Torquay United Association Football Club - Sole Director Clarke Osborne

portugull · Post by **portugull** » 14 Jan 2018, 12:31

In the long history of TUAFC have we ever had a situation where the Board of Directors consist of one man, namely Clarke Osborne.

I have been following the club since 1954 and for decades Tony Boyce Chaired the Board with distinction and knew what he was doing.

In the last ten years the club has been mismanaged in the most disastrous way imaginable to the point where we are now bottom of the National League with the extraordinary home record of played 14 won 2 drawn 5 and lost 7.

Professional football is a cut throat business and there is no room for amateurs like Osborne and his brother in law Harrop who simply do not know how to run a professional football club. It does not matter which way you look at recent history to see that failure was guaranteed because of amateur decision making.

I wonder if Merse or Southampton Gull both of whom have a huge knowledge of professional football can tell me if they know of any other club in either the Football League or the National League which has a Board of Directors consisting of one man? I suspect not but they may know differently.

If things do not improve in the next couple of weeks I would very reluctantly support a major protest by fans at the home game with Barrow on February 3rd simply to let Osborne and Harrop know that enough is enough.

westyorkshiregull · Post by **westyorkshiregull** » 14 Jan 2018, 13:23

Where is local board of directors ???
It was all a load of tosh.
Any protest must be based on what has been promised and not delivered. People then will dig themselves.

Post by **Southampton Gull** » 14 Jan 2018, 13:25

Alex Rowe rightly spurned their advances.

SenorDingDong · Post by **SenorDingDong** » 14 Jan 2018, 13:43

Southampton Gull wrote: ↑14 Jan 2018, 13:25 Alex Rowe rightly spurned their advances.

Surely there's more than just Alex Rowe to approach? Clearly GI aren't arsed about putting in place the local board.

Plainmoor78 · Post by **Plainmoor78** » 14 Jan 2018, 13:51

portugull wrote: ↑14 Jan 2018, 12:31
Professional football is a cut throat business and there is no room for amateurs like Osborne and his brother in law Harrop who simply do not know how to run a professional football club.

You are missing the point completely. Osbourne is not here to run a football club. Harrop introduced him to the opportunity to secure a land grab at the club's expense.
Osbourne is not an amateur, neither is he incompetent or anything like that. He knows exactly what he is doing.

Plainmoor78 · Post by **Plainmoor78** » 14 Jan 2018, 13:53

SenorDingDong wrote: ↑14 Jan 2018, 13:43 Surely there's more than just Alex Rowe to approach? Clearly GI aren't arsed about putting in place the local board.

GI no longer own the club. It belongs solely to Clark Osbourne.

Yorkieandy · Post by **Yorkieandy** » 14 Jan 2018, 13:54

Southampton Gull wrote: ↑14 Jan 2018, 13:25 Alex Rowe rightly spurned their advances.

It's not all bad then.

merse btpir · Post by **merse btpir** » 14 Jan 2018, 14:05

I'm pretty certain there is no board of directors because no one has been mug enough to take on that responsibility for a sole owner who remains holding all the cards.

All they would be is legal and liable custodians of a club separated from the owner's true ambition and that is to obtain the freehold of the ground and thereby being the landlord of the football club but that is where Osborne's plan falls down.

The lease as it stands is only valid whilst the football club are the tenants and if it were to be separated from the owner then that lease becomes invalid and he has no more hold of it's future direction than any other bidder for it and he would in fact get involved in an auction that he is not guaranteed to win.

As it stands now (as owner of the football club) he is possession of the lease but thankfully not the freehold.

If Osborne wants to surrender or sell the ownership of the club then it will have to be with the lease attached and I'm sure that is the situation.

Markshot · Post by **Markshot** » 14 Jan 2018, 14:17

An Aldershot Town supporter here coming in peace!

I was browsing your forum this morning and noticed this thread, and was intrigued with what I was reading regarding directors at Torquay because some noises/rumours up our way suggesting that one of our directors at Aldershot could be on his way to Torquay in a similar role?! His name is Tommy Anderson and despite only being 23 years of age has a very strong personality, however he does divide opinion amongst our fans due to his dictatorship like style and also in the manner he has upset/argued with a number of our supporters, but to be fair to him has always delivered whilst serving on our club board.

Apparently made an good impression and gets on very well with your CEO/General Manager, due to the fact he is also chairman of our supporters trust and combines both roles and has strengthened the trust's profile, which was beforehand falling away into nothing.

Watch this space on how this develops in the coming weeks/months as Tommy's position at Aldershot is rumoured to be under scrutiny, so there may be some truth in it, but just rumours presently.

I must add as well, I'm very surprised to see you struggling at the bottom like you are, because two out of the three times we've played you this season, you have given a real good account of yourselves and had us on the ropes in large spells! I hope you get out of the mire, good fans and Torquay is a great away day/weekend trip!

merse btpir · Post by **merse btpir** » 14 Jan 2018, 14:42

Why would Tommy Anderson 'be on his way to Torquay United' then?

Isn't he reputedly the 'youngest director of a football club in Europe' and the driving force behind some of your successful fund raising projects and hence revenue streams into the club? I thought his motivation was because he was a supporter of the club. if what you say has substance then this must be in a salaried role and I have no problem with that because for years the club here has been in a terrible laissez-faire state of disregard for the importance of revenue streams other than match sponsorship and turnstile revenue which you as well as I know is wholly inadequate.

I had a conversation with one of your directors about 18 months ago and he was aghast at what was happening at Torquay United with the obvious disregard of the previous Plainmoor board for the need for creation of revenue streams and the subsequent growth of the business that was needed. Indeed I left that conversation with the impression that he also had tried to give them advice but to no avail. I know the feeling.......

I also used your club's youth development practice in partnership with your education provider as a template for the previous board to learn from; took considerable time and effort to gather all the information and links together; presented it to a member of that board and got absolutely nil response from any of them.

This club is dying because it has emerged from being run by buffoons into the hands of their major creditor who took it from them by way of co-lateral precisely because they didn't have the humility and common sense to look, listen and learn on their travels around the league and it's other boardrooms in preference to scoffing the free food and enjoying a day out... I despair; but thankyou for the 'heads up'!

nickbrod · Post by **nickbrod** » 14 Jan 2018, 15:42

For what it's worth, Chris Rich yesterday confirmed the Five Year plan is alive and well and in draft form. When or whether it'll see the light of day wasn't discussed.
(Target Number One: To get out of the National League!!)

Rjc70 · Post by **Rjc70** » 14 Jan 2018, 15:58

nickbrod wrote: ↑14 Jan 2018, 15:42 For what it's worth, Chris Rich yesterday confirmed the Five Year plan is alive and well and in draft form.

That’s a relief. Not all doom and gloom after all.

Teigngull · Post by **Teigngull** » 14 Jan 2018, 16:07

nickbrod wrote: ↑14 Jan 2018, 15:42 For what it's worth, Chris Rich yesterday confirmed the Five Year plan is alive and well and in draft form. When or whether it'll see the light of day wasn't discussed.
(Target Number One: To get out of the National League!!)

Mission nearly accomplished in record time 2 yrs instead of 5 southern league here we come

greb46 · Post by **greb46** » 14 Jan 2018, 16:54

Target number one seems to be coming to fruition!

portugull · Post by **portugull** » 14 Jan 2018, 17:02

In response to the posts from Plainmoor78 I absolutely reject that I am "missing the point completely"
Osborne has admitted he knows nothing about football. If he is a competent businessman he knows that if his plans for a land grab fail, which is highly likely, just read the post from merse above, then the value of his investment will fall off the cliff if we are relegated to National League South.
I think he wants out, anyway that is my fervent hope,and if so he will not want to see us relegated.
What he did not bargain for is the abject performance of his GM Mr. Harrop who failed in 4/5 weeks to recruit an experienced Manager at this level.
So we are all in the soup and it is distressing for all those that love the Club.
We will almost certainly know our fate in 6 weeks time but I do feel strongly that we should not turn against the players because they are the only ones who can save us from relegation. I have lost count of the number of matches which we have dominated only to lose to either missed chances or poor defending or both. It has to change the question is when?

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