Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Wednesday 6 August 2003

6 August 2003

The building of Stonehenge, the ongoing popularity of Robbie Williams, and the synchronised menstruation of women living in the same house: three great mysteries of our world, and a fourth is the precise situation between Town and the club's three recent trialists Laurens Ten Heuvel, Jason Crowe and Mike Edwards. So let us turn to our customary sources of wisdom for enlightenment, and if Morrissey isn't answering his phone then we'll see what the Grimsby Telegraph says.

First up, a certain official website is a little forthcoming regarding Crowe, announcing as it does that Paul Groves is today hoping to persuade the former Portsmouth wing-back to join his wing-back-free team. Town's bench-bound player-boss lets a word or two slip to the Telegraph about Larry 10, meanwhile. "We want him to be there against Plymouth," says Mr Groves. "Sheffield United paid money for him but, with the market as it is, they're prepared to let him go for free." So there you go. As if to prove that he isn't one to be taken in by flash foreign floozies and pretend Premiership pedigrees, Paul would also like to sign Hull reject Edwards and wants all three deals tied up by the weekend. Well, you would.

Following the recent spectacular, headline-grabbing, two grand-raising auction of a place in the GTFC squad, the club has turned to something solid for its latest QXL extravaganza: namely the signed match ball from Town's famous victory over Exeter in May 1972 that sealed the fourth division championship in front of 22,000 ecstatic fans at Blundell Park. Really? The actual ball? Why yes. It's "the very ball that flew into Exeter's net three times," says the official site - shortly before adding: "We cannot confirm that this is the original match ball, but Mitre have confirmed that the ball is from that time." So does anyone want to make an offer for the Diary's copy of the actual White Album that John Lennon definitely once skinned up on? He might not have done, but it's from that time.

In comes an email with the subject line "Kinky", and because it is from a Manchester City fan I wrongly surmise that it will discuss former Maine Road icon Georgi Kinkladze. "Well done, Diary, for your amusing Town-related Kinks songs today," writes Cath Martin. "Thanks also for pointing out that 'Where Have All The Good Times Gone?' was a Ray Davies song - just two sentences earlier I had smugly said to myself 'I know, I know - it's by Van Halen!' They covered it on their album Diver Down, you see, an album I used to own some years ago. It turns out that Bowie also covered this song on his Pin Ups album. By the way, back on the subject of Kinky Town - let's hope that later this week, Mr Ten Heuvel will be able to sing 'You Really Got Me' to us all." Cheers, Cath, and to switch from The Kinks to The Wedding Present, would you Give My Love To Kevin?