Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Thursday 23 July 2009

23 July 2009

Guest Diary here - it's the fourth Friday of a five-Friday July and everywhere is becalmed. No Ashes match: and everyone is waiting for that monumental hill climb in the Tour tomorrow. No news at all from the club, except how they want your holiday money and expect Grimsby folk to shell out fifteen quid for a plate of fish and chips before the friendly against Donny next Tuesday. Plus a tenner to watch the match. And no golf. Thank heavens for the odd small mercy then.

No word about the two possible signings - the young Welshman and the tricky winger - a bloke who routinely tries to beat his full-back and then cross the ball. I think we need one of them wingers, I do - if only to blot out the Beagrie tragedy from my mind. Trouble is, that squad size just keeps threatening to grow like topsy because we don't have the heart to take decisions about who isn't good enough to stay. What I would consider the first team squad is already at 20 - and that doesn't include the likes of Steel and Rhodes. Can we afford to take it to 22? Can we afford not to?

The average age of those 20 first teamers is 24. And of the three over 30, only Conlon looks old - but not old and past it, just lived-in, and a touch livery. But as I babble on, news comes in. Or rather the promise of news. Tomorrow, maybe tomorrow, the club will have news to announce. "Player(s)," the message said. Bate that breath, folks - at least it's better than all that incredibly boring Premiershite rumourmongering.

And look at Hull (no-one wants to sign for Hull); their squad has dropped one this week as Ricketts fled the sinking ship. So doze your way through today in the quiet satisfaction that we got our main squad assembled early, and with half-decent youngish players who like the idea of playing for Grimsby. It's a good a place as we can hope to be on the fourth Friday in July. See yer.