Torquay United unveil huge plan for 10,000-seater stadium.

[merse btpir]

This is a different kettle of fish from his enterprises at Poole and Swindon and in the case of speedway he's always accommodated that dying sport within the footprint of greyhound racing which in itself is hardly in a healthy state nation wide anyway.

His 'footprint' at Reading still lays empty and derelict in the shadow of the nearby Madejski Stadium complete with it's own indoor dome and hotel; on site. Something I'm sure he notices and would have at Torquay if he were able.


Osborne's old footprint at Reading lays forgotten & derelict in the shadow of the nearby Madejeski Stadium & hotel

Torquay United is an established professional football club crying out for the professional direction and management it has lacked for decades. We have to hope that he sees this as the answer to his acquisition and hope to enjoy the ride while it lasts.

[MellowYellow]

Indeed. I've never agreed with the idea he wants to 'run the club in to the ground'. He is a businessman and as such will look to make as much money as he can, where he can.

He was complicit in Bristol Rovers’ eventual eviction from Eastville to make way for a IKEA superstore.

He was asked "How did that feel?'" he replied “Unemotional".

That one word tells it's own story.

[merse btpir]

I don't want an owner to be emotional; I want him to be objective.

I want him to act in the best interests of the major stakeholders ~ the supporters ~ and to be successful at it.

Unfortunately we had too much of the former in the last two ownerships and none of the latter.

[MellowYellow]

He was complicit in Bristol Rovers’ eventual eviction from Eastville to make way for a IKEA superstore.

He was asked "How did that feel?'" he replied “Unemotional".

That one word tells it's own story.

I don't want an owner to be emotional; I want him to be objective.

I want him to act in the best interests of the major stakeholders ~ the supporters ~ and to be successful at it.

Unfortunately we had too much of the former in the last two ownerships and none of the latter.

Agree to a point, but unemotional traits can be distinguished by a persistent pattern of behaviour that reflects a disregard for others, e.g. Torquay supporters etc. Psychopaths are traditionally characterized by persistent behaviour of impaired empathy and remorse. Although, I am not for one moment suggesting that anyone associated with our club is a Psychopath

[merse btpir]

George Edwards is now the Operations Director responsible for running Torquay United and directly answerable to Clarke Osborne...

He was also a director of Tee Jay Leisure between 1997 and 2008; a company that operated a golf course at Ingol, near Preston and another at Thoulstone Park in Wiltshire which apparently closed following a rejected planning application. During the final years of his time with Tee, Jay George Edwards was joined on the board by Craig Hemmings with whom he had worked at Pontin's. Craig Hemmings is the son of Trevor Hemmings, owner of Preston North End. It seems to be a case of paths crossing within the Lancashire (and North Wales) world of piers, holiday camps and leisure attractions. The same names appear over and over again. Sometimes the same people are on a board of directors together; other times one familiar name replaces another. It's not helped by the fact that several versions of Pontin's later traded under completely different guises...Pontin's' property portfolio of course was acquired by Clarke Osborne.

George Edwards is named as Chorley Sporting Club's managing director in the link below. The structure incorporated Chorley Football Club, Victory Park Holdings and Chorley Sporting Club:
https://www.lep.co.uk/sport/football/wr ... an-1-93774

Posting on BTPIR, well informed contributor haldonrambler writes: 'From a starting point of learning about Gaming International's involvement at Plainmoor I was expecting people such as George Edwards to have featured rather more. Instead we've seen Clarke Osborne steer the club into his personal ownership through his control of Riviera Stadium Ltd with Chris Rich taking the higher profile. You wonder if George Edwards will be acting on behalf of Torquay United, Gaming International or Riviera Stadium.'
http://thelondonlabia.proboards.com/use ... ge+edwards


Chris Rich sitting with Clarke Osborne at Plainmoor

Chris Rich was the accountant who Osborne previously relied upon to oversee the week to week running of the club being that it was using his (Osborne's) money to function and with the daughter of Ian Hayman ~ Mel Hayman ~ as club finance controller. She can often be seen sitting at ther father's side during matches and in the past was doing so with Rich who has now departed the scene.

So Edwards has come aboard with his experience of football administration and appears to have been immediately involved in the change of football management at the Club.


George Edwards (right) in the aftermath of the Evesham Tea Bombing

[Neal]

What i cannot work out is why TUFC should be involved with the development of Nightingale Park at all.

And why havnt other bigger developers and more succesfull been interested in it.

If he can build houses on it, just bloody do it, and instead of a new stadium, which the bay does not need build a bloody science park and create some well paid jobs.

No it doesnt add up at all, there is another agenda, whatever the clauses are there will not be a new stadium anything like Plainmoor, and we will probabably lose Plainmmoor as well.

[happytorq]

I want him to act in the best interests of the major stakeholders ~ the supporters ~ and to be successful at it.

I suspect that you and I have a very different idea of who constitute the 'major stakeholders' compared with what Clarke Osbourne thinks.

Unfortunately, better business people than he worked out a long time ago that the emotional attachment that supporters have with a football club can be leveraged, both directly, for profit, and indirectly, for the hope and the attendant patience that the hope allows.

[Plainmoor78]

A Liberal Democrat motion opposing the use of Nightingale Park for a new stadium was carried last night on the chairman's deciding vote after the councillors split 15/15.

[PhilGull]

Thank Gilbert for the Lib Dems!

[MellowYellow]

My understanding was the objection was to the £40m development as a whole (that includes a stadium), rather it that being an objection to the stadium itself.

Nightingale Park is protected for sport and leisure and not for the proposed development of Houses, Shops, Hotels and Supermarkets. If the development plan for Nightingale Park was for it's intended purpose of Sport and leisure with Woodland Walkways and Wildlife Meadows, I expect there would not have been a objection to a standalone stadium .

Also was this motion just for the elected Mayor to consider an objection to Corporate Assets Master Plan because it does not identify the park for community and shared use rather than a rejection of the plan outright.

Maybe Mr Osborne will turn a leaf and just build a stadium for the benefit of the community. Wow- Just saw a pig fly pass my window.

[TUST_Member_Rob]

My understanding was the objection was to the £40m development as a whole (that includes a stadium), rather it that being an objection to the stadium itself.

Nightingale Park is protected for [highlight=yellow]sport and leisure[/highlight] and not for the proposed development of Houses, Shops, Hotels and Supermarkets. If the development plan for Nightingale Park was for it's intended purpose of Sport and leisure with Woodland Walkways and Wildlife Meadows, I expect there would not have been a objection to a standalone stadium .

Also was this motion just for the elected Mayor to consider an objection to Corporate Assets Master Plan because it does not identify the park for community and shared use rather than a rejection of the plan outright.

Maybe Mr Osborne will turn a leaf and just build a stadium for the benefit of the community. Wow- Just saw a pig fly pass my window.

exactly what the bay needs, a 50m swimming pool and some proper sport facilities - a bit like the life centre in Plymouth. The bay can jump ahead of Exeter and be first choice in South Devon and further.