Thea steps down with immediate effect

tktufc91 · Post by **tktufc91** » 01 Apr 2015, 12:13

For this weekends game, I was thinking something along the lines of on the 8th minute seeing as Thea started funding the club 8 years, that the fans do a thank you chant to Thea & Paul for continuously putting money into TUFC and leaving us debt free.

Would be a nice gesture I think.

KingsteigntonYellow · Post by **KingsteigntonYellow** » 02 Apr 2015, 12:38

tktufc91 wrote:For this weekends game, I was thinking something along the lines of on the 8th minute seeing as Thea started funding the club 8 years, that the fans do a thank you chant to Thea & Paul for continuously putting money into TUFC and leaving us debt free.

Would be a nice gesture I think.

This.

Something to the effect of 'There's only one Thea/Paul Bristow' or something.

Mattpuma · Post by **Mattpuma** » 25 Jun 2015, 19:17

Now the full extent of the disaster of her and Bill Philips reign is coming to our attention do you still propose she be feted. The club was brought to its knees by their bungled management and appointment of a vanity manager who clearly wasnt up to the job. The only round of applause required is for the brave souls who have stepped in to save the club and sort out the disgraceful mess it was left in. From the verge of League 1 to just outside the Conference relegation zone in a handful of years, yes we should be SO thankful. The writing was on the wall when following our truly disastrous relegation, the party line was "as long as we can enjoy the football thats all that matters". Inept investment is worse than no investment as it brings a false sense of security and a laissez-faire attitude to budgetry controls.
Thank heavens we now have a board who are trying to run the club in a professional basis and I can look forward to renewing my season ticket with confidence that the club isnt being flushed down the drain.

Dutchgull · Post by **Dutchgull** » 25 Jun 2015, 19:58

Mattpuma wrote:Now the full extent of the disaster of her and Bill Philips reign is coming to our attention do you still propose she be feted. The club was brought to its knees by their bungled management and appointment of a vanity manager who clearly wasnt up to the job. The only round of applause required is for the brave souls who have stepped in to save the club and sort out the disgraceful mess it was left in. From the verge of League 1 to just outside the Conference relegation zone in a handful of years, yes we should be SO thankful. The writing was on the wall when following our truly disastrous relegation, the party line was "as long as we can enjoy the football thats all that matters". Inept investment is worse than no investment as it brings a false sense of security and a laissez-faire attitude to budgetry controls.
Thank heavens we now have a board who are trying to run the club in a professional basis and I can look forward to renewing my season ticket with confidence that the club isnt being flushed down the drain.

lucy6lucy · Post by **lucy6lucy** » 25 Jun 2015, 20:03

A tad harsh on thea. The other board members should be truly ashamed. It wouldn't surprise me that the players June wages that where paid for by thea(she did say the wages would be paid), has enabled cowboy bill to go on his cruise hopefully to the Bermuda Triangle.

Mattpuma · Post by **Mattpuma** » 25 Jun 2015, 20:23

It has been reported that the players wages for June were NOT paid by the outgoing regime as promised but instead fell to the new owners to fund! This "debt free club" stuff is sadly an illusion spun by a discredited regime trying to cover their arses.
Lets be frank, the old regime have been given an astonishingly easy ride. If Mr Bateson had done the exact same things people would have crucified him.
I fully understand Mrs Bristow didnt intentionally nearly destroy the club and was acting in what she was advised were the clubs best interests and others deserve more of the blame but the fact remains that the club is now in a perilous position and that shouldnt be applauded.
If the club was left in a healthy position then fair enough but it appears that this was far from the case sadly.

Post by **Southampton Gull** » 25 Jun 2015, 20:25

Baker and Phillips using Thea's money to pay for their total ineptitude was truly despicable, the only thing you can blame her for is being too trusting.

Post by **Dave** » 25 Jun 2015, 20:46

Just being honest with my opinions here, there is a danger of Thea being some what handed immunity because of the money she put, which of course we're all grateful for. I don't blame Thea solely for the mess we're in, she is not a business person, clearly Thea was poorly advised, however,the money Thea was putting was largely to cover mistakes, some, no doubt made by her good self, by and large mistakes made by others, though.

What I will say, £150k out lay and what was the figure, £1,000 a month rent on a training ground with no formal lease signed, I mean, what business acumen do you need to look at that and say it's my money, STOP.

I will always be thankful for the work the Bristow's did for the club, but they were part of a regime along with Bill "Conan the club destroyer" Phillips who nearly finished our club of for good, hopefully a brighter future lies ahead.

Yorkieandy · Post by **Yorkieandy** » 25 Jun 2015, 21:33

Not that most of you particularly care for my opinion but the situation regarding Thea was one of the reasons for my 'defection'. She pumped in a fortune and built an entire stand, all because she cared and wanted the best for the club. She knew absolutely nothing about running a football club and entrusted this highly skilled and responsible position to an assortment of truly abhorrent individuals who convinced, sorry, hoodwinked her into thinking they could competently do this on her behalf.

If those spending Thea's cash were doing so with the best for TUFC at heart and made basic errors of judgement then I can sort of get my head around this but this scenario is not what I choose to believe.

Thea IS handed immunity from any blame whatsoever. To suggest or think otherwise is cruel, evil, call it what you will. Bizarre in fact.

She said to those suits behind the scenes, "i know nothing", ala Manuel in Fawlty Towers. They knew this and had a field day. Thea simply funded the club's operations for the time she was at the helm, it was those actually using that money to the detrimental effect of the football club that are solely culpable for the club nearly going to the wall. As well as Knill and Hargreaves too obviously. Both totally clueless and both with brass necks.

Thea is a very kind and generous woman to the point where she could have just bailed out and left you all in the brown stuff but despite all that has passed she STILL has the best interests of the club at heart.

I'll tell you what, to have bombed 3 or 4 million in the space of a couple of years trying to do something she believed in and STILL seeing the best in people, not harbouring grudges and not being eaten alive by bitterness makes her a very, very special individual indeed. All she needs to know is that it is her who is the real winner. Odd to say now a few million lighter but she had a vision. She had a dream and she went for it. That is to be admired. She was thrust into the limelight despite clearly being nervous and inexperienced at such media attention but she got on with it and yes, she had folk laughing and criticising her for it too.

She clearly has integrity, faith, passion, bravery and humility. She also had a lot of money. She gave much of it to try and make TUFC a better place.

Thea is one of the few people from the club I have complete respect for. They say money can't buy respect and it has to be earned. For me anyway, respect is the one thing Thea has in abundance from many people and she didn't have to spend a penny for. Hopefully for her sake she gets to enjoy future yellow success sat in one of the seats she bought in the Bench. It's richly deserved.

Post by **Southampton Gull** » 25 Jun 2015, 22:49

Andy, for once we are in total agreement.

Post by **Colorado Gull** » 26 Jun 2015, 13:48

Yorkieandy wrote:Not that most of you particularly care for my opinion but the situation regarding Thea was one of the reasons for my 'defection'. She pumped in a fortune and built an entire stand, all because she cared and wanted the best for the club. She knew absolutely nothing about running a football club and entrusted this highly skilled and responsible position to an assortment of truly abhorrent individuals who convinced, sorry, hoodwinked her into thinking they could competently do this on her behalf.

If those spending Thea's cash were doing so with the best for TUFC at heart and made basic errors of judgement then I can sort of get my head around this but this scenario is not what I choose to believe.

Thea IS handed immunity from any blame whatsoever. To suggest or think otherwise is cruel, evil, call it what you will. Bizarre in fact.

She said to those suits behind the scenes, "i know nothing", ala Manuel in Fawlty Towers. They knew this and had a field day. Thea simply funded the club's operations for the time she was at the helm, it was those actually using that money to the detrimental effect of the football club that are solely culpable for the club nearly going to the wall. As well as Knill and Hargreaves too obviously. Both totally clueless and both with brass necks.

Thea is a very kind and generous woman to the point where she could have just bailed out and left you all in the brown stuff but despite all that has passed she STILL has the best interests of the club at heart.

I'll tell you what, to have bombed 3 or 4 million in the space of a couple of years trying to do something she believed in and STILL seeing the best in people, not harbouring grudges and not being eaten alive by bitterness makes her a very, very special individual indeed. All she needs to know is that it is her who is the real winner. Odd to say now a few million lighter but she had a vision. She had a dream and she went for it. That is to be admired. She was thrust into the limelight despite clearly being nervous and inexperienced at such media attention but she got on with it and yes, she had folk laughing and criticising her for it too.

She clearly has integrity, faith, passion, bravery and humility. She also had a lot of money. She gave much of it to try and make TUFC a better place.

Thea is one of the few people from the club I have complete respect for. They say money can't buy respect and it has to be earned. For me anyway, respect is the one thing Thea has in abundance from many people and she didn't have to spend a penny for. Hopefully for her sake she gets to enjoy future yellow success sat in one of the seats she bought in the Bench. It's richly deserved.

Hear, hear.

Post by **happytorq** » 26 Jun 2015, 16:58

that was probably one of the best posts I've ever read here. Good stuff.

Post by **Scott Brehaut** » 26 Jun 2015, 17:06

Yorkieandy wrote:Not that most of you particularly care for my opinion but the situation regarding Thea was one of the reasons for my 'defection'. She pumped in a fortune and built an entire stand, all because she cared and wanted the best for the club. She knew absolutely nothing about running a football club and entrusted this highly skilled and responsible position to an assortment of truly abhorrent individuals who convinced, sorry, hoodwinked her into thinking they could competently do this on her behalf.

If those spending Thea's cash were doing so with the best for TUFC at heart and made basic errors of judgement then I can sort of get my head around this but this scenario is not what I choose to believe.

Thea IS handed immunity from any blame whatsoever. To suggest or think otherwise is cruel, evil, call it what you will. Bizarre in fact.

She said to those suits behind the scenes, "i know nothing", ala Manuel in Fawlty Towers. They knew this and had a field day. Thea simply funded the club's operations for the time she was at the helm, it was those actually using that money to the detrimental effect of the football club that are solely culpable for the club nearly going to the wall. As well as Knill and Hargreaves too obviously. Both totally clueless and both with brass necks.

Thea is a very kind and generous woman to the point where she could have just bailed out and left you all in the brown stuff but despite all that has passed she STILL has the best interests of the club at heart.

I'll tell you what, to have bombed 3 or 4 million in the space of a couple of years trying to do something she believed in and STILL seeing the best in people, not harbouring grudges and not being eaten alive by bitterness makes her a very, very special individual indeed. All she needs to know is that it is her who is the real winner. Odd to say now a few million lighter but she had a vision. She had a dream and she went for it. That is to be admired. She was thrust into the limelight despite clearly being nervous and inexperienced at such media attention but she got on with it and yes, she had folk laughing and criticising her for it too.

She clearly has integrity, faith, passion, bravery and humility. She also had a lot of money. She gave much of it to try and make TUFC a better place.

Thea is one of the few people from the club I have complete respect for. They say money can't buy respect and it has to be earned. For me anyway, respect is the one thing Thea has in abundance from many people and she didn't have to spend a penny for. Hopefully for her sake she gets to enjoy future yellow success sat in one of the seats she bought in the Bench. It's richly deserved.

Great post. Totally agree.

Post by **Dave** » 26 Jun 2015, 18:24

Completely agree with Andy's sentiment. I do not want to come across as if, I'm insulting Thea Bristow's generosity, or integrity, however, I'm not going to insult the intelligence of Thea Bristow either.

This suggestion that Thea, was some how this simple old lady that whilst chair of TUFC, did nothing but sit at home cuddling the cat, whilst watching endless episodes of loose women , waiting dutifully for Conan to ring up and dupe her out of another bundle of cash, is in, itself both cruel, evil and insulting.

Thea Bristow would have attended board meetings, would have agreed with and signed off on the decision making process, Thea played her part in the appointment of a done nothing, know nothing,no contacts, no chance of ever keeping the club in the league or getting it back there manager, Thea played her part in preventing the current board from taking control of the club in March, which would have enabled them to put many of the fix's there having to do overnight, in place in a reasonable time frame, immunity not granted.

Whilst I'm personally grateful for what the Bristow family did for this club and always will be, it needs to be said, and Mattpuma was right to do so, he only said what, trust me, many are thinking, and perhaps to scared to say.

Jerry · Post by **Jerry** » 26 Jun 2015, 19:36

I'm surprised that Gullscorer hasn't been all over this thread because, let's be honest, if Thea had been a bloke instead of some "old dear" he would have got a damn sight more criticism.

As for a lack of support in the boardroom...when she made herself Chairman her son was added to the board, what was he doing whilst all this was happening?

Torquay United Fans Forum