Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Wednesday 19 September 2007

19 September 2007

He's a complicated man, and no-one understands him but his boardroom. John Fenty! Understandably anxious about the poor recent attendances at Blundell Park, Town's sensitive supremo has manned the barricades with one of his occasional Club Statements in an effort to counter what he sees as "mounting criticism" of him and Lord Alan Buckley and bring the fans flocking back. Unfortunately, while the club needs a rallying cry, the chairman has again delivered only an irritable complaint which is bound to alienate much more than it inspires. It's a shame, because most of Mr Fenty's points are perfectly valid - albeit based on the fallacy that a couple of web forums represent mainstream opinion; in truth he and Buckley have much more support than he seems to realise - and it's only the tetchy, self-pitying tone that undermines the message. The Diary continues to support Positive John's chairmanship - and sure, it's bound to get you down from time to time when your every effort is met in some quarters with Grimbarian cynicism way beyond the call of duty - but for pity's sake, PJ, stop reading the messageboards and see if it's not too late to enrol in Grimsby College's evening class Introducing Marketing & Communications.

(And it could be much worse: at least he's not suing us yet.)

If you have cynicism then stop wasting it on Fenty conspiracy theories and apportion some of it where it belongs: with Sky. Why? Because the cameras are in town, and rather than televising a big cup tie against Spurs or Newcastle, Murdoch Premiership Townshafter TV is here to conduct some absurd competition or other for that matey Saturday morning programme that they use to try and be all matey with you and lull you into the misapprehension that the net effect of Sky has somehow not, in fact, been to fuck Town over utterly along with the rest of lower-division football in England. And it's not like Town should be spending the time training to actually put the ball in the sodding net for a change instead of on the crossbar or anything, is it?

Lastly today, happy news from a former Mariner, as ex-GTFC defender Young Greg has recently spent a successful month recuperating from injury with one of the four managers he played under during his two years at Blundell Park. Released to Halifax in 2005 by Russell 'Sort It' Slade, Young has just returned to the Shay from a loan with Conference North side Alfreton Town - now managed by Nicky 'The Bouncer' Law. After eight months out with knee ligament damage the player went to the Derbyshire side at the end of August to regain match fitness, and seems to have done really well - playing his part in a victory over the Mariners' doubly relegated erstwhile Lincolnshire rivals Bust'un United. Nicky Law, meanwhile, still looks terrifying.