Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Friday 2 December 2005

2 December 2005

One of the more perverse pleasures in life is to sink into a hot bath at precisely 9am on a Friday morning to the soothing strains of the intro to Desert Island Discs. It's too often all downhill from there, though, as the guests are utterly self-absorbed and the music total cack, or they cut the decent tracks off after a measly 45 seconds or so. Today, gentle reader, it was David Frost, a man whom your Guest Diarist has hated man and boy since about 1965. We learnt that he could have been a professional footballer but turned it down, preferring to become a total knobhead. Well I would have given my right testicle to have played for better teams than Caistor Tennyson, Nettleton Mines and Castra Nova - sides well used to getting thrashed more often than not. But you can't deny an old man his dreams and memories, and I'm pleased to report that the evergreen John McDermott has decided to stockpile a few more of his by playing on next season. If we can't get him a knighthood, let's try to get him on Desert Island Discs, eh?

Rochdale manager Steve Parkin has exhibited a remarkable sense of realism about his team's prospects for points as they face Town, Wycombe and Orient in their next three matches. "If we can emerge from these next three matches with at least three points it will keep us where we want to be," says Parkin. "Of course we'll be going out there trying to win every game, but these are three very tough matches." His points prediction is no doubt tempered by the fact that top scorer Grant Holt has picked up nine bookings; so one more and it's a two-match suspension for the 14-goal striker.

Macca has been practising his managerial media skills again by telling Sporting Life that Town have to improve their home form. "We know ourselves where we are going wrong and everyone at the club is working hard towards winning promotion. But our home form must improve - starting against Rochdale on Tuesday night." Play two up front Macca - you tell Mr Slade to sort it, will you?

So this weekend will be spent waiting for Tuesday. A chance to do your Christmas shopping (the club shop will be open) or to wonder whether Mat Hare has applied for the Portsmouth job yet. Or maybe just compiling the list of your top tracks to take to that island. See yer.