wage increase. Add all the backroom staff which probably outnumber the playing staff and don't forget we have won nothing yet and if we are still in this league next season we will probably still be the only full time professional team in the league and the costs of running the club will be much higher. I also expect that to get a manager of the calabrue of Gary Johnson costs more than he was paying Harrop and owers combined.

[WHG]

He has loaned £840,000 to the club in the year ended 31/03/2018
That seems like a large amount to me.