TALKING POINTS

Dom Roman

@DomRoman

Dom discusses the NLS game

OSBORNE’S EXIT

I’ve spoken in recent weeks about how our owners had seemingly been going through the motions, especially considering the managerial situation, but I didn’t expect the sudden announcement that ground everyone to a halt yesterday lunchtime and it really was difficult to digest what was happening and what Clarke Osborne had decided to do. I have experienced emotions of anger at the immediate withdrawal of finance, nerves and panic about where it leaves our club, and then some optimism and excitement at what could come next, surrounded by an all-encompassing fear for the future of Torquay United. This is a moment that we have been expecting at some point and it has still been a massive shock to the system. We have to hope we look back on 22.02.24 as a day that helped shape Torquay United’s future for the better.

JOHNSON SCUTTLES OFF

Having gathered the Osborne news, talk soon spread as to whether Gary Johnson would be the next to go and we soon got our answer. Off he scuttled with his tail between his legs, leaving much later than he should have done, leaving with him a reputation tarnished by his behaviour and failure to get results on the pitch, even in a regional league. How did it come to this? In the summer of 2022 I would have still argued with anyone that Gary Johnson was the best man for the Torquay United job, but since then a string of poor decisions have led to a constant decline and to compound that he started to treat supporters with utter contempt and disrespect. Eventually it just felt like he had become an embarrassment, someone who could not motivate players and someone who was only there because the owners didn’t want to pay up his contract, and he didn’t want to leave without a pay day. He’d become one of them, a cosy yes man to the owners and a dark black cloud over every Torquay game, and that’s a sad end for someone who’d once upon a time been as popular as any Gulls manager I can remember. Gary Out. Good.

DOWNES/THE LINE-UP

Gary Johnson was failing badly, and as assistant manager Aaron Downes has to also shoulder the blame. But unlike the ‘gaffer’ Downesy has made the effort to speak to supporters and show us respect, and he now gets his chance to manage the Torquay United team this Saturday. With Clarke Osborne’s withdrawal of funding, I can’t assure you what the squad will look like, but hopefully it will remain much the same from when we played at Farnborough. Lee Mansell commented on X (Twitter) about this being an opportunity for Aaron to take the ‘handbrake’ off this Torquay United side, which is maybe an indicator of the Aussie’s unrest about how Gary was setting the team up. Let’s hope the lads respond well to whatever Downes asks of them, and to what should be a big Plainmoor crowd.

THE OPPOSITION

In contrast to Torquay United, Aveley FC are having one of their best seasons ever and come to Plainmoor after a 2-0 win over Maidstone United on Monday and also beating Hampton 0-1 away last Saturday. They sit in 9th place with 52 points, and have been around the top 10 all season long. Managed by Danny Scopes, the Millers were too strong and energetic for the Gulls in September and I can imagine they’ll come to us pushing for the 3 points. If the mindset of United is good and they can harness positive energy from the crowd, then we can of course win, but if Aveley grab the first goal, our mental fragility and lack of confidence could be sadly exposed again.

COME TOGETHER (RIGHT NOW)

It’s been doom and gloom all season hasn’t it and no sugar-coating it, Osborne’s exit is a horribly worrying moment in our history. In response all we can do at this point is unite together and fight for our football club. The grim spectre of the ‘like it or lump it’ trio of Osborne/Edwards/Johnson are no longer here and the focus has to be on A) Getting to Plainmoor if you can, and B) Getting behind your football team (C – Join TUST!). This is a time when the club’s coffers need swelling as much as possible, and possible new investors/owners need to be shown that Torquay United could be something special in their hands. There will most certainly be many difficult bumps along the road and things could get very tough, but let’s all do what we can and see what happens. I can’t promise what the outcome will be, but I can promise that everyone involved with TorquayTalk will not give up on OUR CLUB.

COYY – DOM

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