Cod Almighty | Diary

The four kings of EMI are sitting stately on the floor

20 February 2014

The UK government says it's wrong to use violence against peaceful protesters. Must remember to quote them on that.

Welcome to Thursday with your original/regular Diary, and the news that Mariners memorabilia including a medal won by a Town player in the 19th century has been found in a skip. The medal was awarded to players in the final of the 1887 Lincolnshire Senior Cup final against Lincoln City and is expected to take between £100 and £200 at a forthcoming auction. I can't help thinking back to the revelation in Kevin Drinkell's autobiography that GTFC borrowed the match ball he claimed for that hat-trick against Sheffield United in 1980 – and then lost it. Maybe the man who found the medals in the skip should go back and dig a bit deeper.

In a desperate act of blackmail that mirrors unionists' attempts to sabotage the Scottish independence vote, Ehab Allam says he'll put up season ticket prices by 50 per cent if the FA don't let him desecrate the name of King$ton Communication$ FC. Fans of all clubs should support No To Hull Tigers because they're right. We should also support them because they're holding back a potential surge of similar 'rebranding' exercises. If Allam gets his way, they'll all be at it. Do you really want football to look like rugby league?

Back in Lincolnshire, the Boston United manager has been found guilty of fraud. Now where have we heard that before? Peterborough Magistrates Court has found that Dennis Greene claimed £6,000 in social security payments he wasn't entitled to while managing Histon and St Neots. While the Diary has no interest in telling people how to do their jobs, if you're going to fiddle the dole, at least do it while you're not a football manager and your work is likely to be covered in some detail by all relevant local media outlets, eh?

(At the same time, let's remind ourselves that the amount of social security money claimed fraudulently is less than the amount that could be paid legitimately but goes unclaimed. It is also 1 per cent of the amount we are defrauded of by wealthy people not paying their tax.)

I've got to go and learn video editing so I can't write any more, but if you've still got some of your sandwich left, here's a lovely piece about Newport County reaching the quarter-finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup. See ya!