Hargreaves, Hodges and Veysey on Gardening leave

nickbrod · Post by **nickbrod** » 14 Jun 2015, 13:32

somersetgull wrote:Yesssssssssssssss!!! Nicky forster and graham Abercrombie possibly p/t assistant. currently at staines town. Kev nic as F/T no.2 bring it on

You can't be serious!

Kit_robin · Post by **Kit_robin** » 14 Jun 2015, 13:32

Everyone, it only costs more money to sack them if you think our average crowd is going to be the same with the new man. That presumably means you think the new manager won't do any better than Hargreaves.

It's a simple economic investment. Probably costs about £150k to get rid of them in the worst cas scenarios (although I imagine at some point they will go and get another job so we won't pay all that). £150k is probably about 500 extra people on our average gate. At the end of last season, watching Hargreaves' useless excuse for a 'team', we were very close to the 1000 mark. I couldnt personally see loads of people flooding back to watch that rubbish again.

But if the consortium think they have a man who will do better - mid table looking up, a more competitive team, or even a play off push, I don't think it's madness to suggest that the 1200 average crowd we would get under Hargreaves could quite easily turn into a 1700 average crowd. Job done, sackings paid for.

Hell, if we by some miracle end up at the right end of the table we'll probably average over 2000 and actually MAKE MONEY.

I am delighted with the decision, although I temper that while we await the announcement of the new man. But I think it makes perfect sense both from a footballing and financial perspective.

goodluckgull · Post by **goodluckgull** » 14 Jun 2015, 13:34

Feel a bit sad about this news. Really wanted Greavsie to be Torquay's Manager this coming season. I wonder what Dan Lavercombe is thinking ? He is probably wondering if the club will even have a goal keeping coach and how that will effect his development.

tommyg · Post by **tommyg** » 14 Jun 2015, 13:42

goodluckgull wrote:Feel a bit sad about this news. Really wanted Greavsie to be Torquay's Manager this coming season. I wonder what Dan Lavercombe is thinking ? He is probably wondering if the club will even have a goal keeping coach and how that will effect his development.

I hope that the club will look to sign an experienced goalkeeper who can combine playing with coaching and therefore saving us money. Same for a player/assistant manager.

divingbboy · Post by **divingbboy** » 14 Jun 2015, 13:43

goodluckgull wrote:Feel a bit sad about this news. Really wanted Greavsie to be Torquay's Manager this coming season. I wonder what Dan Lavercombe is thinking ? He is probably wondering if the club will even have a goal keeping coach and how that will effect his development.

TBH, a manager, his assistant and a separate goalkeeping coach seem quite extravagant in the circumstances. At the very least, I cannot see there being a goalkeeping coach in the foreseeable future.

Chris B · Post by **Chris B** » 14 Jun 2015, 13:48

Kit_robin wrote:But if the consortium think they have a man who will do better - mid table looking up, a more competitive team, or even a play off push, I don't think it's madness to suggest that the 1200 average crowd we would get under Hargreaves could quite easily turn into a 1700 average crowd. Job done, sackings paid for.

I hope this simplistic formula is how the coming season works out. Personally, I'm struggling to see past the possible £100k cost of this decision, and the subsequent impact it'll have on our playing budget and competitiveness. Last year we had the burden/excuse of having high earners like Benyon, Hawley, Harding etc sapping the coffers. I hope today's decision doesn't become the 15/16 equivalent.

Earlier I suggested some cheap, ex-Gulls who I thought might be linked to the job. Maybe a more obvious candidate for a coaching position will be Edwards' close friend Matt Elliott.

Burnhamgull · Post by **Burnhamgull** » 14 Jun 2015, 14:00

Completely surprised but extremely delighted by this news!

Lets not get too bogged down by the financial implications because the new board know what they're doing, I'm sure. There is an immediate cost to consider of having "the three" on gardening leave and a new management team in place but as somebody else has already said, if the new wave of hope sweeps through the club and into the town, we could easily get gates back up to 2,500 each week and that would be a significant improvement on where we were in the second half of last season.

Hargreaves had 18 months in the job after spouting off in all forms of media about the poor job Knill was doing but he found out how hard management can be when he took the mantle. He made a complete hash of keeping us in the league and he still had no idea by the time he left and I don't think I've seen such disillusionment amongst the supporters. Chris Hargreaves is not a football manager.

It will be interesting to see who we bring in and I would suspect that somebody has already been approached as the clock is ticking and we're a long way behind our rivals already in terms of recruiting a team for next season.

I am probably going to renew my ST now on the back of all this change in the past 7 days. Interesting times ahead

Post by **Dave** » 14 Jun 2015, 14:46

nickbrod wrote:New owners, new manager. Nothing new in this as it happens regularly in football. CH probably not surprised by these developments either.
If the new owners are looking for a seasoned National League manager then Paul Cox mentioned recently might be the man.

I speculated on Paul Cox last week, should the job become vacant, not saying he will be the new manager, because I don't know, but it wouldn't surprise if it wasn't either him or someone with a similar record. Paul Cox took Eastwood Town from the Northern premier league to the conference north, and won the conference with Mansfield, perfect candidate has a real CV at this level, so if not him, some one like him is the way forward now we are a non-league club, with a reduced budget, we need a real manager who understands the non-league.

Added in 8 minutes 21 seconds:

tommyg wrote: I hope that the club will look to sign an experienced goalkeeper who can combine playing with coaching and therefore saving us money. Same for a player/assistant manager.

This is a very good point, with the academy certain to close Kenny Veysey, effectively has little to do, the need for goalkeeper coach with just two keepers is practically void, it something along the lines of what happens at Buckland, where one of their experienced keepers runs the keeper coaching sessions.

MF68 · Post by **MF68** » 14 Jun 2015, 14:56

We all remember what a player Wes Saunders was and how sad it was when he was sacked here after failing. Very much deja vu .........

PlainmoorRoar · Post by **PlainmoorRoar** » 14 Jun 2015, 15:03

forevertufc wrote:Oh come on, don't get caught up in this reduced terms, offer some one a significantly reduced contract knowing full well they will not sign, end goal achieved, that doesn't take a lot of working out, gardening leave if I have understood it correctly, means they continue to earn their basic monthly salary, until a settlement, or they gain new employment, so effectively drip fed out of the club.

I am not shocked or surprised, been speculating about it for weeks, but I'm a no nothing halfwit , wrong appointment at the wrong time, Chris Hargreaves has done a terrible job, no longer will we have to watch the same ball into the box failed to be defended and end up in back of our net, no longer will we have watch the ball hoofed aimlessly around the pitch, nothing wrong with a long pass however, and I certainly will not miss the appalling excuses rolled out week and an out, I'm relieved by this news.

As for the new manager, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if a manager with a proper CV at this level wasn't appointed, I doubt very much the new board are going appoint another inexperience manager with no clue, I'm expecting some who knows this division inside out, and can work with the reduced budget.

They probably know who they want in

Also wouldnt be surprised to see either a player/assistant or player/GK coach

Dave_Pougher · Post by **Dave_Pougher** » 14 Jun 2015, 15:16

Good news in my book, rumours ( and they were just that ) were that the training was poor and not enough clearly demonstarted on match days. Shame to see an ex hero ousted in this way but nobody made him take the job.

Tough year or two ahead.

tomogull · Post by **tomogull** » 14 Jun 2015, 15:27

I'm not surprised about the decisions re Lee Hodges and Kenny Veysey but am astounded at the decision to replace Chris Hargreaves. The report states that all three have been put on gardening leave for 'refusing to accept significant cuts in their contracts'. So who will want to come to TUFC on a contract 'significantly reduced' than Hargreaves' current contract ? Names such as Nicky Forster and Paul Cox are totally 'pie in the sky' in my view.

This reinforces the fears of many on here that the state of the finances is even worse than the consortium expected (and why the original buyers pulled out). It could be interpreted as a brave decision but we now have seven or eight players signed on and no manager and probably an even lower budget to bring in players than Hargreaves had last season. The new season isn't too many weeks away. I trust in the new owners but I think we're in for a very bumpy ride ahead where mid table at the end of the season will be a major achievement.

nickbrod · Post by **nickbrod** » 14 Jun 2015, 15:36

Hoping (expecting) tomorrow's Press Conference will shed light on the way forward. Unless promoted of course, staying in the National Premier after 2015-2016 would be an achievement.

Post by **Southampton Gull** » 14 Jun 2015, 15:38

Dave_Pougher wrote:Good news in my book, rumours ( and they were just that ) were that the training was poor and not enough clearly demonstarted on match days. Shame to see an ex hero ousted in this way but nobody made him take the job.

Tough year or two ahead.

You can update your signature now Dave

wodger of awabia · Post by **wodger of awabia** » 14 Jun 2015, 15:53

Well I just hope that they don't take on another " I will work for expenses only, & climb half way up the chairman's bum" ( Alan Knill). I would like to see a player manager who has already made enough money out of the game, but is keen to manage & would only ask for a modest salary. Someone who has loads of respect, contacts, & would be able to get advice from top managers if required. Someone like Carlton Cole could fit the bill IMO.

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