Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Monday 30 January 2006

30 January 2006

Nobody would suggest for a moment that Mr Russell Slade is in anything less than full control of his mental faculties, but today he certainly seems two defenders short of a backline. Saturday's home defeat by Peterborough was the last game of Matt Bloomer's month-long loan and the player will return to Lincoln without passing Go; while at six feet and zero inches Simon Ramsden falls some way short of the new legal minimum height requirement for a GTFC centre-half and is set to join Town's fellow basement side Rochdale rather than enlist with Humberside Police. The Diary would not wish to see transfer decisions influenced by public relations imperatives, of course, but when two ball-playing defenders are allowed to leave in the midst of renewed criticism from supporters over the tendency of Slade's Mariners towards 'direct' football, the timing is just a little unfortunate. Is that Wycombe up there at the top of the table, following Yeovil up and out of the fourth division by playing a fluent passing game? I think it is.

In fairness to Town and Slade, though, Curtis 'Mayfield' Woodhouse knocked some splendid balls along the ground on Saturday and enjoyed an impressive debut despite his team's plunge into awfulness immediately following the first Posh goal; and Junior Mendes seems more than capable of tapping a bag of wind along a section of grass to another chap wearing the same costume. So, Emlyn, what happens next? Justin Whittle returns, Rob Jones remembers who he is, and a revivified Mariners defence forms the bedrock of the side's magnificent form of the next three months as they surge to automatic promotion? Or Fen Butcher is allowed to continue his Stars in Their Eyes rendition of Tony Crane, Slade keeps on a-tinkering with the midfield, and Town eventually limp to a play-off semi-final defeat against fourth-placed Northampton? Email diary@codalmighty.com, readers, with your prognosis at this crucial juncture.

Speaking of the Crane, the Diary heard on Saturday over chips and curry sauce on the Grimsby Road that Town's former disciplinary liability was about to bounce briefly back into the Football League, moving to Conference-bound Rushden & Diamonds. I can't find anything about it anywhere though, and Big Tony turned out as normal on Saturday for his current club Worksop Town in a 2-1 defeat at Alfreton. Anyone? Know anything, I mean; not care.

Forgotten Mariner Jean-Paul Kamudimba 'the English are using his name the wrong way round' Kalala will be out in Egypt for a few days longer after not helping his national team progress to the knockout stages of the African Cup of Nations. I love that name. The Democratic Republic of Congo will face the host nation in the first quarter-final this Friday after finishing second in their group with four points from three games, in which JPK was an unused substitute. Well, he might as well get used to it for when he comes back to Grimsby.

Finally today, let us spare a thought for those more fortunate than ourselves. Poor old Leicester City recently spent millions of pounds of other people's money to build themselves one of these whizzy new stadiums yet somehow find themselves contemplating relegation to the third flight, possibly because of some crazy reason such as their team being rubbish. And what would demotion for the Foxes mean? According to one franchise website, it could mean having to play against teams such as Carlisle, Hartlepool, Scunthorpe, Wycombe and... you know where this is going, don't you? And how humiliating it would be for the mighty Leicester to have to line up in a league fixture against Grimsby! After all, they have only done so 70 times previously.