Cod Almighty | Diary

Pie in the sky

2 June 2014

Miss Guest Diary writes: Many years ago I had a job which entailed drafting replies for a government minister to send to letters of complaint which people had written to their MP about things which the government department I worked for either had or hadn't done. One day a complainant wrote a second time saying that the minister's letter had been "a masterpiece of non-answer" and my boss praised me for drafting the perfect response.

I was reminded of this yesterday when reading some parts of the "Say Yes" leaflet which the club and the Mariners Trust have recently been distributing to the local community, advocating GTFC's relocation to Peaks Parkway.

I know I am in a minority of Town fans with this view, but I have made no secret of the fact that I don't want Town to move to a new stadium: I love Blundell Park and my (obstructed) view from the back of the Pontoon. So the leaflet would have to come up with a hell of a good case to convince me to back the proposal. The leaflet seems to be light on facts and figures and heavy on bland assurances and the use of words like 'should', 'could', 'likely' and 'potential'. Even those who have no axe to grind about where they watch Town play, but who do live in the area, have an allotment or use the local roads and facilities seem unlikely to be won over by the case being made in this leaflet.

Whatever happens, it won't be for a few years yet, so I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of the forms so that I can renew my season ticket in the Pontoon while I still have the chance. I really can't see myself making the same commitment to the Peaks Parkway Retail Arena. Of course, 'should' Town be back in the League by then, there is the 'potential' that I 'could' change my mind.

My hopes for next season were raised by the appointment of Chris Doig as assistant manager or, to keep the cartoon pun going, as Hurst's deputy. Doig was very good at organising the defence when on the pitch last season and seems like the sort of chap who the players will respect off the pitch. And he's Scottish.

My hopes were dashed again by Bristol Rovers' windfall from the sell-on clause in Ricky Lambert's contract. Town won't be able to compete with that sort of budget, so I began hoping that Rovers' allegation that Wycombe cheated their way into staying in the League in their stead proves true. Then I remembered just how much difference it made to Town when we received an even greater windfall from Ryan Bennett's sell-on clause and decided to stop thinking about Town at all until the new season actually starts.