Plainmoor Freehold

A temporary reprieve perhaps and may have come about due to media attention, the save our ground petition and persistent TUST queries. Not sure if things are being put on hold (are GI contemplating exit strategy?) or whether this is simply preparing the way for agreement over the freehold to be in place, in conjunction with the submission of some sort of new stadium plans. Given GI's stunning track record of delivering such projects, not sure that many would endorse the latter?

I would love to believe him, he talks a good talk, knows which buttons to press and this got him ownership of the club and almost the freehold with it earlier this year. The problem is that his record speaks for itself.....

Clarke Osborne's obstinate refusal to say what the TUST militants want him to say, obviously remains a source of irritation, but in no way impedes them from continuing to make things up regarding G.I....so it should be business as usual from both sides  .


The club have been open and specific, even yesterday on the Official site they spelt out: 'long-term we want to build a fortress at Plainmoor', which is surely admirable transparency at a time when Club officials need to be concentrating on managerial and playing matters.

I'm not sure if this is "admirable transparency" when the comment "long-term we want to build a fortress at Plainmoor" directly contradicts Osborne'e previous statement that he plans to have moved out of Plainmoor inside three years.

Unless we are to take the word build literally and a "fortress" is something like a block of retirement homes.

Of course Alpine Joe has gone to great lengths to build his comedy caricature of a Daily Mail reader on acid petrified of reds under the bed, but it is of concern that most caricatures - although ridiculously over-the-top - are actually based on real views held by a sizable minority.

AJ continues to trot out his Trumpesque fake news line by repeating the mantra that people are "continuing to make things up regarding G.I.".

Worryingly there are some who probably do believe that the stories of GI's repeated "profitable failures to build" are not true although there is so much evidence easily available to show that they are very much true.

Do we get any rational explanation of why there have been so many failures? No. Just a hope that people will be dumb enough to believe that none of it ever happened.

A large proportion of our fan base relies on the Herald Express for news. They might very well assume that if the stories were true, the Herald would have mentioned them.

I expect Dave Thomas would read the posts of Alpine Joe and not even realise that they are a piss-take.

Bollocks indeed.

Good spot Rob.



These accounts were signed off on 30 June 2017 but held back until the last minute for lodging at Companies House within the nine-month deadline.

The financial statements themselves are for the calendar year 2016 - so balance sheet at 31/12/16 and P&L for the year to 31/12/16.

Interesting profit before tax trend:

2014 £1,241,000
2015 £627,00
2016 £191,000

Wouldn't look good on a graph.

The comments are at sign off date - so 30 June 2017, or in practical terms a week or so before that.

That means negotiations were at an advanced stage four months ago.

Does that mean that they are now at a very advanced stage? Does it mean they have fallen through? Does it mean they have sneaked a change of ownership under the radar? I wouldn't have thought so even if Torquay United AFC Ltd's Confirmation Statement is now more than three weeks overdue.

Given GI 's total unwillingness to communicate with fans, it is no surprise that they haven't made this public.

I would imagine they have been trying to pimp round the freehold to make a profit - just as Dave Phillips did - but have met with similar results to Dave Phillips.

Property developers would be less likely to pay another property developer for the Plainmoor "opportunity" as GI are only looking to sell because they see the opportunity as unlikely to yield a return.

Where does that leave us? God knows.

The turning point for Osborne will be when he realises that there is no easy way to get his money back. I remember Bryn Walker touting ridiculous schemes to get Mr Sadler his money back, but then changing tack completely when he realised that the money had gone and it was a question of whether he could get out with his reputation totally shredded or just about intact.

Let's hope that point leads to constructive discussions on an exit strategy which leaves Torquay United AFC Ltd as a viable entity. That will allow Mr Osborne to walk away as the nice friendly man who pumped hundreds if thousands into a football club and walked away. The stadium petition showed just how much bad publicity killing off a football club can bring.

P.S. Do not confuse the mention of acquiring Riviera Stadium Limited for a consideration of £1,000 with the the consideration that Riviera Stadium Limited paid for Torquay United AFC Ltd. Phillips sold the latter for £1 (twenty pieces of silver not thirty). The £1,000 is the initial share capital in the new holding company and has not been paid over to anyone else.

So just to clarify, does this mean GI are trying to sell the club?