Cod Almighty | Diary
Say yes to mango and peanut butter porridge
6 March 2014
Hello, and welcome to Thursday with your original/regular Diary – a very special day indeed, for it is not every day the Guardian's TV highlights include the phrase "specially adapted trousers in Cleethorpes".
What news? This time it's – let me check – um… ah… right, so the January window has been and gone but it says here that another one has opened so we can still loan players – hence Connor thingy – until… um, a bit longer. Clear? Good. Long and short: Town aren't loaning anyone out but might loan someone else in.
Jennings. That's it. Some of the Cod Almighty team associate this name with old books about a naughty schoolboy. It just makes me think of getting pissed in the Lake District.
"The event will take place on Thursday 15th May and he will be supported by a top funny man." That's Town's newly superb new official website telling us of a visit from John Motson, the perennial BBC commentator and grade I listed National Treasure who is perhaps better known these days under his eccentric, Lineker-coined nickname, 'Motty'. It's basically one of those evenings where you pay £24 to dress up smart while an ageing ex-star recites their amusing anecdotes and you eat mediocre fish and chips off a plate that's three times too big.
These things aren't all the same, of course, and you'd need to pay me to endure the banality 'n' bigotry of, say, Alan Brazil. Motson, by contrast, will presumably be talking about his unparalleled career with BBC Sport, his trademark – heh! – sheepskin coat, and how it is that he carries on working despite seeming to retire roughly every 18 months.
Two months after Kidderminster Harriers, ridiculously, sacked their last manager Steve Burr, Kidderminster Harriers, hilariously, have sacked their current manager Andy Thorn. It's harsh on Thorn, obviously, who suffered similar treatment under another bonkers regime at Coventry. It's harsh for Kiddy supporters, who were thrilled to see their club return from near-oblivion to challenge for a return to the Football League under Burr. And it's basically been very weird for Town fans to see such bizarre mistreatment of Burr – who figured higher up the club's hitlist than Paul Hurst last time we were in the market for a boss. But ultimately there's something comforting about looking round at our rivals and discovering that Town aren't the only circus in town.
Last up today, a word from the Mariners Trust. The trust resolved last year to make a donation, in memory of the great Kevin Moore, to a charitable cause chosen by the family of the late Town legend. Accordingly, they've given £250 to the Alzheimer's Society, via a fundraising drive being undertaken by Moore's niece. If you're in a position to chip in a few bob more, here's a link. Best wishes and much respect to all involved.