Rob
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Post by Rob on May 25, 2018 20:52:12 GMT
Who gives a f#*k about what that cockwomble thinks! Are you referring to Jon, haldonrambler, Merse, Harrop or Osborne? AR10 on BTPIR suggesting a League Secretary was previously saying to people that TUFC were always going to be in the West group, so perhaps the late East offer was the clincher at the last minute? Like most with an interest, I would just like to see us have some Reserve fixtures, as we were previously led to believe might be happening in 2018/19. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 25, 2018 22:56:32 GMT
Take a wild stab in the dark!
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Jon
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Post by Jon on Jun 4, 2018 22:58:02 GMT
Peninsula League AGM tonight confirmed that Torquay United are NOT in the league next season.
What a pig's ear the club has made of the entire process.
We announced back in December that we would be in The Eastern section. Both the club and the compliant local press ran with the story that this was a fait accompli, although it was always the case that we would only get in if there was a vacancy.
Dave Thomas and his alter ego Tom Charles refused to acknowledge that there was any doubt over the issue - blindly toeing the club line and refusing to publish the truth just as he does over the other big announcement that we will be playing in a new stadium in 2020.
While both the club and the local press were either blissfully unaware of the rules or willfully misrepresenting the facts, it looked highly unlikely that there would be a vacancy.
Then three things happened within a week or so to turn the situation on its head. Illogan announced that they were withdrawing from the league, the FA gave the league a special dispensation to run with 20 teams in the East (not the 18 maximum previously allowed) and then Braunton blew up on the run in failing to clinch a promotion place from the North Devon League.
Remarkably, the club had got away with it. They were in after all. But then they turned the place that they had said that they wanted.
This happened on May 25, but there was no mention of this on the club website. No mention in the Herald. Then the Indy ran a story saying that the issue was still up in the air.
The league confirmed that the club had changed its mind again and asked for time to reconsider. They were given until tonight's AGM and finally confirmed that they did not want the place a few hours before the AGM.
Now I never really understood how we were going to raise a team to play in the SWPL. We struggle to get together enough players to fill a bench for the first team. Nobody who knows anything at all about the game would imagine that a team of 16 year olds could survive in a league of that standard - they would be massacred. Pay a team of SWPL standard players? If money were no object, yes - but at the expense of the first team wage budget? Surely not.
But it was the club saying that we could and would field a team at that level, NOT the fans. It was one of the good news stories they love to trumpet.
“This is going to be a long-term venture, and an important aspect of it is to fast-track the best boys from Under-17 football to playing against men. We do have to be careful to safeguard their health and their future careers, but it’s been proven at other clubs that it does fast-track the kids. We envisage our reserve team including some senior pros, the best Academy lads but also talented local players between 18-25. The broader aim is to develop a pathway from the Academy towards the first team, and to narrow the gap between the two. It’s not just at Under-16 level, we have some cracking players in the younger age-groups."
Wonderful stuff for Dave Thomas and Alpine Joe to start some flag waving.
But, just like the new stadium, the local board and the five year plan, a load of bollocks.
Did the club ever think it would happen? Was it all lies? Was it a blurted out wish that just had not been thought through properly?
I don't know, but it is a symptom of a recurring sickness. We just do not know what we are doing. Or if we do, there is a huge gulf between what we are doing and what we say we are doing.
Still, as long as Gary Owers builds a promotion winning squad ....
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Rob
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Post by Rob on Jun 5, 2018 9:47:03 GMT
Wonderful stuff for Dave Thomas and Alpine Joe to start some flag waving. But, just like the new stadium, the local board and the five year plan, a load of bollocks. I don’t expect those running the League are very impressed with the reason we gave a few hours before their AGM as to why. Nobody got a year younger all of a sudden, did they? |
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chelstongull
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Post by chelstongull on Jun 6, 2018 7:49:41 GMT
Herald Express back page headline:
"Gulls make U-turn and withdraw Peninsula League application"
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 6, 2018 9:35:22 GMT
It's not really a story I've been following, but you can understand that the SWPL is disappointed that they'll be unable to add the prestigious name of Torquay United to their little local league. With Devon Live today reporting ' The league were and still are keen to have United in the competition, and they were prepared to give the club every chance to join'. Hopefully it's some consolation to them that the club seems to have worked right up until the final minute in an effort to find a way of justifying joining for this coming season, however, in the final analysis our General manager and coach staff have to make their decision in the best interests of the club and it's players, however much they'd like to help out local football. I'm sure there must have been some reservations and concerns that a predominantly young squad would find it physically arduous to slog through a whole season given the type of opponents they'd face. As Jon mentions above, the goalposts got moved at a late stage demanding we'd be required to commit to a further four fixtures, when ideally I'm sure we'd have much preferred a reduction of four given the young team we'd have been fielding. Learning it was going to be an enlarged league may well have been a further factor in tipping the scales back the other way, and the decision to postpone things for a season and take a closer look at how that 20 team league works out in practice. Thankfully the League Secretary Phil Hiscox confirms that "we will be happy to entertain that approach” if Geoff and the coaches decide it will be beneficial to us in 12 months time. And of course, it's good to learn that Mr.Hiscox has gone on the record to state that: 'It is all very amicable'. But in the end, in this coming Season, it's probably wise that we focus our thoughts and resources more singularly on the task of getting back to the NPL at the first attempt. As Jon correctly says 'Still, as long as Gary Owers builds a promotion winning squad', and I think most will agree with him that the overriding priority of the first team needs all hands on deck for next season at least. Let's not volunteer for a further distraction just when we need everyone giving full backing to Gary Owers promotion campaign 2018/19. It seems that the SWPL fully understands the situation, and if we're able to incorporate a team in one of their leagues within our sustainable success model a little further down the line, I'm sure that's what we'll do. link - Gulls Decline Local League For Coming Season |
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