Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Friday 8 April 2005

8 April 2005

Grimsby-based Leeds supporters have announced that the chairman and manager of Grimsby Town Football Club - John Fenty and Russell Slade - are to attend a "testimonial dinner dance" in aid of Lucas Radebe's testimonial fund on 22 April. The Mariners are also contributing a signed shirt and a matchball. Tickets are £20 for an adult, £10 for a child.

Holton-le-Clay-based Grimsby fan and supporters' trust chairman Dave Otter is organising an evening with Yee Ha Frank Worthington in aid of the Keep The Mariners Afloat appeal on 28 April. The Mariners aren't contributing anything in terms of shirts, matchballs or attending bigwigs. Tickets are bound to be less than 20 notes a head.

You draw your own conclusions from the above two paragraphs and feel free to put them the Diary's way. A tinge of irony: today's Diary is being written in Leeds.

Supporters who - like Cod Almighty this week - are purchasing shares in the club to help it stay afloat might be pleased/none too pleased to learn that the 'ring fencing' of those funds is, according to the club, "no longer necessary... because the situation with the debt to the Inland Revenue has now been resolved". The resolution we'd skimpily been made aware of, but not the removal of those funds' 'ring fencing'. Nice that we were publicly told. Furthermore, apparently, the 'protected fund' hasn't been set up yet and nobody who has contributed to it has had their cheques cashed yet. Er, right. Leeds Diary is struggling to summon some positivity over this lot of news.

Still, a rare beam of light: here's someone who has worked out a novel way of raising cash thanks to the Mariners. Just don't let her boyfriend know, OK?

There's a game tomorrow. It's against Wycombe. We've done a factfile. Team news? Does it matter? The players seem to have all given up. They'll be eleven bodies in black and white shirts. Expect the younger ones to run around and appear more enthusiastic than the older ones. John Fenty and Russell Slade might be at Watford watching their new favourite club. The fans sound like they've given up (well, this one does). I think I will call it a day as well.