Torquay United Fans Forum

Great posts Andy and thanks for your thoughts. I agree, it's that unknown 'is it something else' element that has got everyone worried. Osborne is an experienced businessman and yes, his past record isn't at all rosy. If he has managed to make his money purely from squeezing every last penny out of sporting venues at the expense of the club then it's very worrying.
I just can't see that he'd go through all this trouble (including the possibility that he may never get what he wants from Torbay Council) just to secure a small piece of land in Torquay that isn't going to generate a huge amount of cash for him. If he's into land-buying for development, surely there are far easier and more lucrative options? I genuinely don't believe that he only wants to develop Plainmoor and just drop the club. I may be wrong, but I can't see how it makes business sense.
It's still too early days to tell what's going to happen. One thing is for sure, and that is that Torquay United Football Club needs its fans more than ever.

Haha, no I'm not Geoff!! Just trying to look at this in a balance light
I don't see the point in shouting out about Harrop's weight and his eating habits. So what if he doesn't eat salad, I know a lot of top-notch people who don't eat their greens and are slightly larger than average! The thing I'm interested in is if his efforts are well-intentioned or not. I've never met him and I can only comment on his actions that are made public, as well as what we can read between the lines. I must admit, by the end of last week I was extremely worried and beginning to fear the worst.
As a realistic optimist, I do try to see everything in the light of day as well as see things from other people's perspective. I don't blame people on here for fearing the worst with Harrop et al, but equally I understand that there may be very good reason for the actions of Osborne and Harrop. I can't imagine Osborne lets Harrop get away with it - Harrop even thanked Osborne for his patience!
One thing that really bugged me though is that Harrop never thanked the fans for their patience. He has clearly got a lot to learn - especially how to communicate and empathise with the fanbase!

Thanks Phil, that's what I was hoping. I just can't see any justification or reason for an alternative explanation. Like you, I don't believe they would want to run the club into the ground. There's clearly been investment already, as well as funding the loss that the club is making. That means that getting their money back through the development of Plainmoor is just plain business sense and completely understandable in the circs.
I've often thought that for all there is to dislike about GI, Osborne and Harrop, it would do us well to see the situation in their shoes.
If they are genuinely in this for the long run, then TUFC are set for a successful run. The beauty of football is that, in order to make more money for the owners, it makes sense to aim for increased support and that involves climbing up the leagues.
They may not be popular, but if they can turn TUFC back into a successful club through the injection of some much-needed business acumen then happy days.

Can't see that Owers and Kuhl have worked together before (unless I'm missing something) so this must have taken a bit of time to pull together I guess? Seems quite a good catch all round (not that I'm excusing Harrop for the time it's taken and the lack of communication, but yes a considerable amount of thought and effort must have gone into this. Can't knock someone for trying)

Say it quietly, but it's rather encouraging news isn't it? The proof is in the pudding of course (and by that I mean how they perform long-term) but it will be nice if they can make some instant improvements. Surely can't be difficult!

Also it's got to be good that we have a connection with a well-run club like Reading. Lots of larger clubs like that like to have connections with smaller clubs to 'use' as development for young talent. Does anyone mind being a guinea pig for Championship/PL youth prospects?! Certainly a good bonus for us in the short-term at least...

Hello all, first proper post on here. I've been a reader of the forum for a long time and it's about time I joined in!

Lots of questions in my head right now but the most prominent is this: What is GI's intention in buying and investing in TUFC? I'm trying to reason it all out but really struggling:

As far as I see it, there are a number of reasons why someone would buy a lower-league football club:

Emotional connection: Firstly, an emotional connection with a club because of its location (IE hometown, birthplace etc) could be a good reason. I can well imagine a local businessperson wanting to invest in his/her local club because of the strong tug on the heartstrings (we all know what that is!) But why would a company based in Bristol want to invest in a club 90 miles deeper south? I don't think I need to say anymore... I think we can certainly discount any emotional reason for GI investing in TUFC...

Industry: What I mean by this is, a sports group might well have interest in buying a football club that is a good fit for their other interests. So if GI owned a number of other successful (or potentially successful) sporting enterprises that could dovetail nicely with TUFC then that would make perfect sense. Say, for example, they wanted to combine football with athletics and saw TUFC as the perfect opportunity - they could build a multipurpose stadium that suited both very well. This is becoming quite popular (look at Spurs' new ground). But I can't see that any of GI's 'projects' would fit into this strategy (unless they're planning to start something like this from scratch in Torbay)

Investment: Purely on an investment basis, someone with sporting/entertainment experience and a healthy network could look at TUFC's heritage, the fanbase, and the affinity many people across the UK and Europe have with the area as a holiday destination and see a lot of potential in building up the club to compete at Championship level and maybe higher. Taking inspiration from Bournemouth and Swansea who are both relatively close by, and even Exeter Chiefs as a very local sport success. This would, however, take a very very long-term approach and it's high risk, given the sheer amount of investment needed not only on the pitch but in terms of infrastructure. Would GI see TUFC as their best option, given the myriads of other small clubs with potential that are prevalent across the UK?

Development: This has been covered so many times, but I'm at a loss. I know GI have tried their hand at this more than once, but I'm really struggling to see why on earth they'd want to go through all this hassle and cost in return for a small piece of land in an area where house prices are below average. Surely there is almost no way they can make a good amount of money out of this as a development project?


So, there you have it: open for sensible, reasoned discussion! I just cannot work out why GI have bothered to waste their time on this project. It doesn't seem to stack up on any level. However, if they could make their intentions clear then I'm sure it would help a lot!

Hello all,

I'm Sam, a Torquay-born-and-bred (hence my username!) youngish lad. I love my hometown very dearly and have been a follower of the Gulls (although an Arsenal fan) since my early teens. Very sad at the degeneration of the club over recent years culminating in a very frightening ownership by GI.

The reason for my fave player? Well, mainly because of the happy memories of those heady promotion days, those special pull-out editions in the Herald Express and the hero status DG had. Those were happy days indeed.