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AustrianAntheaGull wrote:Managed to sneak a bit of time on a PC somewhere so just thought I'd refresh this thread as Forest Gull never did PM his details so I still have a free ticket to give away for the bench for the game vs Newport. I won't be going for definite so if anyone wants it if they PM me in the next hour then I can get your details and send it off to you. If anyone wants a free night in the Premier Inn in Bridgwater on that Saturday night and they can pass for me then they are welcome to it too. I can't get my cash back on that either so I don't know if anyone can just rock up and take the room or if is even allowed but you're welcome to it.

I've said all I need to about our season and I accepted relegation months ago in my head. I'm firmly in the Alan Knill to take much of the culpability for this along with most of the God awful squad he assembled but I can understand those critical of the board also. Anyway, it's done and dusted. Let Alan move on with Northampton and we just concentrate on next season and focussing on what we need to do.

I cannot justify even watching or supporting these players for the rest of this season as I strongly feel that 90% of them do not come close to deserving any of what they have been given thus far. Many will disagree and I understand that too but I will be going to York and I will be going to Mansfield but not to support the players, many of whom who won't be here next season anyway but I'm going solely to show the York and Mansfield fans that we get behind our CLUB and 'our' (your) town even if the games are meaningless. I am still proud of Torquay United and being a fan of the club, I am not proud of our players as they have been worse than awful for most of the season and there has to come a point where support for consistent failure has to be questioned and if necessary stopped. I won't be shouting any words of encouragement to our players or singing their names just singing Torquay songs. It's a mini protest if you like. After all, I wouldn't nip into a bank and start praising executive management for ensuring many elderly folk now have to work until they are a hundred and eight before retiring whilst they are still getting handsomely rewarded.

I am really excited about the new season and if I assume we are to be in the conference then equally so. Why not? Those who are spreading Armageddon scenarios for TUFC have to be taken with a pinch of salt IMO. They are understandably frustrated and annoyed with what is happening but even without being privy to anything behind the scenes at TUFC I just can't see us collapsing into the conference south. If we do then we deal with it then. What we need is to have much of our squad decimated and new faces in, I want to see eager, hungry players next season, a blend of a few old heads and youngsters and lower non league players given opportunities to make something of themselves. Gone are the Buckle days. It's a new Torquay now and I suggest we renew our season tickets (if the club lower prices - of not they are taking the piss - it's not the fans fault we are in this situation so they shouldn't make them pay for it), I suggest we travel in numbers and pack out some of these 'unique' sporting venues such as Alfreton and Bromley, make some noise, show football that we don't need to do a Chesterfield or whatever and spend cash we haven't got but we can cut our cloth and survive despite our restrictive geographical position. We can show the Grimsbys the Lincolns and the Wrexhams that we are just nipping into the conference for a short holiday due to return home to the football league once we have had enough of day trip excursions to the tourist attractions of Hereford, Cambridge, Nailsworth, Chester and the like.

One thing I would like to add and I notice some of you have also been willing to incur the wrath of pro-Hargeaves supporters by doing this but I would also like to say that I have HUGE concerns about Chris and his ability to manage us next season. I accept Chris has had a humongously difficult job these past few months but I haven't seen anything from him at all really that suggests to me he has the brutality and often common sense required in terms of making critical management decisions in games. Not a criticism of him as a man and a club legend, I'm just basing my opinion on little things that have really surprised me during his short time with us. Again I do allow for the fact that most of the players lack confidence and are not very good but anyway, said it now so that is my view at the moment. I'm sure he will improve greatly as he makes the team his own and gets to grips with things over the summer but I just feel it won't be enough in what is a tough tough league. I've seen a lot of the Skrill this season and I'm very impressed, certainly it's been better than some of the league 2 dirge I've seen.

So in a nutshell (that one is specially for Gullscorer :na: ) we just crack on from next season and go into it with optimism and a sense of adventure. It would be beneficial if the club thought about being more interactive and communicative with the fans as at times it has felt like an 'them and us' mentality amongst some and what they really need to be doing now is busting their asses to get as many of us on side as they possibly can. I'm not entirely sure they have the ability to do this however but it's their 'business' and we are the 'customers' so they should really be looking at it from this angle IMO and how they can retain their customers and stop them 'shopping' elsewhere as it were. Look after the fans and even given an persistently excruciatingly tortuous level of shitness on the pitch then the fans for the most part will look after you. Alienate them and take them for granted and impatience and resentment will grow.

That's it anyway. A long winded reminder to anyone who wants the free ticket I know but back on topic, if you want the freebie then PM me in the next hour.

Cheers all. COYY!!!!!!!

AustrianAntheaGull wrote:In the summer, after the world cup and some cracking barbecues, the fixtures come out and then this happens................................



It takes over and we all pile down to Plainmoor (or up to our first away game) and we sit in the sunshine and hope.

Love the club, it may be unrequited but when it takes over WE ARE THE TORQUAY BOYS!!!!!!