Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Friday 19 October 2007

19 October 2007

Kneeling at Lord Buckley's feet for this week's Mariners World interview, Dale Ladson had the temerity to ask the wily veteran whether he would change the teams formation to accommodate new frontman Martin Butler. In an earlier interview with Town centre-half Nick Fenton, Dale had adopted a very different strategy. First of all he had made himself sound like a cross between Mrs Merton and Louis Theroux when coyly remarking that Mr Fenton "must have been pleased with your form so far this season". This, of course, provoked Fenners to retort that he thought he had been pretty rubbish just lately and that he and young Master Bennett had been bested by the Rochdale strikers, especially Murray. But a cute question about how Butler was settling in possibly gave the answer that Lord Buckley wouldn't give. Fenton thinks it will be Rankin and Butler up top on Saturday. Your Guest Diarist certainly wouldn't bet against it.

Buckley did confirm that Butler will start the match at Wycombe tomorrow. And that Bolland has finally succumbed under the weight of an assortment of niggles so will miss out. Hunt has got over the sore groin which caused him to come off at half time in the reserve match (a very convenient temporary malaise, the cynical among you may mutter) and that Boshell is back in the squad, bushy-tailed if not bright-eyed after taking delivery of his latest acquisition (Buckley's words not mine). Whittle was not mentioned but I am fairly sure he will be in the starting line-up for reasons that will be given in the next depressing paragraph.

We don't win at Wycombe do we? Ever. After a slightly slow start they are looking ominously good - especially at home. A strong midfield and quality strikers. But maybe they are good enough to let us play and, as Lord Buckley explained, "when we have the ball we are a great side". Of course, when we don't have the ball we are not very good at all. Buckley has been working on this facet in training all week, he told us. Now is the time for our first clean sheet of the season methinks. But for all those reasons I just expounded I wouldn't bet on it. And Wycombe need just two goals to reach the meaningless milestone of 1,000 goals in league football. Not tomorrow, thank you very much, eh?

Grimsby Town chairman 'Positive' John Fenty is taking questions, the superb new official website tells us. And later on we will get his answers. Is he a Marmite man? Does he ever get the urge nowadays to listen to a plague of lighthouse keepers? And why is he such a recalcitrant motorist when he is a successful businessman (his words) and ought to know better? These are examples of questions that your insane correspondent has resolved not to ask for fearing of making Mr Fenty show his prickly side. But one I will ask is for him to explain to us what is the budgeted break-even crowd required at the new stadium to make the club at least break even. He must know the answer to that one, surely? See yer.