Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Wednesday 1 February 2006

1 February 2006

Welcome to February: a month the Sun newspaper starts as it undoubtedly means to go on by including in its transfer deadline day round-up the news that Rochdale have signed "goalkeeper Simon Ramsden" from Grimsby. Remember, folks: these people decide who manages the England team.

Well, wasn't yesterday fun? Gary Cohen signed up until the end of next season and Russ sorted it by bringing in a Proper Winger in the shape of Swansea's Marc Goodfellow. OK, so we lost Martin Gritton to Lincoln, Michael Reddy to Luton and worst of all Tommy Taylor to the slot machines down Meggies, but hell, we've got something to talk about. Goodfellow is an interesting one: a genuine wide player of whom Diary reader John Pakey says: "If he is still up to speed in the way I saw him play last season we've got a good signing on our hands. He's got brilliant pace and can strike a ball with venom. I hope if he can settle in we have a good signing here. Just need someone on the left-back slot who is solid enough to support the defensive duty behind him; I think he is a bit weak on that front." Fans of the player's previous clubs initially sounded equally excited about him, but Goodfellow seems not to have followed up on early promise: in a year and a half at Bristol City he managed eight starting appearances, five goals, and three loan periods to other clubs. Four more goals in eight outings for Swansea prompted a 'permanent' move last summer, but since then he has only made the starting line-up five times. An enigma wrapped in a conundrum wrapped in Terry Cooke's overcoat? Let us sincerely hope not, but if all else fails GTFC can use Goodfellow's big lugs to harness wind energy and power the floodlights.

Early internet coverage of Town's most recent signing has been nothing if not predictable, as anticipated by the end of John Pakey's email to the Diary: "He impressed me when I saw him and he was a jolly Good-fellow. Oh, I thought I'd be the first to do that. Am I? Probably not." No, John - you're not, but thanks for the information.

Just as the transfer double glazing shuts out the sound of any more juicy player gossip for the next few months, Russell Slade has been not very sensationally linked by the Grimsby Telegraph to the managerial vacancy at second division Derby County. "Speculation around the post is believed to have included the Town boss as a contender," insists the local rag tabloidetically, with not so much as the vaguest whiff of quotations, sources, citations or scholarly references listed under the Harvard system of indexing. "Slade is originally from the East Midlands," continues the report desperately, only just stopping short of using the same reason to name Alan Buckley as another candidate for the job.

Earlier in the week, you might recall, the Diary asked for your opinions on Town's current run of poor form and where the side might go from here. After the Peterborough game you might have gone to the messageboards and said the Mariners would be lucky to end the season in the top half of the table, but by the time you reached your email you'd calmed down a bit. "While I've never been one of Justin Whittle's big fans," writes Sibbo, "it seems that all the comments on Humberside after Saturday's game point to his absence being a key factor in Town's shaky defence. I have to agree and either he must return quickly or Son of Futch has to perform better than he did for Boston. Justin is unlikely to cut it in a higher division but Rambo probably will (given the chance, that is). Matt Bloomer did not have a good game on Saturday, being outjumped on nearly every occasion. He did, however, have solid games at fullback. Ciaran Toner was unlucky to be dropped, having chipped in with some important goals of late, but this Woodhouse guy played well so sort that one out yourself Russ. If you're not a free-scoring team, you have to be solid at the back. We were but we're not at the moment. Get that right and we'll go up."

That's the spirit, eh? And last night's results could have turned out much worse for GTFC, with both Orient and Northampton failing to win and overhaul Sladey's strugglers. Michael Shelton has a more succinct, if altogether less cheerful, take on January's activities in the transfer market: "Futcher and G Jones or Ramsden and Gritton? I know who I'd rather watch play." The point is taken regarding Fen Butcher, but an important distinction needs to be made between the two forwards in Mikey's equation, to wit: Martin Gritton doesn't move because he chooses not to; Gary Jones doesn't move because he can't.