Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Thursday 7 April 2011

7 April 2011

At least Grimsby are still solvent. That's one thing, probably the only thing, we haven't had to worry about over the last decade. There's been no money, of course, but we've never had the winding-up scares of other relatively similar clubs. I know it's been close and it's never been comfortable but things really could have been much worse. Although maybe the frugality we displayed after the ITV Digital monkey fuck-up cost us a few divisions? While Wednesday were out blitzing a million on Shefki Kuqi we were carefully loaning out and dropping Phil Jevons to avoid paying any more cash to Everton; these were the days before administration penalties, before regular court appearances for clubs. Still, we haven't gone bust, had any points deductions or been locked out of Blundell Park. Today your Part-Time Diary is taking the positive.

The positive being that things could, conceivably, be worse. There are clubs in this league of non-League as close to meltdown as a certain Japanese power station. When Saturday Comes has provided a summary on six of these troubled clubs. The Conference doesn't mess about handing out points sanctions to clubs with financial irregularities and, although I would not like to see any club go out of business, it cheers me that Grimsby are not on that list this season. I'm still clinging to the positive. Although the managers at three of those clubs decided last month that their careers would be better served there than at Blundell Park. Wonderful.

But it did get me wondering about next season, another season in this league. With limited television money, potentially and probably fewer season tickets sold, lower attendances unless form improves very quickly and with two new managers apparently all too ready to move people on and therefore pay up contracts, finances are going to keep getting stretched. How long can the club survive in this league? What if things go really badly? Then I wonder if this really is as low as we will slide. Could things get worse not better? The season after we sack a manager has historically been pretty fucking dire, generally culminating in relegation. The positive is rapidly fading out now. I do worry about not having a team to support and, as shit as they may be, I'd rather have them than not.

Anyway, back to positivity and the news. Garry Birtles has cancelled yet another book signing because of his Sky commitments. I'm sure its not Garry's fault: it will be that evil Mr Murdoch who's causing him to keep missing these book signing jollies and keeping your Birtles biographies unsigned. And if Sky had coughed up and just paid a decent whack for Football League coverage we may never have had that whole ITV Digital fiasco. We'd still be in the first division, McDermott would never have retired and the Fentydome would be alive and kicking. It's as if he just hates Grimsby. That's Murdoch not Birtles, of course.

In team news, Michael Leary is still awaiting the all-clear to be included in the squad against Kidderminster on Saturday. Although for him to be in contention is, of course, a good sign. So we trundle on to Kidderminster at the weekend. Kidderminster are sixth and have the play-offs to aim for; lucky them. They had five points deducted, and they're there in that struggling clubs article, but they've still got a chance of the play-offs. In fact four out of those six financially crippled clubs are above us. What does this tell us? That the reason we are at this level is not financial at all - but down to pure, simple and basic incompetence. Stay positive.