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Diary - Tuesday 2 March 2010

2 March 2010

Mardy Diary writes: I didn't listen to the fans forum. I suppose I should have. I suppose I should go on Mariners World now and listen to it. But it won't change the facts - those being that the infrastructure of the club has been neglected for years while some at the club have continued to dream of conferencing facilities at out of town retail parks, and that we now are in very real danger of dropping out of the league. Listening to the forum is unlikely to give me the answers I want either. Perhaps there are no answers - or rather, no-one knows what the answers are. So, no, I'm afraid I can't summarise here what was said because I haven't listened to it. I scanned a few messageboard posts earlier which made reference to a 'farce' and thought - well, I thought I don't really want to know any more. I'll just stick my head in the sand and sing a happy tune - it's cold outside, and I don't want to be there.

Still, I will continue to attend the games: my season ticket holding days have coincided with ten years of decline, but I continue to go. Why? I'm not really sure - a sort of sense of duty I guess. But also, to chat to long-time friends enduring Town's demise with me. I could chat down the pub with any number of Premier watching football 'fans' - but they, mostly, don't get it.

However, in these dark days, there's humour to be found: I seem to have spent many recent games chatting and laughing with Poetry Al at the back of the Pontoon during matches - and there's plenty to chuckle about if you really put your mind to it. Not much has been said on this site about the alleged big fight between Newell and Fenty - but come on: who didn't read that accusation about Fenty smashing a chair twice on the floor before threatening Newell without pissing themselves laughing? I'm still laughing about it now, it's the funniest thing I've heard at Town since Slade's finest radio moment ("I could get any female off the street to do what he's done today"). That word 'farce' rears its head again, of course: but a farce is always funny for those watching, is it not? Ok - I suppose in Sky-era football supporting my proper reaction should be to cry (on camera) about Town dropping out of the league before punching a Scunthorpe fan in the face or something, but I'm afraid, once the mist clears, I'll probably just chuckle to myself a bit. But then, I always did laugh at inappropriate moments.

There is some light though: Adam Smith seems to be continuing to build on the good foundations put in place by Neil Woods with the youth team. We can only hope that some of these youngsters, with proper, continuing development, make the step up to first team level. I expect there'll definitely be opportunity should we find ourselves a division lower. In the meantime, we can look forward to Smith publishing his Inquiry into the nature and causes of the wealth of football clubs. Gripping stuff.

Oh - and that Are You Being Served? reference was really shoe-horned in to the Telegraph report of the match at the weekend. Shoe-horned with a shoe-horn made for elephants. Brutal. See you next time.