Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Monday 21 February 2011

21 February 2011

Mardy Diary writes: Right, we'll keep this quick I'm afraid. It's half-term, I'm in the middle of cooking a curry and this system identification of frequency response paper isn't going to write itself...

If you're looking for analysis of the weekend's capitulation (that'll be this weekend, rather than any of the preceding ones over the last ten years - I know it's hard to differentiate), then look no further than Pat Bell's excellent match report (along with our post-match factfile, of course). It is rather depressing, if not predictable, reading though. I'm talking about the football there - not Pat's writing. That's great. Pat does leave us a glimmer of hope at the end though - something that the less rabid among us can cling on to. The morsel that will see us through to the next serving of gruel.

Among all the usual post-match talk from the usual sources, there doesn't seem much mention of what to do with the midfield for the next four games. That's right - Cummins' second successive red (and this a straight red) means he will miss the next four matches. Some will say we won't miss him - I'd say he's seemed alright in recent matches, but don't misinterpret that as high praise (yeah, you will Meeky, I know what you're like).

But with Cummins out, Leary half-fit and, at best, a substitute, Hudson frustratingly seeming to contain a decent player who never quite gets out, Sinclair never convincingly fit, Peacock old and not really a midfielder and Bryan Hughes still, one supposes, nursing a tight hamstring, we're still left with no real central midfield. It's becoming the elephant in the room with GTFC and an elephant that keeps getting bigger and bigger and making loud parping noises while shouting: "Look at me, I'm a big elephant." Perhaps the elephant could play in midfield? I dunno.

Or perhaps, at home at least, we could just dig up the central area of the pitch and play with four wingers. At least that way other teams' central midfielders would struggle a bit more. Or maybe, just maybe, we could sign a bloody central midfielder who would take the team by the scruff of its neck, control the game and allow what seem like decent players in other positions to get on and do their job. It'll have to be a loan of course - although I'm not sure what the rules are on signing players from below the Conference: does the transfer window apply at that level? Anyone?

Phew. And I didn't even have time to respond to another wet email from Dave Bell, who now seems to be confusing the word 'diary' with 'calendar'. Seeya...