Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Tuesday 20 March 2012

20 March 2012

It's been called the hardest job in the world. It's been called the impossible job, in fact. To do their job successfully football managers have to combine a staggering breadth of roles: strategist, talent spotter, team leader, motivator, PR handler, counsellor, arbitrator, negotiator, psychologist, accountant. And given the complete lack of life skills in your average coddled Premier League 'star', of course, many top-level managers in England will inevitably have to spend time wiping their players' arses for them as well.

Your original/regular Diary reckons one of the trickiest bits of a manager's job must come at this time of the season. When your team's hopes of promotion are fading away, what do you tell players and fans to keep them interested? As the days start to lengthen in proportion with Town's distance from the Conference play-off places, the Shorty has chosen to anticipate tonight's visit to Hayes & Yeading United as an open game. "Hayes and Yeading, would they take a point against us?" ponders the man some call Paul Hurst. "I'm not so sure as it's a home game for them and they need points to aid their survival bid so hopefully they'll come out at us which should make for a good game." Well, the latter would at least mark an improvement from Saturday.

Coverage of Town's potential team selection in the run-up to this evening's game surrounds potential injuries to Liam Hearn and Michael Coulson. Surely at least as big an issue is the question of why Andi Thanoj suddenly finds himself out of favour. The Mariners' stuttering form in the last few games coincides, of course, with Honest John (Notcon)'s return as major shareholder. But another factor may be that Shorty and Shouty have dropped the best passer of a ball at the football club. Thanoj's replacements in midfield have been a right-back, Bradley Wood, and Anthony Church, who endured an awful 45 minutes in his last game against Forest Green ten days ago. What's with that?

Speaking of the one who is Fenty, GTFC have all but confirmed his return to the most influential position at the football club. The Conservative councillor for Humberston and New Waltham may have relinquished the official title of chairman, but that isn't preventing his appearance in the club's latest Chairman's Challenge game. While it may be true that Major Shareholder's Challenge would lack the alliterative catchiness, this revelation will surprise few who have paid close attention to the recent power struggles at Blundell Park.

And that's all the news that's fit to upload. So while the Olympic flame is sliding down the Dock Tower, the lights may be going out all over North East Lincolnshire. Looks like Town might have to delay putting 2012-13 season tickets on sale even longer than usual this summer, possibly until October. Still, 27 points left to play for. You never know, eh?