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He doesn't know anything about football. So why has he put money into Torquay United? For his own ends not that of our club.

Southampton Gull wrote: 14 Apr 2019, 17:36 None so blind as those that won't see.

He's got us back where we were when he started and now the club owe him 7 figures in loans. Fantastic!!

I'll give him some credit when he has us back in the football league and in a shiny new stadium and debt free. I'll also watch those pigs flying way before that ever happens.

Yes I'm enjoying having a team playing attractive football, yes I'm enjoying having an open and honest manager but since when has CO been open and honest?

Enjoy the moment but don't take your eye off the ball for a second!!

A Club Statement from CO at this point in time would be appropriate and reassuring praising our Championship but more importantly his continuing commitment and intent for next season. As long as he continues to bankroll the club GJ will be staying but if ......

It looks as though 'Uncle Clarke' is well on the way to rehabilitation.

culmstockgull wrote: 14 Apr 2019, 17:35 There has more written about the man OSBORNE than probably any other subject on this forum, rarely if ever positive, the idiots before him asked him for a loan to keep the club going, he made it a condition of the loan that certain things would occur if they did not pay up at the agreed time, quite right too, well we know what happened, they had no cash to start with so they were never going to pay the loan back unless we had got Man Utd in the cup, they were total chancers who if the league had been up to their job they would in all probability have failed the fit and proper persons test, since then Osborne has poured in hundreds of thousands of pounds, whether it be his personal money or his companies it matters not, like the idiots before him he could have pulled the plug last season and put us into receivership, I know there were allegedly others on the side-lines chaffing at the bit to buy the club, none of which had sufficient finance to keep us going more than a few months.There were probably also very good reasons that the said idiots did not wish the potential buyers anywhere near the club.
Yes, we know he has some mercurial plan in place for the future, other than rumours no one but no one has any idea other than Osborne what that is, the problem with supporters is they do not know something they tend to invent, I am not talking about his well known track record of the past, I am talking about today, this month, this year. So on the basis of his commitment to date towards Torquay then he will get my vote of thanks along with the others at the club.

Those 'idiots' you refer to are/were well-meaning fans. Yes - they were ill-advised to take on the job, and out of their depth. But they were prepared to put their heads above the parapet for the club they, and we, love. If they hadn't done so, TUFC would have probably gone into liquidation long before Clarke Osborne arrived on the scene. So don't refer to them as idiots.

Out of interest, does anyone know if Mr Osborne has actually attended a match this season?

Southampton Gull wrote: 14 Apr 2019, 17:36 None so blind as those that won't see.

He's got us back where we were when he started and now the club owe him 7 figures in loans. Fantastic!!

I'll give him some credit when he has us back in the football league and in a shiny new stadium and debt free. I'll also watch those pigs flying way before that ever happens.

Yes I'm enjoying having a team playing attractive football, yes I'm enjoying having an open and honest manager but since when has CO been open and honest?

Enjoy the moment but don't take your eye off the ball for a second!!

The club hasn't gone anywhere under Osborne's stewardship; the promotion to the NL means we're back where we started with him. But he has loaded more debt onto the club, meaning that it surely becomes a far less attractive proposition to any potential suitor. It further entrenches the "Gaming International or nothing" position, as well. We're basking in the afterglow of a promotion - and a championship! - and that's always going to increase the good feelings, but let's not pretend that this season, and the recruitment of Gary Johnson, is not anything but merely the start of a possible recovery. We're back in a division that, 15 years ago, would have been unthinkable, after all.

We can't wander around saying "this is fine!" about being in the National League when for 90%+ (I think, I don't have the figures in front of me) we've been in the Football League. The mismanagement that brought us to this is not entirely the fault of Clark Osborne and Gaming International; years of neglect all contributed to our malaise, but what is undeniable is that our lowest ebb made it possible for an asset-stripper without any affection for the club to get control.

I've said before that I don't even have that big of a problem with the owners making money from the club if the club's long-term stability and success is at the heart of whatever strategy is used to generate profit. Little of what we saw from Osborne prior to September 2018 suggested anything of the sort. Is it possible that he's had a change of heart and wants our little team restored to former (and I use this word with tongue firmly in cheek) 'glories'? Well, yeesss, theoeretically - but we'd be naive to assume that to be the case.

We can say that the ownership has done well to support Johnson this year, and can appreciate what has gone into making the 2018-2019 season a success, while still being wary of their long-term goals. For me, the acid test comes in the summer. Is the club going to allow Johnson to build a team to challenge for promotion back to the league, or will they be happy with stagnancy? I don't think we should allow GI/Osborne to even consider their stadium plans until such time as we are re-established in the Football League. I think few would argue that a move away from Plainmoor might be in our best interests at some point, but it's more than adequate for Conference football. The greater commercial opportunities that should come with being part of the FL again are another issue, one that can wait until we're actually there again.

Finally - let us not forget that without the fans on here, locally, and around the country who were dubious of their intentions, it's possible that the club would already have been moved out of Plainmoor closer to oblivion. We are the stewards of Torquay United, regardless of whomever happens to nominally 'own' the club - without the supporters, there is no soul.

Superb posting happytorq.

It's good to see the forum happy at long last and a lot of us don't voice our opinions now we've got a manager that knows his job. It's more rewarding to win promotion with a young side and Garry must be really pleased.

Here here @tomogull
No one should criticise diehard fans who put their personal money into the club which few of us do as a “donation”

I know one of them and he’s been a passionate totally loyal fan since boyhood about 50 years ago following us around the country as have his family. He stepped in when we were in a mess. He said some Saturdays after losing all of them had to write another five figure cheque to pay wages. And said his kids might not be too thankful one day that he drained his savings to keep us going a bit longer!!

Southampton Gull wrote: 14 Apr 2019, 17:36 None so blind as those that won't see.

Yes I'm enjoying having a team playing attractive football, yes I'm enjoying having an open and honest manager but since when has CO been open and honest?

Enjoy the moment but don't take your eye off the ball for a second!!

I think this is the right approach and it can be taken with a neutral perspective until we see an further plans. There is now a statement from CO, which is something to be taken on face value, nothing more or less that you would expect from an owner.

happytorq wrote: 15 Apr 2019, 13:48 The club hasn't gone anywhere under Osborne's stewardship; the promotion to the NL means we're back where we started with him. But he has loaded more debt onto the club, meaning that it surely becomes a far less attractive proposition to any potential suitor. It further entrenches the "Gaming International or nothing" position, as well. We're basking in the afterglow of a promotion - and a championship! - and that's always going to increase the good feelings, but let's not pretend that this season, and the recruitment of Gary Johnson, is not anything but merely the start of a possible recovery. We're back in a division that, 15 years ago, would have been unthinkable, after all..........

Like it or not & at the risk of being controversial here, the hard truth is without CO we'd be in the NL south & probably staring at relegation again this season.
A horrible thought I know, Torquay United were in a fast train to oblivion with Go, & the pie eater in control so at least the sorry situation we were in last September was addressed . And another disaster averted, we'd be down to less than a thousand gates now & really staring into the abyss.

Teigngull wrote: 17 Apr 2019, 14:50 Like it or not & at the risk of being controversial here, the hard truth is without CO we'd be in the NL south & probably staring at relegation again this season.
A horrible thought I know, Torquay United were in a fast train to oblivion with Go, & the pie eater in control so at least the sorry situation we were in last September was addressed . And another disaster averted, we'd be down to less than a thousand gates now & really staring into the abyss.

Gaming International/Clarke Osborne hired Garry Owers. So that "fast train to oblivion" was being driven by them.

Yes, it was put on that track by the years of mismanagement prior to their arrival, but the current 'good times' (quotes because it's all relative, really) shouldn't hide the fact that until September 2018 - a good 18 months after the takeover - GI/CO demonstrated absolutely nothing that would suggest they wanted anything to do with the playing side of the club.

As I've said - we can be thankful that the owners decided to change tack and invest in the football part, but we'd be idiots to pretend that it's selfless.

Yes it was Osborne that delivered NLS football. The previous regime while starved of cash managed to keep us playing national football with a rookie manager at the helm. I think it's rude not to recognise that fact. They borrowed 100k and lost the club, since then we've borrowed 1.4m and are only just getting back to where we started. It's not as rosey in the garden as some would seem to think.

Southampton Gull wrote: 17 Apr 2019, 16:18 Yes it was Osborne that delivered NLS football. The previous regime while starved of cash managed to keep us playing national football with a rookie manager at the helm. I think it's rude not to recognise that fact. They borrowed 100k and lost the club, since then we've borrowed 1.4m and are only just getting back to where we started. It's not as rosey in the garden as some would seem to think.

In fact Dave, you could say that - financially regarding the club anyway - we are in a worse position than we were then.