Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Thursday 22 December 2005

22 December 2005

Well, isn't that just about right? Yesterday, the busiest GTFC news day for about a month, the Diary had about five English minutes to write it all up; while today, now that I have a reasonable pause for breath between preparations for Christmas, the flow of Mariners-related information has slowed to a trickle. Indeed, our professional colleagues at the Grimsby Telegraph have been forced to run an item to the effect that Town's players will be training on Christmas Day, just like they do every year. All we have to amuse us today, in fact, is the news that despite his club having signed something in the region of 419,000 strikers over the past three seasons, Hull City player Sam Collins reckons they're still a bit light up front. You have to laugh.

Oh, all right then: Russell Slade now seems to have denied twice that Simon Yeo appears on his list of new year transfer targets. The Town boss originally swore blind that the former Lincoln striker's name was among those inked in for a bit of January let's-talk-terms, only to say later: no, no, he isn't actually. Today Mr Russ has not only repeated that Yeo's name isn't down and he's not coming in but also declared: "I don't know where this speculation has come from." So either somebody's been misquoting and can expect a typically angry phone call from the manager any minute now, or Russ has started knocking back the Baileys four days early. Tomorrow: "List? What list? Who said anything about a list?"

Apparently there's also some stuff about the supporters' trust supporting trustworthy John Fenty in his bid to not have to take over the entire world if he buys some more shares in GTFC, but I can't really give you any more help with that, as the Diary hasn't seen anything official and the GTST website appears to have turned into nothing more than a giant online shopping mall without so much as a mention of why the trust exists, still less the Keep the Mariners Afloat appeal. The latter is perhaps just as well, mind you, given that Fenty has told Mariners World that the whole KTMA thing has "run out of steam" after raising about £15,000 of its £420,000 target. This is not, of course, to denigrate the sterling efforts of the leaders of GTST; but let us remember that it was because of David Burns' suggestion on Radio Humberside that the appeal's target might prove a little ambitious that Fenty banned the BBC last season.

Looks like we did quite well for news today after all, then. Remember to book your table here again tomorrow for your regular yummilicious Friday helping of guest-flavoured Diary dessert - but that's all from your regular Diary until Boxing Day, when Town take on Wycombe-beating Bury, God, weather and hangovers willing. A very happy Christmas to you all, dear readers.