Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Friday 13 July 2012

13 July 2012

Middle-aged Diary writes: Quiet close season? Pah. The dust has not even settled on one historic derby before Town prepare for another tomorrow at Gainsborough Trinity. People will be talking about this week for... days.

Looking back first, the Telegraph hangs the suggestion that a Grimsby derby may become an annual event on the back of Borough joint manager Nigel Fanthorpe receiving "a very nice text" from John Fenty (I can't think why Topcon has never sent us one). Phil Watson, in the meantime, responds to Mardy Diary's question about when Grimsby last played in Grimsby and asks a few of his own:

"I also have a vague recollection of a match played at KG5, as we would no doubt call it if it was an Olympic venue. Wasn't it some sort of reunion of the McMenemy promotion side for a charity game, perhaps on the 10th anniversary? I don't recall who they played - surely it wasn't the 1982 Town first team?"

Reflecting on his players' response to conceding three goals, Rob Scott follows in a long tradition of managers suggesting they have transformed previously unprofessional attitudes at the club. Once there was a weekly interview with a player who confessed: "We've been a bit shit lately, but we'll get better soon, honest." And now there is an annual (given Deadly John's track record) "Everything and everyone was crap around here before I came along, but it's different now so we'll get better soon, honest" interview with a manager. Even Brian Laws tried that one, and he inherited a squad in the top half of the second flight.

"Same again at Trinity," promises the official site (above travel directions to Gainsborough), meaning only that largely the same squad will feature, not that the Mariners will necessarily score 12 goals. One person who won't feature is Lewis Chalmers, who has been told he won't be offered a contract, but "it is not known" whether Derek Niven will play. And if the club's official organ doesn't know, who does?

Have a good weekend.