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I'm the same. I live away from torquay and work away most of the week so, with two young children, there's a demand on my time at weekends. The past two years have been tough leaving home on a Saturday to watch utter dross served up. Then for five days a week, I've been the butt of jokes as fans of bigger clubs have revelled in the misery I've endured.

The club has to realise that it cannot take supporters for granted and expect them to just rock up and pay the money each week.

The players being kept/released and signed makes a huge difference to whether people will return next year.

Back at work, like everyone else after a long weekend, hectic, busy, barely time to think about TUFC, let alone the fact that season-ticket early bird offer finishes on Friday. Not sure I will actually get an opportunity to buy one by then, even if I was inclined, and so far, not enough done on player front to persuade me.

Part of me suspects they will extend the offer - they surely have to or else they will not sell any - as I certainly won't pay the full price for one and I'm sure nobody else would, had they been able to get it more cheaply at this time. So I am probably going to take a calculated risk and wait.

If I miss the early bird offer and they don't extend it, then so be it - I won't get one, and I will pick and choose my games, most likely, and not feel obliged to attend if things haven't improved.

Motorman wrote:I love a bit of banter,never meant to wind you up

Sorry

Oh Christ, not another one of these...

Matt.

Motorman wrote:I love a bit of banter,never meant to wind you up
Sorry

Never apologise; it's a sign of weakness..!!

Motorman wrote: When confidence is low players dont perform to the highest level through fear of not being able to deliver, they change the playing style, decision making is affected, morale is low
Motorman

Motorman - in a sentence, you have hit the nail on the head on what went wrong for us this season. Knill set the team up wrongly from Day 1, insisting on playing a two-man midfield week after week. It seemed everyone could see we were being over-run in midfield except Alan Knill. Defeat followed defeat, confidence and morale disappeared and the rest is history .....

As for 'true supporters', I have supported this club for more than half a century. As I live just three or four miles from the ground, I will be on the terraces next season. But if had to travel from Somerset, North Devon or Cornwall like Burnhamgull, Brucie or Kernowgull, I would most definitely be picking and choosing my games.

tomogull wrote: Motorman - in a sentence, you have hit the nail on the head on what went wrong for us this season. Knill set the team up wrongly from Day 1, insisting on playing a two-man midfield week after week. It seemed everyone could see we were being over-run in midfield except Alan Knill. Defeat followed defeat, confidence and morale disappeared and the rest is history .....

As for 'true supporters', I have supported this club for more than half a century. As I live just three or four miles from the ground, I will be on the terraces next season. But if had to travel from Somerset, North Devon or Cornwall like Burnhamgull, Brucie or Kernowgull, I would most definitely be picking and choosing my games.

Tomo we all seen this in October the professionals could not see it, sorry but it makes me so annoyed.

I have utter respect for those who travel long distances to watch us home and/or away.I live a 15 minute walk from the ground so the cost and time involved is minimal, but I did think long and hard before renewing my season-ticket this time.A good social life is important to me after a hard-weeks work and I do enjoy the comaradrie,banter,speculation,gossip etc that's part of match-day.I go with three other season-ticket holders three of whom,including myself have renewed, more for the reasons listed than as a pledge of loyalty to the club I've supported for 50 years.The two young one's in our group-my son and his mate aren't renewing:my son because he'll be 19 soon and will face a massive price hike in the cost of his season ticket.Instead the two of them will pick and choose their games and regular attendance will depend on how well we do(like many others I suspect).The vast majority of home games for the past two years have left me disappointed,depressed and exasperated and you do have to think hard about departing with nearly £400 with the prospect of more of the same and this time in the Conference as well. So this time we renewed with little enthusiasm or confidence but definitely with the view that things can only get better- a half decent home record,a few decent 3-4 nil wins,some entertainment of any kind would be nice!
Please Chris give us something to cheer at Plainmoor this year-let us go home after a match feeling good for a change. We don't expect miracles but we do expect much,much,better than the dross we've had to endure for the best part of two seasons.

Renewed my season ticket this morning. Obviously upset about the events of the last two seasons, but at the end of the day I have been a Torquay fan all my life and I can't just turn that off. No live football would leave a big hole in my Saturdays - not just for the football, but for seeing friends, family and going to a place where I feel at home.

I am starting to get a little concerned that there is no retained list out yet.

EddUK12 wrote:is that because its been 13 days since relegation was confirmed and most other teams have issued their lists?

it does make you wonder

Indeed - you would have thought that CH would have been pretty clear about which out of contract players he no longer wanted and that they could have been released while any he wanted to keep had been offered new deals. Surely the players are not still hanging on to see if they are going to be offered anything and does that mean all, other than Nicholson, have been offered something?

CH did say there would be no wholesale changes in playing staff: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/27187730
"We have players out of contract and we have players in contract so it can't be wholesale changes. The only changes will be those who don't want to play for the club don't have to. I'll wish them the best and they can go on and further their careers elsewhere and I can just deal with people who want to stay and play for me."
Some of this will be beyond CH's control, and it may be that we've already seen most of the changes that are going to happen. In which case it is even more important for him to ensure that the biggest changes from last season will be in players' attitudes, individually and as a squad, to motivate and inspire them to do the business for a promotion challenge in the Conference.

Gullscorer wrote:CH did say there would be no wholesale changes in playing staff: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/27187730

Yes - but then 5 days later he was saying he only wanted three of the team after they surrendered against Wycombe.

By publicly stating that there were only three players he was happy with, he is going to look bloody stupid if he keeps the players he could have got rid of because they were out of contract.

That's very true. People do tend to say things they regret when they're emotional. Put it down to his inexperience? Such things tend to blow over and are usually forgotten. However, he'll have to learn pretty quickly what are the right things to say, to the media, the fans, and the players. Time will tell..

In yesterday's HE podcast according to David Thomas CH knows his retained list but is waiting on his offering deals to a few of the out-of-contract players but on reduced terms. Money is obviously the key element in the decision making and supporters shouldn't be surprised if some lesser "squad players" are retained due to budget constraints.
Interestingly not only the players' contracts but also those of CH and Lee Hodges state that their salaries are reduced following relegation.
DT also reveals that there has already been some interest in some of the transfer listed players.

Gullscorer wrote: Some of this will be beyond CH's control, and it may be that we've already seen most of the changes that are going to happen. In which case it is even more important for him to ensure that the biggest changes from last season will be in players' attitudes, individually and as a squad, to motivate and inspire them to do the business for a promotion challenge in the Conference.

Wasn't he supposed to motivate and inspire them to do the business in a relegation scrap this season?