Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Friday 19 June 2009

19 June 2009

Priceless. Our beloved clubs superb new official website's copy writer(s) have excelled themselves with their piece this morning explaining the odds for promotion next season. After the expected jingoism about how Town represent amazing value at 10/1 to get out of the fourth division, the article goes on to explain that "Crewe and Bury are the clear favourites for promotion from League 2 at 3/1, with Northampton Town second favourites at 7/4." Now that surprised your Guest Diarist, who hadn't expected the likes of Bury to be top of the heap - and who was labouring under the impression that 7/4 was quite a bit shorter than 3/1. The article then proceeds to append a handy table showing all the odds for promotion. The top six in the betting are Northampton, Shewsbury, Rotherham, Bradford, Notts County and Chesterfield. Given that one of the Town directors is a horse racing trainer known for his long odds coups (especially at Cartmel, I remember), this catastrophic failure to understand betting odds, write a descending table or, indeed, read what you have just written defies belief really.

Meanwhile the Telegraph, biting its lip at the disappointment that none of the area's MPs had claimed for anything particularly controversial on expenses, brings us some news. First the sad bit, with the burning down of Darley's hotel (aka the Leaking Boot), and then the important bit about how Town have 14 signed-on players and manager Newell wants a squad of 18. Newell apparently told them: "A number around the 18 mark is my target - we have 14 at present. I would say I'm looking for another four or five before the season starts. I don't want too big a squad because then you get players who are just out of the picture and not involved - that's a waste. Last season when I arrived we had over 20 players and some were never going to play. I think it's wiser to have a smaller squad of players, who are all competing for a place."

So we need a goalkeeper and a midfielder or two (one hopes Sweeney will crack under the pressure of all those text messages from Conlon exhorting him to come and live it large in Meggies). And maybe a centre-half to replace young Bennett. I don't think anyone can confidently predict whether we will get the benefit of our young skipper for another season, but I bloody hope so. A settled squad with numbers under 20 on their backs always cheers me up - better the devil you know, I always say.

Now our ambassador to Vietnam these days hails from Horncastle. And back in the spring he brought the deputy Vietnamese foreign minister to a Town match, where she met Mike Newell. A very smiley lady who, it would seem, gave our Mike a shirt. Her trip is mentioned on the ambassador's blog where Mr Kent wrote: "Tôi rất mừng bởi thành phố nhỏ Grimsby dường như đã trở nên nổi tiếng sau bài viết rất sinh động của Linh. Tôi xin trân trọng giới thiệu với các bạn loạt bài viết của các bạn phóng viên." The only Vietnamese to English translator I could find in 30 seconds told me this said something about giving birth with friends. Let's just hope she "looks out for our result every Saturday", eh?

After that brief and out-of-date report from our Asian correspondent, I can't resist musing on our starting line-up next season. A back four of Stockdale, Bennett, Atkinson and Widdowson looks pretty damn good to me - full of youth, ability and decent attitude. We have plenty of strikers to choose from but any two from Conlon, Proudlock and the Frenchman ought to produce at least one goal in any game next season. We need a goalkeeper and it is a great shame in a way that the new arrival will be compared to Henderson, who is out of our league. In midfield is where the key signings need to be made. Clarke and Boshell are decent squad players but we need two strong signings to be able to challenge those teams around the play-off places. The next couple of weeks will reveal if we get Sweeney (my guess is that one is about 40:60 but then I'm a natural pessimist). If not, we need a ball winner and a playmaker. Dream on, eh? See yer.