Every Wednesday in the Herald Express, our Torquay United correspondent Richard Hughes takes a sideways look at what's going on in the World of the Gulls - and this week, he pre-empts questions that could be asked as Torquay United owner has finally decided to give someone an interview
I am genuinely over the moon that Torquay United owner Clarke Osborne has decided to talk to someone at last. On Thursday, an interview with Osborne will be published in the pages of another newspaper, just days before the Supporters’ Trusts’ planned sit-in at Plainmoor, which will take place at the end of Saturday’s game against Tonbridge Angels.
Now, myself, my Yellow Army Podcast mucker Guy Henderson, the BBC and Radio Devon, etc, have all asked for a chat with Clarke or chief executive officer George Edwards about the Good Ship United in recent years – but to no avail. I didn’t even get a reply to my last request.
So I am pleased the cosy relationship the club and this other paper has had in recent years has borne fruit – and that fans will at last get the chance to find out the owner’s latest thinking on the club and its future.
Read More - Torquay United fan protest must be peaceful at Plainmoor sit-in
Of course, the important questions are: What has happened to the Five Year Plan? What happens to United’s professional status if the club doesn’t go up to the National League this season? What is the current thinking on a new stadium? Can there be fans’ representation on the board? Are there any plans for a fans’ forum? How much more money can the owner put into the club?
Here’s some more: What happens if the money dries up? Should TUST be allowed more influence? Oh, I could go on, but I think those are the basics. I hope there is some meat on the bones of this interview, rather than just a few morsels ahead of a protest that no one really wants, anyway.
I can confirm: I will be there for those 15 minutes after the game – but that’s only because I am anyway. It takes me about 15 minutes to tidy up my match report, correct 95% of my typos, write a half-decent intro, and send it all to young Daniel Clark to put online.
Sometimes, I am the last man sitting – which makes it easier to get up and get out in time for a quick pint at the Dog & Duck before tea. You want to try climbing over the back of those Bristow Bench seats at 52 when other members of the press – usually youthful opposition-club media types – are still blocking your exit!
But would I be staying behind for 15 minutes if I was a paying fan? Probably not. I would defend your right to protest, as I would defend my right not to protest.]
The club hasn’t listened to our pleas for better communication so far, why will it now? ‘But Clarke has talked to a newspaper and we made that happen’ I hear you cry – maybe; but it is a newspaper that TUFC has had a close relationship with in recent seasons, and because of that, an interview might well have happened in due course, anyway.
But I am not saying doing nothing is right either. There are options. I think if I was a paying customer, this weekend I might be thinking about taking my hard-earned cash and giving it to Brixham.
Brixham have a big game in the FA Vase this Saturday and they could do with a big crowd to get behind them as they take on Downton in the third round. They could get to Wembley and play there on the same day as Torquay in the final of the Trophy. Wouldn’t that be a Torbay coup! I might like to pop along to Buckland Athletic every once in a while and see what’s going on at a genuinely welcoming club.
The thing is, when it gets to fans staging sit-ins and chanting ‘Talk To Us’, those in charge might want to consider where this could all end up, and wonder: ‘Have we been taking the fans for granted?’ One thing is for certain: fans are the lifeblood of any football club, and ignoring their pleas for better communication is never a good idea.
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The questions Torquay United owner Clarke Osborne has to answer
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29.11.2023
Every Wednesday in the Herald Express, our Torquay United correspondent Richard Hughes takes a sideways look at what's going on in the World of the Gulls - and this week, he pre-empts questions that could be asked as Torquay United owner has finally decided to give someone an interview
I am genuinely over the moon that Torquay United owner Clarke Osborne has decided to talk to someone at last. On Thursday, an interview with Osborne will be published in the pages of another newspaper, just days before the Supporters’ Trusts’ planned sit-in at Plainmoor, which will take place at the end of Saturday’s game against Tonbridge Angels.
Now, myself, my Yellow Army Podcast mucker Guy Henderson, the BBC and Radio Devon, etc, have all asked for a chat with Clarke or chief executive officer George Edwards about the Good Ship United in recent years – but to no avail. I didn’t even get a reply to my last request.
So I am pleased the cosy relationship the club and this other paper has had in recent years has........
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