TORQUAY UNITED SUPPORTERS TRUST

Wish you the best of luck Andrew! People need to listen too and trust Andy, he's a good man!

Hi FloridaGull,
Thank you for your comments.
I did raise the use of "traditional" media outlets including the Herald, WMN and local radio as possibly the majority of TUFC supporters are not forum users or follow the Club using social media.I was told that the Herald has given TUST some coverage in the past and WMN has been approached, but not with any great success. The challenge therefore is to reach the fans that turn up most weeks, pay the entrance fee (whether as a season ticket holder or through the turnstiles), then go home happy if we win, disappointed if we lose. The notion that the Club might be in crisis is however lost on a lot of them. TUST has to connect with these people in order to educate them as to the scale of the problems and the action TUST is planning to take to try and somehow make things better. Fans can then make their own decision whether they think TUST is the right way forward for them.
If there is news this coming week about the new owners TUST will issue a statement and I hope will approach all forms of media to deliver that message, which of course will be dependent on who the new owners are. TUST recognises the importance of engaging with all supporters on this major issue so hopefully the message will be communicated to the majority of the fan base.

For those of you who have not seen the Herald Express today.

AS TORQUAY United head towards their own Takeover Deadline Day this Friday, the club's Supporters' Trust have launched a Pre-Share Issue – in case the Gulls' current sale deal falls through.

TUST has received more than £20,000 in pledges in less than two weeks, but it's money they hope they never have to ask for.

Eighteen months after chairman David Phillips' board assumed control, a group including major creditors Gaming International and Truro City chairman Peter Masters remains the favourite to take over United.

All other contenders, either rejected or withdrawn, appear to have faded out of the picture.

Swindon-based GI's previous interest stalled in July after failed talks with landlords Torbay Council over the freehold of Plainmoor.

But before then they are believed to have drawn up plans for a new-look board as well as staff changes.

They remain decisive players, particularly because of loans of more than £100,000 they have made to the club, reportedly with the current board's shares as security.

Those loans are due to be repaid by January 31.

Masters also paid over a considerable five-figure sum, to secure a Torquay-Truro ground-share option which is still in place.

With money so short, during a month without home-game revenue until the Boxing Day meeting with Forest Green Rovers, United urgently need an injection of funds from somewhere.

Their last bulletin was on November 30, when they announced a 'sale agreement subject to final contract and due diligence', accompanied by the December 16 completion date.

Phillips did say on Monday afternoon, after a key board meeting: "Nothing has been signed as I speak.

"But by the end of business on Friday we will know where we are going.

"We will issue a statement of where we are as a club."

The fact that, with a deal apparently so close, the prospective buyers have still not made themselves public or issued a statement about their future plans is of growing concern to Gulls fans.

The Vanarama National League board is also understood to be watching the situation at Plainmoor closely.

TUST stress that their pre-share issue is not a request for money at this stage.

"If the board succeed in securing investment that is in the club's best long-term interest, then we will suspend the pre-issue and deposit money can be returned," said a Trust spokesman.

"If, however, negotiations fail, we hope that the directors will have enough confidence to at least give the supporters a chance to answer the community ownership question.

"Since the 'soft' launch of the share-issue on December 1, we have had just over £20,000 in pledges.

"We are not fund-raising. The pre-issue is an opportunity for all supporters to demonstrate their confidence in a 'community share issue' should the need arise.

"Unlike other fundraising initiatives (such as crowd-funding), supporters will get their deposits returned on request."

Supporters' Direct club development manager James Mathie commented: "It's one thing a club being saved, but it needs to be a long-term solution from buyers with the club's best intentions at heart, or we could easily be in the same situation again in 12 months' time.

"By asking people to deposit money, alongside a pledge, it gives you a better idea of who would support a community takeover and how much money could be raised.

"It can also unlock new interest from outside the normal supporter base, and you can see a real momentum build as people get a better understanding and interest of owning their club."

A big thank you to Kelvin Thomas who, with his 'expert knowledge', handed the club to some people with barely a penny between them and ignored the potential for community ownership despite its proven success elsewhere. We've been left with a club in debt, at it's lowest point on the field since the 1920s and a group of worn-down supporters.

I do feel sorry for Thea. She's a good egg and tried her best to get out while leaving us in good hands. Now we have been plunged into the abyss.

Phoenix club or raise £150k to pay off GI? Maybe that second ship has sailed.

Please see TUST statement issued today.
DISGRACEFUL.
Dear Member ...

The sense of betrayal by those purporting to call themselves supporters is palpable.

To accept and indeed value advice from the heavily rumoured person whose withdrawn bid in 2015 opened the doors to Dean Edwards and his failed consortium beggars belief.

To refuse offers of free help and advice from all corners in preference to their chosen special advisor has always rang alarm bells and it is now apparent that it was not just TUST that has been kept at arms length.

To publicly deny any involvement with any of the parties who will now take ownership of the club only goes to demonstrate the level of contempt held towards the very life blood of our club.

The board should hang their heads in shame!

TUST originally set up the Community Shares Pre-Issue offer to give the directors confidence that there was enough financial support amongst the fans to make supporter ownership a viable option. What I have always suspected has now been confirmed and there was never any sincere intention by the directors to consider supporter ownership and the cynic in me questions whether we have arrived at a destination that was planned some time ago.

Now we turn our attention to securing Plainmoor whilst planning for the wildly predicted financial crisis that awaits.

I call on EVERY Torquay United Supporter to get involved and help build the funds that will inevitably be needed.

I urge you all to click on the following link, move the video at the suggested time line.



“5 mins – 37 seconds” - David Phillips give his opinion of Gaming International
“8 mins – 42 seconds” - David Phillips denies contact with Gaming International

Kind Regards...

Michael

Rob I dont think its supporter group bashing its just another point of view and believe its important that every supporter has a voice and a viewpoint that is respected.
We're all guilty of tunell vision, seeing things only from our own perspective whilst ignoring reasoned argument.
None of us have all of the facts to make an honest judgement so it makes sense in my eyes to wait and listen to see what is forthcoming when GI and hopefully Phillips makes a statment.
Plenty of GI, Dave Phillips and board bashing going on at the moment based on assumptions. Ubderstasndibly so after all of the denial at the fans forum though I dont believe they would have openly lied to us that night In November.
The easiest thing to have done would haave been to unload all of their responsibilities to the TUST and let the fans run it but for whatever reasons they have chosen to go with the people they discribed as " not ideal bedfellows ". There's more to it, in my opinion than just wanting to recoup their original investement.
So what, in the last six weeks hass changed?
Whatever, Its imperative that we as supporters scrutinise intensly what is said when they do make a statment though these are clever experienced businessmen who know how to manouver and avoid answering truthfully and honestly. Personally I think now is the time for the likes of Jon etc to draw up a list of probing questions so we know right from the off exactly where we as supporters and the football club stand in their future plans.

Re the video Rob I must admit I skipped through it the first time as it was very long and un-edited and I was in a bad place regarding the club after just witnessing such an apaLling display against Southport.
I honestly had no idea you had personal experince of this organisation.

Well we have a short period of time to get some even more pertinent and probing questions together and absolutly demand honest answers or walk out.
If they are not answered we will know they are concealing the truth.