Administration

With the plan to have a shedload of enabling development to “fund” a new stadium that narrative may have some legs. With an absentee chairman and a part-time board of two, it is easy to see there was a distinct lack of oversight at the top with just the bare minimum being done to run the club. The last time there was a proper functioning board with the relevant skill set was during the Boyce/Bristow consortium and it is no coincidence that it has all been downhill from there!

The clear omission during the subsequent period is the lack of any football expertise with the outgoing board fully delegating this to the manager. Problem being when he didn’t deliver and was clearly failing there was no clue as to how to remedy the situation or at least change course which is why we are where we are. Hopefully the new owners will address this issue. I know the TUST bid has.

Club have announced that a preferred bidder has been selected.

There’s been a Dave Thomas “statement” on it already.

He stated it is not TUST and that Haymans had declared their hand. Although not seen anything publicly from Hayman/Edwards, so I’m unsure why he has stated that.

Guessing he will amend it by the morning, but others have posted early version elsewhere.


www.torbayweekly.co.uk/news/sport/1471632/preferred-bid-at-torquay-united-is-not-tust.html

Yes. Completely altered article now. Thanks go to TUST from me for both their unselected bid and statement today.

Let’s hope whoever does take over seeks to do all those things referred to in TUST’s statement today, including engaging properly with TUST in a way the Osborne/Edwards ownership failed to do.

Tipping the wink to Dave Thomas on the process would potentially be a poor way to start a period of due diligence, I would say, so let’s hope to see something positive soon for everyone.

I couldn’t fail to notice prior to his article that someone close to Horler said that he ‘hoped TUST supports the preferred bidder like they said they would’. As well as it being clear what TUST said and continue to say about potential new owners, he was challenged briefly on it being unusual to say that at that time. I’d be surprised if he hasn’t been asked to or had his facebook message removed already.

I’ve been impressed with how fans have been able to construct in quick time a proposal to keep us going after the worst period of ownership in our history. It bodes well for if and when it might be required in the future that such people have been able to connect with local business to provide that lifeline after a failed unpopular ownership has done the dreadful work it did. Thanks again from me to both TUST and those local businesses.

Thanks Rob, while our work is not universally appreciated amongst the fanbase, the support we have received has been very encouraging putting us in a stronger position going forward and it has been quite the journey which is possibly not over yet. A more orderly process without going into administration would have been the preferred route but hey Ho. Hopefully TUST have proved a few doubters wrong along the way and I think our main objectives have been achieved setting the bar at a level to not only ensure there is at least one bid on the table but it being of sufficient quality to see off any under capitalised dodgy owner looking for a quick buck.

This process has seen us form relationships with some super intelligent and successful people sharing our general aims, values and objectives bringing in fresh and innovative ideas and while there is some disappointment these won’t be implemented, at least for now, money does talk and has its own upside. Time to reset, reassess and hopefully onwards and upwards.

Whilst the club needs stability and owners who can demonstrate their ability to implement a sustainable future for the club,the dysfunctional nature of the current regimes broken relationship with the supporters and TUST needs to be a major consideration of the new ownership and major changes need to be made in the way the club is and has been run in order to rebuild the trust and support of the fanbase.

When is the new owner announcement due?