Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Friday 27 February 2009

27 February 2009

Despite the fact that 'everything's going against us at the moment' according to manager Newell it is time to start dusting down those well-used and freshly laundered positive thoughts ahead of the nigh-on-impossible task of trying to win at Rochdale on the morrow. Your Guest Diarist accepts that Town played some half-decent stuff in the first hour or so the other night, and even weathered a fairly harsh sending off, but it is the defensive lapses in that last half hour that seem to get us every time. I have never known a Town side so adept at creating a lead or one so adept at losing one. 2-0 up is 1.2 light years from being home free this campaign folks. I know - I've measured it.

M. Akpa Akpro has continued to train - whether he will start, sub, or watch is not known. Lulu Llewellyn is suspended of course, and Hegggaarty has told the Telegraph that his cap is in the ring to replace him. Newell mentioned Heywood's knee being better to Mariners World. This gave me a conscience as, unaware of the big man's knee condition, I had neglected to pray for it in my long nightly imploring rants to that imaginary friend in the sky. I wish that bloke would buy a channel on the proper evilSky then I could send him a text or an email and hope for a reply.

Seasoned Cod Almighty contributor Pat Bell was to be heard on the Danny Baker phone-in the other night putting an elegantly reasoned case why our beloved Town should be one of the few clubs worth saving in to the Baker ark or summat. I was too enveloped in the black dog of home defeat to listen I'm afraid but applaud the idea. What would a league be without the likes of Grimsby? When I say this I am of course only echoing what Mr McMenemy said all those years ago when he wrote a prologue to Charles Ekberg's book on Town.

The truth will remain the truth. And the truth is Town need to find a way to win again: spawny slices of good fortune we need: a team that battles to the very end and minimises its defensive frailities: oh and a team with proper full backs and a new goal keeper. Stockdale and a fit Widdowson might pass muster to achieve the former but Barnes and Newey have to be dropped. If the oh-so-close-but-not-quite-there loan signing of that young Supple from Ipswich doesn't happen then, despite unconvincing reserve team outings recently, I would give Monty a go. The few times he has played for the first team he has been blameless and Barnes head is not in the right place to play professional football for Grimsby is it?

So we enter again the fateful world of the last paragraph. The place where I exhort you to turn up to cheer the lads on tomorrow. Of course there is the issue of whether a match has ever been played in February on Spotland before. And then there is the fact that Rochdale are winning nearly every game. Only the top team Brentford have beaten them lately. Can we wipe the smile off Toner's face? Can we shackle Le Fondre and our old mate Lee Thorpe? Of course we can, but whether we get the luck, whether we dig in and keep them out, whether we unleash the legend-to-be that is our French Ivorian striker....well we will have to wait and see. See yer.