Cod Almighty | Article

by Simon Wilson

2 September 2002

After last weekend's defeat at Millwall, manager Paul Groves declared that something has to be done about the lack of goals being scored by his team. It's hard to argue with the man - six games into the season and Town have chalked up one goal.

The fixture computer gave the Mariners a mixed opening campaign - a tough first day trip to Norwich was tempered by a visit by the club formerly known as Wimbledon. One of last season's most complete teams followed by a club sapped of players, fans, and spirit - the latter an ideal opportunity to chalk some points onto the board but going into the match, given the negative results during pre-season and then the thrashing at Carrow Road, a nil-nil was a positive step forward to quote Graham Rodger. At least we didn't concede a goal.

Whatever fixtures would form the inital weeks of the new season the test would be hard regardless of the parlous financial situation the club endured over the summer. Starting the season, the thin squad Groves had at his disposal was the crux of what has served the club so well over the last two years, in that they provided explosive finishes to both those seasons and secured division one football.

The only missing element was Michael Boulding who decided to catch up with missing tennis practice on Saturday afternoons. Terry Cooke - who showed equal glimpses of salivating wing-play and steady support for McDermott - signed up for the season and Groves showed a canny hand in persuading Darren Barnard and Steve Chettle to add depth, quality, experience and competition to the midfield and defence. And, of course, the return from injury of Steve Livingstone was to bring a presence up front, if not a goal poacher.

The one danger with the lack of new faces up front was that we were fully aware of what the forward players were capable of, and so would the rest of the division (even, maybe, Trevor Francis).

Last season's forwards: Phil Jevons, arrived at the club on waves of praise from Evertonians - come the end of last season he seemed forlorn, sapped of confidence. Jonathan Rowan had a sparky start to last season in front of goal, but showed physical limitations (as you'd expect at his age) against burly first division centre-backs.

Chris Thompson was another who arrived with a reputation and - no doubting his skill - needed harnessing in his sporadic bouts of fitness. In the reserves Darren Mansaram was being built up but another "for the future". Bradley Allen left the club, leaving in his wake a number of bitter quotes to the G(E)T.

Town needed a man (or two) for now - assuming the bed of the rest of the team was up to the job.

Last season's home game demolitions were built on Andy Todd's presence at the back and early balls from Todd and Groves played over midfield for Boulding to run onto directly or off Allen's passes. It's a cliche but pace worries defenders (as Gallimore will testify to) and Boulding had that allied with some sublime dribbling. Town's started this season with Livingstone stepping into Allen's shoes and variations of Robinson and Rowan playing off him.

Chettle replaced Todd and settled in primamrily as a defender. However, he doesn't offer the outlet that Todd's long raking balls did.

With Pouton absent in the early stages, all the creativity was funneled from Cooke's bewitching surges from the right and the hope that Campbell could serve up a throughball. Barnard - effecient as a left-sided midfielder - could deliver a ball but didn't have the twinkle toes to out-fox a canny full-back.

But from the start of the third game - at home to Derby - despite the fans' fears, Town were clicking. Derby were made to look like a team that were relegated from the second division last season let alone the hallowed land of the Premiership. Only when Town's monumental effort left them drained for the last twenty minutes did they look overwhelmed.

A sickening injury to Livingstone didn't spare Derby's players any less - even Jevons seemed rejuvenated by the passion surrounding the team in the last hour of that game. But in the end, that old adage of Town's inability to score despite their possession and chances cost the Mariners any points.

Maybe it's here where Groves should be looking. Groves has been at the club for sufficient time to be aware that it is written in the heavens about Town's inability to maximise their possession and chances. By cognation this tradition berefts any forward who plays for Town of goal grabbing. The manager wants the team to score more goals? He's declaring war on tradition!

Occasionally the gods smile kindly on the east coast like they did late last season and we get to maul a Crystal Palace, a Wimbledon, put an over-acheiving team like Burnley back in their place, but these are infrequent occurances of free-form scoring. Being a forward at Town means you don't score goals. You might grab a couple here and there, but your job is to set chances up and miss chances.

Maybe it's the fresh air blasting in off the North Sea - a player runs through, sees the goal, pictures the net billowing as he lashes the ball home, takes a deep breath and...too much oxygen and the ball's trying to hit another letter on the scoreboard out of action.

Once in a generation there comes a player who defies this - take the most recent man immune to this lamentable malediction - Clive Mendonca. Is it any surprise the lad broke down with mysterious injuries? When it was shown he could escape the jinx on the pitch, worse struck - mysterious, unexplainable injuries. Forces worked to ensure he wouldn't even be roaming the turf at Blundell Park to have a chance to score. (feel free to disregard this theory to Livvo's eternal attedance on the physio's table.)

But try to dispell this tradition Groves is. He's persisting in bringing more forwards into the club. And he's he's had more success in nine months than Lennie Lawrence, Alan Buckley and Brian Laws ever had.

Robert Taylor came back to the club to substantiate he can hit the net (hopefully better than his attempts at hitting Bradford players). At Valley Parade he was at the forefront of a sumptuous opening twenty minutes of pummelling Bradford before retiring with injury. Taylor was replaced by Rowan - a home-grown player, steeped in the ways of a Grimsby forward from birth! Town promptly looked limp up front.

And now we have Stephen Kabba on loan. Highly thought of, he's being kept out of the Palace first team by Dele Adebole (you'd be upset too). His arrival has coincided with a switch to an intensly debated 4-3-3/4-5-1 formation - Kabba playing as the lone front man, being joined by the wide men surging forward from a five man midfield.

Bringing a forward player into the team on loan - hence untouched by the Town tradition and not tying the club to a lengthy financial obligation. Smart! Then on the pitch, offering that player with support from the positions where Town have regularly benefitted from - out wide and advanced midfield positions. Clever! When that goal scoring touch starts to desert him his loan period should be up, so simply bring in another. Genius!

Of course there is the possibility all this is an illusion fed by paranoia. Try telling that to those Town fans who've witnessed similar over the years...