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Dom Roman

@DomRoman

Dom has questions for Torquay United

Torquay United are a difficult club to work out these days, and not in a good way. After two losses to Maidstone in a week we are in danger of slipping into a season of mediocrity and even more importantly, we are in danger of losing the support of many loyal Yellow Army supporters. Here’s some questions I’d love answered…

Q1) FOR THE OWNERS – WHY DID YOU NOT MAKE THE CHANGE?

Gary Johnson should have probably left after the New Year’s loss to Yeovil Town, then he should probably have been dismissed having overseen relegation. But United bucked the trend, George had a quick chat with GJ and decided things were just fine as they were. Why is Gary Johnson still in a job? Does his reputation and previous track record make you believe he’s still the man? Do you enjoy his company and are you happy to continue this cosy relationship, not depending on football success? Did the promise of players returning make you believe in the ‘Gary Pull’? Was this the easiest and cheapest option where you don’t need to pay off a manager on apparently very good wages?

Q2) FOR GJ – WHY WAS KEVIN DAWSON SIGNED ON, CONSIDERING HIS INJURY PROBLEMS?

We all enjoyed seeing Kevin Dawson in a Torquay shirt last season, he had snap and he had crackle, energy to drive the Gulls forward and help give our passive midfield a pulse. But around 6 months since Wrexham (h) and relegation, Kevin has yet to play another competitive game for United. What exactly is his injury problems, and were we aware of these problems in the summer? Did he pass a fitness test, if not why was a contract agreed that uses up player budget on someone we may not see much before Xmas? The man himself has been missed hugely, but after signing the clearly unfit Corie Andrews last season, the same sort of mistakes are being made and we’re paying for it.

Q3) FOR THE OWNERS/GJ – HAS THE PLAYER BUDGET BEEN SPENT?

There is a feeling that Gary Johnson spent all his budget in the summer, not expecting so many players to return, taking them back with open arms and then leaving only mothballs in his TUFC wallet. Two players left the other week, but there have been no replacements and we are left with a subs bench comprising of workmanlike effort, but no game changers. It doesn’t help that the afore mentioned Kevin Dawson remains side-lined, whilst we haven’t seen Dillon De Silva for a while. The winger appears to be another player we’ve signed on whilst injured, these fitness tests must be a breeze.

Q4) FOR GJ – WHY CRITICISE THE SUPPORTERS?

When Gary Johnson first arrived we counted our lucky stars. Not only could he sort out footballing matters, he also seemed like an honest character who would front up to supporters, and understand what we were all about. We had the right man. Well when things were going well, and they did for a while, this rang true, but in the last two years as United’s football displays have become worse, we’ve seen a different side to his character. There was rants about some mild abuse at Yeovil (we were rock bottom at the time), complaints about supporters leaving early at Dorking (to get public transport) and of course last week we had silly gibberish about ‘the right supporters’. Add to that his ramblings over the past year in the often painful post match ‘Gaffer’ Q&A’s and Gary’s become a tough person to root for. The supporters have shown remarkable patience and loyalty at times, stop making jibes about us, pull yourself together and concentrate on sorting out your football team.

Q5) FOR THE OWNERS – WHY DO YOU NOT ENGAGE WITH THE TUST OR TRAVEL CLUB?

The TUST and TUFC Travel Club are some of the most loyal supporters around, and these owners have always treated them like annoying insects they are more than happy to swat away. In respects to the TUST it’s paranoia I guess that their ownership and it’s methods are being questioned. Meanwhile the Travel Club follow the team around the country and deserve the club’s support and respect. The team have often been inspired to points by the fantastic Yellow Army, but perhaps because they are not putting money in Clarke’s pockets on these journeys, they are not important customers?

Q6) FOR GJ – WHY IS THE INJURY NEWS SO VAGUE/LACKING?

Who hasn’t been infuriated by the lack of injury news from Torquay United? Whether it’s short or long term injuries, the club has pretty much kept quiet on injuries, apart from the odd mention from Gary Johnson in his interviews. Why is this necessary? If Asa Hall (obvious example….sorry skipper) is out for 6 weeks with something, why can we not be informed? The other year Aaron Nemane apparently broke his leg, but there was no info from TUFC, whilst the year before Connor Lemonheigh-Evans was having operation, but nothing appeared in the Torquay United world. Maybe Gary Johnson looks to keep short term niggles quiet so team news is more unpredictable for the opposition? Any other reasons for the lack of transparency in this area though? I’d love to know!

Q7) FOR THE OWNERS – WHAT NEXT?

If we ever had a fans forum with George and Clarke (more chance of a Billionaire takeover), then ‘What Next?’ or different versions of ‘What Next?’ would be high on the question agenda. The stadium plans have long since fallen through, your dreams of moving us and building a housing development at Plainmoor look very unlikely, so what will you do next? Will you continue to fund the club full-time if we fail to gain promotion this year and will you continue to put money into the Youth System and Community Trust? The 5 year plan is long forgotten and your aims (see July 2017 article below): Return to the Football League, New Stadium, A Full Fledged Youth Academy, Communication and Engagement with Supporters, Build a Sustainable Business Model, have unsurprisingly not been reached. What plans do you have now for Torquay United, if any?

TUFC AGM | Forming the Five-Year Plan

COYY – DOM

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