Cod Almighty | Diary

You couldn't make it up

2 January 2017

Miss Guest Diary writes: Happy new year! It certainly feels like one from a Town point of view. Exactly halfway through the season we are mid-table with 30 points in the bag. Yes, I know we're 18 points off top spot, but much more importantly we are 9 points above the relegation zone. And who among us wouldn't have taken that before the season started after the debacle at North Ferriby in July?

But Grimsby folk do like to have a moan. So here, in case you missed them, are some from the weekend.

The crowd at Blundell Park have really welcomed Henderson and have been chanting "Deano, Deano" during the last two games in which, incidentally, he made some good saves and performed really well. What's wrong with that? Well, of course, cheering Henderson means we are disrespecting McKeown and keeping him out of the team. What do you mean the fans don't pick the team, that's the manager's job? What an old-fashioned notion.

You will have seen that Town signed a new striker – Abi Yussuf has joined from Mansfield on an 18-month contract. Marcus says he's really looking forward to working with him because he has been tracking the player for quite a while, previously hoping he could sign him for Solihull Moors. So how is that interpreted by some Town fans: he's a non-League player for a non-League team. This, despite the fact that Yussuf has been playing in the League for the last two seasons. No ambishun Town!

And then there's the whole Twitter spat about Yussuf's mention of God in a Tweet announcing his signing for us. I despair.

Apparently, Yussuf has been playing for Crawley this season and featured in the match against Town. I don't remember him – but then I rarely remember opposition players unless they do something outrageously good, or bad – yes I'm thinking of you Jon Parkin. But even Tony 'here's an obscure footballing fact from 1987' Butcher couldn't say more than that he recalls Yussuf as one of their fast wingers.

A look back at the Butcher match report gleans one reference to Yussuf swinging in a pass which, reading between the lines, suggests he set up Crawley's first goal. It may not have happened that way at all, of course. I'll let you into a little secret here: Mr Butcher makes no notes and constructs his reports purely from memory, counting on the fact that the reader's memory will be less reliable than his.

Marcus indicated to John Tondeur that Yussuf will feature in the match at Carlisle today, so some of you will hopefully see for yourselves whether he can form that magic strike pairing with Omar that's been missing since Amond left. Booo, non-League strikers. No ambishun!

Town fans are quite fond of moaning on behalf of other teams as well: Toto Nsiala's move to Shrewsbury and Jack Mackreth's move to Bury have called forth comments suggesting that neither is up to playing in the third flight. It seems once a Town player, always there as a target for criticism.

In other transfer news, Shaun Tuton's loan spell has ended and he's gone back to Barnsley, and Henderson's loan has been extended until the end of January – apologies to Jamie Mack for mentioning it.

According to the Telegraph, Marcus is upbeat about the trip to Carlisle, but I felt he strayed dangerously close to suggesting the importance of keeping us shape. I'd settle for another 0-0 today – but that's mostly because I'm not going and I hate to miss Town goals or victories.