Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Friday 13 June 2003

13 June 2003

The latest name to pop up in the press in relation to Paul Groves' transfer quest is that of 21-year-old Steven Clark, a right-sided midfielder currently in the service of third division Southend. This one is brought to us by BBC Humber Sport, which in turn holds that the story originates with "reports in the South East". So everybody's talking about it, but nobody really thinks there's much to it. A bit like Big Brother. Groves now makes a point of concealing his intentions in the transfer market, and where names are named in advance of any deal the 'reports' have usually been wide of the mark. Whether this one will break the mould remains to be seen. Clark has been doing his thing at Roots Hall since November 2001, when he joined the Shrimpers on loan from West Ham before signing permanently two months later. He once scored a goal too.

The Humberside people also bear grim tidings for Town's prospects next season. "Santos has a new agent, former England international Mick Mills," say the sandwich boards they are wearing while standing on street corners shouting at people about brimstone and stuff, "and he's looking for first division wages for his man." No other clubs are cited as expressing an interest in our schizoid defensive titan, and no quotes appear from Mills, Santos or anyone else. Make of that Twelfth Night, or what you will.

In the summer's other tedious tale of contract renewal, John McDermott's prospects of moshing to the Sisters of Mercy at Spiders next season while drinking 80p-a-pint beer look to be dead and buried after Hull yesterday completed the signing of Tottenham right-back Alton Towers. Other clubs are still believed to be interested in snapping up the ageing Mariners captain, but nobody's saying who. Maybe it's all a cunning strategem by Macca's advisers to hurry Town into offering the two-year deal the player most earnestly craves. Maybe none of this is real and death is just like waking from a dream into a higher order of consciousness and reality that in our current, spiritually impoverished, earthbound state we can only begin to imagine.

Speaking of which, some Cod Almighty readers have not yet received their season ticket renewal packs and are a-wondering just what's going down Cleethorpes way. Feeling their pain, we contacted the club today to try and get the lowdown. And lo, down at Blundell Park they say any season ticket holders who have not yet received their packs should email the ticket office at ticket@gtfc.co.uk, who promise they will "sort it immediately". Hope that helps.