Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Monday 13 January 2003

13 January 2003

Michael Boulding has now completed a 'permanent' switch to Town, with the Mariners, who haven't even got one bean to rub together, forced to pay Aston Villa £50,000 for the player. That's the same Aston Villa who spent £5.8m on Bosko Balaban a year and a half ago and haven't yet given him a Premiership start. And the same Aston Villa who signed Boulding on a free last summer. So remember this next time they start talking about a generous rescue package from the FA and Premiership to bail out cash-strapped Nationwide clubs. Rant over. Fast Michael, as we have decided to call him today, has signed an 18-month contract, according to today's Grimmo Telegraph, and says: "There were a couple of teams in the top four who wanted to sign me, but I told Aston Villa that I didn't want to speak to them if it was possible to come back here." Stitch that, Warnock, you big bottom burp!

News reaches the Diary that Steve Croudson is well on the way to recovery. The Kitten has been told by a specialist that the operation on his shoulder was a great success. Stevie is now seeking some "quality physiotherapy" and should be back to full fitness in four to six weeks. Everyone at Cod Almighty Towers wishes him a full and speedy recovery.

Mariners midfielder Stuart Campbell is claiming Town's second goal at Selhurst Park on Saturday as his own. The daintily-nicknamed 'Camby' saw his shot beat Franchise FC keeper Kelvin Davis following a deflection from Trond Andersen, to whom most sources are consequently attributing an own goal. Not so, insists the outraged player. "I can't believe it was in the papers as an own goal," he says in a paper today - namely the Grimsby Telegraph, which dutifully takes Stu's side against its Fleet Street counterparts. Well, if Groves won't point out that the ref was a dipstick, we have to get our controversy from somewhere.