Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Thursday 7 September 2006

7 September 2006

Luton's efforts to secure a place in next season's Premiership have been hit by the news that star striker Luton's Michael Reddy will be out of action for up to three months. The player has been troubled with a hip problem for some months, but it was only this week that the Kenilworth Road physio team got round to sending him for an exploratory operation, which revealed a rough surface on the hip joint. Surgeons operated immediately to correct the problem and it is hoped that Reddy will rejoin the Hatters' promotion campaign before the crucial Christmas fixture programme.

As we know, GTFC have obligingly rearranged entire swathes of the season so that, rather than support the Mariners, people can go to half-arsed public 'fun' events at the Boating Lake and watch a team of shrugging millionaires pretending to represent their country at football. The campaign continues this Saturday with the lunchtime screening at Blundell Park of some Premiership bollocks or other, giving the malcontents more of the unreasonable yardstick by which they are wont to judge the current Town team. "Liverpool v Everton Live and Beer at a £1 per pint! [sic.] What more could you ask for?" blurts the club's official website. How about Grimsby Town FC live and beer at a £1 per pint? No? OK, I'll support another club then.

Just time, then, for a final bit of catching up on some of the emails you sent while I was away the other week (and the week before that). Our old chum Sibbo has written: "This is a late start to the season but after my computer woes I'm back on the web and have a bit of catching up to do. Still that appears to be the case with Grimsby Town Football Club, doesn't it? John McDermott a Time Lord! Where did all those years go? On the pitch Town haven't exactly played as a team. In fact against Crewe they didn't even play. That was the most disappointing part of it for me. At least last season we competed and made it hard for the opposition to settle into a rhythm. Except at Cardiff, when it mattered, of course. Even the infamous thrashing at Lincoln wasn't as bad (in my opinion). Maybe this season we'll sneak in on the rails and upset one of the early pacemakers. I don't want to be too critical at this stage as the new players need a few games to settle in but there's an awful lot of work to be done on the training ground and unfortunately I'm not the man for the job. So I'll have to rely on those with the responsibility and keep on paying my 15 squid for now." Well said, sir - and as Pat Bell notes in this week's Postbag, we had fewer points than now at this stage of the 1997-98 season. I think something quite good happened at the end of that year.

That's all from this part-timer for the current working week, but remember: lay off the boos, and a guest Diary is better than a guessed official website. T'ra!