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dawlishmatt wrote: ↑25 Mar 2020, 13:25 Plainmoor78, I agree with you concerning Clarke Osborne, he has no interest in football and is only investing in the club to make a huge profit. He obviously isn't going to make any money through the football club, hence the 5 year plan. Osborne stated at the clubs AGM that his five year plan is now on hold, but I still think he's in it for the long term, he'll make his millions on a new stadium complex and no doubt hundreds of houses, ref the Swindon stadium project for example, which is now underway.

https://www.devonlive.com/sport/footbal ... ew-3412818

Have you forgot about this then?
.....and "underway" after god knows how many years......

Supernickywroe, you should be glad. If I am right, we're stuck with uncle Clarke for a long long time.

I see the PFA is getting their knickers in the twist because an EFL Club (Birmingham City) is asking all players earning over £6K PER WEEK to take a 50% cut. Well, how can you expect the modern footballer to get by on £156,000 per annum? Is this a sick joke or what? A sign of the malaise in professional football generally I suggest!

Oh, and Forest Green are going to rely on the government' scheme to pay 80% up to a maximum of £2,500 per month. Where are the Premier League millions going then?

Plainmoor78 wrote: ↑25 Mar 2020, 11:15 Disagree with you. Yes Uncle Clarke has sunk money into the club for reasons we do not know, but it is certainly done with an eye to future profits. When this crisis is over the economic landscape will look different. Whatever Osborne was considering before may no longer be financially viable and like all money men he will be looking to switching his funds into newer opportunities that present themselves.

My understanding is all non playing staff have been put on the employee retention scheme. This basically means that they are paid 80% of wages by the government for an agreed period of time. Most employers do not make this up and not sure if they can. Hopefully all affected are ok. I've not seen the players are currently on this scheme but if the national League is abandoned then I can't see too many clubs at our level avoiding this option. At the moment TUFC are paying wages to playing staff unless Ive missed an a announcement. Good luck to all in these difficult times and hopefully we will have a club to support on the other side.

SuperNickyWroe wrote: ↑25 Mar 2020, 15:53 https://www.devonlive.com/sport/footbal ... ew-3412818

Have you forgot about this then?
.....and "underway" after god knows how many years......

It’s had planning permissions granted before for a new site very near to existing one and there was no movement bar housing. Reasons were given, of course.

Even had a ceremonial dig Osborne put a hard hat on for circa 2015. Housing now close to perimeter of existing pits. Rumbling on for approaching two decades. Reasons were given, of course.

Told them to groundshare with a ground his GI/Stadia UK sanctioned to be demolished in amongst all that. Possible prefab on existing site photo op a couple of years back. Reasons were given, of course.

However, I’m guessing you knew all that and the track record and the many reasons/excuses given elsewhere, dawlishmatt. Even if you weren’t aware he had announced not going ahead with stadium ‘plan’ for TUFC for now.

I have feared for our club ever since he took over owing to his business interests overseeing the death of another club I supported. The current climate doesn’t alter that concern. It brings everything into focus more when considering our club rather than the current climate for all.

We should bounce back after he has gone and, perhaps, either through others or directly to the media, blamed circumstances or others for his announced necessary departure/plug pull. It won’t be easy. But we will as long as there is Plainmoor still to play at for the post Osborne era TUFC. Why ignore track records on building ‘promised/pledged’ etc. new stadia. What’s the point in that. Reasons will be given, of course.

No matter the subject heading on this forum, eventually ,for many it comes back to Osborne bashing, certainly, and even he could not argue this one there were times when his word was less than his bond. He reneged on promises, he destroyed dreams. But in simple English what has he exactly done to harm Torquay, He is only in it for the profit most will say, well there is nothing wrong with making a profit, for a man who admits he cares little for football what does he get out of us in return for his seven figure investment, he does not own the ground and in the foreseeable future there is very little opportunity for that occurring, the value of the players, lets be honest minimal at best, a few stands that could be sold on for little more than salvage prices, there is no new ground with, hotel, cinema or houses to profit from. If he walked away tomorrow his legacy would be three years of football for Torquay that we would not have had other than as a phoenix club in the southern league, if we were lucky.

Interesting thread. Big shake up coming along I shouldn't wonder when it all settles down. As regards this season I don't think all is lost. Even if it starts in September it's still the 2019/20 season. Forego friendlies, start again in November (the 2020/21 season), cancel all cups outside FA and FLC, make those one game to the finish, end the season end of June/July, and so on, bring it back each year until normality is resumed. Yes contracts will have to be sorted out but as this is a once in a lifetime event I am not sure they would stand up to legal challenge.

I still can't work out Osbournes strategy but as Culmstock says, where would we be without the money he is putting in. Anything could happen. I'm not pessimistic nor optimistic, anything could happen. The club will continue in one form or another in a footballing structure which will have to go through a reality check and make fiscal changes or else we are going to have a Premier League and virtually nothing else.

Osborne is the least of my worries right now as most club owners would probably be best advised to cut their losses immediately and insulate their other interests.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52048930

Maybe the season will be played to a finish?

NL clubs have been given 48 hours to decide amongst 4 options. One option is give barrow the title, drop to 23 teams, meaning 3 relegate and drop a christmas fixture.. no idea the other options but they are probably all more or less guessable...

Strangely, given that CO will want to protect his investment, it may actually work to our benefi, in a depressing normative sort of way...

The national league have suspended the league indefinitely.
I think that Barrow have some nerve by suggesting that if the season is over, they being top of the league at present, should be promoted to league 2.
At present, Barrow have played 37 and have 70 points. Harrogate have also played 37 and have 66 and Notts County who are third, trail Barrow by 7pts having played 38 games. On the latest form, the last 5 matches, Barrow have taken just 7pts from 15, Harrogate have taken 11pts out of 15 and Notts County 12pts from 15. As it stands, Barrow are a long way from winning the league. If I were a Harrogate or Notts county supporter and barrow are promoted without the season being completed, I'd be bloody furious.

Donuts76 wrote: ↑31 Mar 2020, 16:50 NL clubs have been given 48 hours to decide amongst 4 options. One option is give barrow the title, drop to 23 teams, meaning 3 relegate and drop a christmas fixture.. no idea the other options but they are probably all more or less guessable...

Strangely, given that CO will want to protect his investment, it may actually work to our benefi, in a depressing normative sort of way...

Not sure Harrogate will agree with option 1. Barrow may be 4 points clear but tomorrow would have been Harrogate v Barrow

Let's just start the season on July 1st. Make it a World Cup-style tournament. 6 groups of 4; current top 6 are the 'seeds', with each subsequent group of 6 in the league table making up the rest.

Each team plays every other team in the group, top 2 qualify with 4 best 3rd place finishers - then a simple knockout.

Both teams who get to the final get promoted, the winners as Champions.

The bottom teams of each group also have a playoff. Highest-ranked - according to league positions at time of suspension - vs lowest ranked. Losers get relegated.

Group A
Barrow
Woking
Dagenham & Redbridge
Chorley

Group B
Harrogate
Stockport
Eastleigh
Fylde

Group C
Notts County
Solihull
Aldershot
Maidenhead

Group D
Yeovil
Barnet
Torquay
Ebbsfleet

Group E
Boreham Wood
Dover
Sutton
Wrexham


Group F
Halifax
Hartlepool
Bromley
Chesterfield

Every team gets at least one game at home; top seeds get 2 at home.

YOU'RE WELCOME, EVERYBODY, I FIXED FOOTBALL.

happytorq wrote: ↑31 Mar 2020, 19:55 Let's just start the season on July 1st. Make it a World Cup-style tournament. 6 groups of 4; current top 6 are the 'seeds', with each subsequent group of 6 in the league table making up the rest.

Each team plays every other team in the group, top 2 qualify with 4 best 3rd place finishers - then a simple knockout.

Both teams who get to the final get promoted, the winners as Champions.

The bottom teams of each group also have a playoff. Highest-ranked - according to league positions at time of suspension - vs lowest ranked. Losers get relegated.

Group A
Barrow
Woking
Dagenham & Redbridge
Chorley

Group B
Harrogate
Stockport
Eastleigh
Fylde

Group C
Notts County
Solihull
Aldershot
Maidenhead

Group D
Yeovil
Barnet
Torquay
Ebbsfleet

Group E
Boreham Wood
Dover
Sutton
Wrexham


Group F
Halifax
Hartlepool
Bromley
Chesterfield

Every team gets at least one game at home; top seeds get 2 at home.

YOU'RE WELCOME, EVERYBODY, I FIXED FOOTBALL.

No offence HT, but instead of p155ing about with something like that, why not just finish the season with the remaining fixtures?
That is the only fair way to do it.