Cod Almighty | Diary

If nothing is happening, insult someone

12 January 2017

Turn again Stuart Watkiss, three times (and more) employed in some football-related capacity at Grimsby. Watkiss – former assistant manager to Graham Rodger, Alan Buckley and Mike Newell; twice former caretaker manager, once caretaker assistant manager, once youth team manager – is back. If you see someone on the Grimsby Road sitting down and looking a bit faint, don't worry. It's Watkiss feeling dizzy after all that turning.

Whether he has had time to leave after helping out Dave Moore is not known. But Watkiss is now back at Blundell Park as under-18 professional development coach and assistant to academy head Neil Woods, with an additional role supporting the development of players under the age of 21. If that's a way to address the career path that runs from age-group teams to release via YTS, a one-year professional contract and a loan spell at Stamford, then let's raise a glass to Stuart Watkiss.

There, things have changed already. Max Wright has gone out on loan, true, but it's to Sutton Coldfield, not Grantham. That's despite the official site saying Wright will "join" Harry Clifton, suggesting a world view that reduces everything to two entities: 'Grimsby', and 'not Grimsby'. Actually, that sounds about right. 

With Watkiss the third addition to Town's backroom staff since Bignot took over, Paul Hurst is unavailable for comment.

Wicklow Diary will be pleased to see his advice on selling dear being heeded. Unfortunately, it's the Heed that are doing the heeding. The logic may be questionable – Town want lots for Bogle, so should be prepared to offer lots for the completely unrelated Sam Jones – but it must be admitted they have a point.

I guess other businesses go about their work just as rattily, but they don't have back pages and fanzines devoted to their comings and goings. Even so, Middle-Aged Diary wouldn't be averse to clubs doing their transfer business quietly, leaving me to dreamily reminisce about Grimsby's fattest footballers when we've a few paragraphs to fill.