Torquay in crisis?

[Sparrow]

Using us as a reference point. They must be in trouble etc.

 

[Gulliball]

Not sure what to make of this yet, as it's the first we've heard of any of it, but right now it looks pretty bad. If we've been found guilty of unfair dismissal then there is no-one else to blame.

We're currently paying Chris Hargreaves and Lee Hodges not to manage and coach the side, and are now going to be paying other ex members of staff not to work for us.

On the pitch, our best players are injured long-term and the rest are on a shoestring budget. Our crowd dropped below the break-even figure of 1800 last Saturday, in only the 4th home game, and that's in early September on a Saturday. I don't think any extra compensation will have been factored into that either. It's going to be a tough season.

 

[Sparrow]

Are Torquay full-time? If so, it's not going to work trying to run a full-time squad on a part-time wage like ours. It might be worth considering going part-time until things stabilise.

 

[yellow]

Here we go again..

 

[Pilgrim Meister]

http://www.pasoti.co.uk/talk/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=90636

http://www.pasoti.co.uk/talk/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=90627

Any of you lot on here willing to put in donations, please follow the two links above.

Note that donations will not go directly to the club, but to TUST (Torquay United Supporters Trust)

Sad times

 

[Luke Imp]

Is it *that* bad a situation? The situation's all a bit cloudy at the minute and I'm not sure the above is really necessary?

It reads to me like this Breed guy has just gone to press to put the shits up people.

 

[Gulliball]

No idea to be honest. You'd hope we aren't in trouble within the first month of the season beginning, but maybe these lawsuits are potentially damaging. If unfair dismissal claims are upheld then we only have ourselves to blame, the clue is in the title really. No-one knows who they are or if they've even started yet, or even if they will ever take place.

Without any major disaster or monster owner it's hard to see why it's happening. We've just been run very very badly (by people with good intentions) seemingly to the point of disaster.

Edit: Also, the supporters trust are not affiliated with the club and seemingly don't want to work with them. Their focus is solely on buying Plainmoor from the council and not working with the club. Giving money to them won't have any direct effect on anything at the moment.

 

[yellow]

It'd be nice (but also probably wrong) to have some clarity about who or when these people were sacked. If it was under the old board then I have sympathy for the new crew but if it is Breed and co who have wrongly sacked someone for the sake of saving a few quid (i.e. no legal aid), then I despair.

 

[yellow]

Just seen your edit, Gulli.

I think its a case of the club not wanting to work with the trust, rather than the trust not wanting to work with the club. The trust do want to buy the ground, but the club are also pursuing that (a possible case of trying to secure something should the worst happen, perhaps?).

I think it's an awful move from the new board to steer themselves away from the trust, if I'm honest.

 

[Gulliball]

Until more comes out we'll never know. The trust made it clear in the summer that they weren't interested in sponsoring the youth setup or other smaller projects around the club, they wanted to buy shares. When that door closed they were pretty clear about securing Plainmoor as their only goal now. If the owners have intentions there themselves and the trust don't wish to work in other areas then there's not much to do unless one side backs down.

It's a great shame really as there is a lot of work to be done and we can't afford any internal conflicts. Personally I would like to see them working together and the trust doing smaller things within the club. Buying the ground from the council is not a pressing concern, especially with other demands looming.

 

[Gashead]

Paul Cox resigns.

Not good news at all.

 

[Luke Imp]

"I'm in it for the long haul" or similar - Paul Cox back in the summer.

 

[Gulliball]

Board meeting at 2pm today, and a statement afterwards, although I expect that to be clichéd bollocks based on quotes so far.

Cox apparently texted the local paper this morning to confirm his resignation, and will release a statement on Monday.

Come as a total shock to everyone, and can only mean even more bad news behind the scenes. Every week gets worse and worse.

 

[DarkSithLord]

Disastrous news. Things must be really bad behind closed doors.

Not gonna lie. Going to be quite peeved if the worst does happen. Especially as we have no debt at all and would have completed the season.

But then again I dont think the current squad would be able to cope.

 

[Luke Imp]

Board meeting at 2pm today, and a statement afterwards, although I expect that to be clichéd bollocks based on quotes so far.

Cox apparently texted the local paper this morning to confirm his resignation, and will release a statement on Monday.

Come as a total shock to everyone, and can only mean even more bad news behind the scenes. Every week gets worse and worse.

Is it more bad news, or is it Cox wanting the Halifax job?

You'll have Hargreaves back next!

 

[AdamStag]

Cox wasn't been paid a salary according to the BBC - he also mentioned something along those lines to those Mansfield folk out there who kept in touch.

Problem for Torquay is that if he wasn't being paid, what type of manager can be bought in for free, or can any wage at all be found for a new manager?

 

[EnglishRed]

Ominous news

 

[Gulliball]

Disastrous news. Things must be really bad behind closed doors.

Not gonna lie. Going to be quite peeved if the worst does happen. Especially as we have no debt at all and would have completed the season.

But then again I dont think the current squad would be able to cope.

We have no debts. Our problems have resulted from the club being run with no control for the last 5 years because there was a lottery winner picking up any losses. As a result we've had to make huge cutbacks and the new owners are only able to spend money that we generate.

I don't think there is a danger of us not completing the season (at least based on what we've been told), so you have no reason to feel aggrieved. The Conference saving you from relegation at our expense when we had no debts at the time and new owners would have made a mockery of the football pyramid. For whatever problems we have, you got relegated on your own merit.

Is it more bad news, or is it Cox wanting the Halifax job?

You'll have Hargreaves back next!

If Cox wants the Halifax job then that would be better news actually. Until more news comes out then it is all guesswork - but losing Cox is a blow to us as we have no spare money and can't afford anther relegation.

We're still paying Hargreaves, but I think those bridges have been burned. The first thing the new owners did was replace him with Cox, even though it meant wasting quite a lot of our precious budget - that's why Cox leaving 10 games in is such a worry.

 

[DarkSithLord]

We have no debts. Our problems have resulted from the club being run with no control for the last 5 years because there was a lottery winner picking up any losses. As a result we've had to make huge cutbacks and the new owners are only able to spend money that we generate.

I don't think there is a danger of us not completing the season (at least based on what we've been told), so you have no reason to feel aggrieved. The Conference saving you from relegation at our expense when we had no debts at the time and new owners would have made a mockery of the football pyramid. For whatever problems we have, you got relegated on your own merit.

air post. And I am not an any point denying that we deserved to get releaged we absolutely did. What I was trying to say is I would be dissapointing if the worst did happen and your results where void and the league ran a team light.
But if there is no immediate danger of you not completing your fixtures then it doesnt matter.

 

[Jemfy]

We have no debts. Our problems have resulted from the club being run with no control for the last 5 years because there was a lottery winner picking up any losses. As a result we've had to make huge cutbacks and the new owners are only able to spend money that we generate.

If Cox hasn't been paid, isn't that a debt? Isn't it implicit if the manager hasn't been paid that the players also haven't? Those aren't just debts, but crucially footballing ones...

 

[Gulliball]

I think 'not being paid' means non-contract rather than we owe him money. We signed about 6 players on non-contracts last season and have had Simon Heslop, Jamie Richards and Lavelle-Moore on non-contracts this season. Alan Knill also managed us without getting paid when Martin Ling was on sick leave.

There was a rumour that we weren't paying him, but it wasn't believed as the official noises were that he was here for the long haul. This is the first credible source to suggest that he didn't have an actual contract.

 

[yellow]

Well that's a shitter.

Genuinely reckon we're down or bust now. Fucking hell.

 

[CrazyImp]

Think both Torquay and Kiddy are staring relegation in the face, which is a bit sad considering the tinpot nature of 70% of this division.

 

[yellow]

And now we've announced the signing of Fergus Bell on non-contract terms.

I am unbelievably confused about what is going on.

 

[StagsForLife]

And now we've announced the signing of Fergus Bell on non-contract terms.

I am unbelievably confused about what is going on.

Well you can't have Alex Fisher and not have Bell. They go in a pair.

 

[B2TF]

Is it more bad news, or is it Cox wanting the Halifax job?

You'll have Hargreaves back next!

He'd certainly fit our profile for a Conference North manager. Now I'm excited.

 

[B2TF]

There's going to be some cracking clubs in North & South next season, but we've been building for it since end of last season so still got to be favourites.

 

[Gulliball]

Quotes below from the chairman. It sounds like he has been offered something elsewhere and said pay me or I'll take the job that will pay me. Can't say I can blame him either.

This is actually slightly better news for us though given some rumours flying around. Losing Cox is a blow but there will be a new manager and it wasn't a result of anything disastrous from our end, just a change of heart from Cox.

CHAIRMAN David Phillips has revealed to Herald Express Sport that Torquay United were given an 'ultimatum' by the former manager Paul Cox, who left the club yesterday.

Appointed during the summer after ex-boss Chris Hargreaves was placed on gardening leave, Cox had been working on a mutually-agreed unsalaried expenses-deal.

But Phillips and the chief executive Stephen Breed revealed exclusively to the Herald Express this morning that the manager had a change of heart this week, and during a meeting with the board on Thursday, he asked for the situation to change – telling the directors they had 48 hours to make up their minds.

Phillips said: "Paul Cox was brought in to the club by Dean Edwards on the basis that he had been out of the game for maybe six or seven months – and if you are out of this football game for a long period you are forgotten.

"He agreed to come in on an expenses-only scheme and he was very happy with that.

"He had a new car to drive around in and we were happy for him to go home to Nottingham whenever he wanted to see his family.

"He had free accommodation and all food paid for– so that was his deal.

"We discussed not talking about a contract until October – and obviously we are still in September.

"To be honest, the whole thing has been a shock.

"When Steve (Breed) said Paul wanted to see us on Thursday afternoon, we couldn't work out what it would be about. But if someone says 'I need to talk to you', you know it is something serious."

According to Phillips and Breed, it transpired that Cox wanted to talk about money and a contract. Phillips said the board told the manager they needed 'some time to think about it'.

"We were told 'you have got 48 hours," said Phillips. "Paul told us if we didn't come up with the good in those 48 hours then he would be gone.

"On that basis, we told him he was leaving us in a very invidious position."

This conversation was taking place to the backdrop of a series of stories coming out of the club recently – about 'low gates' and former employees possibly taking the club to court.

Phillips said: "Bearing in mind all the publicity about our financial restraints – it seemed to me a very inappropriate time to come in and start asking for X-amount of pounds.

"The timing was unbelievable."

"We rate Paul Cox," said Phillips. "He is a good man and a good manager.

"This has all come as a complete shock to us."

Cox had been in charge of the club for just 92 days and 10 games – only two of the team had won, with four games drawn and four games lost.

Both the board and Cox had talked about this being a 'long-term project' and that Torquay were undergoing a rebuilding process.

Breed added: "Paul went from talking about youth systems, being as happy as happy can be, to completely changing after the game on Tuesday night.

"We did our very best to keep Paul Cox at this football club, we would have gone a long way to keep him.

"But we cannot make decisions that will bankrupt this football club.

"We chose to ask Paul for some time to look at the situation and put something together – and Paul didn't give us that time.

"We are passionate about this football club and we will do everything we can to turn things around here – and we need the fans to get behind us and support our efforts."

In the absence of the former manager this afternoon, the director of football Dean Edwards and John Ramshaw, appointed by Cox as his assistant, will be in charge for the home game against Bromley.

http://www.torquayheraldexpress.co....tory-27829664-detail/story.html#ixzz3mBzI9RIj

 

[EnglishRed]

Caretaker manager seems to be doing a good job

 

[DT-the-gull]

It now appears our so called director football may have quit..http://www.torquayheraldexpress.co....ole-director/story-27834686-detail/story.html

Or maybe not..http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk...-United-quit/story-27834680-detail/story.html

Enough material coming out of TQ1 for a 6 part drama right now, mind after the job Dean Edwards did of directing football Saturday, maybe not a bad thing if he's done one.