Cod Almighty | Diary
Diary - Thursday 19 May 2011
19 May 2011
For some reason your Part-Time Diary has managed to avoid all Grimsby Town news this week, well, up to now of course. It's not been a conscious decision; I've not been resting my tormented soul by taking a break from all things Blundell Park. I just forgot really, and then I remembered so let myself deliberately forget again. It's definitely something I'd recommend. I may even do it again next year. So back to it today anyway - it was more a three-day mini-break than a week all-inclusive, and turns out I didn't miss anything. Great. It makes me wonder if I completely stopped keeping up if anything would ever change again, or would the club just remain in this endless and monotonous cycle; get a manager, get some players, sack a manager, sack some players, get relegated, don't get promoted, then start again. It's like when you watch Eastenders for the first time in six years and the characters have changed but the storylines are the same, so you know exactly what's going on; it's because the same bloke is writing the script.
Some news I was quite taken aback by was the arrival of the 'Be Nice To Town's Superb New Official Website Month', which promises to be a celebration of all things great about the official website, a carnival of digital media focused solely upon the SNOS. It's going to be interesting. One thing I love about the SNOS is the way it keeps you up to date with the latest alternative revenue streams the club is trying in order to sustain the stint in non-League football.
The latest effort is hiring out McMenemys bar for use as a wedding reception venue. I'm not a married man, nor do I have much experience of weddings - save for the usual 'plus ones', which I have seen through rather impaired vision - but to me McMenemys looks the ideal venue for any wedding, all those happy memories tied up with the happy memories of supporting your home town team. It's like a rite of passage; you've spent your childhood growing up out there in the stands and now, as you enter the responsibility of married life, you can celebrate in the exclusivity of McMenemys, with the other love in your life. I'm not sure about the 'full service' for all guests though, sounds expensive.
So to some football news, enough of all that soaps and wedding stuff; you can see what this close season business has reduced me to already. Shorty and Shouty are trying to get another keeper in to challenge KA Kenny Arthur, although if they do then their maverick penchant for having only outfield players on the bench will surely leave one experienced goalie pretty fucking redundant. Maybe Kenny could ply his trade in the stands, knocking out his gloves to the kids; he'd probably do alright in the winter. In other news Lee Ridley has had a hernia operation, so he won't be playing on Saturday, just like everyone else. Hopefully he'll be back up and running for next season because he's been a solid left-back, nothing remarkable or spectacular but steady, which is good.
That's about all for today but we have had an informative email from Chris Mills in relation to original/regular Diary's bemusement that 29-goal genius Alan Connell was not included in the England C squad:
The rules state, as far as I'm aware, that all players in the England C squad have to be under the age of 23. As far as I'm aware Connell is in his late 20s... Hence why Paul Fairclough has been so cruelly robbed of a strike force consisting of Connell and Tubbs this season... But let's not draw too much attention to that partnership in case Steve Evans gets any ideas...
Ah. So 29-goal Alan Connell is ruled out due to his 29 years. I think they should definitely make an Olympics-like exception and allow three players over 23: I might even start an Alan for England petition, or a chant at least. Oh and don't worry about Steve Evans getting any ideas; I'm pretty sure he doesn't read.