Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Monday 3 September 2007

3 September 2007

Mariner's what live? Answers on an e-postcard to the usual address.

So, five games in to the new season, what can we gather thus far? All those bumper season ticket sales Town spent the summer telling us about can't have amounted to much after all, as the terms Lord Alan Buckley is able to offer to potential new players have been deemed insufficient 21 times in the last half-hour alone. A thoughtful email from Guest Diary earlier today pointed out that the squad numbers two forwards in Gary Jones and Isaiah Rankin whose strength lies more in creating than finishing goals and two more in Danny North and Andy Taylor who are too green to be expected to stick 'em in the net with any great consistency. More reliable goalscorers being at an unaffordable premium, it isn't altogether surprising that the current team is unable to put away anything like enough of the plentiful chances they create, and that's why the Mariners are "22th" in the table (I'd be interested to know how the Telewag is pronouncing that).

So far, so obvious. But the Diary has suspected for some time that this season will be a work in progress akin to Buckley's first in charge of the Mariners - the 1988-89 campaign, when Town finished ninth in the fourth division - and that only after another year with the current manager at the helm will the team be ready to challenge for the top. The Buckley way, it seems, is like a fine wine, which takes much care and time to perfect but is ultimately all the more satisfying. If you prefer the instant hit of a brightly coloured alcopop then you can always fuck off and watch the Premiership with all the other sheep, but don't come crying to the Diary when foot and mouth disease strikes and my mixed metaphor runs out of steam juice.

What's next, then? Third division Huddersfield at home tomorrow night in the Paint Pot, that's what. Ryan Bennett will be suspended after picking up a late red card in the weekend's annoying defeat at Shrewsbury, so Dave Mulligan will make a full debut at right-back, assuming he's not too knackered from Saturday. The Grimsby Telegraph tells us that the game will be preceded by a minute's applause for Town's long-serving commercial manager Tony Richardson, who retired in 2006 and died last week at the age of 63. I reckon the Mariners might as well start with Andy Taylor and just see what happens, eh? Bye for now.