The New Season

[Gullscorer]

In a couple of months' time, the 2015/16 season begins. Pre-season friendlies even sooner.

With a new regime about to take the reigns at Plainmoor, there can be no doubt that everybody involved will be looking forward to the new season with even greater eagerness and anticipation than has been the case since perhaps the beginning of our earlier spell in the Conference, when the Boyce Brothers' consortium took charge of the club and two successful seasons with Paul Buckle as manager took us back into the Football League. And doubtless we'll all be as keen as we were then to see a feasible promotion challenge take place next season to get us out of this damned division.

Looking back on promotion challenges over the years, whilst all teams go through runs of good or poor form, three recurring themes emerge:

First, there's usually a team which gets to the top in the very early stages and remains there or thereabouts all season, to gain automatic promotion, quite often as champions. A good example last season was Barnet, who have now sold their Underhill ground and are looking forward to a promising new era in the Football League.

Secondly, there will be a team which makes a relatively slow start, but which improves and consolidates during the season, to finish either as runners-up or to get promoted via the play-offs. Again, the obvious example last season was Bristol Rovers.

Finally, there's the team which starts brightly, with a spell of early good form, but which then fades away noticeably over the season to finish disappointingly in mid-table. But, as Gulls supporters, we don't really want to be reminded about that..!!

Looking forward to 2015/16, everybody wants to see a credible and consistent promotion challenge. There will be a number of factors involved, and supporters will play a major part in this throughout the campaign, but they/we will probably need, after recent disastrous seasons, a little nudge of encouragement from the club, manager, and players, to get us started on the right footing.

So what needs to be done to help us achieve such a challenge? And does the club now have what it takes? Answers on a postcard to Plainmoor, or in the posts on this thread, please..

[MF68]

To my mind the most important would be a Manager that knows the lower leagues, Martyn Allen would be a good example. Secondly a Manager that has ties or did have ties with a "biggish" Club. Thirdly (and it sounds like the dark ages) a team of 6 foot plus players, in lower leagues crude but effective. Anyone remember Cyril's Team ?????

I doubt the Manager could be changed due to finances but I would like Ian Atkins to return.

[wodger of awabia]

I don't think that it is realistic to expect more than a mid table finish again next year, the important think is for the new consortium to ensure that the club don't make a loss & we live within our means, otherwise there won't be a club at all. Hargreaves will most likely have to loan youngsters from other clubs in order to stay within his budget, the players he would really want are probably too expensive, & will want 2 year contracts.
I.M.O. it would be nice to:
Beat the part time clubs,
Not get stuffed at home,
Play good football
Not grumble if we get sorted out by the likes of Grimsby & Tranmere.

[Dave]

Nice pleasant thread makes a change, been a difficult 18 months. Firstly until ink is dry on contracts nothing is certain, however the new board should be moving by Friday, and if they do as expected I personally think no one should be thinking, great, business as normal, in fact I think that's going to be far from the case.

It has to be remembered the club has been posting £500k losses, losses at those levels are not fixed overnight, but, do have to be fixed, the new board are not going to be able to write cheques to cover losses of that magnitude.

The new boards first job, no doubt will be to confirm whether the management/coaching team remain in place, it's often the case, but of course not always, when a club changes hands, new owners bring in their own manager, remember Leroy and his 10 minutes, it's pretty safe speculation on the part of most fans, and it's just speculation, to think Hargreaves remaining as TUFC manager is by no means guaranteed, but we'll soon find that out.

The youth set-up will surely be high on the priority list as well, the coaching staff as we know, are out of contract, I believe the actual cost to the club is in the region of £120k a year to run it, when we look at just how much money the club has been losing, as much as none of us wants to be scaled back or closed, is their going to be an alternative, think most of us know, there probably isn't one, but you never know.

As far as expectation goes, this ones going to be hard to take, we all want promotion next season, I know, I certainly do, but the realisation has hit me that's going to be highly unlikely, right now agree with the above sentiment, will take mid table, and will find it hard not to rant when the team perhaps suffer a few adverse results, but it's about rebuilding the club now, and putting the meaning of United back in our name.

[lucy6lucy]

I think the club needs to improve it's communication with the fans tenfold - mainly because it is going to be extremely hard (I'm not saying impossible) to mount a serious promotion push with the clubs resources, and an average manager (still backing him to improve) and poor playing squad.... the club needs to keep the fans coming through the gates during these tough times and communicating with the fans is the best way to do this when the football isn't doing it for them. Dead silence and poor football are not going to encourage the average joe to part with his hard earned 20 quid, but if he knows about the position of the club and their long term strategies and intentions, it's easier to see why that 20 quid may be well spent in the long run.

I think the fans need to take responsibility too, and realise that unless we can maintain at least 1700 fans average gates, the club will never find itself in the football league again, and under 1500 and there won't be a club in a few years time as we don't have a Thea to bail us out of losses anymore. We have to get behind the club and be positive, rather than compounding the apathy that forced a dark cloud over the club last few seasons. Get singing and just enjoy that we still have a club and team to support

I have no doubt dean Edwards will communicate with us fans twenty fold.

[tomogull]

I don't think that it is realistic to expect more than a mid table finish again next year, the important think is for the new consortium to ensure that the club don't make a loss & we live within our means, otherwise there won't be a club at all. Hargreaves will most likely have to loan youngsters from other clubs in order to stay within his budget, the players he would really want are probably too expensive, & will want 2 year contracts.
I.M.O. it would be nice to:
Beat the part time clubs,
Not get stuffed at home,
Play good football
Not grumble if we get sorted out by the likes of Grimsby & Tranmere.

I think you're about right and so are yellowsmiffy and forever. Whilst other clubs are signing players, Hargreaves doesn't even know what his budget is yet ! Mid table is our best hope for next season and then hopefully kick on after that. I suspect that there will be quite a few triallists turning up at Plainmoor during July. I was talking to a Cheltenham fan recently and he put their relegation down to relying on too many loan players. In hindsight, that was probably one of the contributory factors for our relegation. Loanees are useful but not too many of them.

[Gullscorer]

Some good points made here, and I agree, much as we'd like to see a serious promotion challenge, given that it took two seasons under the Boyce/Bristow consortium to be promoted with Paul Buckle, it could well take another two seasons minimum under the new consortium, depending on the club finances.

[happytorq]

First season should be about consolidation, playing good football and trying to get back some of the lost fans, before a concerted push in the second season. Presumably the new owner will also be looking at improving off-field revenues as well.

I'm not expecting great things for the coming season - I don't think anybody is - but an improvement in playing style would be most welcome.

(And hell, maybe getting to the first round of the cup)

[HopeGloryGulls]

Yes, unfortunately i don't think we'll see enough of a budget to challenge for promotion this season.

Be nice to see if hargreaves has learnt anything on his course, hopefully come back and sack hodges.

[Dave]

Yes, unfortunately i don't think we'll see enough of a budget to challenge for promotion this season.

Be nice to see if hargreaves has learnt anything on his course, hopefully come back and sack hodges.

Hope you don't mind me asking, but, why just Hodges?

[HopeGloryGulls]

hargreaves can go too... doubt he will though

[Dave]

Fair enough just wondered.

[HopeGloryGulls]

well seen as he's on the course with some real legends I was hoping he'd learn how to coach and not how to guild the lily anymore. And then wake to the fact hodges is as rubbish as he was before he went and learnt how to coach. But that's just my opinion, if I wanted a new commercial/sales/media man Hargreaves would be top of my list.

[Gullscorer]

Well, the club now has new owners and, whilst we still await the fixture list for the new season, the pre-season friendlies are confirmed on the O.S. http://www.torquayunited.com/news/artic ... EIWiPX2.99

These are:
Wed 15 July, 7.30pm: Tiverton (away)
Wed 22 July, 7.30pm: Yeovil (home)
Sat 25 July , 3.00pm: Truro City (away)
Tue 28 July, 7.45pm: Plymouth Argyle (home)
Fri 31July, 7.30pm: Exeter City (home)

This could be the time our club's fortunes begin to change for the better. All supporters should now seriously get behind CH and the team, to give them (and us) a chance to progress during the season.

[Gullscorer]

Wow!! I suppose it was always on the cards, but I have to admit the events of the past few days came as something of a surprise, not to mention shock. But the it's the kind of shock a sudden whirlwind brings, which is also a breath of fresh air. Talk about a new broom sweeping clean!

And we still await the appointment of a new manager, promised by the end of the week, as well as the signings of enough new players to form an effective squad for the campaign ahead. And the first pre-season friendly is exactly four weeks away..!!

What should be the priorities for the new regime? I believe first should be instilling the right ethos and attitude into the squad, and Dean Edwards has said all the right words so far in this regard: no namby-pambyism. We want no prima donnas, no spoiled little brats, no homesick kids. We want players with ambition who are willing to die (metaphorically speaking) for the cause and who are willing to work and to put in the required hard graft. Alongside that, it is essential that players should be fully fit, an element that was often noticeably absent last season.

And I'd really like to see a return to the old days I used to see at Plainmoor: enthusiastic crowds fully supporting the team, passion and desire to win among players and supporters alike. If current events are not sparking such enthusiasm among the local population, then nothing will. So come on folks, get along to Plainmoor, and bring a friend or neighbour. It's the start of a new season, and the beginning of a new era..