Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Friday 29 October 2010

29 October 2010

The modern media view of football is obsessed by statistics. We get told a lot of really nerdy stuff by commentators, pundits, journos and even fellow fans. Managers always claim they don't take much notice, but they do really, always seeming to admit that, yes actually, they were aware of this fact or that stat. The one doing the rounds this week is that Eastbourne have scored as many goals as Luton so are joint league top-scorers. But they have conceded more than any other team so that's why they're nestling in mid-table obscurity like we nearly are. The Eastbourne Borough web site takes minor comfort from the fact that Town have scored fewer home goals than any of the other sides in the top ten of the division and can't resist naming all the teams who have taken points at Blundell Park this season. So clubs can tit for tat each other with facts until the cows come home and no-one still really has a clue whom will beat who in this league.

Neil Woods counter-claims thus week that the league is, in fact, starting to take shape and that the larger squads and better resources of the bigger clubs are starting to tell. Hmmm. There's one more statistic I'd like to share with him about Town. Our kiwi-resident statistican 'fan zone' Andy Holt has come up with the figures to back up what we already know: if Town go a goal down they don't win. In 16 league games Town have failed to score first ten times. Take out the two no-score draws and you are left with one win, two draws and five losses in the games where the opposition have broken the deadlock first. We might be spending more money than most of our opponents and have a better 'quality' squad but your Guest Diarist reckons our leadership and mental strength ratings must be pretty damn low with those figures.

Boo! Sort it Woodses! I mean it. There is nothing more dispiriting than watching a game where the opposition scores first and you know there is no fight in your team. Do a bit less coaching on shape and a bit more motivational stuff - you need to find your leaders and nurture them.

So, any way, Coulson has now been declared fully fit having suffered no negative reactions from his two first team outings. And Gobern's thigh strain has cleared up whilst Arthur's finger is mended but still a bit hurty when he bends it a certain way. So O'Donnell will play tomorrow and then bid us farewell. Wright has extended his stay and is chomping at the bit to play. Despite Woodses praise of our midfield performance in midweek (!?!) it is very noticeable that the manager has rushed to confirm that our loanee will be first on the team sheet tomorrow. To complete the injury round up Watt's knee will keep him out of the first team for another three weeks so it is good that we have plenty of alternative centre halves to take it in turns to fail to defend the far post crosses and then swear to the Telegraph that they will improve soon.

As for Eastbourne (read it here folks because our fact-filers are spread across the country doing all kinds of crazee stuff this week): well they got knocked out of the cup by Ryman leaguers Harrow, so they panicked and loaned two players from Bournemouth in the 'highly promising youngster' category that we Town fans have learned to be wary about. The week before they had felt the first tremors of a problem and re-loaned Luke Rooney from Gillingham who pulled them out of the shit last season. Their top scorer has stopped scoring, they are part-timers and are looking forward to their victory at Grimsby in their first ever visit. All they have to do is score first it would seem.

But getting back to us, then, of course, there is the Ademeno question. He pulled out of contention Tuesday afternoon a bit panicky over his sore knee (is it all in his head now?). The side needs a regular partner for Connell. And if you drew an identikit Ademeno's profile looks promising - pace, aggression and as Hansen would put it: the desire. But is he ever going to stay fit long enough to settle in and gel (sorry, score)? It's a worry alright. Woodses reports Ademeno has trained well all week. Mr Moore, with his physio hat on, is more guarded offering up a 'maybe, but only on the bench' prognosis for tomorrow with the hope of re-arranging a reserve game next week to test the lad out. I'd say if Ademeno isn't playing every week, and scoring at least one in three, by Christmas then our lower mid-table prediction will still have legs.

As for the midfield I think the club should go out in the January transfer window and nick a player from one of our rivals instead of gazing wistfully at football league journeymen - the has-beens, the crocked and the piss-heads. We have seen a good handful of decent opposition midfield players boss us in matches this season. All playing for smaller clubs who would be attracted by the 'bright lights of Cleethorpes'.

Take Tamworth purely as an example: small club whom we can't beat in three attempts. They work hard, they are organised and they take their chances. Rodman up front and Jay Smith in midfield would be great assets. We would have a good chance of signing them given that the directors have already planned to finance the club through a £700,000 loss this season and continue to think that if we act like a league club we will be one again soon. Mr Woods needs to accept that the squad he declared himself so happy with at the season's outset is missing a couple of players and start looking around him for solutions - he'll have been manager a year three weeks on Wednesday. That statistic must mean something gentle reader. See yer.