Club Ownership

[brucie]

I totally agree with Dave. Gi havn't said a word since they took over. Our best asset is going to our local rivals (apparently) so until I see any evidence from our owners to the contrary then that's all I can go on.

[Burnhamgull]

I'll keep saying it until I'm blue in the face. GI are not to be trusted, have no interest in a successful club and are only here to make money at the clubs expense, maybe even demise. It's that simple and no amount of hope is going to change that. The fight is on to save the club, the sooner people realise that the better.

Funny how quickly people are now willing to give GI a chance after one victory.

[Tired Old Gull]

If my memory serves me well, (which it rarely does), I seem to remember the last proper Torquay United Official Supporters Club was run by a guy called Ken Stevens, with Kate Stevens as Secretary and Jo ?? as Treasurer.
They had Mr Bateson as their President and brought out a newsletter called "Yellows Pages" and did a sterling job for quite a while, but then broke up for some reason or other.

If they couldn't make a go of it with the club owner as their leader - I don't think any organisation formed today will last long with no club input whatsoever.

[Lloyder5]

Noble was inappropriate in high-jacking the Boxing Day buffet in an attempt to promote the TUOSC; not advertise and certainly not requested. It was also embarrassing/concerning when he was joking with Robin Stubbs about drinking at the kids Christmas party.

[Kernowgull]

Join TUOSC if you haven't already and you will be sent details that goes out to all members by email

All well and good telling us to join the TUOSC, but I can't find a way of applying, that doesn't involve going to a game. As I live nearly 3 hours away, I don't get down very often. Doesn't seem very inclusive considering the well know fact that there are lots of Exiles around the country/world.

[Rjc70]

If my memory serves me well, (which it rarely does), I seem to remember the last proper Torquay United Official Supporters Club was run by a guy called Ken Stevens, with Kate Stevens as Secretary and Jo ?? as Treasurer.
They had Mr Bateson as their President and brought out a newsletter called "Yellows Pages" and did a sterling job for quite a while, but then broke up for some reason or other.

If they couldn't make a go of it with the club owner as their leader - I don't think any organisation formed today will last long with no club input whatsoever.

The last supporters club chair was Graham Harbour, as I recall. I think Chris Fleet had done it prior to that. Both support Torquay United, of course. I see that as pretty important, myself. I don't think they felt the necessity to use the word official, but they were the supporters club. Voted to merge their efforts with the trust on incorporation of the trust.

We have never had two supporter organisations in my living memory and certainly not one headed up by a fan of another club who shared a fairly embarrassing joke about some fans with the owner in public at a meeting where a lot of shit was talked and with a track record of being regarded by a number as a symbol of fan division at his own supported club.

I'd say TUFC under GI with Masters maintaining an interest in us (as per Dave Phillips' quote in that recent Herald article) is his best shot at being a board member in future if that is one of his ambitions. It might not be, I don't profess to know. As we were reminded last night, he can speak for himself, which is fair enough.

I don't do imageshack and whatnot, but I recall a picture of him with Pete Masters at Truro on BTPIR, but I'm not sure if that was prior to or after their second "supporter" group was set up, although something about an imported model of supporter groups by Hull City fan etc.. may have been part of the article accompanying the picture.

I quite like that the trust has been very welcoming to OSC. Shows a bit more class than brinkbackthecowshed's rant. They don't want fan division any more than the average reasonable fan does and certainly not when we have a property developing owner fresh in.

Given last night's exchanges, Sharon Cox may be effectively running the club single handed at the moment according to, perhaps, the person many of us may have thought was still Chairman. Fair play to her, if so.

[Chris B]

Which league do you want to play in Chris.? If it's National South or below I agree with you. If you are talking higher I don't see it right now. I think the money required for ft footballers is unlikely to be there I 'm afraid. I am however a supporter of TUST and will remain so. It will always have a role to play.

Realistically, even with success on the pitch, we're unlikely to sustain attendances over 3,000, which would put us firmly in the botton half in League 2. At this stage, getting back there is the dream.

Your point about a community run club (organised by TUST) not being able to get close to that is completely valid as it stands. However, the threat of administration, asset stripping and, ultimately, the club's very existence made me hope Torquay fans would unite. Imagine if every fan, in Torbay or exiled around the country/world, signed up to TUST. A membership of thousands rather than hundreds would at least offer a safety net should the worst happen under current or future ownership.

[Tired Old Gull]

The last supporters club chair was Graham Harbour, as I recall. I think Chris Fleet had done it prior to that. Both support Torquay United, of course. I see that as pretty important, myself. I don't think they felt the necessity to use the word official, but they were the supporters club. Voted to merge their efforts with the trust on incorporation of the trust.

Ah yes, Graham Harbour rings a bell, didn't his wife Jess run a sort of creche for players kiddies too? I think she works in B & Q Torquay now.
As for Mr Fleet - nuff said!!

Interesting to read comments by this 'Merse' person on another forum, how he has changed his spots now the takeover is complete. A leopard could never touch him, he is almost defending GI now - give him another week or so.

My thoughts are that only 2 kind of people would be interested in a club like TUFC, either a loony lottery winner with money to burn and no interest in making a profit - or a corporation looking at making a fast buck in return as an 'investment' is never going to show a profit.

Onwards and upwards for sure..happy new year all.

[Terry Henry]

My thoughts are that only 2 kind of people would be interested in a club like TUFC, either a loony lottery winner with money to burn and no interest in making a profit - or a corporation looking at making a fast buck in return as an 'investment' is never going to show a profit.

Onwards and upwards for sure..happy new year all.

Or maybe a millionaire who is trying to reduce their tax bill a bit

[torq2u]

My thoughts are that only 2 kind of people would be interested in a club like TUFC, either a loony lottery winner with money to burn and no interest in making a profit - or a corporation looking at making a fast buck in return as an 'investment' is never going to show a profit.

Of course. Due deference to our lottery winner who, with his wife, ploughed so much into the club and whose memorial is a magnificent stand.

[Plainmoor78]

Of course. Due deference to our lottery winner who, with his wife, ploughed so much into the club and whose memorial is a magnificent stand.

The trouble is that money was not invested wisely in order to provide for a sustainable future and as a result the magnificent memorial stands to be bulldozed.

[Tired Old Gull]

I often wonder how things would have panned out had he not so tragically passed away

Of course. Due deference to our lottery winner who, with his wife, ploughed so much into the club and whose memorial is a magnificent stand.

There's no disrespect to Paul Bristow meant there, I knew him well and after he had done the business with TUFC he asked me if I thought he was of his trolley (exact words!) .. I told him I thought he was, he laughed and gave me another burger!!
Unfortunately he was not particularly liked at the time by the directors who were there, they were not appreciative of the way he had obtained his money, not by 'hard graft' as one put it, just a lucky windfall.
I often wonder how things would have panned out had he not so tragically passed away, how would he have handled the Club and would he have sought better advice?
Sadly we will never know.

[Glostergull]

I often wonder how things would have panned out had he not so tragically passed away There's no disrespect to Paul Bristow meant there, I knew him well and after he had done the business with TUFC he asked me if I thought he was of his trolley (exact words!) .. I told him I thought he was, he laughed and gave me another burger!!
Unfortunately he was not particularly liked at the time by the directors who were there, they were not appreciative of the way he had obtained his money, not by 'hard graft' as one put it, just a lucky windfall.
I often wonder how things would have panned out had he not so tragically passed away, how would he have handled the Club and would he have sought better advice?
Sadly we will never know.

In respect to those who think they have gained their money by hard graft. Thats just plain rubbish. I have lived and worked with these type of people before. I did at one time before my illness earn a decent wedge. and it wasn't always with hard graft. true we were lucky to have had a decent brain to work out things that many could not. but also some earned their money by making others do the hard graft for them.
I know of several who have initially put in a lot of hours but when the rewards came they relaxed and then others did the main work for them while they just sat back to rake in the pennies a long long way past what hours or graft they put in. The floor level working man doesn't have that Luxury, he has to put in long hours all his working life.But imagine where they would be if they didn't have all those lessor people working for them. i value the dustbin men just as I value the Tealeady or the board room chairman. but it seems that many of these so called benefactors don't value those who work for them or as they would put it. beneath them, and that is the root of the problem with the Bristols. No one at the club at Board level really valued beyond sining cheques what paul or Thea Bristow did for them. they just treated them like a mug who would sign the cheques then walked away with a their money plus interest no doubt when things got tough.

[Tired Old Gull]

In respect to those who think they have gained their money by hard graft. Thats just plain rubbish.

Those were Paul's words, not mine!

[torq2u]

The trouble is that money was not invested wisely in order to provide for a sustainable future and as a result the magnificent memorial stands to be bulldozed.

And that's not the Bristows' fault.