Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Monday 28 September 2009

28 September 2009

Did he fall? Was he pushed? When your time comes, and you stand face to face with the Grimsby Reaper, it makes very little difference. So it was that, after his bottom-of-the-league side failed even to beat lowly Grimsby on Saturday, Colin Todd's brief spell as manager of Darlington came abruptly (and probably inadvisedly, given that his team actually looked half decent) to an end. "We have to do something to turn things around and Colin is experienced enough to appreciate this," said Quakers chairman Raj Singh. "I haven't taken the easy way out. A decision was made by the chairman and it was entirely his decision," said Todd. "Prepare to face thy doom, manager, after thy team failed even to beat lowly Grimsby, as did Sharp, Bruce, Strachan, Burley, Francis, Quinn and Butcher before thee," the Reaper told the post-match press conference.

Diary reader Alan Richardson, meanwhile, has emailed to say: "Thanks for the link to the GET reports on the various youth teams. There may well have been a not bad set of results, but you have to wonder about the future of our beloved Mariners with some of the names on display. Do we really have to look forward to the likes Trent Richardson, Lewis Hoad, Kieren Helsdon and Oakley Ludington, Ellis Humble and someone with the marvellous surname of Winfarrah? Can I see this being sung with much gusto from the Pontoon in years to come? 'There's only one Oakley Ludington'? Hmmm - not really. Makes Bradley Wood seem an almost sensible name. At least Brandon Buckley gives us some hope. Whatever happened to good old-fashioned names like Gary, Kevin, Dave and Tony? But I guess a sensible name doesn't mean a good footballer - look at Tom Newey." Well, yes, but it's a point worth making. With the likes of Mackenzie De Vries, Robson Burnett and Cole Mills also passing through the youth system, either Neil Woods is making a point of signing young players who have two surnames and no first name, or the midwives of North East Lincolnshire are spiking the epidurals with LSD.