Uncle Clarke

[dawlishmatt]

Southampton Gull, being a transvestite often has nothing to do with sex or sexuality. Trust me Dave, mental health is my field. Throughout my nursing career i met dozens of transgender people who had attempted suicide because of their sexuality. I have the utmost respect to any individual who has issues with their sexuality. In his book, Dr coleman says he is a crossdresser because it helps him relieve stress and helps him to relax. It is not a sexual thing.

[Louis]

Louis, i find your comments somewhat bizarre. I post a thread about Torquay's owner and you are suggesting that after only 3 days the post should be closed down, yet you allow the covid 19 situation posts to run and run since March? The comments and the dozens of video links posted on this football forum have nothing to do with TUFC. May i suggest that you close down non football threads on this site.

Southampton Gull, talk about chicken fillets filling my man bra, did you know that Vernon Coleman is a transvestite ? He came out in 1995 and in 1996 he wrote a book called Men in bras, panties and dresses. I have just checked on Amazon and it's still available for £ 4-99 if your'e interested Dave.

No words required

[Louis]

Good to see everyone is back on full form for a new season of football....

[Southampton Gull]

Happy to bow to your superior knowledge, I just admire his determination not to be shut down in the pursuit of what he believes to be true.

[Louis]

I've stopped plopside posts from showing up on the homepage recent topics at the top. Hope that helps and keeps people from war. You can still join in off football talk by going to the plopside board.

[SteveDeckchair]

Back on topic, surely Uncle Clarke spending way more money than the club can afford is actually creating the scenario where he puts the club in administration at some point in the future?

Record losses = unsustainable = no club. Force the council's hand. Etc etc.

Just saying......

[Donuts76]

= he'd get no money.

It will be more nuamced, money will be recouped through sale of assests, of which our ground isnt one. OR through sale to someone else.

But we need to get fans back through the turnstiles, or have a streaming service with the license for the competitions throughout the season - that i think is vital and a potential money spinner into a post covid future.

[standupsitdown]

If the club folded or went into administration Osborne would get back a fraction of what he's put in - if anything.
Other than the players, who wouldn't raise much, there are no significant assets.
He would get more if he sold the club as a going concern, especially if we got back into the EFL, although he's very unlikely to get all that he's owed.
Either he's keeping the club going in the hope of selling and getting something back, or he still thinks he can get the freehold and develop Plainmoor for housing.

[MellowYellow]

Since he took control of the club (or stole it) in December 2016, - Uncle Clarke has subsequently stated he wants to be involved with our club until at least 2023. With the adage that by that time he hopes a few flush oil magnate's will emerge to take the club further - well that's his hope. All of that will be dependant if the club is in a sustainable state which, of course, it's not.

Key to Uncle Clarke's plan to make Torquay United sustainable means moving away from Plainmoor to a new stadium. On this point I happen to agree with him unless we are all living in dreamland and think we can be totally reliant upon what has happened over the last decade or so where a series of people buy into the club, believe they can do something spectacular with the club and fail because it's not sustainable.

So if his 5 year plan fails to materialise and he cuts his losses we are back to where we started prior to Uncle Clarke's entrance, namely 'days away from administration'.

So we are where we are - a club with Uncle Clarke at the helm who for all intent and purposes rescued us from administration A man who has funded the club continuously and has denied nothing to the club in the process of getting us back into the football league with a new stadium and being sustainable.

We have to be accepting he is a businessman looking for a return on his investment - that's the law of good business. But he not a football fan, you say. Come on give the guy a break - if you spent your whole childhood being forced to watch and support Bristol Rovers wouldn't you hate football too.

I'm beginning to think, any fan would be hard pushed to disclaim that without Uncle Clarke's, involvement, there would be a club at all. But then again I could just be one of the delusional Covid-19 asymptomatic victims.

[DWB]

Since he took control of the club (or stole it) in December 2016, - Uncle Clarke has subsequently stated he wants to be involved with our club until at least 2023. With the adage that by that time he hopes a few flush oil magnate's will emerge to take the club further - well that's his hope. All of that will be dependant if the club is in a sustainable state which, of course, it's not.

Key to Uncle Clarke's plan to make Torquay United sustainable means moving away from Plainmoor to a new stadium. On this point I happen to agree with him unless we are all living in dreamland and think we can be totally reliant upon what has happened over the last decade or so where a series of people buy into the club, believe they can do something spectacular with the club and fail because it's not sustainable.

So if his 5 year plan fails to materialise and he cuts his losses we are back to where we started prior to Uncle Clarke's entrance, namely 'days away from administration'.

So we are where we are - a club with Uncle Clarke at the helm who for all intent and purposes rescued us from administration A man who has funded the club continuously and has denied nothing to the club in the process of getting us back into the football league with a new stadium and being sustainable.

We have to be accepting he is a businessman looking for a return on his investment - that's the law of good business. But he not a football fan, you say. Come on give the guy a break - if you spent your whole childhood being forced to watch and support Bristol Rovers wouldn't you hate football too.

I'm beginning to think, any fan would be hard pushed to disclaim that without Uncle Clarke's, involvement, there would be a club at all. But then again I could just be one of the delusional Covid-19 asymptomatic victims.

[Southampton Gull]

Yep, agree with all that, Mellow. I don't take you as an "asymptomatic" type though

[exilegull]

Macclesfield have been wound up today and I'm sure they won't be the only ones. Could well be sensible supporting the club as things stand as by the time all this has come out in the wash and other clubs have folded due to Covid, he could find himself with a Championship club by default.

I'm only half joking - a top 8 finish this season could easily see a promotion to the league to replace folded clubs.

[standupsitdown]

We have to be accepting he is a businessman looking for a return on his investment - that's the law of good business. But he not a football fan, you say. Come on give the guy a break - if you spent your whole childhood being forced to watch and support Bristol Rovers wouldn't you hate football too.

Interesting mention of Bristol Rovers. For balance perhaps mention should be made of his role in selling Eastville for an Ikea store and that Rovers still don't have a ground of their own.

[Plainmoor78]

Interesting mention of Bristol Rovers. For balance perhaps mention should be made of his role in selling Eastville for an Ikea store and that Rovers still don't have a ground of their own.

True that Osborne played a role in converting Eastville into a Swedish flat pack superstore, but Bristol Rovers do actually own the Memorial stadium and have done since 1998 when they purchased Bristol rugby club's share of the ground.

[MellowYellow]

True that Osborne played a role in converting Eastville into a Swedish flat pack superstore, but Bristol Rovers do actually own the Memorial stadium and have done since 1998 when they purchased Bristol rugby club's share of the ground.

Previous is always in the back of one's subconscious. Since Eastville was sold in 1997, Rovers have had opportunities to set up a new ground. In January 2007, planning permission was granted for a new 18,500 capacity all-seater stadium to be built on the site of the Memorial Stadium. The project was abandoned after a series of delays. In June 2011, the club announced its intention to relocate the club to a new 21,700 all-seater stadium on the University of the West of England's Frenchay campus. The planned UWE Stadium was shelved in August 2017 due to disputes between the club and the university, and attention returned to redeveloping the Memorial Stadium.

The current speculation is around Bristol Rovers purchasing the Bristol Fruit Market as a site for a new stadium. So the rich tapestry of life continues for the Black Arabs.

I expect Uncle Clarke is wishing on a star that Torquay Council grant him planning permission as freehandedly as Bristol's Council do for Rovers.