Dave
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Post by Dave on May 2, 2009 17:00:39 GMT
This thread is as a result of Bartons suggestion and one where he talks about those who have moved to Torbay and become TUFC fans .Many of us are fans of the club because we were born here, it was the club on our doorstep.
We have lived and breathed the club, suffered all the highs and lows yet we have never thought about giving up being supporters. Barton once talked on here about the fact that Torbay could have been a rugby town and not a football one, he asked at the time would we have still followed football, or would be all just rugby fans now?
It was an interesting question as is the reason some who move here follow our club.I would agree that some who have only ever watched top flight football, only went to the Man U and Liverpool type games may well find the standard of football on the BSP not to their liking.
We know that many of our own fans have since felt the same way when we came out of the football league, even more so now we are the lowliest club out of the three main Devon teams, well league wise we are for sure.
The thing that gets me angry at times is this league being called a pub league, long before we ended up in it, everyone always said that the conference was a fast improving league and there was very little difference if any, between the conference and league two.
Yet for some reason in some fans eyes that has change and they are happy to believe the standard of football in the now BSP, is just very low, poor and not worth paying to watch.
I wonder how many of the extra stay aways who went to the Histon game, came away and felt the football was poor? rubbish and not worth paying for. Not too many I would think and it really does come down to what Barton has said, mentality, believing its poor or has to be poor because its not league football as we know it.
One way to see if it is just down to mentality will be to see just how much the gate will go up, if we do get back into the football league, if we do the manager will be the same and you can bet the football will be more of the same we have seen this year, just might be a few new faces.
So were you born a gull? will support the team based on it being your local team? or did you move here and just went up to watch a game and got the bug and have been supporting the club since then. If you did what standard of football were you watching before you moved here?
If the standard is lower, what is it you love about supporting a smaller club in a seaside town?
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Post by crooky on May 2, 2009 19:03:55 GMT
Personally I became a Gull, if my memory serves me right, around the age of 10 which was some 29 years ago. Why did I become a Gull? Well, as has been documented on here I am also a keen follower of the Arsenal. A good friend of mine was a Spurs supporter, so rather be at each others throats all the time we decided to choose a lower league team to follow together. His nan lived in Torquay and the rest as they say is history.
I think you will find that this situation isn't uncommon as most of the Torquay supporters I know amonst the London continguent have a favourite premier League club.
What Torquay United has given me over the years is not only a few highs and many heartaches but a fantastic bunch of friends whom is it a pleasure to see at matches whatever the result.
The level of football wouldn't put me off me off watching any of my teams...basically I just love my clubs and I love football.
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Post by capitalgull on May 2, 2009 20:38:54 GMT
I was definitely born into being a Gull - my Dad's been supporting Torquay since he got out of the RAF post-WWII, and a season-ticket for most of that time as well.
It's difficult really to support anyone else when you spend most of the first 20 years of your life living in Victoria Park Road, no more than a well-hit seven iron from the Ellacombe End.
Went to my first game (I think the date is right) against Portsmouth on October 10, 1979, and the rest as they say is history!! I've lapsed a little in terms of games seen since I have been in London (15 year anniversary comes next month) but still not doing bad!
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timp1
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Post by timp1 on May 2, 2009 23:16:36 GMT
I moved to Torbay in 1982, and started to go to Plainmoor regularly at that time. I rapidly became an ardent fan, and am a season ticket holder who gets to as many away matches as I can. I really can't be bothered with the excesses of the Premier League.
By birth, I'm a Hammer. My father took me to my first game at Upton Park when I was 10. (v Blackburn Rovers, and WHU lost 1-0-goal by Bryan Douglas) My father was at the 1923 Cup Final when he was aged 10. I still look for their results, and watch them whenever they're on TV, but I'm more interested in the lower leagues, where football as I know it still exists.
The higher echelon of football has changed so much, and has moved away from it's original demographic. It isn't the "Peoples' Game"as much as it used to be. If it was a big game, you had to queue up from about mid-day to ensure entry. The atmosphere was fantastic from about an hour before kick-off. Now, Premier grounds are empty until about 10 minutes before kick off as everyone has a pre-booked seat. The atmosphere is awful.
At Plainmoor, it is still as I remember the atmosphere from my childhood and youth, especially for the big games.
I enjoy every game at Plainmoor, whether it's a wet Tuesday night draw in January or a thrilling end of season play off. It's more real, and far more personal than anything I ever experienced at Upton Park.
Wherever I'd moved to 27 years ago, I'd have watched the local team-after all, that's what I do on a Saturday afternoon. I'm just so pleased that it was Torquay.
Keep it real!! C'mon you Gulls!
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Post by stewart on May 2, 2009 23:25:59 GMT
Well, I was born and brought up in Paignton and first took an interest in football by collecting cards from bubble gum wrappers at the age of five.
When I heard about Sam Collins' exploits, I went to Plainmoor at the age of eight to see what all the fuss was about.
I have never looked back.
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Post by longeatongull on May 3, 2009 7:41:19 GMT
Hi Guys
This a bit like attending an AA meeting....Hi I am Tom and also a Chelsea Supporter!!!!---abuse starts now!!!. Lived in Reading and attended first game at Bridge about 1971 aged 9.
Wife and I moved to Paignton in 1985 (Hartley Road-kids went to Hayes Road)....worked at Co-op Milk--before the 3am starts got to me. Then settled in the office with Wallace Arnold for about 10 years. During this time fell in love with Gulls and attended most home and few away games inc the biggies of Tottenham/Coventry. Witnessed fantastic times with Lors/Moore/Caldwell--what a man!/Sharpe/Cyril Knowles. Seasons also started with Chelsea friendly games as previously mentioned which made things even better.
However realised as kids were getting older that work would prove difficult and "chased" the pound via Brighton for one year and finally ended here in the East Midlands.
Every season I keep thinking I have to stop attending matches and grow old gracefully (!!)but this location means most away games for Torquay (and Chelsea) are achievable. I have had my own Transport business for the last 5 years and still hanging on in there during these strange times.
I hope I havent bored you but please be aware just cos I wasnt born in the bay doesnt mean I havent got the Torquay bug as bad as all the locals. 2 more wins Pleeaassee!!!!
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Post by Budleigh on May 3, 2009 8:09:50 GMT
I'm quite happy to post a little later on why I watch our United but I just wanted to clarify a point Dave made about this league we are in being a 'pub league' as various people say and that we are the lower of the three local clubs (or four if we count Yeovil which I tend to do as they are close to home! A few years back I know Exeter fans of my acquaintence were starting to worry that if Tiverton did a 'Histon' then they could be counted in the mix as well).
As it is this league, as I keep saying, is nothing like it was in the first days of automatic relegation. To start with the standard is higher and more like the fourth division of old, one of the main reasons being the influx of the foreign players to the Premiership, and to a degree the Championship, has meant that the players who may well have played in their positions have moved down the strata, effectively putting these players a division below where they would've expected to play, hence the players who would've plyed their trade in the old fourth are now in the Conference. Whether they are better or equal to the 'old' fourth division players is actually irrelevant as without the foreign influx they would've been in the fourth tier anyway. Can we really say that twenty years ago the top level of non-league football would've seen some of the players, such as our own Nicky Wroe, playing there?
Much as is grieves me to say it but Exeter City are a fine case to put as regards standard. This time a year ago we were pushing them for the Wembley spot and yesterday they got promoted into League One with basically the same management team, players and back-room staff. I happened to be passing the ground last saturday, joined a queue and for wont of anything better to do went and watched the game against Morecombe! A game they needed to win for promotion and ended up drawing 2-2. To be honest I felt that on our day Torquay United would've quite easily been a match for them, indeed take out Dean Moxey from that equation and i'm sure we would've beaten them, and although their supporters said to me afterwards there was a certain amount of edginess to their play due to what was on offer it still shows how close the two levels are in terms of football.
On top of which, not many years ago a fourth division consisiting of Wrexham, Mansfield, Oxford, Luton, Wimbledon etc would've been felt as a strong, and interesting, one to be in and the thought of these teams ever actually falling lower and gracing non-league would've been laughed at.
It's time this misconception of non-league was put to bed and this level of football seen for what it now is, a complete departure from that of the eighties and nineties.
I know this has gone off topic slightly, for which I apologise, and may well cover ground elsewhere, but it was part of Dave's original thread.
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Dave
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Posts: 13,081
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Post by Dave on May 3, 2009 10:11:25 GMT
Both timp1and Longeatongulls posts show that moving to the bay meant they fell in love with TUFC and discovered what I think is best described as real football for the real football fans.
Supporting a club like TUFC is how I believe it once was for all the big flight teams but we can safely agree that the money side of the game at the top level has changed those clubs and lost something in the process.
Longeaton, there are many fans who where not born in the Bay, who love and support the club far more than some so called born gulls who no longer go to home games and we did a thread about what was a supporter and we all agreed it was never about what games you could go to, or even how many.
it was more about what such things as defeats. missing out on promotions etc, did to you and how much it hurt as being a fan was very much about having the club in your heart.
I know so many local people who I would call born gulls, ones who never go to plainmoor these days, while I'm still sure they will follow the fortunes of the club, I have always wondered in some cases just what it was that made them give up going to games anymore.
Knowing we would get a bigger gate for both the Burton and Histon games, I took time to watch all those walking past me on the popside. I'm one of the first to take my place on the popside so get to see most who stand on the right of the halfway line.
It has been the case in the past that such games has seen some of the old faces from the past turn up for the big game, but I found it strange I did not see one face that I knew who was what I would call once a regular, but not any more.
I was surprised to see two young work mates who work at Toolfix at the game, the youngest Pat I know has never been to a game before, it will be interesting to talk with them on Tuesday and find out why they went and what they thought about the football and more importantly their views on the standard.
Leigh the forum never worries if threads go off topic, what is more important is that we have good debate and hear the views of others. As I said it was not long ago that people said that the conference was almost the same standard as div 2 and how many teams who went from the conference to div 2, came back down the next season?
I do not know the answer, but I would think the number was very low, if it has happened, I do know that some clubs have gone up from the conference and marched straight through div2 and found themselves a div1 team. As has been pointed out about Exeter City, many of the players and most certainly the management are the same ones who where at the club last season when they were a BSP team.
You would expect that City will need to bring in a few new players, because while we may argue that the BSP and div2 are not that far apart in the standard of football or even the quality of players, div1 is just that bit higher and therefore any team who wants to be competitive in that league will need to have better class players.
The only thing that slightly goes against the argument that the BSP is equal nearly to div2, is the fact that our club I believe is waiting to see what division it will be playing in next season, before it wants to offer or not as the case may be, players who will be out of contract at the end of this season anything.
Some players here will be seen as perfectly fine to play another season in the BSP for us, but those same players may in Bucks eyes not be able to cut it in div2. The point is that there is a difference, not much in my view, but enough that some players who do OK in the BSP, would not do so well in div2.
Like it or not as it stands today we are league wise the lowest club in Devon, there has been times in our history when we have been in the same league as Plymouth and there is no reason why that will not be the case in the future.
Fans need to forget where we are, but not the reasons why we are where we are now, getting back to what I call the better days at TUFC can and I believe will happen, but we must not forget that Rome was not built in a day.
This could be the season we start to move up the ladder, it may end in tears and we end up staying in the BSP just a bit longer, but its only a matter of time before we regain our league status I'm very sure of that.
Would we do an Exeter when we get back into div2? well if the born gulls who can get to home games but no longer go, started giving the club the support it really does deserve, then with the right players we know the board would give the manager who ever he was their full backing, as they are fans just like you and me, who only want to see TUFC a proud and good football club, playing as high up the ladder as is possible.
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Post by ricardo on May 4, 2009 0:05:24 GMT
Definitely 'Born a Gull' but I couldn't claim to be a 'supporter' until my late teens.
As a kid growing up in Paignton I followed the fortunes of the then mighty Leeds United (Sprake, Reaney, Cooper, Bremner, Charlton, Hunter, Lorimer, Clarke, Jones, Giles, Gray Sub:Madeley - same team every game unless injuries or suspensions intervened. No squad rotation in those days!). However, I also had a local interest in The Gulls but as my father didn't like sport at all and my friends were more interested in Subbuteo or kick-abouts at the Donkey Field at the top of Clifton, visits to Plainmoor were few and far between and depended on the good will of older brothers of mates or cousins at home from the Navy.
Later in my school days we moved to Brixham and Furzeham Green became the venue for endless games of 'Wembley' or one-sided matches with the 'Big Boys'. Gradually I became fed up with being a glory hunter and shifted my support to Newcastle but still felt a strong loyalty to my locall team even though it was conducted through Grandstand and the Herald Express (no Radio Devon, Teletext or Dot.Whatever in those days).
A few years later I moved to Sheffield for Uni and found my new mates tended to be genuine Leeds, Man U, Everton, Liverpool and Halifax (?) supporters. Still kept an eye on Torquay's progress but Uni life and all that entails (drink & drugs & rock n roll) took greater precedence. Then in my second year a group of us decided to visit Brammall Lane for a game and that was it - I became hooked on live football and revived my interets in the Gulls.
I started to attend every home game when I was back in the Bay and away games at Northern grounds at every opportunity. At the time there was not the away following that we attract today and on occasions at mid-week games it was difficult to identify any other Gulls. Visiting Bradford and having my girl-friends mini turned on its roof for sporting a 'I follow Torquay United' sticker was a particular highlight! Home games were mainly played on Saturday evenings in those days and I would often be found in the freezing cold outside Sheffield pubs at 9.55pm on such nights with a tranny clutched to my ear (not that sort!) nervously awaiting the late night reading of the day's results on Radio 2 as it was the only means of establishing how the boys had performed. Then there was the frustration of waiting for the Sunday papers to find out who had scored and the timing of the goals. Hard to imagine in these days when so much detail is available at the press of a few buttons.
At the same time I adopted Sheffield United as my second team and attended their games, home and away, as long as Torquay were not playing within striking distance. Strangely my support for The Blades coincided with their slide down the league until we ended up playing them in Div 4 in 1981 and I took the opportunity of coming home for the Plainmoor game to get engaged to my girl-friend who had by then forgiven me for the car incident!
In 1982 my first gainful employment took me to the Black Country and the choice between Wolves or The Albion was no choice at all - I became an honoury Baggie. Needless to say their fortunes also took a tumble as I became a regular on the Kop and they soon found themselves relegated.
After three years a proper job came up back in Devon and despite it being in Exeter I decided to take it! Since then I have missed only a handful of home games in 24 years. Now live in Dawlish but still work in Exeter and enjoy the banter with the locals but very gald that I am on holiday next week and their promotion will have been forgotten about by the time I return!
I am pleased to say that my own son has benefitted from a bit more paternal guidance in his footballing life and is 100% Gull. We can't make it to Histon tomorrow as he has to work but I will be driving up to join him in Cheltenham to watch the game as there is no substitute for sharing such moments with those closest to you. We may even get his mother along to Wembley - as long as she doesn't have to take her car!
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chelstongull
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Post by chelstongull on May 4, 2009 7:22:12 GMT
However, I also had a local interest in The Gulls but as my father didn't like sport at all and my friends were more interested in Subbuteo or kick-abouts at the Donkey Field at the top of Clifton Its a long time since I heard anyone mention the 'Donkey Field' - I would be found kicking a ball about there as well (we lived in Kings Ash Road at the time) We drove through the Waterleat area the other day to avoid the traffic coming down Kings Ash Hill but I can't remember why it was called so. Did you use to knock about in Pathfields which led up to the old reservoir? |
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Post by aussie on May 4, 2009 8:32:54 GMT
Ricardo this tranny you had strapped to you ear, what was his name?
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Post by David Graham's Eighth Pint on May 4, 2009 8:48:08 GMT
I was a Tottenham Hotspur fan as a very young child, until family and friends converted me to Manchester United at around the age of 7 or 8.
My first Torquay game was in 1994, aged 12, and I haven't looked back since.
I still follow "ManYoo" as passionately as I follow Torquay United, but the Gulls will always be number one in my heart.
Like other football fans, I also follow a number of teams from the UK and abroad for various reasons. These include Spurs, Crewe Alexandra, Barcelona, Juventus and the Chicago Fire.
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Post by ricardo on May 4, 2009 9:46:33 GMT
Phil,
I lived in the centre of Paignton above the shop but had several mates in Clifton Road so the hike up to the Donkey Field was a regular occurrence. Jumpers for goal posts. Given that I am of a similar vintage to you (ammunition for Jon there!), we may well have played a game or two together.
Not familiar with the name Pathfields but remember a few trips with another friend to spend the day fishing at a reservoir in that area (Great Parks?).
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chelstongull
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Favourite Player: Jason Fowler
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Post by chelstongull on May 4, 2009 11:15:46 GMT
Not familiar with the name Pathfields but remember a few trips with another friend to spend the day fishing at a reservoir in that area (Great Parks?). You would probably had to walk through 'pathfields' (just off Great Parks Road, up from the Chapel) to get to the resi. |
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Post by crazyfool on May 6, 2009 21:02:29 GMT
I definitely become a Gull.
I was born up the road in Exeter, but luckily we moved out of the area before way before I started going to matches. From Exeter we moved to Torquay with a couple of stops in Kingsteigton and Kingskerswell on the way. Somewhere along the line I supported QPR ... not quite sure why??!!
During secondary school me and a couple of mates started to go to home games. The players I remember from this time were Derek Dawkins, Kenny Allen, Tom Kelly, Mark Loram, Dave Caldwell, etc. We went to most home games for a good couple of seasons and I was also at Wembley in 1989.
In the 1990's I moved away and hardly got to any games for quite a few years. The Barnet season really reignited my passion for the Gulls and the desire to get to games again. Since then I have tried to get to as many local (I was in Southampton and I'm now in South London) away games as possible. This season I've managed 5 aways, 1 home and will be at Wembley. Nothing compared to the time and money some invest, but the girl sometimes wants to spend the money on other stuff.
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