Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Wednesday 15 June 2005

15 June 2005

Evenin' all. Your Guest Diarist is listening to a rather sad remake of Dixon of Dock Green on Radio 4 just now. So far I can report that Andy Crawford sounds impossibly young, and the villains are not very good at sneering on the radio. However, gentle reader, make sure that you follow Sergeant Dixon's rule and never make your tea with stale water. Speaking of which, I expect that ace match reporter Tony Butcher's head has been spinning since the news that those grumpy old Floydsters are getting back together this summer. But as you cannot recreate 1950s London, I suspect you also can't recreate 1970s prog rock. In fact I can vouch for this, having just bought the new Van der Graaf Generator album which isn't a patch on the best of their early stuff. To end this paragraph on a more optimistic note, though, might I suggest that you try listening to that excellent Touareg blues band, Tinariwen. You really can smell those campfires, you know.

[insert name here] snubs offer from Grimsby. That well-used Ceefax template headline has graced page 394 again, this time with the subject being Southend keeper Darryl Flahavan. But we shouldn't feel too bad about it as he apparently turned down a load of other clubs as well in order to stay with his beloved Shrimpers. The Grimsby Telegraph raises the stakes via a 'Town suffers double snub' headline. Eleven minutes later I can't tell you who the other one is, as the page resolutely refuses to load. If you can be arsed, try it later.

To add to our depression comes the news from the official site that the suits upstairs have ordered Neil Woods to dispense with the services of Liam Parker, Chris Hyam and Joe Lightowler. Neil, wringing his hands while he told these homebirds to fly away home, has admitted that he just doesn't like firing people. But it is difficult to determine from the interview why the lads were actually sacked. Was it simply because they are not considered good enough? Was it because two of the three have had bad injuries? Or was it because Town just can't afford YTs any more? Lightowler and Hyam have both signed for Bridlington. Good luck to 'em all, and let's hope you prove the Town folk wrong.

The Diary yesterday was asking you lot about favourite fish shops, and loads of you have written to him apparently. I look forward to reading about your favourites on his return next week. I grew up on fish and chips from Rodwells which also boasted the best display of saucy postcards I've ever seen. That one about piston broke still gets me every time. Nowadays it's got to be Ernie Becketts in Cleethorpes market place. See yer tomorrow.