Cod Almighty | Diary

Thumper's rule

14 April 2016

Devon Diary writes: I was at one of the TED talk things yesterday and while I won’t bore you with what it was about, I can’t stress enough how good it is to sit and talk with people you don’t know and experience different ways of thinking. It’s really refreshing. The slogan of TED is ‘Ideas Worth Spreading’ so here’s one for you:

“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothing at all.”

Actually I’ve borrowed that. It originally came from Thumper the rabbit in Bambi and he was reminding himself of something his dad had said to him after his mum had picked him up for being cruel to Bambi. You’ll have heard it before of course, it’s something that many of us will have been told while growing up but why not apply it to our adult lives too? We all respond well to encouragement and the Grimsby team and staff will be no different.

Anyone suggesting that Hurst or the players aren’t trying needs to have a quiet sit down and think about that. Of course they’re trying and they’ll be just as upset and frustrated as we all are by the last few weeks. You reckon the board don’t want us to go up? Come on, of course they do.

The problem these days with social media and fan forums is that while one might think it’s big and clever or a bit of a laugh to churn out some pretty vile, personal abuse to players or the manager it doesn’t take much for them to read that. Would you say that to them face-to-face without the anonymity or distance of Twitter, Facebook or the Fishy? Would you scream abuse one-on-one without the security of the crowd? No, of course not, not; not if you have any decency, empathy or understanding. The internet desensitises us and we can act without thinking of the implications but how does a player or manager get a break from this constant and often negative feedback in order to refocus and recharge the batteries?

There’s a section of our support who have it in for the gaffer. His selections, his reluctance to change tactics and occasional PR gaffes rile some, while his height and birthplace seems to niggle others. Some fans have been calling for Paul Hurst to go all season but it wasn’t going to happen, was it? Say what you like about Fenty but while he might need some media coaching (and slightly less ostentatious soft furnishings), he at least seems to have learnt that, more often than not, sacking the manager does us no good at all. Look at the last five or ten bodies through the trapdoor and ask yourself how many of those have led to anything other than turmoil on and off the pitch as well as a financial hit for the club? Did any result in an immediate and prolonged upturn in form?

You can howl “Hurst out!” all you like but it ain’t happening now so why bother? Why not focus your energies where it might make a difference and by that I mean supporting the team. Some unconditional support for the manager and the players will be just what they need right now rather than, say, picking fault before a game has even kicked off. Yes they’re professionals but they feel the weight of expectation the same as all of us and it’s obviously getting to them. Let’s help pick them up rather than kick them when they’re down.

Noel Gallagher once said this about his brother, “He’s the angriest man you’ll ever meet. He’s like a man with a fork in a world of soup.” Don’t be like Liam, don’t go through life irrationally angry, because ultimately you won’t really achieve anything. Yeah, I'm sorry to break it to you but not everyone will end up loaded, own a clothing label or marry one of All Saints. There are only four of them, after all.

Be nice. Be positive. Be nice and be positive until the end of the season. Why not keep it going into next season? You might even enjoy it and find it rekindles your love with the club and with football. Maybe you'll enjoy the game and even if we lose take positives rather than shouting until the blood vessels burst in your eyes.

There's still a place for vitriol of course but let's direct it where it's deserved: the referee who can't grasp offside; the showboating Welling keeper; Cheltenham's Harry Pell. Give them some stick if you're feeling tetchy. Our crowd can be nasty as fuck so let's make it count!

But when it comes to our lot, "If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothing at all."

Up the Mariners, hey?