Cod Almighty | Diary
Diary - Wednesday 3 December 2003
3 December 2003
Before we start today's diary, Cod Almighty feels moved to point out that we have a lately organised guest diarist today. The Diary, you see, is swanning around in Sheffield after watching a modern popbeat combo called 'Belle & Sebastian' last night. But anyway, without further ado, we hand you over to Mr Richard Dawson.
"I don't know why I did it. I don't know why I enjoyed it. And I don't know why I'll do it again." So might have said any or all of the damp and dispirited Town fans as they trudged out of Blundell Park last Saturday. Sitting here in darkest, dampest, Lincolnshire this morning your stand-in diarist is struggling to get excited about anything - least of all Christmas, and the FA Cup second round tie at Peterborough this weekend. Still, I tell myself, things could be a whole lot worse. Like if I was a Leeds fan, for example. The Bahraini Leeds fan sheikh made a statement yesterday saying he was exploring options to assist Leeds that may or may not lead to a bid offer. "Frankly, that was a bollocks statement that meant nothing," said a refreshingly frank city analyst in today's Independent newspaper. Just what I thought.
Leeds reportedly owe about £78m (down from £81m a week ago mainly, I suspect, due to their continual need to fine their playing staff for endless crimes and misdemeanours off the field). The Grimsby Town accounts which dropped onto my doormat last Saturday morning show accumulated losses of £1,060,542 - a hundred grand or so worse than at the end of the previous season. These figures don't include the Jarvis sponsorship monies, of course, which will be accounted for in the current season. So our debt is about the same size as the rounding errors on the Leeds books.
But that million quid churns my stomach now that the bottom has dropped out of the player transfer market, and the days of TV money are over. I'm proud of the way that the club back office staff and directors have continued to soldier on despite the gnawing realisation that the club they work for is technically insolvent, and there is no apparent escape route. I've managed companies in a similar financial situation, and the longer it goes on the more it drags you down. So I understand entirely why Town commercial chap Tim Harvey is throwing in the towel, and leaving the club. Good luck Tim in the new job, and thanks (metaphorically in these straitened times) for all the fish. There's a delicious rumour circulating about his replacement, but I'll stay coy today, restraining myself to only mention that he's got a sweet left foot. I hope he's in it for the long haul though.
Anyway, enough of this gloomy talk, we have a 3-2 away win at 'Uddersfield to celebrate today. The official site tells me that Jevons scored twice, and Mansaram scored an 'impressive' third in a private practice match yesterday. Alan Pouton waddled his way through 55 minutes of the game to continue his comeback. But hang on - the rumour of his post-injury girth increase, put about by Mr Butcher last week, may be slightly spurious. One of my snouts, who attended the same reserve match at Lincoln, claims that Pouton cut a much more lithe figure than Tony suggested in his match report. Anyone out there who has knowledge of the current Poutonian circumference please email the Diary. Sadly the official site does not give a stepover count for yesterday's appearance, or mention who else took part for Town.
Oh, in case you're curious, the opening quote was lifted from a Simpsons episode. I'm not bothering to hang on for what dross the Grimsby Telegraph is spinning today. So I'm afraid you'll have to look for yourselves as I'm off to frighten some villagers with my chainsaw. See yer.