Cod Almighty | Diary
Diary - Friday 26 May 2006
26 May 2006
If your Guest Diarist was a woman he definitely wouldn't fancy a date with Trevor Francis. A TV football pundit who manages to be both truculent and mournful at the same time, and who once admitted on some ill-conceived Radio One show (where famous people played at being DJ) that he couldn't possibly contemplate a trip to the cinema because he is incapable of sitting still for two hours at a time. Last night, though, he set me thinking when he said: "Jenas must be glad to be awarded the decision because he seemed to have run out of ideals." It's a very young age he is to have run so low on those. Why, Joan Baez is 65 and still full of 'em, spending last night hoisted up a tree singing: "No, no, no nos moverán. No, no, no nos moverán." And I hope that Town have got a few ideals left to live up to on their big day on Sunday. Passing. Now that's an ideal ideal I reckon, don't you? Patience. Another virtue worth having. Keep it tight and the game will open up for us sooner or later. Faith-keeping. Now that's one for us fans to bear in mind. Magnanimity in victory. Yeah, right.
But whatever happens in Cardiff, this has been a much better season. Not just because we won a few more games and finished fourth, but because we looked more like a team of actual Town players. The spine (as these daft lads on the telly like to call it) is strong - the keeper, the centre-halves, Bolland in central midfield, and the front pair. Mr Fenty should do everything possible to keep them all at the club. The performances merit going that extra mile, and the fans appreciate the continuity. The kids need heroes and the old-timers like me need to be able to recognise their own players. They might not be the best, but they are the best we are going to see at Blundell Park in the near future.
The Grimsby Tellywag, a couple of days ago, reported that Cod Almighty would be getting its three hundred and fifty quid wodge back from the FA after the successful Jones appeal. But as was said at the outset, this money will be ploughed back into the club as shares. So it was nice to hear confirmation from CA's Pete Green today that this will be the case. Meanwhile, Channel 5 at midnight is normally a slightly scary place. You'd be much more likely to find me nodding to Jools Holland on BBC2 around then. Nodding or nodding off is entirely dependant on what your Guest Diarist has been imbibing earlier in the evening of course. But tonight is an exception, as resident Cod Almighty poet Al Wilkinson will be reciting his play-off final poem to the inarticulate rotundity that is John Barnes on his Football Night programme. Be there or be square, as Joan would have put it.
The two managers have been chatting to BBC Sport. Mr Slade is reported to be as garrulous as ever, babbling about postponed dates with destiny, while John Ward has explained: "It's not an occasion to enjoy yourself or wave to your mum or wife in the crowd." His team were, however, allowed to wave at their imaginary mums during a familiarisation tour around the stadium on Wednesday, as Mr Ward explained to the Gloucester Echo: "They waved to their imaginary mums yesterday because I don't want them waving on Sunday." It is not known what the Mariners' policy is towards stadium-based mum-waving. Enjoy the match whatever happens, and don't forget to wave to your mum. See yer.