Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Tuesday 18 January 2011

18 January 2011

Idle Diary writes: Huey Morgan's deep laconic drawl is not the sort of voice you want to hear at lunchtime. It makes one pine for a sofa to stretch out on and have a wee power nap. Not the sort of thing you need when you are work, and no such sofa is on hand. And especially when you have a Tuesday diary to pen. So, excuse me if I drift off. It's been a long week already.

Funny, but reading messageboards last week, a laconic drawl is what I imagined most Town fans used to address last Saturday's FA Whatever tie at Chasetownwhereeverthatis. But in the light of Town being beaten by a lesser club - and hardly the first time the Mariners have succumbed to the inevitable embarrassment - the result, the match, they've suddenly meant something. Somehow. Cheap option Woodses! Fenty's puppet! Overpaid players! The players don't care. Excuse me while I yawn.

Losing to shit teams comes in this man's expectancy locker these days. We've been doing this sliding down the leagues thing for, what, ten years now. That Town currently sit ninth in the Conference is a surprise to me. That's not bad. That means Town have won and drawn some games. That means Woods is actually doing quite a decent job. But listen to Town fans and read the coverage in the local paper, and you'd think Town were bottom after a run of millions of defeats. It's such a boo-hoo-hoo to a section of the Town fans, and moreso to the Grimsby Telegraph who provoke matters. A defeat is a bitter blow to Town's promotion chances. Fuck this, man. Under Buckley we were never the greatest away, but we nailed it at home.

I will say this: I like Woods, I like the cut of his jib, and I think all this resistance from all quarters will have him out sooner or later. And then the same for the next man. And the next man. That's the deep-rooted shite that Woods spoke of.

The performance and result at Chasetownwhereeverthatis didn't bother this diarist so much, more the response from Chairman John, saddling in with another of his stock OS splatters. The man I pity the most here is Woods himself, who is clearly hurting. And to be honest, if my boss criticised me so publicly I'd tell him to stick one. Fenty, again, needs to learn some man-management skills. This is hardly motivational stuff. What does he think he is? A politician? The longer these things go on from the top, the more I think that Fenty deserved the Newell shafting. Players not giving a shit, teams not gelling - it's been happening for years, as long as Fenty has been bankrolling the club with stupider and stupider amounts of stupidity. But Newell? He gave as good vocally as Fenty has dished out to Town managers previously. Newell, that icon, that symbol of the chase-the-dream which Fenty seems to happily splash the cash at. Newell, that fallen idol.

As a fan you never know what goes on in the club. If it's as deep-rooted as Woods suggested on his arrival, it'd be interesting to see how some of those well-travelled players who have had stints at Blundell Park compare GTFC to any of their other haunts (like, say, Martin Gritton, who has just left Chesterfield).

By the way, what was the point in John Deehan's two month stint as a "head of recruitment"?

Anyhow, Town are playing tonight. Against Kettering, at Blundell Park. Team news: Ademeno is doubtful, out are Coulson (knee) and Ridley (stomach strain).

Further afield, Luton Town are going to let season ticket holders into their rearranged league match against York City for free, despite a Conference ruling saying they shouldn't. Given the original game was abandoned after 56 minutes, part of me applauds Luton for letting their fans in for free. But then you read about Luton and York having 'previous' and... it's the return of my laconic drawl...