Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Monday 18 July 2005

18 July 2005

One of Town's less fathomable management decisions of the current pre-season concerns the goalkeeping position. As we know, Town's new first-choice keeper Steve Mildenhall is sitting out the friendlies with an ankle injury, prompting Mr Russell Slade to borrow from Chester City a gloveman who makes Anthony Williams look as solid as Stonehenge. And despite a coronary-inducing performance against Scunthorpe last week, Wayne Brown is set to retain the number 1 shirt for this evening's visit of Sheffield Wednesday, the rationale seemingly being that John Lukic may not be able to deal with the pressure or something. Yes, that is the same John Lukic who was recently signed to provide back-up to the first team because Rob Murray may not be able to deal with the pressure or something. And who is now deemed unable to deal with the intense pressure of pre-season friendlies. Or something.

Of course, it could just be that Mildenhall may not be fit in time for the start of the season, and that Sort It is taking a good look at Brown with a view to loaning him for a month or so. That makes you feel so much better, doesn't it.

The only other team news seems to be that Paul Bolland has come some sort of cropper, so I guess that might mean a start for Ciaran Toner. No mention is made of Jean-Paul Kamudimba, despite him now supposedly having completed the medical and international clearance type gubbins on a one-year contract with GTFC, so the Diary won't believe he is playing for the Mariners until I see him actually on the pitch in a Town shirt and getting fed up of chasing long balls.

Those of you not keen on the idea of paying ten quid to watch twenty-two men jog around on some grass trying not to get injured may be looking forward instead to the Mariners World commentary on tonight's match, which, for reasons unknown to the Diary, will be performed by Cod Almighty's very own Simon Wilson and Tony Butcher. Dan Humphrey is one of several Diary readers who have noticed this excursion into showbusiness, and has emailed this column to say: "One wonders if a full unedited commentary transcript will be printed in Tuesday's Diary. One also challenges Mr Wilson to mention every GTFC webzine except the F***y every 5 minutes." One didn't know there were any other GTFC webzines, Dan.

Michael Boulding has been offered, and has accepted, a one-year contract with second-flight Crewe. Turns out Cheltenham were after him as well. He used to play tennis, you know.

Some bloke called Steve has emailed to take up the issue raised by Mark Wilson in last Thursday's Diary of whether GTFC's decision to give away free Adidas shirts with every season ticket, despite their regular kit being supplied by Nike, constitutes some kind of unpardonable faux pas. "Picture the scene in Nike's Oregon boardroom," he writes."Agenda 14.07.05. 1. Should we increase the logo size on Tiger Woods' jaunty baseball cap for this weekend's Open at St Andrews? 2. Lance Armstrong looking to try out new Nike cycling shoes during a stage of next week's Tour de France. 3. Brazil asking to see some variations on the classic yellow for next year's World Cup kit. 4. Grimsby Town nark us off by slipping into some cheapo Adidas gear." Now even the Diary, who knows chuff all about shit like this, suspects Steve may be employing a degree of irony here. "I somehow think this minor indiscretion may perhaps go unnoticed at Nike towers. Then again could be wrong. You never know, it may herald the renewal of our relationship with Adidas and a return to that classic kit circa 1982 spoilt only by the letraset Findus sponsorship logo!" Hey, now you're talking.