Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Tuesday 13 February 2007

13 February 2007

As widely trailed towards the end of last week, Grahams Rodgerses has returned to Blundell Park as community development manager - and if Danny Boshell can be asked to play left-back then there's every chance that the former Town centre-half, football in the community officer, coach, assistant manager and manager will have to do some washing up in the McMenemy's kitchen just to complete the set. Both the club and its new employee sound chuffed as anything about the appointment, with the Mariners' official website pointing out that Grezbo both "previously achieved tremendous results" in the same role and is "delighted to be back". "It's great to be back... it's nice to be back," confirms La Rodge, though the Diary would give much to be a small winged insect on the side of the room when Lord Buckley catches up with him to ask for some tips on getting the most out of Gary Harkins.

Town are adding another offer to the package of cheap tickets that comprise the club's so far roaringly successful 'Be The Town's 12th Man' campaign. In a reversal of the well-worn 'free kids' deals, the cunningly named 'Vice Versa' promotion will allow full paying juniors to take an adult free of charge to the home game against Wrexham a week tonight. The Diary applauds any attempt to imbue local adults with something resembling youthful enthusiasm, but is troubled by GTFC's vague yet dark warning that "this is a family promotion and obviously the club will strictly monitor the issue and use of the special concession tickets". This sounds uncomfortably redolent of hypocritical Tory/Daily Mail/Express pronouncements on 'family values', and the club is yet to come clean on the cost of installing DNA testing equipment at the turnstiles.

Today's Grimsby Telegraph leads with a piece considering the likelihood of Martin Paterson remaining on loan with the Mariners after the Wrexham game. The infectiously enthusiastic Stoke striker has already had his term at BP extended after joining on an initial month's loan in November, and is keen to prolong his run of first-team football, telling the paper: "I want to stay for longer. I would have no problems staying." But by the end of the report, sadly, we are no nearer knowing whether he will, since GTFC have already borrowed a hell of a lot of players this season and seem as mystified as you and I by the authorities' increasingly impenetrable regulations surrounding the loan system. "Town were today seeking clarity on what the FA and Football League rules are on the loans issue," reports the Telegraph, considering whether to point out that a professional football club really should know the rules about signing players already, visualising the face of John Fenty contorted with rage, and finally thinking better of it.

Before we part company for another day, let's take a quick peek into the Diary's inbox, where an email originating at the keyboard of my sometime stand-in Durham Diary has come to rest. "Perhaps you could ask Letters Ed to produce a highlights package for his latest Postbag, just for those of us who don't have time to read 7,289 words? That's 32,771 characters without spaces (or 40,468 with). If you ask him today he might have it done by early tomorrow morning." This is the trouble with young people today, you see: no attention span. In my day we... oooh, do you reckon Steph and Boyd are gonna get back together?