Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Wednesday 26 October 2011

26 October 2011

Afternoon everyone - West Yorkshire Diary here, contemplating whether Grimsby Town and their fans would be better off if football seasons never started. It'd be quite nice just existing in pre-season, where nothing can harm us. We could believe that we are genuine promotion contenders and no-one could prove otherwise. We could forever speculate how our latest signing adds something to the team and not have to deal with how he's actually going to bring nothing to the team and then sod off six months into an 18-month contract to join another team so he can score the winning goal against us in a future fixture.

We all believe that the team can achieve much more than it actually does in the months of June and July. And when the team goes on to achieve nothing but mediocrity, we all feel a tad embarrassed - about the same level of embarrassment as you feel when you think it's thundering outside but someone points out that it's actually the next door neighbour taking out your wheelie bin.

It probably took a little longer than us Town fans are accustomed to, but our first loan signing of the season arrived yesterday when King$ton Communication$ FC were kind enough to allow their 18-year-old left-back Conor Townsend to join us for a month. What do we know about him? He's 18, he's a left-back, he plays for Hull, he spells Conor with one 'n' - and he's not a fan of the televisual trash that is The Only Way Is Essex, much preferring the more cultural trash of Channel 5's Big Brother. And he's on Twitter. I thought the young 'uns did Facebook?

The move was probably sparked by the news that the quite handy Jamie Green has been told by doctors to rest for another three weeks in an effort to cure his troublesome hamstring injury. Green, who has verbally agreed a deal with Town that would tie him to the club until January, is currently in danger of signing an expired contract at this rate (and Town's administrative staff probably wouldn't notice it). Three weeks to cure the injury, a few more weeks to get fit... New Year's Eve could be the day.

So, Townsend joins for an initial month and for the first time in what seems like years, Town now have two genuine left-backs in the squad. What Townsend's loan means for Lee Ridley is clear; what it means for play-for-free local lad Conor 'Also One N' Marshall is even clearer. This is a local club for random people.

It's a pity we can't deal with the current players like we have with Green: make them all prove their fitness and (crucially) talent before they get paid. Town could save a fortune - ironically something they've failed to make from a cup competition for a good few years now. While we're probably expected to sleepwalk our way this Saturday into the FA Cup first round 'proper', we're not going to make our fortune on the turnstiles if fans are seriously being asked to pay £18 for the privilege of watching limited opposition put in more effort than their own team. But it's OK - you can save bundles of cash by getting fish and chips in McMenemy's for just £10 before the match! That's obviously much more preferable than getting it for half the price outside the ground where they don't demand you wear a suit. How rude.