Club Statement

[Southampton Gull]

Who says they have any intentions of sacking him anytime soon?

[Scott Brehaut]

Who says they have any intentions of sacking him anytime soon?

I didn't say that - I was merely hypothesising

[Southampton Gull]

Along with the majority of people on here

[wodger of awabia]

Maybe they would, what does that say about them as fans? I'd like to think that the majority would rally around the Club when they most need it. Maybe I have too much faith in our fanbase?

Yes, but the atmosphere at Plainmoor is so bad at the moment that it is no pleasure attending matches. I go to be entertained & to watch a good game of football, not to put up with all of the sh#t that is going up there at the moment. An example of this is that one of the crowd was clapping the team off after another loss, & a couple of guys shouted at him calling him a daft c##t for applauding another load of cr#p. Sorry but I don't think I will be going to any more matches whilst Knill is the manager. IMO the only way to get the atmosphere back is to get a new manager.

[tomogull]

Maybe they would, what does that say about them as fans? I'd like to think that the majority would rally around the Club when they most need it. Maybe I have too much faith in our fanbase?

Dave - the only statement the club could make is "The Board has every confidence in the manager" which as we all know is Boardroom speak for 'you're getting sacked by the end of the week'.

[nickfrench82]

If a statement is ti be released, it needs to be wordes in a careful way, so as not to alienate supporters, and to try and rally everybody together. A difficukt task, but highlighting the finance situation as a reason for the size of the squad, whilst recognising the difficulty Knill has had with certain situations beyond his control, and that the first hakf of the season has been both frustrating and clearly below expectations but that everybody is pulling in the same direction and wants what is best for Torquay United.

Is that the answer? Supporters staying away and not helping the finance or support of the club however, is NOT the answer

[nickfrench82]

Sorry about the spelling, was typing too fast on my phone and not checking!

[Southampton Gull]

I think that would help more than hinder. A lot closer to the truth than some of the things people believe.

[hector]

If a statement is ti be released, it needs to be wordes in a careful way, so as not to alienate supporters, and to try and rally everybody together. A difficukt task, but highlighting the finance situation as a reason for the size of the squad, whilst recognising the difficulty Knill has had with certain situations beyond his control, and that the first hakf of the season has been both frustrating and clearly below expectations but that everybody is pulling in the same direction and wants what is best for Torquay United.

Is that the answer? Supporters staying away and not helping the finance or support of the club however, is NOT the answer

Agreed, but sadly it is inevitable because people are not going to go when there is little prospect of winning. And that is not something particular to Torquay - it is the same for every club. Crowds shrink when the team is doing badly. Ours have actually held up remarkably well. The club currently get gates, far in excess of what it deserves.

If all that happens by attending TUFC is you leave Plainmoor feeling angry, depressed, frustrated etc, plus you are £20 or more worse off for the pleasure, then what motivation is there to go?

That is why I do not accept the financial reasons for keeping Knill. The club will lose a lot of money this season anyway, if he remains in charge, plus far far more as a conference club because that is where we are heading, as Alan Knill has already demonstrated that he cannot turn it around. We may win the next game but then it will revert to a run of defeats.

[Southampton Gull]

Who is going to stump up the cash to sack him and employ someone else?

The motivation to go is to see your Club play and support them. We all want a successful team to support but is that the sole basis on which we turn out?

As for what the Club deserves, would you rather we ended up doing a Plymouth or an Exeter and fleece our creditors by being too ambitious with our finances?

The answer isn't as simple as you think, some of us have been stating this for quite some time.

[stefano]

10 actually.

And finished in the bottom half of division four 22 times in those years.

8 for accuracy if we are referring to being above the bottom tier (it is 10 if the 2 Conference years are included but that was not the way the exchange of posts was going) ... Ferrari was responding to GITP as to how many times we had been above the bottom tier since he saw his first game on 5 December 1964. That is 8.

It is 10 since 1960, but GITP would have been a mere slip of a lad then!

I'll get my coat .....

[Plymouth Gull]

The motivation to go is to see your Club play and support them. We all want a successful team to support but is that the sole basis on which we turn out?

Then it comes down to the matchday experience again, doesn't it? And at the moment, Plainmoor is naff for it. The football is dull at the moment, the half time entertainment is so bad that people can't even be arsed to do it if they win (has anyone seen Scunthorpes half time entertainment? Now that's amusing).

As has been mentioned many times, the location of Plainmoor is a huge restriction to what we can actually do to improve the whole matchday feel, but at least in the past the football has been enough to make it a worthwhile trip.

I'll still be going every time, but if I didn't have a ST then I'd certainly be having second thoughts on the run up to Christmas..

[Gullscorer]

I would certainly watch the Christmas and New Year games; the seasonal atmosphere definitely adds to the experience. But after that, if something doesn't change, Plainmoor is going to be pretty empty. Optimism is fading, but while there's life there's hope..

[teeboo100]

reading this thread i come to the conclusion let the flogging commence or b4 southend errect a cross nail alan knill to it and burn the bloody thing so the pagens of torquay united can all rejoice and dance around it as the devil is cast away from our sacred club... Ile make the same point again alan knill mite be doing a rubbish job in some peoples eyes but there is no way hes at fault for all things wrong at torquay can we all just get behind him and the lads and attempt to pull away from this horrendous mess that we find ourseleves in. I disagree with making a statement though as i think torquay are making a big statement by saying nothing. we have our manager his name is alan knill and that will only change when the club decides to make that change. its about time people have a reality check as dave southampton gull has pointed out some of the abuse is disgraceful against the manager and players. I have been out of order myself posting he should go well ive eat a huge slice of humble pie. I hope apon hope that alan can get a few results and that the players and him can have a few better night sleeps cos they are suffering belive me when i say that ime not name dropping but some players are really struggling with the abuse and the manager looks like hes on death row. So come on lads and ladies lay off the club for a bit and pledge your support for the boys and manager you never know what can be achieved and if we do end up cast adrift and relegated we go again next year and the year after that at least unlike some we still will have a club..

[gullintwoplaces]

reading this thread i come to the conclusion let the flogging commence or b4 southend errect a cross nail alan knill to it and burn the bloody thing so the pagens of torquay united can all rejoice and dance around it as the devil is cast away from our sacred club... Ile make the same point again alan knill mite be doing a rubbish job in some peoples eyes but there is no way hes at fault for all things wrong at torquay can we all just get behind him and the lads and attempt to pull away from this horrendous mess that we find ourseleves in. I disagree with making a statement though as i think torquay are making a big statement by saying nothing. we have our manager his name is alan knill and that will only change when the club decides to make that change. its about time people have a reality check as dave southampton gull has pointed out some of the abuse is disgraceful against the manager and players. I have been out of order myself posting he should go well ive eat a huge slice of humble pie. I hope apon hope that alan can get a few results and that the players and him can have a few better night sleeps cos they are suffering belive me when i say that ime not name dropping but some players are really struggling with the abuse and the manager looks like hes on death row. So come on lads and ladies lay off the club for a bit and pledge your support for the boys and manager you never know what can be achieved and if we do end up cast adrift and relegated we go again next year and the year after that at least unlike some we still will have a club..

I have seen a few comments on here that I would say are abusive, but most comments are pretty measured. They come from fans who do not understand what AK is doing with the team, why he keeps chopping and changing the starting lineup, why he doesn't change during matches when the team is struggling, why the team seems to have no shape, why our tactics are often quite bizarre, why we lose game after game when we have a decent squad, why we have so many loanees etc etc..

I agree with you that abuse on here or at games is not acceptable at all and just makes things worse. The standard of football on offer has, however, been utterly shocking, as bad as I have seen at Plainmoor in my time as a fan, and I understand why fans are upset.

I will always give my support to the team wholeheartedly, I will never boo my team or manager (I will wind up the opposition though, and boo the ref and linos when appropriate) and I will never refuse to go to games because I want change. I do, however, have the right as a paying fan to state my views on here, and I cannot say that I am in any way happy that AK is still there, I think he has failed and should go, but that is not abuse!