Jon
Admin 
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Post by Jon on Apr 22, 2018 22:14:55 GMT
Chairman's TUST Meet Up at Chester
Having to avoid the motorway due to the news of serious traffic delays, our Travel Club hosts, Graham and Mark, pulled out all the stops out to get us to the Deva 'Swansway' Chester stadium on time. With the use of mobile traffic updates etc. we re-routed to use a, what proved to be delightfully scenic, route fringing the borders between Wales and England. However, we still encountered some slight bottle necks, reminiscent of Kingskerswell in the 'old days', when passing Oswestry and Wrexham, causing us to arrive about 20 mins. later than the eta. So, my apologies to those in the Blues Bar who may have been kept waiting.
Despite this, the yellow flower worked as I had the pleasure of meeting several TUST members ranging from Birmingham in the Midlands, to Wigan in the North. It was great to meet Luke Hunter at last, who has been putting in such sterling work within our newly formed digital team to develop our communication systems. Also, there were several people who I had not met before, but realised I have either communicated with via our email system or read their comments on the social media. On divulging their user names, I immediately recognised them as passionate TUFC contributors, who write regularly with much astuteness and relevance.
Also, I had the opportunity to chat with Matt Weston, another northern exile, who runs his own video and filming business (I hope I've got that right!), who has kindly added his name to the growing TUST volunteers' list. If anyone else wishes to attend the volunteers' meeting on Wednesday 18th April, please do get in touch and you will be welcome. Please email: info@torquaysupporters.co.uk
Paul Bastard was able to kindly distribute a number of TUST information leaflets to Gulls' exiles inside the bar and outside the ground. Meanwhile, Sam Balsdon reported that the disabled blanket wool collection and knitting project was gaining momentum (tip off, there are plenty of blue and yellow wool bargains to be had in Totnes!)
I saw Steve Harris in the ground, who has kindly offered to raise us money through the sale of his delightful book, 'TU: A History in 50 Matches', maybe combined with a Torquay United legends evening. This sounds like a great idea! He will be coming to the volunteers' meeting with some of his ideas for us to discuss. (ps. I make it 34/50 matches witnessed, Steve.)
To conclude, it has been great to begin establishing face to face contact with some of our 'exile members', and the faithful away travelling supporters too. Over the three matches we have met many people. Three matches, Maidenhead, Leyton Orient and Chester....and a hat trick of away wins, with a goal return of 5-1! We outplayed Chester, and the yellow army out shouted the Chester fans, which wasn't difficult as they were silent throughout. Must do this again!
COYY Michel Thomas
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Jon
Admin
Posts: 6,912
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Post by Jon on Apr 22, 2018 22:15:22 GMT
TUST Table at Kenny Sansom Evening!
The club have approached us to help market the aforementioned event with Kenny Sansom next Friday 20th April (Start Time 7pm!)
With much to be anxious about on the field, the evening gives a welcome break from all matters TUFC and the chance to hear many of the stories and anecdotes to be told from the ex-England, Arsenal and Crystal Palace legend.
In addition to listening to Kenny, there is the chance to enjoy a 3 course meal and some laughter thrown in with a comedian also part of the package. If that’s not enough for you and you can’t get away from talking about TUFC there will be a couple of TUST board members in attendance who will be happy to talk with you.
So come along and join us on a dedicated TUST table.. It would be great to have as many of you there as possible to show our support.
To secure your place, please can you e-mail tust-treasurer@btconnect.com for further information and payment details. Responses are required by Monday 16th April in order that numbers and payment can be given to the club
Image result for Kenny Sansom
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Jon
Admin
Posts: 6,912
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Post by Jon on Apr 22, 2018 22:15:51 GMT
Final Call to our dedicated volunteers and a call out for any new volunteers to JOIN US!
TUST MEETING WEDNESDAY 18TH APRIL 7PM
Endeavour House, Union Street, Torquay
(opposite Play Cafe and the old snooker hall)
We cannot change our position in the league but we can SHOW the local and national community our football club is important.
Despite our dwindling supporter base, there is no other entertainment or sporting venue in the bay that regularly attracts over 1000 people every fortnight and we know when Torquay United are doing well this figure is well over 2000, even 3000.
The Premier League has recognised the professional bid submitted by the TUST and we will endeavour to ensure that, eventually, TUFC is going nowhere but back UP to where we belong in the football league.
We are delighted that Torquay United Football in the Community, Torquay United Official Supporters Club, and Torquay United Football Club have all committed to working together to reach the local community, existing and new supporters alike, in recognition of the value of our club.
Hubs and fan zones to enhance match day experiences, are but a few ideas. We need more, and we need people on the ground.
Join us, come to our meeting, tell us your thoughts and ideas, can you give us an hour in your week?.
WE THE SUPPORTERS ARE THE BEATING HEART OF TORQUAY UNITED.
Please email us at info@torquaysupporters.co.uk.
COYY!
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Jon
Admin
Posts: 6,912
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Post by Jon on Apr 22, 2018 22:16:27 GMT
TUST Chairman's Statement
We have been aware for some time of the growing desire of our members, and many supporters, to obtain more clarity as to our owner's long term plans, which could move the club in many directions. We also believe that now, in the interests of our club and Mr Osborne himself that transparency and communication from the owner are vitally important. This is critical in not only maintaining the confidence and support of the fan base and community as a whole, but whichever league we find ourselves in next season there will be a need for him to assess the viability of whichever plan he intends to follow for TUFC in the short, medium and longer term. We are willing to work with Mr Osborne and help him accordingly if we believe these plans are aligned to our own mission statement of “ensuring the long term sustainability of Torquay United Football Club”
To this end we have already, through emails, letters and via our monthly structured meetings with senior representatives at TUFC requested face to face meetings. So far, we have only had written communication which has previously been published to members. All contact has been through our local meetings with senior club representatives.
We have acknowledged that Mr Osborne has committed to funding full time football next season, whichever league we find ourselves in. Also, that he is supporting improvements to the training ground at Seale Hayne, whilst searching for a new location. We feel there is a good line of communication with the club locally and an increasing willingness to work together with all bodies associated with the club. The Premier League Fans Grant being an example and a catalyst for some of this work.
However, we feel this alone is no longer sufficient.
At our latest meeting last week we made it clear that we thought, at this juncture, a face to face meeting was now imperative in the interest of the 'stakeholders', the supporters and in sustaining support and regaining positivity for the future. A further request has therefore been made through the club to arrange this.
If there proves to be any further problems in arranging this face to face meeting we will approach Mr Osborne directly and will also offer to travel and meet him at a more preferable location if this is more convenient in view of his other business commitments. We are keen to remove any such barriers to a meeting.
We acknowledge that Mr Osborne is first and foremost a businessman, but whatever your objectives are it is always productive to engage with stakeholders, interested parties and customers alike.
As a significant proportion of the supporter base are now members of TUST and with numbers increasing, we feel it is only right for all parties that we should engage with Mr Osborne. Whilst we appreciate his approach to ownership may be different to others and his privacy in respect of business interests there exists no “normal” board structure for us to engage with and hence we believe there is no alternative to such a direct approach.
We are keen to stress at this point that nothing should detract from matters on the pitch. Unless we are mathematically relegated to the National League South, all efforts should be directed towards supporting the team. But, as the TUST board we are aware of our commitments to members and our independence. To be clear the overriding point is that we remain the “Critical” friend of the club. We must keep our focus on the long term picture as well as the short term on-pitch issues. Please rest assured, this continues to be the case.
When a meeting has been arranged, we will inform you, and of course of the outcome. We will also encourage our members to send us specific questions they would like us to include.
Michel Thomas
pp. TUST board
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Jon
Admin
Posts: 6,912
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Post by Jon on Apr 22, 2018 22:16:53 GMT
IMPORTANT TUST UPDATE
CONTACT WITH CLARKE OSBOURNE
Writing this before this afternoon's match, I have to say I am waiting with trepidation to listen to the commentary, and check the other National League matches from 3pm. It would be great if we were still in with a glimmer of a chance by the time we get to Tuesday’s game with Guiseley. My hat goes off to those loyal bunch of supporters who are travelling all the way up to Hartlepool today, with the risk of a long sad journey home. Hoping, though, they have a safe trip and 3 points to bring back with them!
MEETING CLARKE OSBORNE
As previously reported, we have been pressing for a face to face meeting with Mr Osborne for some time. We have long held the view that it is essential as a trust representing the views of a large proportion of the Torquay United Supporters that we engage directly with Mr Osborne in order to open up a line of communication, given the absence of a local board of directors. Constant speculation as to the long term plans of the owner is damaging to the club and the community. If we can gain access to Mr Osborne to get to understand his position and perhaps help and influence his course of action then that can only be a positive move.
I am therefore pleased to report that yesterday, I managed to make contact with him directly by telephone for the first time. As a result, I was able to have a lengthy conversation lasting for around an hour. The call was not expected by Mr Osborne and therefore it was particularly pleasing that he was willing to give me such an amount of time without prior notice. I am pleased to report this conversation was personable, yet honest and frank from both of our perspectives.
This initial dialogue has enabled me to clear up some misconceptions he had regarding TUST. It provided me with the opportunity to outline our aims, role and remit as a trust. It was also clarified, to some extent, as to the way we feel we can help our club, but with the common aim of securing it's long term sustainability aligned with good governance. It was also pointed out in detail that we have considered the many possible future scenarios for our club, without as yet knowing for sure which one will manifest itself, ranging from a clear new stadium plan to the unthinkable position of administration.
Mr Osborne is also now aware that we actually have a very comprehensive understanding of the economic implications of running a football club, and that we have a team of very professional members, contacts and football organisations who would be more than willing to assist us in helping our club if there ever, regrettably, arose a time of necessity due to an untenable crisis. We sincerely hope that this never comes to fruition.
He remarked that he has received very positive and encouraging feedback from the club's senior staff in relation to the structured dialogue held between TUST and the club locally through our joint monthly meetings. Also, he was very enthusiastic with the joint community outreach initiative we are progressing with the backing of the Premier League Fans Foundation.
To conclude, Mr Osborne has agreed to meet us, members of your board, for a face to face meeting in the next few weeks, when he anticipates being in the area. We will inform you, when we have arranged an exact date at which point we will invite your feedback (please feel free to email us, or talk to us), in order to reflect and pass on the consensus of your opinions to him. I would imagine that this meeting, hopefully, will take place at the end of the season when our league position will have been confirmed. Although realistically, and sadly, it may well have been by the time you get to read this!
In summary, we are encouraged to have taken an important step at this time to engage directly with Mr Osborne. I have made it clear that we have no hidden agenda. We are solely interested in ensuring the long term sustainability and future for our beloved club and a path back to where we belong on the footballing ladder.
Michel Thomas
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Jon
Admin
Posts: 6,912
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Post by Jon on Apr 22, 2018 22:19:01 GMT
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chelstongull
TFF member
Posts: 6,759
Favourite Player: Jason Fowler
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Post by chelstongull on Apr 23, 2018 11:55:56 GMT
Dear Member
Torquay United have approached us for assistance with collecting votes for the Player of the Year Awards, on Tuesday 24th April, before our game against Guiseley.
Although we wonder at the appropriateness of these awards at this stage, this is a yearly tradition and with a gesture of goodwill and unity we are keen to assist the Club with this.
Our Chairman Michel will be in the Gulls Nest at 6.15pm and is asking for volunteers to come and help. The work would entail handing out pens and forms inside the various turnstiles for supporters to vote. We will then return the voting boxes to a member of staff and the club will do the counting etc.
If anybody can help please email us at info@torquayunitedsupporters.co.uk.
Many thanks
pp TUST Board
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Jon
Admin
Posts: 6,912
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Post by Jon on Apr 30, 2018 22:16:04 GMT
IMPORTANT TUST UPDATE
MEETING NOW ARRANGED WITH CLARKE OSBORNE
10TH MAY 2018
Dear Members
Further to our previous note regarding contact with Mr Osborne, we can confirm a face to face meeting has now been arranged for Thursday 10th May.
It has been agreed that 3 members of your Trust Board will meet with Mr Osborne to outline in more detail the objectives of TUST and to raise issues highlighted by our members and the wider fan base. With that in mind, we are now in a position to receive any questions you would like to us to raise on your behalf at the meeting. Please pose these questions to us via e-mail at the normal e-mail address of info@torquaysupporters.co.uk.
As you will appreciate, there will be a limited window of time for us to meet with Mr Osborne and therefore it may not be possible to raise every single question, but we will ask as many as possible within the time frame we have and will publish the outcome of the meeting in due course.
TUST Board
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Post by TUSTOfficial on May 11, 2018 13:04:57 GMT
Hi All, With the updates to TUST's digital and social media platforms we have created official TUST accounts on all three main forums: BTPIR - TUSTOfficialTorquayfans.com - TUST_Official TFF - TUSTOfficial
You can now also take a look at our new website at www.tust.co.uk with various membership packages now available. |
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Post by TUSTOfficial on May 11, 2018 13:05:22 GMT
Update on Meeting with Clarke Osborne
We are pleased to report that our meeting yesterday with Clarke Osborne was very positive and lasted over two hours with clear and constructive conversation.
Clarke Osborne now acknowledges TUST as a credible organisation who are only interested in the long term sustainability and good governance of our Club.
We are currently compiling a detailed statement of our discussions including the long term future of the club, the freehold of Plainmoor, the plans for a new stadium and improving communication between the club and the supporters. We will forward the statement as soon as possible.
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simonb
TFF member
Posts: 1,206 
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Post by simonb on May 11, 2018 13:53:19 GMT
Thanks for the update - well done one and all.
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Post by loyalgull on May 12, 2018 12:54:22 GMT
I wonder why all of a sudden osborne wants to engage now hasnt been near anyone since he been here maybe things arent going the way he wants at present
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simonb
TFF member
Posts: 1,206
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Post by simonb on May 12, 2018 13:56:08 GMT
Perhaps he was told to by AJ?
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Post by loyalgull on May 12, 2018 14:30:17 GMT
Perhaps he was told to by AJ? Probably and the clock tick ticking away to the 5 year plan conclusion and our brand spanking new stadium and league football again happy days ahead😕 |
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simonb
TFF member
Posts: 1,206
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Post by simonb on May 12, 2018 14:35:29 GMT
Add to that the dynamic new Board and you can only admire his business acumen!
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