Cod Almighty | Diary

A porky prime cut

28 June 2016

Whatever other charges you might care to level at John Shelton Fenty, I've never quite understood the idea that he runs GTFC and issues contracts on a basis of extreme parsimony. At this time of year it's an accusation made a lot. Players are not signed because the club is said to be penny pinching. It's the same when a manager or assistant manager is appointed, and they turn out not to be Carlo Ancelotti: the club is going for the cheap option. If only. Town's accounts have shown for years that the club spends more on salaries than it recoups in income.

And yet we have seen, this summer, the club's most prolific goalscorer for half a century leave for a lesser club because a two-and-a-half-year contract offer was withdrawn in favour of one lasting only 12 months. Ace right-back Richard Tait, likewise, has now said that despite loving it at GTFC, staying at Blundell Park "wasn't right for me, in terms of the deal" even before his new club Motherwell came in for him.

What's going on? After many years of living beyond our means, are we reining it back in a bit now that we're back in the Football League? Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing if we are. You'd think not, from Paul Hurst's positive response to his budget-setting meeting right after promotion was secured. But isn't it all a bit odd? Maybe your original/regular Diary has got it all wrong. Maybe Operation 3000, extra TV money from the Football League, and fresh cash injections from the directors all mean the coffers are swelling.

Certainly the club appears to be in no hurry to follow up the possibility of extra income. One member of the Cod Almighty team asked GTFC three weeks ago about sponsoring players and match balls next season and is yet to receive information. Another asked about sponsoring Jon Nolan back in January and nobody responded. The match programme gives a wrong phone number to call if you want to do some sponsoring. And right now the commercial department is seemingly not functioning in any way at all because Dave Smith is on holiday and there's nobody there deputising for him.

Over in the BP nerve centre, the manager says he's building a squad of 25, because the loan rules are different in the Football League or something (I'm buggered if I'm wasting more time trying to figure it out). I make it 16 he's up to so far, so there's clearly still work to be done in the transfer market.

So where's that up to? Portsmouth star Ben 'Grimbarian Missus' Davies looks the likeliest next arrival, with Paul Hurstses's old York City shopping habit dying hard as moves are said to be in the offing for Minstermen duo Luke Summerfield and James Berrett. There's no movement yet on Dominic Vose or that lad from Bromley everyone was excited about a few days ago.

If this sounds all too much like giddy change, rest easy. One thing next season will remain just as it's always been: the latest crop of highly rated youth team products won't get a look-in. It's lousy news for fans of locally raised players and financial sustainability, but it's great news for Boston United.