Cod Almighty | Diary
Diary - Wednesday 19 November 2008
19 November 2008
Russell Slade's two-year tenure at Blundell Park saw a number of recurrent themes. There was a tendency towards direct football. There was much use of the phrase 'work ethic'. There was a belief that anyone who speaks French must, in fact, be French, even if they are African. And there was a tendency for foreign players to turn up for trials, only to leave the next day after the club failed to secure international clearance for them to play a reserve game. While Mike Newell has not, so far, referred to Jean-Paul Kalala as "the Frenchman", one of these themes was reprised yesterday as Town's second string beat Sheffield Big Wednesday 2-1 without the assistance of young left-back Carlos Delgado Rodriguez, who had arrived from Malaga for a run-out but - as not foreseen in any way by yesterday's Diary - was unable to play after the paperwork didn't go through in time. Fellow trialist Mickael Buscher made a second appearance for the stiffs and two goals from Danny North should place him in contention when the first team face Bournemouth this Friday, but the GTFC admin team's apparent inability to operate a fax machine means that, for another week at least, Tom Newey can relax. Sorry - I mean Tom Newey can continue to relax.
Staying with yesterday's reserve game, there is, as yet, no word from Mariners chiefs on whether the substitute named on the club's superb new official website as Liam Da is a further foreign trialist or whether a Team SNOS member typing in the name of youth teamer Liam Davis got distracted by Robbie Fowler pulling up in the BP car park. These things happen, you know. The Diary is still waiting to learn "How to join up with the Mariners" 16 months after the SNOS promised that "How to join up with the Mariners will appear here soon".
Still staying with yesterday's reserve game - well, there's not much else to tell you about, really - Mark Wilson has emailed the Diary with another observation on the teamsheet. "The SNOS reports that a Bradley Wood(s) turned out for the stiffs yesterday," he writes. "Tell me that's an in-joke and some wag at the Nou Camp of the North uses that name for anonymous trialists. Is this going to start a trend? Can I expect Freeman Street and Bradley's brother Wybers to turn out for the Mariners? I demand to be told!" Not so, Mark - the SNOS explains elsewhere that "Bradley Wood also Leicestershire born joined the Mariners School of Excellence at U16's. Bradley is an ultra competitive right full back who can also play in central midfield." That's settled, then - though the Diary is still searching for information about Bradley and Wybers' younger sibling Weelsby, youth team centre-back Sidney Park, and the Marsh brothers, East and West.
It's a "Friday Night Football Special" when Bournemouth come up to Cleethorpes for a big six-pointer this weekend, which is good news for local parents of children who are under 16 but old enough to stay up until ten o'clock and interested in watching their local football team, as the club won't be charging for said youngsters to attend ("Download you Kids Free voucher here"). This occasion is rather less special, however, for fans of Bournemouth, as the decision to switch the game to the Friday night means so few of them are able to make the journey that the coach booked to carry them to the game has been cancelled.