Cod Almighty | Diary
The-game-was-in-the-balance-in-the-middle-of-the-park
15 December 2017
It's Friday and we should be all full of Hegativity. Three wins under the belt and juicy trips to joint-table-toppers Notts County and Luton to come. Unfortunately, sometime between Monday and this morning, the club put their foot in it again and we've been stuck in the mud since.
These episodes coalesce into one unhealthy fug between a club statement, a flurry on media both social and unsocial, another club statement intended to clarify the first but actually compounding the matter along with contradictory, rambling posts by John Fenty on the Fishy. This is all capped with someone putting Middle-Aged Diary off his pint of Bateman's by declaring "It is time to move on". Amid this atmosphere, full marks to original/regular Diary yesterday for taking his face out of his palms long enough to declare the GTFC glass not to be 95 per cent empty but in fact 5 per cent full.
If the committee that nominate saints use social media, our ex-SLO will be well on the way to being St Kristine of the Ponny. I don't wish to add to the canonization but it's been deserved. You may not have noticed but Town fans can be a difficult crew to please. Kris took a newly-created position and made it her own. A volunteer who managed to excel in the role and be all over the country in several fan organisations whilst studying for a degree and raising a family. Could the board take note: you don't get 'pilloried' if you are a good, honest communicator who does a good job.
One take on the current majority shareholder would be converted by the Fishy swear filter to 'he's a right sharp object'. Another is that he's actually the bluntest tool in the box. Really blunt. Blunter than James Blunt getting all the Blunts around for Christmas Dinner and not being able to carve the turkey because the Kenwood carver needed sharpening. Which one explains the decision to force out an asset like Kris? A paid employee of the club pushed out in such a fashion would be well on the way to a handsome pay-out from a constructive dismissal case. Is this another reason why the club is so keen on voluntary roles: they can get rid without a court case?
There was so much rotting fish at the fans' forum t'other week, it was easy to ignore some of it as business as usual. One such rotter that we take for granted at the club and in life in general was a surplus of grey haired old geezers in suits. You know the type. Like the collage of gammon-faced Brexiters on Question Time wagging their fingers and calling Jeremy Corbyn a terrorist or crying that a refugee stole his kid's lunch money and used it to top up the smart phone that he got on benefits. Benefits he was on even though he had a top full-time job begging in doorways on St Peter's Avenue. John Fenty's attempts to break free of the demographic just made him look like the type of bloke who'd rock up on his own to a swinger's party. I'm told.
Pushing Kris out of the club reinforces this male-only enclave. One that regularly seems to muck it up for the rest of us. A woman! With an opinion that doesn't match mine! Be gone with you. Instead of pushing somone like Kris away, a club that claims to be the "most progressive Club/Trust partnership in the country" should have been thinking in terms of giving her more of a say. The Mariners Trust and the club were weakened by Dave Roberts' departure from the board last year. Who better than Kris to take his seat?
While we're suggesting board changes, we could just clear the lot of them out. I don't want to hear how we'd be worse off without John Fenty. The six years in non-League are his and his alone. Add up each season's TV money and he cost the club £3 million plus. The golden handcuff benign loans were mostly his own making. In fact, he probably owes us. Just go, mate. It's not just tiresome or embarassing any more. You're fed up with the stick and we're fed up giving it.
There's nowt else happening except Southwell's Law, the football equivalent of Godwin's Law, in action for Andi Thanoj. The longer an ex-Town trainee's career goes on, the greater the likelihood of a spot in the Boston United XI.
Next up, it's Notts County away. If last week gave us the chance to relive the Wembley win, tomorrow gives us license to bask in Russell Slade's career highlight to date. It might be John Tondeur's highlight after his FGR commentary actually. We've sold over 1,200 tickets so far but you can also pay on the day. Pyro dogs will be there to ensure we're not being naughty, I'm hoping they're as entertaining as bomb dogs. County have eight wins and three draws from their eleven home games this season. That's a record that needs denting. See you there.