Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Monday 10 August 2009

10 August 2009

Here we are again, then. The season is under way, and its age-old rituals and routines have risen back to life and begun to repeat themselves once more. Town are playing well and losing against teams they really ought to beat. The players are telling the Grimsby Telegraph they know they can do better, and they'll try harder next time. The Telegraph is running a match report centred on an extended metaphor related to an aspect of the town where the Mariners' last opponents are based. And the Diary is taking the piss out of them for it. In Cheltenham's case, of course, this is horse racing - which means a barrage of references to the Mariners "galloping away", getting their "noses in front" and finally being "not at the races". Textbook stuff. Essential reading for any talented young writer aspiring to spend their life scrabbling away on a provincial newspaper. The Diary is just not quite sure how the bit in the first sentence fits in, where Town "ran out of steam" in the second half. Perhaps the 'soccer writer' responsible had already started thinking ahead to this Saturday, Crewe and railways, or perhaps it's one of those newly invented horses that move by the power of highly pressurised water vapour heated using a coal-fired boiler.

Here at Cod Almighty, of course, we try and support the club unconditionally. I mean obviously it's bloody great at the moment, having players like Peter Sweeney, Rob Atkinson and Ryan Bennett around, and hoping we can give them the stage they surely deserve - you know, like above the fourth bloody division - sooner rather than later. And - well, OK, I won't tempt fate. But it's important for a club to have fans who'll keep supporting even when everything is rubbish, and that's what we try to do here at CA - which is a good job, really, because since we launched this site in 2002 that's exactly what everything has been. So our toasty warm thanks to all of you who've celebrated the upturn in Grimsby's mood by ordering one of our new Newell revolution T-shirts since their launch on Friday. Have you also been to check out Cod Almighty's new concise match report and extended post-match factfile? I'm sure all of that relates together somehow, but I can't put my finger on how.

Mark Wilson is a fan who has stuck with the Diary through thick and thin, and has emailed at the dawn of a new season to say: "Dear Diary, in a moment of weakness I thought I'd have a look at the new, digital age, super duper Mariners World (or whatever it's now called) with the intention of subscribing if it was as super and soaraway as the hyperbole infested SNOS suggested. So I clicked on the free preview thingy and the bag of shite didn't work. That's £3.99 a month staying in my pocket and not supporting the club when they need it to fuel this season's promotion juggernaut. Come on Newell, sort it! PS Please let this season not be one filled with heart stopping, gut churning disappointment. UTM!" If only the manager could extend his revolutionary clear-out from the playing staff to the rest of the club - then we might have a superb new official website that justified the tag, eh? Incidentally, the squad now has two number 18s.

John Pakey, meanwhile, has responded to my pitiful attention seeking in last Thursday's Diary with some kind words. "I just wanted to say keep up the good work. I also wanted to say good luck for the start of the new season. Spoke to my mum today and she is dreading listening to my dad moan and grumble about the Mariners. No doubt your posts will keep him cheered up, though." Thanks very much indeed, John - and let's celebrate the return of GTFC to Radio Humberside too. We might still be losing, but at least now we're losing with half-decent coverage.