Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Thursday 31 March 2011

31 March 2011

Things seem to be settling down at Blundell Park these days. There's not been a sacking for over a month, there's not been a red card for a few weeks and I'm pretty sure there's been no impromptu car park-based speeches of late, although maybe I've just not been hanging out in car parks enough, or at all, to be honest. We're not getting a daily board update, there's a manager or two in place, and Gary Birtles is back signing his books. All quiet on the eastern front then. The perennial lull has returned after just a few short weeks of vociferous headlines with which to litter a Thursday diary. You find your Part-Time Diary tirelessly refreshing NewsNow but to no avail. So come on Fenty, sort it out. I'm only joking John - don't sack anyone. Please.

The most newsworthy news item on this slow news day comes from outside our troubled club. The Sony Radio Academy Award nominees (I'd never heard of them either) have been released. Naturally I was curious to see just who had been nominated for this prestigious award and lo and behold nestled between World Cup Breakfast, Fighting Talk and a Darren Gough jolly in the best sports programme category are John Tondeur and Dave Burns and friends. They've been nominated for the Grimsby Town relegation programme. The other four nominees are pretty big, mainstream programmes so it's recognition for a job well done at Radio Humberside, in what was most certainly a local interest broadcast. Let's hope they win it. Maybe some of the winning mentality will trickle down to the club.

Hurst has been Telling The Telegraph that the squad needs to accept that they're in the Conference, presumably as we now know it's going to be at least another year. Even the most fervent of optimist must be giving up hope on the play-offs with just eight games to go now. Hurst, after a quick squad assessment, and viewing a microcosm of the season so far in the last few games, thinks that "many are capable of playing at a higher level from our initial look at them. But they have to perform consistently and do well at this level first." I agree Paul; the real issue is how to do that? I hope you've got more ideas than me on that one.

I usually rely on a Wednesday reserve game to fill a few lines of a Thursday, but even that's been taken from me. However, 'Youths At It Again' grabbed my attention: not a report on the promiscuity of local teenagers, but another win for the youthers with Sam Mulready getting a couple of goals. Myspace Mariners of many ages were also in action: the under 12s played out a 1-1 draw with Burton and ther are a few other results in the Tellywag report.

The first entry into the Diary's 'nickname the new managers' competition has arrived. It comes from Richard Lord: "How about Scrob Rot and Haul Purst, as may dad says? He's getting to that age when spoonerisms are no longer intentional, sadly. Alternatively, Rostock and Poor Hairs - what my hard-of-hearing mate thought I said when I was telling him about our managerial appointment over the phone." Those are better than mine, Rich. All I could think of was PotRot. Although ScrobRot does sound a little STD-ish for my liking. Keep those entries flooding in though, readers.

So it seems like the season is winding down with a whimper but at least we've not been relegated. A season of potential rebuilding has of course been ripped apart by the trigger-happy nature of our illustrious chairman. So Grimsby will now have to start again, again. Your Part-Time Diary refers you to an excellent article from Al Wilkinson with his views on the latest in Grimsby's managerial saga. That's all for now.