Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Friday 31 August 2007

31 August 2007

Welcome to the Friday transfer deadline Guest Diary. A day when one expects sports writers to use the words 'last' and 'gasp' in very close proximity. Thank your god that Town aren't likely to cause a kerfuffle by signing a top-name striker who has contractually guaranteed the club not to get injured, fat, drunk or demotivated and to score 20 goals by Easter.

Alan Buckley, in his superb interview with Mariners World (to which you could purchase 182 annual subscriptions for the price of one Arsenal share) has admitted defeat in his search for another signing this week. Well, he hasn't actually, because he has never said he absolutely had to make one. AB admitted making "five or six enquiries" with second-flight clubs but the wage structure in that division is "absolutely crazy" and that he is not prepared to "bankrupt the club" to get his man. Mind you, as Hull have signed Caleb Folan (their six hundred and thirty-third striker this decade, by my reckoning), maybe we can scrounge someone out of their reserves after all.

Lord Buckley commented that he really needed an experienced player because he had youth aplenty and that inexperienced players tend to blow hot and cold. He reminded the stoical interviewer that Martin Paterson, despite some bright performances, had his quiet games too last season. And then he started to talk about Peter Bore. The words 'hot', 'cold', 'hit' and 'miss' came out in rapid succession and the great man expressed his frustration at the thrusting young heterosexual's performance for the stiffs this week: "For 20 minutes he was unplayable but when we tried him through the middle he did nothing." Buckley confessed to having had a recent chat with Mr Bore about his need for mental toughness. Don't expect him to start up front any time soon then, Mr Purpleman.

In a conveniently timed training incident, the magnificent Justin Whittle has gone over on his ankle and looks like missing tomorrow's match at Shrewsbury. Fortunately for the grandest of old stagers, his protégé Ryan Bennett can take his rightful place at centre-back, leaving the right-back position for debutant Kiwi Dave Mulligan. "This is not rocket science," said a deadpan Buckley to the camera. The manager thinks that it is too soon for Luke Foulkes to be blooded and that Mulligan is a very talented footballer who is good in the air and athletic. Very much my type of player, mused Buckley, presumably wondering whether he could play the 'did you a favour exposing Paterson to you' card with the Scunny manager in a month's time. Town have no other worthwhile injury worries for tomorrow.

Your Guest Diarist had the pleasure of going to Gay Meadow last season, and caught a glimpse of the New Meadow as we left town. It is a long way from anywhere, gentle reader, and bereft of parking facilities. But Buckley's contacts tell him the playing surface is superb. Last year Shrewsbury played multiball, which is basically a way for the home side to cheat by speeding up set pieces when it suits them and slowing down the game for the opposition. It should be banned by the Football League. My own spies tell me that it is a big pitch, and that this is an opportunity to run the legs off the opposition. Shrewsbury manager Gary Peters is worried about that prospect too - look what he has said to his official website: "At the beginning of the season I've got concerns about their fitness full stop. We've got a number of players who didn't do a full pre-season and at the moment we are winging it. We are trying to get those players who aren't match fit through the games and we always thought the first five or six weeks of the season would be the toughest time for us."

Now I happen to think that the current Town side are the fittest we have seen for ages. And I notice that young Mr Mulligan was surprised by the intensity of his first training session. So my hope setting, with regard to points tomorrow, has been set to 'bodes well' on the strength of that alone. Let's hope for an away win, but not get upset if we don't get one, eh? Remember that Town are Town, and we love them unconditionally. See yer.