Holiday romance on the Riviera just kept blossoming for Kev
KEVIN NICHOLSON
KEVIN Nicholson never had any intention of his “two-year adventure” in Torquay becoming a permanent life on the English Riviera.
“I was actually having a barbecue at my dad’s in Derby when Paul Buckle rang me,” recalls the 36-year-old, who would go on to make 314 appearances for the Gulls.
“We had a chat, he sold the club and asked if I’d like to come down to look around. I walked back into the garden and said to my girlfriend ‘Torquay have been on the phone – how far away is that?’.
“We literally ended up on Google Maps working out distances. In the end, we both thought ‘Why not?’. In lower league football, you only ever get one or two-year deals so it wasn’t a long-term commitment. We thought it would be a two-year adventure.
“We said to each other, ‘Let’s have a couple of years down there by the beach and try something different’. Ten years later, we’re married with three kids and I’m managing the club. It escalated pretty quickly!”
As Nicholson is finding out, Torquay is a much tougher sell these days. Back in that
summer of 2007, the Gulls were a Conference behemoth fresh from the Football League.
Kevin Hill was due a testimonial. Tony Bedeau was in his 11th season at Plainmoor, Steve Woods approaching a ninth.
Reputation
Now, at the culmination of Nicholson’s first-full season in charge, only six players remain under contract after a campaign that saw relegation swerved by a whisker. All of which makes the perennial battle to tempt new recruits that much tougher.
“The hardest part is often just getting people to come and see you,” admits Nicholson, whose full-time budget is a
fraction of the division’s big-hitters. “They seem to think that Torquay is in a different time zone. It’s incredible how many players won’t talk to you because they can’t imagine living so far away.
“But the truth is, you’re two hours from London on a train. You’re two hours from Birmingham on a train. You’re not that far from anywhere in a car.
“And it’s a wonderful place to live. If you do well, the fans will take to you. If you’re happy, the manager will want to keep you because it’s so hard to attract new players. Personally, I wouldn’t change my decision for the world.” Last season’s struggles were exacerbated by mounting financial problems that eventually led to a takeover by businessman Clarke Osborne shortly before Christmas. Though he averted administration, Osborne’s reluctance to communicate, failure to provide promised funds in January and past record of flogging off stadiums to developers alienated supporters. Many suspect he is here for Plainmoor, not promotion. “There’s no question they’ve got a bit of work to do to win the fans over,” says Nicholson. “They came here with a bit of a reputation that was probably unfair.
“And because they stayed quiet – understandably, whilst they formulated a plan – that just fuelled more rumours. So you’ve now got a very untrusting fanbase who are worried about what their real intentions are.
Chaos
“At the end of the day, the proof will be in the pudding. But from what they’ve said, I believe the owners have their heads screwed on. All my dealings and conversations with them have been positive. I genuinely believe they are trying to do things the right way.
“It’s not one of these takeovers where you’re going to have stupid budgets thrown at you. It’s about stabilising the club first and building slowly on and off the pitch.
“They said pretty early on that they’ve got a five-year plan
and if they do what they say they will, then I think the Torquay fans will be pleasantly surprised.”
Whilst reluctant to reveal Osborne’s target for 2017-18, Nicholson insists he’s been handed a “sensible” budget and is convinced there will be no repeat of this season’s relegation battle.
After 89 games in the dugout, the former full-back also believes he is better equipped to reverse the club’s fortunes.
“The truth is, without all the stuff going on off the pitch, I’d probably have been sacked three times by now,” he admits. “Luckily, the club just wasn’t in a position to do it.
“What that did was allow me to show what I’m capable of and – more importantly – to learn from my mistakes. Not many young managers get that chance, and I’m sure that’s why so many disappear.
“Before the takeover, it was chaos off the pitch. Some of the lads were worried about administration and not getting paid. That’s tough for young lads to deal with, but they did. They learned from those experiences, got stronger and we finished the season well.
“They’ll never forget what they went through this season and they’ll be better for it, whether they’re hear or not.
“The same goes for me. I’ve picked up more experience in the last 18 months of management than I probably would have in ten years at a more stable club. You have to look at everything as a lesson and if you don’t, you won’t last long.
“I’ve managed to last a long time at this club. I’ve enjoyed every minute and I want to be
here for a little while yet.”