Torquay United Fans Forum

Your idea has already been shown to fail. By being prudent, by being proactive and by being professional there are plenty of examples to show staying professional is the way forward. We don't have the united fan base that other clubs do. Professional or wither away and die.

Skillsy wrote: ↑02 Apr 2024, 21:26 Should all be very easy then.

Did Mike Bateson ever state running TUFC was easy?

Your flippant response shows where your mind has gone. Hard work, astute business decisions and reinvestment in vital areas of the club doesn't come easy but look where the couldn't care less model has gotten us. Community involvement has been severely lacking for years and years. The whole business model has alienated fans, locals and local businesses for as long as I can remember and we've become embarrassingly short sighted.

There are plenty of clever people ready and willing to put in the hard work to raise the profile of the club but hey you've met the guy who wants to do it on the cheap and he seems, in your opinion, to be a clever chap and wants TUST involved. So that's all good then. If and when TUST can show they have enough support from the fans and have accrued the necessary finances to be useful then they aren't a viable option. For me they are nowhere near where they need to be, they're almost a mirror of other areas of the club that have been neglected. Random meaningless statements from barely recognisable people with a higher turnover of people than a failing Premiership football team don't inspire much confidence that they have what it takes to aid our return to League football. I'll support the club no matter what level we're at but if we have proper ambitions to return to the Football League then this proposed model isn't going to do it.

Skillsy wrote: ↑02 Apr 2024, 17:26 Dave,

How would you finance full time football?

The same way Mike Bateson managed to do it.

It would help if we had a decent accountant for a start.

If we go part time under that ownership model you might as well turn off the lights now. I fully understand others will disagree with my view but IMHO we will stagnate and not progress anywhere

Precisely, Cornish. Don't think they weren't nudging him along the last few years either.

culmstockgull wrote: ↑01 Apr 2024, 10:15 ...... I doubt he mixes or has any connections to the real movers and shakers of this country let alone the housebuilders........

You couldn't be more wrong if you tried!

2-1 home win

Welcome to the forum, Gary. I totally share your feelings about the upper echelons of the football pyramid.

I've introduced lots of friends and family to the joys of following TUFC and most appreciate the reality of lower league/non league football. It has more of an honesty about it for sure.

wbw wrote: ↑30 Mar 2024, 18:15 It's not a mystery to the rest of us lol

You're not us, you're them!!!

The Great Muta! wrote: ↑30 Mar 2024, 18:05 I said I know, what I cannot figure out is why it's been allowed to happen, as for posting on this forum, as a fan who's followed Gulls for over 40years home and away, I feel I'm in a position to talk on these matters...after all the troubles we've had over the years on and off the park, how CO was ALLOWED to get control, that's the issue that pissed me off.

He had a little help from inside. Make of that what you will. The facts are in this thread, you've just got to choose between the truth, the bullshit and the distraction. Samuel does have a couple of things totally correct without knowing it

UnitedinDevon wrote: ↑30 Mar 2024, 11:46 Fact laden - you can't say this

And it's not a mystery how CO got control of the club at all, well known he provided a loan when the David Roberts led group needed money, we defaulted on it and he took control

But of course we were in that position because of a stupid ST deal which caused cash flow issues, wonder who's idea that was....

FACTS!!

2-1 away win

brucie wrote: ↑21 Mar 2024, 20:13 God there is some shit written on here. People google someone and then on that basis decide he is the devil incarnate.

The wrong type of fans, clearly............

GULL 67 wrote: ↑17 Mar 2024, 10:47 Won't be there next week as the Boy and I are off to England v Brazil. The Boy will be taking his huge Torquay flag. Hopefully we can get it in a prominent position for the TV cameras to pick it up. It would be great if it got a mention by the commentators. You never know, some multi millionaire may be watching

There you go.

I know plenty about him as I did my own due diligence when he was interested in buying the club previously. I'm also close friends with someone who knows him personally. If you went purely on what fans say you'd come to the conclusion Mike Bateson was a charlatan when in fact he was the last person who had this club running sustainably at a much higher level than we find ourselves now. Angels don't make personal fortunes. People with questionable scruples do in abundance so we're not looking for an Angel, we're looking for someone with an interest in football and enough money to get us back to where we all think we should be. He's just the sort who could do that. He won't be everyone's cup of tea but I hate tea anyway