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Diary - Friday 31 December 2010

31 December 2010

George Kerr said in the papers this morning that he was ecstatic to be awarded the CBE. Your Guest Diarist, who is continually amazed at the secret achievements and hobbies of folk which are only revealed by that Wikipedia is astonished to discover that George received the order of the Rising Sun from the Japanese emperor last month. And that he is the president of the British Judo Association. No mention that I can find of any accolade awarded to Sir John of McDermott. A shame as the Prime Minister has claimed that at least three quarters of this years honours have gone to 'local heroes'. Like that bloke who sold Cadbury down the river and then put gas prices up despite his company announcing their next profit was definitely going to be over two billion quid. Those acts of local heroics got him a knighthood.

The superb new official Town web site is sweating with panic as no-one has bought a ticket for tomorrow's game. After crying wolf one time too many with their 'almost definitely on' mantra of recent weeks the removal of the word almost hasn't, they obviously feel, done enough to convince folks to turn up at Blundell Park. Hastily shot 'free view' video shows the solemn ceremony of the fork being eased in to the playing surface. It doesn't actually go in very far but a separate article shouts to us that the match is on and that there is neither frost nor standing water in evidence at the ground. Only a cruel and bizarre toilet catastrophe can thwart them now.

The match preview continues with an interview with Dave Moore. Manager Woodses obviously not being able to face trotting out the tired old rhetoric for the sixth time in a month. Predictably we have another chat about 3G artificial pitches or Astroturf as Dave is naturally prone to call them. You can do anything on a 3G he tells us. Which gives him the lead-in to spout on about 'twisting and turning' with his usual gusto. Everyone's fit Mr Moore tells us - his treatment room is empty. Even Watt is back training with everyone else, and Moore alludes to younger players returning from loan spells without bothering to name who or when.

But, of course, the players aren't match fit. Unlike opponents Mansfield who thumped Cambridge 5-1 away on Tuesday. This after stuffing Worksop in their previous match a month earlier 5-0 in the FA Trophy. Gulp.

Charles Ademeno has been confessing to the Telegraph in the usual manner. Except that he sounds very very nervous. Dave Moore, after declaring everyone in the squad to be fit made a telling comment to the effect that Ademeno keeps having 'little scares' with his knee. Ademeno is scared of his injury re-occurring, he's scared because he hasn't hit the back of the net all season, he's scared because he's nowhere near match fit (in his estimation anyway). Mr Ademeno is a very worried man. All that training ground bravado, all those special training-ground-goals; all that means nothing, nothing, nothing without a goal. It's a man's man's man's world out there Charles.

And maybe there's another reason to explain the Ademeno fear factor thing. An article in the Northern Echo speculates that Peterborough's Liam Hatch who has been on loan at Darlington has signed a contract with Grimsby Town. Hatch, a big twenty eight year old striker, has been doing a Livvo at centre half for the Quakers but they can't afford to buy him. Town, on the other hand, can just knock Hatch's fee of what they owe us for Bennett presumably.

Believe me gentle reader, it's on tomorrow and the world is re-awakening with transfer bombshells, approaching hangovers and the prospect of only one more long weekend until the world has to start grafting normally again. Get yourself to Blundell Park on the morrow and watch some football. See yer.