Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Thursday 10 March 2005

10 March 2005

Three hundred and sixty-five days. Eight thousand, seven hundred and sixty hours. Five hundred and twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes. Long enough for the Earth to revolve once around the Sun and The Fall to knock out a couple of new albums and three or four EPs. A year is also the discrepancy between the amount of time Chester City chairman Stephen Vaughan believes to be left on Andy Parkinson's contract with Grimsby Town and the amount of time everyone else believes to be left on Andy Parkinson's contract with Grimsby Town, as the Deviants are reported by their local paper to be "monitoring the position" of Town's born-again goal machine on the basis that he'll be a free agent in roughly three months' time. "We are aware his contract at Grimsby expires in the summer, so we are monitoring events," Vaughan has told an unquestioning Daily Post reporter, to the surprise, consternation or amusement of the rest of the civilised world, who believed the Mariners' official website when it announced last summer that Parky had penned a two-year deal.

Remaining for now on the fascinating subject of contractual obligations, Mariners World yesterday trailed an interview with Russell Slade by promising revelations of talks with players whose existing terms will expire this year. Said managerial dialogue is now also available on the regular OS, but all Russ tells you about contracts is: "We've had one or two initial chats and talks," and then basically says they're going to leave all the formal stuff until the summer again. The Diary - wasting my time so you don't have to waste yours.

Former England u18 defender Jude Stirling and former Barnet goalkeeper and Monkee Mike Naisbitt helped GTFC reserves to a 1-1 draw at Notts County yesterday arvo, although the definitive contribution was the work of supposed-to-be-promising young striker Danny North, who lobbed the home keeper early in the second half. Anthony Williams may not attain a full quota of forty winks for a while yet, however, as Mr Slade has told the Grimsby Telegraph: "We may bring [Naisbitt] back for another game and have another look at him." There was somebody called Chase in the team as well; maybe the OS could spill a bean or two about him next time?

Inspired by the fine example of Google use investigative journalism in yesterday's Diary, Mark Stilton has made a shocking discovery about Town's on-trial goalkeeper. "What you didn't spot about 'Nezzy'," he writes, in an email to the Diary, "is that, according to the AFC Wimbledon website, 22 of his 23 appearances have been for the ladies' team. Is there something s/he's keeping a secret?" And we thought Williams was having trouble retaining balls...

That's all from me for the week, then, but check back in tomorrow for another semi-drunken mid-afternoon ramble from the Leeds office, and remember: keep the faith, keep your hands to yourself, and keep the Mariners afloat.