Cod Almighty | Diary

Diary - Thursday 20 June

20 June 2013

Imagine for a moment the same standards of scrutiny being applied to Grimsby Town Football Club as to other, larger organisations. Public bodies like the NHS, the BBC, local councils. Private companies whose work affects us all, like the banks or the train operating companies. Imagine regulators or journalists who are able and willing to hold Blundell Park's top brass to account.

Yes, it happens occasionally. There was the infamous "you tell me, Dave" Radio Humberside interview in February 2011. In the wake of Neil Woods' dismissal – barely 24 hours after the manager received seemingly unequivocal backing – the then chairman John Fenty sat down for an on-air chat with David Burns and put a flaming torch to what tattered shreds of his own credibility remained. It was passive-aggressive. It was defensive to the point of cryptic. It was embarrassing. If you could hear it again now it would make Joe Kinnear sound coherent.

But why was there no follow-up from, say, the Grimsby Telegraph? How did Fenty retain his position after that debacle when others have been forced to resign for far less? Indeed, given the almost decade-long medley of cock-ups and shoddy practice at Blundell Park, why are events like that Burns interview a rarity rather than a weekly occurrence? Remember when Town's sponsorship with Jarvis ended barely a year into a three-year deal? Or when John Fenty told the Mariners Trust they weren't allowed to accept any more shares from Mike Parker. Imagine someone, anyone, in a position of influence, simply asking why.

Your original/regular Diary asked why, but my views and actions count for no more than yours, or those of the bloke who sits behind you in the Findus.

Or how about GTFC's claim of a "fair and consistent" approach to banning orders which seems, under scrutiny, to be nothing of the sort. Too Good to Go Down, like the Diary, has learned to ask why. But we're bloggers and tweeters and amateurs. We're not the media or the FA.

Similarly, for the third time in ten years, the club has asked supporters what we think about having music played over the PA at Blundell Park when Town score a goal. For the third time in ten years, supporters have said no. And for the third time in ten years, the club has ignored us and gone ahead anyway.

This time many more fans are also asking why. The #GTFC hashtag on Twitter has become a mini Brazil. It's heartening to see. If Grimsby Town were RBS, or the News of the World, or Egypt, then those responsible for the mess would have been out on their arse a long time ago. But if we can't change the media, we must be the media. This is why zines began in the 1970s and 80s. This is why bloggers and social media now carry the torch.

What's that? Perspective? Is playing a record by the Fratellis really as bad as running a corrupt dictatorship or overseeing the collapse of the global financial system? Before I go off and chuckle about Straight Peter Bore signing for Boston United, I'll leave you to answer that for yourself.