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. This week, he says Saturday will be a day of protest at Plainmoor like none other and urges Clarke Osborne and CEO George Edwards to actually speak to people and address the concerns
These are dark days for Torquay United – and whatever happened at Farnborough last night, where the Gulls were trying to stop a five-game run of defeats with a win, or at the very least a draw – Saturday will be a day of protest at Plainmoor like none other. (The match ended as a 0-0 draw - print deadlines mean the column was written prior to the match)
Torquay United Supporters’ Trust has joined forces, they say, with the Talking Torquay Podcast, Torquay Talk, the Away Travel Club, and representatives of the Tom Lapslie Appreciation Society, to organise a ‘We Want Our Club Back’ yellow card protest at the game against Aveley.
This is an age of protest, and football protests are rising across the globe, but that’s no reason to dismiss this one. This one is valid and it will be interesting to see how many fans pick up their yellow cards on the way into the ground and take part. The problem is, despite the fans’ forum and steering group initiatives, the reason this protest is happening is because owner Clarke Osborne and CEO George Edwards have ignored major concerns for far too long.
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Despite requests, neither Osborne or Edwards have agreed to talk to me, representing the Herald Express, a newspaper that has covered the club since 1925 - 99 years! So I have not been able to put over their arguments, other than take them from the fans’ forum video which landed on the club’s website a couple of months ago.
There was that interview with Osborne in another publication but it avoided any difficult questions and was tepid at best – so with so many fans asking for real communication again, is it any wonder this protest is happening?
Osborne and Edwards set a high benchmark for this season: promotion back to the National League after losing that status last season. But before the game against Farnborough last night, the club was on a road of failure in that respect. Twelfth in the National South? Not good enough.
It is time for change? I will leave that up to the protesters – the yellow cards will possibly give us/me the best indication of the percentage of home fans who want a new direction now.
But there is a huge elephant in the room that no one seems to be considering: what happens if Osborne and Gaming International do decide to walk away, and take their ball home with them? So far, GI has put more than £5 million into the club. If they leave now, will they want that money back? And if they want it back, what happens to Torquay United?
I don’t see a local millionaire suddenly rocking up with £5 million in their back pocket to pay GI off before even starting to think about day-to-day running costs – and promising promotion. Neither do I see any fan-group being able to raise that kind of money.
The horrible truth seems to be: if Osborne walks away, the club will go bust. No one wants that, surely. Osborne has made no secret of the fact that he is at the club because he wants to build a new, all singing, all dancing stadium, somewhere in Torbay, with the help of the local council, and for the good of the community.
I like the idea of that. A new home for the Gulls who have been playing at Plainmoor for more that 100 years, crammed full of lots of money-making initiatives: bars, entertainment areas, educational resources, gig spaces, gyms, dog-groomers, etc, etc, etc. But the timing of an announcement by GI that talks about a stadium had started again with Torbay Council last month felt more forced by protest than an offering of genuine progress.
Perhaps the best thing for everyone would be to get around a massive table – and talk it out publicly. But I don’t see Osborne even countenancing that idea. Unfortunately.
The statement from TUST about this latest protest read: “Torquay United supporters have been very patient as the club plummets to its lowest league status in its history.
“A once proud Football League club is now plying its trade in a part-time regional league and not very successfully. Performances this season have been dire with even the right kind of fans losing confidence in the manager. The time has now come for all fans to show their feelings about the way the club is being run. This will be the beginning of a campaign where further protests will follow as we increase the pressure for change.”
I have avoided mentioning the manager Gary Johnson so far in this column – because in previous columns I have pointed out that he says he is going nowhere, and the board say they are sticking by him. But that game against Slough Town, in which Torquay gave up what felt like a fairly comfortable 3-2 lead, to lose 4-3, obviously changed more supporters’ minds about the manager. The defeat at Braintree Town – 1-0 and lacklustre – is difficult to defend.
Whatever happened last night, Saturday will be one of the oddest days in the club’s modern history. Whether you support the protests or not – you certainly won’t be able to ignore it. As I said, these are dark days.
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Torquay United fan protests valid as owners ignore concerns
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21.02.2024
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. This week, he says Saturday will be a day of protest at Plainmoor like none other and urges Clarke Osborne and CEO George Edwards to actually speak to people and address the concerns
These are dark days for Torquay United – and whatever happened at Farnborough last night, where the Gulls were trying to stop a five-game run of defeats with a win, or at the very least a draw – Saturday will be a day of protest at Plainmoor like none other. (The match ended as a 0-0 draw - print deadlines mean the column was written prior to the match)
Torquay United Supporters’ Trust has joined forces, they say, with the Talking Torquay Podcast, Torquay Talk, the Away Travel Club, and representatives of the Tom Lapslie Appreciation Society, to organise a ‘We Want Our Club Back’ yellow card protest at the game against Aveley.
This is an age of protest, and football protests are rising across the globe, but that’s no reason to dismiss this one. This one is valid and it will be interesting to see how many fans pick up their yellow cards on the way into the ground and take part. The problem is, despite the fans’ forum and steering group initiatives, the reason this protest is happening is because owner Clarke Osborne and CEO George Edwards have........
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