Cod Almighty | Diary

What is the 'internet' anyway?

13 March 2014

Town's next opponents will be Wrexham. Your original/regular Diary has enjoyed our meetings with Wrexham in recent seasons. They've played decent football. Their fans, when we met them at the FA Trophy final this time last year, were a lovely bunch. And there'll be one more consolation if the Mariners' ropey form continues this Saturday. Wrexham's caretaker manager Billy Barr says "positive results might go a long way towards" fulfilling his ambition to get the job on a permanent basis. I know nothing about this man whatsoever. And I don't know how we're going to save football. But I know that whatever the plan is, it needs to involve as many men called Billy Barr as possible.

Isn't it funny how Connor Jennings and Andrew Boyce haven't inspired the loathing that Peter Beagrie did before them? Isn't it strange how Paul Hurst can speak openly of "developing a relationship" with Plucky Scunny? Maybe it's a sign of the times, and in the few short years since Beags lit up our lives, Grimsby has become a much more easy-going, cosmopolitan kind of place, which not so much tolerates as embraces social diversity, throwing open the gates to minority ethnic communities, alternative lifestyles and Scunthorpe.

Hurst continues with his Boyce riff elsewhere in today's Grimsby Telegraph. According to the manager formerly known as Shorty, the loanee centre-half will "only get better" but also "did well" on his debut against Hereford the other night. On the face of it, this might seem a little cake-and-eat-it, but in truth the Town boss is urging fans to be patient after an unspectacular beginning to his new player's career in black and white stripes. He'll only get better, you say? Pah. You said that about Clayton McDonald, and look what happened there! What? Oh.

Hmmm, bit of a looker, isn't he, Boyce? Wonder if London Diary will rate him up there with Rodman in the GTFC totty stakes.