Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Monday 1 March 2010

1 March 2010

Idle Diary writes: Your team is seven points from safety, there's thirteen games left in your club's season. Not the perfect situation to be holding a fan's forum. What a brave decision from John Fenty, eh? "No holds barred."

It is, until you look into the details.

The Town chairman has thought about this. It won't be an open debate at McMenemy's. There'll be no fans in attendance. And no mediation from a body like Radio Humberside. It'll just be you, watching it all through the club's Superb New Official Site. Fenty will be sat behind a computer, avoiding any potentially uncomfortable face-to-face explaining or confrontations.

Oh, Fenty will say, this sort of thing is what will take us down, this kind of criticism, this kind of attack, this kind of negativity, this is the sort of thing that has the club where it is. That's right, John, it's always us, the fans. It's never you who faults. Nothing is ever down to your fellow board members either. It's always us fans, who have turned up, and never stopped supporting, willing the team to turn it round. We've put up with this for years. Yes, years. Year of misery. Never mediocrity. Just bottom of the table scrapping. Season after season after season, with one year off for good behaviour for Sladeball.

Every one of those painful, miserable, fucking seasons was down to a decision taken by the chairman and the board of Grimsby Town Football Club. We get to have our say in what our kit will be - our fucking kit for fuck's sake! - while those in charge of the club make decisions that matter. Yeah, so you foot the bill, as you keep telling us, lending the club money to keep it going. But let's be honest, time and time again, you've fucked up. Let's just keep lending the club money, until somehow the shower of shit slides off.

Tonight, a time to engage the people, to talk about decisions, to discuss outcomes, to think about the future of our club, whatever, everything. Tonight, the one time (or the latest time) you need the club's leader to stand up, really show some balls, and to take it like a man. This isn't about John Fenty the politician, this is about John Fenty the chairman, the leader of your club. And what's he doing? Hiding behind a computer screen.

Shall we all just give up now? Or shall we all march down to Blundell Park tonight and demand the forum we deserve?