DAVID THOMAS

[dawlishmatt]

I see that David Thomas has left the Herald Express after over 45 years of covering our beloved club. Dave was an essential part of keeping the readers of the paper updated on the comings and goings at plainmoor.
I remember as a kid, looking forward to reading his articles every afternoon and the back page was always the first page I turned to.
Have a happy retirement David and thanks for keeping us in touch with the club, when the herald express and Argyle, oops I mean Sunday independent were are only source of information.

[nickbrod]

You'll find DT reporting on Torquay United from around April in the soon - to - be launched The Torbay Weekly, a free paper and online.

[tomogull]

I see that David Thomas has left the Herald Express after over 45 years of covering our beloved club. Dave was an essential part of keeping the readers of the paper updated on the comings and goings at plainmoor.
I remember as a kid, looking forward to reading his articles every afternoon and the back page was always the first page I turned to.
Have a happy retirement David and thanks for keeping us in touch with the club, when the herald express and Argyle, oops I mean Sunday independent were are only source of information.

Good post, Dawlishmatt. Thank you, David T for the many years of reporting the ups and downs and downs of our beloved team, and enjoy your retirement. Keep busy!

Young whippersnappers on here with instant reports on their phones and Forums such as this will find it hard to believe there was a time when the main source of information (match reports, new players arriving and players leaving) was the Herald Express - remember how we waited in the Paper Shops on Saturday nights for the football issue to arrive at about 6.30pm? This was pre-computers. However they did it so soon after matches, goodness knows.

In my opinion, Dave Thomas has always reported fairly on TUFC as he sees it. I haven't always agreed with his reporting, but then us football fans don't always agree, do we??? I think he has given Clarke Osborne an easy ride, but on the other hand, where would the club be without Osborne's reported £2.5 million? However, I don't think he will be receiving a 'Happy Retirement' card from Wes Saunders ..........

[nickbrod]

Retirement? I think you'll find he's been transferred to the new paper.

[portugull]

tomogull I too well remember waiting for "the Pink Paper" to come out on Saturday Evening with the Match Report.
I assume it was printed on pink paper to distinguish it from the normal HE printed in those days 6 days a week.
How times change.

[higgi1p]

Effectively reintroducing the Torquay Times from years ago in another name

[Godalming Gull]

I wish David a really great ‘retirement’. As one of the many supporters who live away from Plainmoor, his coverage of all that us Yellow has been fantastic and in recent years the podcast with Guy has been a constant entertainment for a Thursday evening! Thanks so much.

[Rjc70]

Not retiring.

[Godalming Gull]

Hence the apostrophes on ‘retirement’....

[Rjc70]

Yeah, ‘right’.

[gateman49]

Considering his length of service with the HE the tiny article on his retirement tucked away in a corner of the inside back page was pathetic.

Well done Dave and I trust that you will soon be up and running again elsewhere.

[gateman49]

tomogull I too well remember waiting for "the Pink Paper" to come out on Saturday Evening with the Match Report.
I assume it was printed on pink paper to distinguish it from the normal HE printed in those days 6 days a week.
How times change.

Don't forget 'Snip' Cornish coming along the Pop side half way through the second half with the late edition containing all the half times in the stop press column.

"Snow in Newton Abbot" was his plaintiff cry.

I can also remember queueing at Barton post office for the football final to arrive. A HE van would then turn up and the allocation would almost literally be thrown out of the passenger door as the van raced off to its next call. The papers would then be rushed inside to the counter when a flurry of activity would ensue. The match report would always be done to tight timescale with a fullish report on the first half and with a briefer and briefer record of events in the second half. If a goal was scored near the end it would be reported as a one liner.

What I also liked about it was the writings of Brian Carter as he so lyrically described local football matches deep in the South Devon.

Happy days.

[greb46]

The same guy I think used to sell the HE while walking through Princess Gardens in mid Summer shouting the headline,Dead man found in coffin.