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Diary - Tuesday 5 February 2013

5 February 2013

Middle-Aged Diary is not yet so fond as to imagine there was once a golden age of democratic, uncorrupted football. David Conn's track record gives weight to his suggestion that we should wait for a bit more evidence before rushing to judgement on Europol's match-fixing allegations yesterday.

However, if some substantive detail should emerge from the glare of publicity, it is worth reflecting that the structure of European football may encourage corruption. The trend toward group stages instead of knockout ties in cup competitions guarantees the participants so many home matches, and also provides the biggest and the best with insurance against an isolated freak result. If the favourites can get away without winning one game and still progress, if an underdog knows that the puncher's chance they have of a result in one tie is diluted by having to repeat the trick at least twice more, some games will inevitably lose their import, the temptation to play the game off straight, to seek side benefits increased. In cricket, the explosion of relatively meaningless one-day matches created a climate by which some aspects - perhaps quite small, like no-balls in an over - could be manipulated. With the proliferation of wealth, the sense of entitlement and envy in the sport, it would not be a surprise if the same taint has spread into some levels of football.

All of which is Dave Spart-ist even by CA standards, and a long way from the Mariners. Richard Bedwell writes to draw our attention to 'King Cole -a phenomenon on the field but unloved off it' (and how refreshing for you that today's Diary is cut and pasted from the Guardian instead of the Grimsby Telegraph). It records that Ashley Cole's full debut was made on loan for Crystal Palace, marking Kevin Donovan in a 1-0 victory for Town. Mardy Diary looked into this and found that our winner was scored from a penalty by David Smith, not awarded, unfortunately, for a foul by Cole.

The concept of the unloved phenomenon could apply (you may think, I couldn't possibly comment) on a smaller scale to one of our current raft of loan strikers. CA would be interested to hear what players you have taken a dislike to, even as you acknowledged their footballing ability. One possibility is Terrell Forbes, who played for Town while facing sexual assault charges (of which he was subsequently cleared).

More entertaining, and better for the soul, is the flip-side: those lovable duffers who rationally you know do not meet the standard we need but who you find yourself rooting for. One of the cherishable stories Brian Laws tells in his autobiography is of being slaughtered by Brian Clough when he passed to Franz Carr then made an overlapping run. Clough's lecture was along the lines: "Don't do that, you idiot. That idiot will never give you the ball back. Instead, he'll lose the ball, then you'll look like a right plonker." Football is far more enjoyable if you acknowledge the humanity and the fallibility of those you watch.

I must confess to taking a strange liking to one of Town's succession of ineffective left-backs, Ronnie Bull, recruited by Russell Slade in his first season at the club. The puppy-like enthusiasm with which he rushed to cover a gap in defence became apparent a few seconds before one realised he was to blame for the gap. Similarly, whatever one's thoughts about Darren Mansaram's potential when he first broke into the side, by the end of his Town career no-one with a brain could imagine him making a success of life at Blundell Park but no-one with a heart could not long for him to prove us wrong.

Send your nominations for unloved phenomena or lovable duffers to the usual address. Or to the Postbag; the latest edition gives the impression the letters editor is getting a bit lonely, and also raises a question about the role of the Diary on which you may have some thoughts.