Cod Almighty | Article

by Sam Metcalf

19 April 2004

Stone (jumping defender on the right) in action for TownAnyone who remembers Town's heyday before last will not only despair at the current malaise spreading like Flora over Blundell Park, but will also remember what a bunch of skilful scrappers George Kerr's side were. Kerr might be spouting loopy bullshit on Radio Humberside these days, but back in the late 70s and early 80s he was the full picnic and produced a Town side that very nearly made it up into the old first division... daft as it seems now.

Amongst the more popular names of Drinkell, Cumming (huhuhhuhuhhuh!) and Waters was one John Stone - a sort of Kevin Jobling or Tommy Watson of that era. A bloke who had a moustache that could probably kick your head in if you looked at it the wrong way. John played at right-back most of the time, but he could patrol anywhere along the back line like a yet-to-be-castrated rottweiler. Injuries finally forced him out of BP and on to, erm, Rotherham, but don't hold that against a player who probably had more heart - not to mention skill - than many of the current squad put together.

John now works for Vixsoft, doing some IT gubbins or other that I'll never understand, so I didn't ask him about that. But here are the answers he did send back to me, via electronic mail.

How did you arrive at Blundell Park?

By car! But seriously I arrived in the area due to a business venture and trained with GTFC whilst still playing for Darlington. I must have impressed George Kerr in training because he then signed me. Can't guess why I was the worst trainer ever!

Back then, how were Grimsby perceived in the footballing world? Today, the club is looked upon in a patronising way - was this the case back then?

Basically it was the same... although it's amazing how success on the pitch alters people's perception.

How good do you think George Kerr's side was compared with some of today's Division One sides?

It's not easy to compare - you can only do your best at the time. All I know is that we were a very close-knit unit and if I was going into battle I would want Dave and Kevin Moore, Clive Wiggington, Bobby Cumming and Kevin Drinkell with me.

Who was your most difficult opponent and why?

Leighton James; ex-Swansea and Wales. Excellent ball skills and not a little pace. Give me John Barnes or Chris Waddle to mark any day!

And who was the best player you played alongside in Town colours?

That would have to be Kevin Moore. Although being a defender I was bound to pick one of us. I think Tony Ford also deserves a special mention for his magnificent achievment in playing all those games.

Why did you leave the club?

I unfortunately suffered a severed achilles tendon injury, which took a long time to recover from. During the recovery time my contract ran out. Grimsby Town Football Club would only offer me a month-to-month contract but I was offered a contract elsewhere so I took it.

Did you stay in the area after you'd left the club?

Yes - I used to commute to my next club and after I finished playing I settled in the area.

Why do you think Town have struggled in recent seasons? Can this all be attributed to the loss of the ITV Digital money?

I don't get to many games so it's difficult for me give an opinion, but there does seem to be a lack of stability. I don't know how many managers have come and gone over the past few seasons but it seems quite a few. The problem is each manager has his own ideas and wants his own staff and players so every time there is a massive upheaval.

Success doesn't come overnight unless you have a certain Russian backing you. Just look at Alex Ferguson. It would have been easy for the Manchester United board to have got rid of him early on. They didn't win anything for the first few seasons with him in charge, which from their point of view is failure. The board at Manchester United stuck wth him and they now need an abacus to count their haul of trophies. As for the ITV Digital money, it was the same for all the clubs in the division.

Do you think Town will stay up this season?

I hope so but it's going to be difficult.

If the club can steady the ship this season, do you think they can do well next season?

Yes. The new manager should by now know the players he can rely on and who's not up for the hard slog because that's what it is to get out of the lower divisions.

Do you still get to BP to watch games?

Not as often as I would like.

If there was one thing about your time with the club you could change, what would it be?

The amount I got paid! They were very happy days though.