Cod Almighty | Diary
Diary - Monday 24 August 2009
24 August 2009
"I think your campaign to Shut Down The Town is quite brilliant in its concept and I wish to goodness that I too, as a long-suffering Town fan, could find a way to alleviate the pain. However, I've been a fan for some 42 years and in spite of the fact that I've lived in south Manchester for 40 of those years I've always followed my home town team and have resisted the temptation to follow either of the big Manchester clubs. Like you, in times of 'suffering and shattered hope' (as you so accurately put it) I question the wisdom of my allegiance since the pain in following Town generally outweighs the pleasure.
"However, even in the depths of my despair my mind often drifts back to better days - beating Everton at home in the League Cup in 1979 and again a few years later at Goodison, the great Grimsby side of the early 1980s largely made up of home grown talent such as Drinkell, Wilkinson, Ford, Lund and the Moore brothers. I remember watching them more than hold their own in the second flight, beating far bigger clubs, among them Manchester City 4-1 (oh joy of joys!). I remember Buckley's first side winning two consecutive promotions and the tears of joy as we defeated Exeter to pip Bolton Wanderers to promotion on the last day of the season. I remember Buckley's next side winning twice on the hallowed turf of Wembley, Burnett's golden goal and Donovan's play-off winner. There have been some other (though fewer of course) joyous occasions since but we all live in the hope that more will follow.
"That word 'hope' is crucial to us small club fans and at times it seems to be all we have. However, is it a good thing to rely on hope since, as the great philosopher Nietzsche put it: 'Hope is the worst of evils for it prolongs the torment of man.' He also said: 'The miserable have no other medicine than hope' and I'm beginning to wonder did he visit Blundell Park for his inspiration?
"To conclude, hope still lingers deep in my weary soul and so on balance I feel I must (though reluctantly it has to be said) decline the kind invitation to join your campaign. Mind you, tomorrow I'm off to Bury, more in hope than expectation of course, so can I hold on to the invitation until after the weekend?
Yours hopefully,
John England.
"PS. If our football team could match the excellent Cod Almighty website they'd be sitting pretty near the top of the Premier. Keep up the good work boys and girls and never give up hope."
Along with the 364 other Town fans who made it over to Gigg Lane on Saturday, John England would presumably have felt rather chuffed with his decision after Barry Conlon's close-range first-half header got the Mariners off the mark for the 2009-10 campaign. David Lawrenson of the Manchester Evening News, meanwhile, should be feeling rather less pleased with himself for reporting that "just like last season, rock bottom Grimsby Town picked up their first points of the League Two campaign at Gigg Lane". First win last season, David, if you please - Town had picked up a mighty six points from draws by that point, thankyou very much. And just when Bury fans had started to believe that all their hopes for this season were misplaced after losing to the likes of Grimsby, here comes another massive kick in the chops to confirm it: they might be signing Tom Newey.
John Fenty (Con) has rocked the Football League's boat of complacency after Sir Brian Useless Mawhinney vigorously congratulated himself last week on the latest apparent fall in money 'committed' to agents by the FL's 72 clubs. The Mariners appeared in the League's report as one of the clubs that didn't 'commit' cash to agents - an unpleasant euphemism for 'give' favoured by the spin wonks who put the report together - in the 12 months to June 2009, but the club's chairman has told the Grimsby Telegraph its basically all bollocks because clubs are still paying agents' fees as part of the wages they 'commit' to players. It may be a long time since Blur played Cleethorpes Pier, but close your eyes and listen to Tories fighting each other, and it could almost still be the 1990s.
Jean-Paul Kalala is training with Yeovil, his prospects of first-team football at Huish Park having risen considerably now that Russell Slade has left. Alan Buckley is being 'linked with' the vacancy for a manager at Gainsborough Trinity, but won't be interested. And finally, Peter Hopgood has emailed in response to Guest Diary's request last Friday for observations about Mr Re-Newell's interesting contractual arrangement at Luton. "All I can say is that if any company is stupid enough to put a clause in somebody's contract like that then the employee is entitled to expect it to be paid," offers Peter, bluntly. "Rather like the employer expects the employee to turn up to work on a regular basis. However, my worry would be if MN receives his £2.8m. Then what? If I had £2.8m handed over to me, my current employers wouldn't see me for dust! Would MN want to carry on? Think of the choices, cool drinks on a luxury yacht somewhere hot and sunny... or dealing with us! Our loss; his gain." Or is it? "I perceive a slight hardening of attitudes to him already after our start to the season. Are the great Grimsby public thinking last season's god might yet have feet of clay? Or is it just a bit muddy on the pitch? I'll get my coat." At this point it's only fair to make clear that Peter's email arrived before Saturday's annual renaissance at Gigg Lane. Even the Tommy Forecast is for brighter spells ahead!