Cod Almighty | Diary
Diary - Tuesday 10 January 2012
10 January 2012
Town's not-so-distant days as a second-flight football club were notable for several features, your original/regular Diary recalls. The pundits tipped us to finish bottom at the start of every season. Malcontents among the Mariners' support would call regularly for the sacking of Alan Buckley, in the belief that lower mid-table Championship football was not good enough for Grimsby. And every year, when we played away at Wolves, the sleeping midlands giants would rack up their lowest league attendance in the several decades since their tannoy music was in the top 10. These days it's all different. People still call for the managers to be sacked every three minutes and 39 seconds, of course. But the 1924 who watched Saturday's win at Alfreton comprised the home side's biggest league attendance in almost half a century.
This figure included 1026 Town supporters, of course. So let's remind ourselves that we're the Best Fans In The League, shortly before we go on to force another mistimed managerial sacking, destroy another young player's career with constant abuse, and spend another early May afternoon terrorising the families of an unassuming town in Staffordshire. We're also up in arms about the stewarding at Alfreton, and chairman club director Deadly John (Topcon) is on the case. Did Nicky Law let too many Town fans into the stand, or did the Town fans try and stand in the emergency access areas? You decide!
Looking forward to tonight's visit to Cambridge, that Grimsby Telegraph is expecting an unchanged line-up, and the Shouty manager looks forward to testing that unbeaten run against a side that's actually any good. Us manager Jez George, for his part, has identified the pace and power of Liam Hearn as a threat but looks likely nonetheless to field a player in central defence whose first name is Blaine.
The reformed Mariners Trust is up to all sorts, small stuff and big stuff. There's a fundraising prediction competition for members of the Fishy messageboard. There are talks about improved bar and catering facilities at Blundell Park. And trust leaders are writing to chairman club director Deadly John (Topcon) asking if there's anything they can do to help resolve the frankly ridiculous ongoing situation whereby GTFC don't have a chairman nor any apparent plan to install one.
Sadly for the Mariners Trust, there'll still be fans looking at all this activity and saying: yeah, but what are they actually gonna do? It seems an unfortunate truth that, if the trust were to publish a 480-page manifesto clearly presenting its policies in their entirety, complete with a timescale, available in print, downloadable PDF, podcast, audiobook and Braille, there would remain a dozen people on a messageboard somewhere saying: yeah, but what are they actually gonna do? On the other hand, Town seem to have improved no end on the pitch since the club did away with the idea of having a chairman, so maybe the trust should hold off on that one for a bit.
Over to the Diary's inbox now. Thanks, first of all, for your tributes to the late Graham Rathbone, which we'll publish on a separate page shortly. Phil Watson, meanwhile, has commented on the new poem: I'll have some of what Al Wilkinson is drinking..."
Sibbo writes: "Like Miss Diary, I too travelled to Alfreton on Saturday and came away a bit deflated. Seeing your team score five away from home should be cause for celebration but somehow it didn`t feel like that. Even for a six footer, viewing was spoilt by the goal being obscured with bodies but then this is non-League so comes with the territory I suppose. I didn't feel the goose bumps that I did on Boxing Day and don`t know why. On the plus side we did find a good pub with good food (Jug and Bottle style), washed down with a pint of Adnams Jolly. Only 3.4% so a bit watery for The Original Diary I expect." Sounds good, Sibbo, but yes, I'll probably go for some of what Al Wilkinson is drinking too.
Lastly today, Anthony Elding's agent appears to have succeeded in a well-timed creative intervention to earn his client a new contract. Elding, of course, has gone from being a serial misser of sitters and target of fan abuse to internet phenomenon just by virtue of waving his arms and gurning at the Pontoon. No sooner had the initially enjoyable but now barrel-scraping #eldingfacts trended on Twitter across northern Lincolnshire than an unfounded story 'mysteriously' appeared on Sky linking the player with a move to Swindon. Swindon, of course, know nothing about it at all, but Town have fallen for it hook, line and driftnet and drawn up a new contract pronto. If only Elding's Mr 10% could have done the same for Charlie I'Anson, or perhaps even Rob Peet.