Torquay United Fans Forum

It's a Kent derby today.
It would be very helpful to us if Maidstone could beat Dartford.

United62 wrote: ↑14 Mar 2024, 13:54
And a word of caution: Angels' fans do like to do the traditional non-league thing and swap ends at half time (which I 100% agree with) so don't be surprised if the stewards/security ask you to move at half-time.

We didn't move at half time last time. The locals moaned a bit.

A reminder for anyone travelling that the M25 is closed east of the M3 junction this weekend. The diversion will add a lot of time to journeys - as will alternative routes from Torquay.

Sadly we now have to consider what will be needed to stay up.

This is the current table.

Team Played Points
Torquay 37 41
Taunton 33 40
Welling 37 40
Truro 32 38
Dartford 37 38
Eastbourne 37 34
Havant 38 29
Dover 38 22

I think we can assume that Dover & Havant are pretty much down, so we need to finish above two of the others.

If teams continue to pick up points pro rata as they have so far this season safety would be 47 points (above Dartford).
We have the best goal difference so probably only need to match points.
So on that basis we’d only need another 6 points.

However, despite Dartford’s current awful form one would expect them to pick up extra points in a relegation fight especially as some opponents will have little to play for. And they did thrash us on a freezing day before Christmas.
It’s a good thing we beat them on Saturday.

Taunton seem to have suddenly found form and are only a point below us with 4 games in hand.

Truro still have to play 14 games, so fixture congestion may well be a factor for them.

Welling have one point less than us and have played the same.

Eastbourne would need to go on a very good run to stay up which is unlikely.

We still have to play Welling, Taunton & Truro away. Key games.

Our last game is home to Havant who will very probably be relegated by then – but we don’t want to leave it to relying on winning the last game.

50 points would seem to be a reasonable estimate of required points (but hopefully less).
So that’s 3 wins.

We only have 3 home games left but all are winnable and Weston & Havant will probably have nothing to play for by then.

Since Christmas we’ve picked up 11 points from 14 games. Pro rata that would take us to 48 points, however since Downes took over we’ve gained 5 points from 4 games, which pro rata would be 52 points.

We should be good enough to get the points – but not if we play like we did on Tuesday.

Highlight of the game was Pop Side banter with the Lino with dodgy haircut.

Didn’t make a clear chance and gave away three goals with poor defending.
I fear relegation if we have ten points deducted.

SuperNickyWroe wrote: ↑09 Mar 2024, 22:40 They have a lot of games to play now in a short space of time.....
Think they will struggle with those games tbh....

True, but Taunton are picking up more points than expected. Surprising win at Worthing yesterday.
Tuesday's game could be very important if a points deduction is still a possibility.

I’ll put this in the play off thread but that doesn’t mean that one win says it’s suddenly a realistic possibility and in the hope that we don’t need a relegation thread.

With ten games to go, assuming the club still exists in its current form, we could theoretically be in one of three different leagues next season.

Looking upwards, based on pro rata points, before today we needed to win 9 of our last 11 games to make the play offs. Now it’s 8 from 10.

Looking downwards, if we have 10 points deducted we’d be 4 points above relegation. Taunton would have 4 games in hand but we’d be 3 above Dartford having played the same number of games and with a much better goal difference.

Taunton unable to pay wages. Not looking good for them.

https://tauntontown.com/featured-news/c ... tement-11/

This is an over-simplification but maybe a starting point:

Osborne was putting in roughly £1 million per year to keep the club going full time and attempting to compete / win the league.
That’s £20,000 a week.

There are five home games left until the end of the season – two months.
To cover costs until then we need an extra £175,000 over ‘normal’ income.

An extra 1,000 on each gate (at average £20 – some less but there is also extra income from matchday purchases) would bring in £100,000.

That would give a shortfall of £75,000.

This would need to be covered by donations, extra shirt sales etc. Or of course more than 1,000 extra on the gate. Is this realistic?

With Johnson gone & Edwards not taking a salary, some players likely to go / return to parent clubs, the amount required should be lower.

It seems to me that it is realistic to find a way to cover costs to the end of the season.

Then there will be four months with no matchday income.

There would however be season ticket sales. Say 1,000 (if more buy to help the club) at £350 = £350,000.
(Maybe sale date could be brought forward to start of May).

Based on Osborne’s £20,000 a week (million a year) we would need £333,000 to cover the close season (but quite likely less as players will inevitably leave).

So (increased) season ticket income could potentially cover that.

That takes us into next season.

If we are to remain full times and again based on Osborne’s million a year, we would need to make an extra £40,000 per match (including additional income such as shop etc) (25 x £40,000 = £1 million).

That would be an extra 2,000 on the gate – average crowd around 4,000. (Maybe more as if more season tickets have been sold there will be fewer to buy matchday tickets).

With very few away fans this average probably isn’t achievable in NLS, so either additional income is needed or costs to be reduced.

Going part time would give the required saving but other cost reductions may be possible – Downes stays as manager, no assistant for example.

Of course all this assumes that we don’t find a buyer who is prepared to invest and subsidise the club and that there are not extra debts that have to be paid off.

Dave wrote: ↑23 Feb 2024, 14:32 Torbay Councils position here doesn't surprise at all, I never understood why some were suggesting any phoenix club (last resort) would have to ground share with Buckland, if it comes to that I can't see why any phoenix club couldn't secure the use of Plainmoor.

They would have done if Osborne had got his hands on Plainmoor.

gullsgullsgulls wrote: ↑22 Feb 2024, 15:22 There were two possible outcomes, OC left after screwing the club and making a fortune or OC leaving with his tail between his legs and taking a hit in the pocket.

Neither was ever going to be good for the club, but I am bloody pleased it is the second of the two scenarios.

And that we still have Plainmoor, which is key to continued existence of any form of Torquay United.

This was a likely outcome once a property developer took ownership with his only interest being to build houses on the ground.

Fortunately we have TUST who are well established and have plans for just this eventuality.

Everyone should join and get behind TUST.

I didn’t go the Farnborough but I went to Braintree, Worthing & Hereford and felt that the problem wasn’t lack of effort but the limitations of the players and manager.
I don’t think that this team as good as Yeovil or Worthing but the players are probably as good as the other teams in play off positions, however they lack leadership, good management and clear / effective tactics.

TommyGunn wrote: ↑17 Feb 2024, 20:39

I said to friends in the summer "At least we will have a smile back on our faces this season. We will win more than we lose." What a fool.
We have now won 14 and LOST 15.

Only the bottom three have lost more games than us.