Torquay United Fans Forum

by **Chrisjb66** » 23 Mar 2021, 16:00

'Swindon aren’t racing this year due to building work due to begin in May at the Abbey and ongoing concerns about the pandemic, although the new season is due to start on May 17.

Club bosses Russell and Steve Park indicated from the moment they made the decision to sit out 2021 the priority is to be back in the Premiership next year.'
Long haul indeed...positivity!

by **wbw** » 23 Mar 2021, 15:26

Of course GI are in it for the money. The project is financially unsustainable unless the club gets out of this league. This was the make or break season with a budget that was to "guarantee" promotion, a budget that is basically s**t or bust.
What follows next is anyones guess, but you can guarantee that no more money will follow the shed load thrown at the project this year.

by **Rjc70** » 22 Mar 2021, 23:36

dawlishmatt wrote: 22 Mar 2021, 09:01If you look at Uncle Clarkes other project, the new Swindon stadium which i believe is now being built after several years of delay and expense to Gaming International, you can see that GI are in it for the long haul.

Swindon Robins will not be competing in this season’s Speedway Premiership. A ceremonial dig photo opportunity took place over 5 years ago with Clarke Osborne. Housing currently reaches the perimeter of the pits. A flat pack stand maker in Port Talbot was the scene of a more recent photo opportunity after it was made known there would not be a new stadium site.

by **Plainmoor78** » 22 Mar 2021, 18:50

culmstockgull wrote: 22 Mar 2021, 15:56 Not sure if anyone has seen the new York City ground, if featured in a tele match the other month for its opening game, it is really nice with a bigger capacity than Plainmoor, includes a bowling alley, restaurants with shops a conference facility, a swimming and leisure centre, national health clinics, All generating non match revenue through rent and footfall. Did not cost the club a penny other than their old ground at Bootham crescent and a long term naming deal with LNER. This is the way forward for lower league clubs.

Except York Community Stadium belongs to City of York Council so I would presume it is the council who benefit from the the non-football income provided by the leisure facilities.

by **culmstockgull** » 22 Mar 2021, 15:56

Not sure if anyone has seen the new York City ground, if featured in a tele match the other month for its opening game, it is really nice with a bigger capacity than Plainmoor, includes a bowling alley, restaurants with shops a conference facility, a swimming and leisure centre, national health clinics, All generating non match revenue through rent and footfall. Did not cost the club a penny other than their old ground at Bootham crescent and a long term naming deal with LNER. This is the way forward for lower league clubs.

by **happytorq** » 22 Mar 2021, 12:55

dawlishmatt wrote: 22 Mar 2021, 09:01 If you look at Uncle Clarkes other project, the new Swindon stadium which i believe is now being built after several years of delay and expense to Gaming International, you can see that GI are in it for the long haul.

I think GI are in it for the money. If that money takes a few years to materialise, that's not the end of the world.

But that's really OK.

I've said before that I honestly don't have a problem with somebody making money out of the club, as long as competitive issues are also taken care of. I'm not expecting GI/Clark Osborne to get us into the Premier League. Their stated aim has been to get us into the Football League. Of course, they also have designs on a new stadium (with flats in Plainmoor). Ultimately I would agree that for the club to move forward it will eventually need a facility to allow it to maximise non-matchday revenue. As much as I love Plainmoor, it is not able to provide those additional revenue streams.

The fear with Gaming International has always been that they'd build flats and make a fortune, without building anywhere for the club to play. The new Swindon Stadium being built is good news, but we're not in a position where we'd be able to play elsewhere for 4 or 5 years why NewPlainmoor is being readied. And that's why they (GI) need to have stadium plans, agreements, financing etc in place before they're ever allowed to 'unlock' the value in the Plainmoor land. Amazingly, I find myself applauding the council for their part in not allowing things to happen in the wrong order.

We can talk about whether leaving Plainmoor while still non-league makes sense. It's probably an adequate facility for League 2, as well. But if we're ever to have aspirations beyond that, or to have the peace of mind from knowing that we're not reliant upon match revenue for survival, we will need to move somewhere else. That could be in 3 years, it could be in 20.

by **culmstockgull** » 22 Mar 2021, 10:37

MellowYellow. I think you may be mistaken. If I buy your house I do not take on your debts or mortgage, I agree a price and the outstanding debts or mortgage from the property is your problem. As to his intentions, that is his concern, If I knock your house down after I have bought it , I can , its mine to do with as I like. He declared a five year plan and he has been as good as his word, what happens at the end of that period is as much about our success as anything else.

by **standupsitdown** » 22 Mar 2021, 09:52

dawlishmatt wrote: 22 Mar 2021, 09:01 I believe that Uncle Clarke isn't going anywhere. When he " purchased " the club back in September 2017, he talked about his 5 year plan for the club, the number 1 priority was promotion back to the football league. At the end of last year we found ourselves around 10 points clear at the top of the league following our boxing Day thrashing of Yeovil at Plainmoor. Osbourne has kept his promise by providing the funds to the manager and we now have for the first time in ages a properly run football club which i have no doubt is the envy of most league 1 & 2 clubs.
If you look at Uncle Clarkes other project, the new Swindon stadium which i believe is now being built after several years of delay and expense to Gaming International, you can see that GI are in it for the long haul.

Surely for a business man with no interest in football, yet alone Torquay United, his number one priority was to make money for himself, which he intended to achieve by selling the ground for housing and (maybe) building a new stadium.

by **dawlishmatt** » 22 Mar 2021, 09:01

I believe that Uncle Clarke isn't going anywhere. When he " purchased " the club back in September 2017, he talked about his 5 year plan for the club, the number 1 priority was promotion back to the football league. At the end of last year we found ourselves around 10 points clear at the top of the league following our boxing Day thrashing of Yeovil at Plainmoor. Osbourne has kept his promise by providing the funds to the manager and we now have for the first time in ages a properly run football club which i have no doubt is the envy of most league 1 & 2 clubs.
If you look at Uncle Clarkes other project, the new Swindon stadium which i believe is now being built after several years of delay and expense to Gaming International, you can see that GI are in it for the long haul.

by **MellowYellow** » 21 Mar 2021, 23:43

culmstockgull wrote: 21 Mar 2021, 19:36 chairman may be looking to exit the club is not unusual,especially given the fact that without any hope of return he has invested in a club to the tune of four million plus and his chances of seeing anything like ten per cent back are problematical... Even if we get promoted and I say if, will he get any credit, no he will not.

I would willing give him credit if I knew his true intention - he set out his goals but in my opinion never his true intention. Without clear intention he was never going to reach his goal - leaving us all to speculate on what his intention is/was.

P.S. Investment is a loan only which the club will be indebted to for years to come.

by **culmstockgull** » 21 Mar 2021, 19:36

This subject is like groundhog day, were we not here just over four years ago, the world was going to end and Torquay would be playing in the south Devon league come September, it did not happen then and undoubtedly will not happen now, that a chairman may be looking to exit the club is not unusual,especially given the fact that without any hope of return he has invested in a club to the tune of four million plus and his chances of seeing anything like ten per cent back are problematical. When the general feelings of supporters whipped up by a few who should have known better was that he was the antichrist. The new ground idea has disappeared and the freehold is as unobtainable today as it was four years ago. Even if we get promoted and I say if, will he get any credit, no he will not.

by **CP Gull** » 21 Mar 2021, 17:47

wbw wrote: 21 Mar 2021, 15:49 Not trying to create unrest at all. If you don't know the issues, then you should. Money is running out, promotion is a long way from the certainty it was presumed to be and the debts and losses are huge.
Something has to, and will, give soon.

I think we, as fans, are all aware that the debts are mounting up and it feels like we have gone “all in” on winning promotion this year.

It is not beyond the realms of possibility that the current owners may not be prepared to continue funding beyond this season if we are unsuccessful in getting promoted back into the Football League. If that should be the case, then no doubt, they may well seek an exit.

I guess anyone looking to acquire the club in such circumstances would either be considered by fans of the club, using the analogy of our feathered friends, either a “gull” or a “vulture”!

I wonder which category you and/or your associates fall into, if indeed it is the case that you have designs on owning the football club ..... which based on posts going back more than 5 years ago, you may still have?

wbw...
“ Basically, because if an individual or consortium is to invest heavily, work all hours that god sends, take all the stick that is directed at them from forum posters et al, and turn around a ship that may not be sinking, but is seriously holed, they would need to know that all those commitments would result in a success that he/they owned.

I'm not saying that owning the freehold makes it an attractive propostion - trust me it isn't.

Not owning the freehold, however, makes it an almost impossible proposition.”

by **wbw** » 21 Mar 2021, 15:49

Not trying to create unrest at all. If you don't know the issues, then you should. Money is running out, promotion is a long way from the certainty it was presumed to be and the debts and losses are huge.
Something has to, and will, give soon.

by **Uptongull** » 17 Mar 2021, 21:27

Riviera Stadium Ltd are only looking to cover losses until the end of 2020/21 season anyway. It is in the public domain on Companies House, so I don't see why people are quick to discard new contributors' comments?

by **The deluder** » 17 Mar 2021, 20:36

Someone has to fund the £4 million pound debt.

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