Uncle Clarke ( episode 409)

[dawlishmatt]

Over the last few days I've been reading some of the many comments concerning our owner uncle Clarke. Reading an article online from The Guardian, dated 16th April 2017 is an interview with ex employee and founder of the BTPIR forum, Alan Merson. In the article, Mr Merson describes that Gaming International have no interest in the club and only want to purchase plainmoor and obliterate the football club.
On 6th April 2017, Mr Osborne did a 35 minute interview on TUFC TV and talked about his 5 year plan for the club. Osborne stated several times that the number one priority was to get the club back into the football league within 5 years.
During his ownership, Osborne has completely overhauled the football club and it is the envy of most league one and two clubs. He has invested millions in the club during his ownership.
Today the club finds itself top of the National league ( although nothing has been won yet) and has the best manager at this level and probably the most successful manager in the clubs history.
Every away match excluding Weymouth and Yeovil, the club travel to the area the day before and stay overnight in a hotel. Gary Johnson has said that at every away trip, the whole squad, including the injured players travel with the team. With virtually zero income, this money comes from Mr Osborne's pocket.
I am interested Mr Merson and all the other fans who destroyed Clarke Osborne when he saved our club from oblivion in 2016, has your opinion of Clarke Osborne changed?

[Minneapolisgull]

Dawlish Mat I can only assume you wanted divert the stress levels building up about tomorrows game by stirring the hornets nest. Looking forward to reading all the conspiracy theories regarding Uncle Clarke quest to destroy the club. Maybe he has changed his mind and decided not to destroy but to take to the super league and then sell!

[dawlishmatt]

Minneapolisgull, good morning. The purpose of my post today is to call out all the so-called supporters of our beloved club who never gave Clarke Osborne a chance. Mr Merson and many others said that Osborne's purchase of the club, yes he did buy the club in the form of a loan, went to the national press saying that Gaming Internationals purchase of our club was the final nail in the coffin. Even at the time of the article I felt that in his comments did not represent the thoughts and feelings of many supporters.
Over the last 5 years we have been relegated before being promoted the following season with gates at Plainmoor in excess of 4, 000, in the National league South, well above the 2,200 we averaged in the football league. We also regularly had away support in excess of 1,000 supporters, something that most league 1& 2 clubs fail to achieve.
Today we sit on the verge of the promised land, although we are not there yet, thanks to the owner. If Covid never happened, then I'm sure that we would have seen several attendances over 5,000. In the last few years we have played some of the best football I have ever seen TUFC play, hence the fantastic crowds. Can anyone tell me if they have ever seen us play better, especially at present and with an injury ravaged squad.

[portugull]

I think this is a subject for next month because for now all we care about is supporting the Club and the Team in achieving Promotion back to the EFL.

[MellowYellow]

You're sounding like the 'Man with the Muckrake' not really looking heavenward to the 'promised land' but instead a man who constantly rakes the filth at his feet. Being an 'activist for the day' intent on exposing some sort of devious anti-Uncle Clarke with an alarmist tone is sensationalism at its worse.

Let it rest - now is not the time nor the place. In the words of Churchill "This is our finest hour!"

[standupsitdown]

I think this is a subject for next month because for now all we care about is supporting the Club and the Team in achieving Promotion back to the EFL.

Agreed.
I do wonder if Clarke is really DawlishMatt's uncle.

[dawlishmatt]

Mellow Yellow, good morning to you. The reason I posted my article today is because IF we get promoted then all the praise will be on Gary Johnson and quite rightly so. I suspect that IF we reach the promised land, the club owner will hardly get a mention.

[Chrisjb66]

Matt comment 10.21 spot on. TUFC would be in NLS without savvy ‘business’ people spending money.

[MellowYellow]

Matt comment 10.21 spot on. TUFC would be in NLS without savvy ‘business’ people spending money.

So would Man Utd - your point being?

[dawlishmatt]

Agreed.
I do wonder if Clarke is really DawlishMatt's uncle.

Don't forget we're one big happy family

[merse btpir]

Did I actually say "that Gaming International have no interest in the club and only want to purchase Plainmoor and obliterate the football club." Dawlish Matt?

Here's the article in the Guardian you refer to; so tell me just where it is reported that I said that:
https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... -plainmoor

Oh and by the way; Barry Glendenning the journalist who wrote the article, contacted me; I did not 'go to the national press saying that Gaming Internationals purchase of our club was the final nail in the coffin.' Show us where you have read that or are you believing someone else who has said that.

The quotes by me were accurately reported by Mr Glendenning and are there on the link for all reading your thread today.

Does anyone really believe that if the trust, the forums and the national press had not taken such an interest in the security of tenure of Torquay United at Plainmoor and the deviant conduct of the mayor of the time Gordon Oliver; we would be where we are today? Although Torbay Council denied he made a formal approach about buying the freehold of Plainmoor, there have been informal talks they stated in the Guardian.

Did anyone really believe that a stadium would be built for the Club to move into by now (as was promised) thereby leaving Plainmoor to be re-developed as the local media were telling you?

“If a plan is put forward that clearly demonstrates the development of a new stadium and the relocation of the team is in the club’s absolute long-term interests we will support it. But build it first and leave the freehold under the protection of the council.” The Supporters Trust were saying at the time. No-one was seeking to 'destroy' Clarke Osborne; far from it ~ they were seeking to ensure that Torquay United was not going to be destroyed in the same manner that Reading Speedway was.

Well it hasn't been built has it; and is nowhere near likely to be and as we all know now; has been shoved onto the back burner as Mr Osborne seeks to maximise his acquisition in the manner that we would all want our football club to be run; how we wanted it to be run from the start of his ownership, but certainly wasn't being so in April 2017.

Now be a good boy Dawlish Matt, and get back into your padded cell!

[frenchgull]

I am glad that somebody has reconised the owner of our club in that where would we be without him.Sure he has previous but he has stood by his investment and wether gift or loan has put money into to the club for GJ to spend so for all those people who said this was the end of the world for Torquay cut a little slack and give the bloke a little credit

[Southampton Gull]

I am interested Mr Merson and all the other fans who destroyed Clarke Osborne when he saved our club from oblivion in 2016, has your opinion of Clarke Osborne changed?

As it happens I applaud the commitment made by Osborne BUT are we really out of the woods yet? Time will tell. Just because we are on the verge of a possible return to the League doesn't mean we were wrong to express our concerns. History says we were right to be cautious and then there's the method by which he gained control of the club, that dirty laundry hasn't been washed just yet.

Now is the time to sit back and enjoy the ride not drag this up...............again.

Does anyone really believe that if the trust, the forums and the national press had not taken such an interest in the security of tenure of Torquay United at Plainmoor and the deviant conduct of the mayor of the time Gordon Oliver; we would be where we are today? Although Torbay Council denied he made a formal approach about buying the freehold of Plainmoor, there have been informal talks they stated in the Guardian.

Did anyone really believe that a stadium would be built for the Club to move into by now (as was promised) thereby leaving Plainmoor to be re-developed as the local media were telling you?

That is my view precisely. Where would we be now IF we hadn't raised the objections we did back then. Nice to see your name pop back up, hope you're well

[dawlishmatt]

Did I actually say "that Gaming International have no interest in the club and only want to purchase Plainmoor and obliterate the football club." Dawlish Matt?

Here's the article in the Guardian you refer to; so tell me just where it is reported that I said that:
https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... -plainmoor

Oh and by the way; Barry Glendenning the journalist who wrote the article, contacted me; I did not 'go to the national press saying that Gaming Internationals purchase of our club was the final nail in the coffin.' Show us where you have read that or are you believing someone else who has said that.

The quotes by me were accurately reported by Mr Glendenning and are there on the link for all reading your thread today.

Does anyone really believe that if the trust, the forums and the national press had not taken such an interest in the security of tenure of Torquay United at Plainmoor and the deviant conduct of the mayor of the time Gordon Oliver; we would be where we are today? Although Torbay Council denied he made a formal approach about buying the freehold of Plainmoor, there have been informal talks they stated in the Guardian.

Did anyone really believe that a stadium would be built for the Club to move into by now (as was promised) thereby leaving Plainmoor to be re-developed as the local media were telling you?

“If a plan is put forward that clearly demonstrates the development of a new stadium and the relocation of the team is in the club’s absolute long-term interests we will support it. But build it first and leave the freehold under the protection of the council.” The Supporters Trust were saying at the time. No-one was seeking to 'destroy' Clarke Osborne; far from it ~ they were seeking to ensure that Torquay United was not going to be destroyed in the same manner that Reading Speedway was.

Well it hasn't been built has it; and is nowhere near likely to be and as we all know now; has been shoved onto the back burner as Mr Osborne seeks to maximise his acquisition in the manner that we would all want our football club to be run; how we wanted it to be run from the start of his ownership, but certainly wasn't being so in April 2017.

Now be a good boy Dawlish Matt, and get back into your padded cell!

Merse, good afternoon. I read your interview very carefully and stand by everything I said concerning my post from earlier today. The term I used was you said it was the final nail in the coffin, well I didn't mean that literally. I was generalising the entire interview.
May I suggest that you kindly refrain from using hate speech. Telling me to go back to my padded cell can be seen as a hate crime. You don't know me and you don't know if I have mental health issues. You are old enough to know better but like some people in life, instead of responding to criticism with a counter argument, you respond with abuse.

[DWB]

Please please guys chill out and let’s enjoy the football/results the lads are producing. Now is not the time for this ‘bickering’