The Diary

Cod Almighty | Diary

Chairman envy

26 February 2018

Nurse Diary writes: It’s been a while since I last had time for a bit of diary writing duty and sadly I’ve returned at a time when things at GTFC are in a very sad state of affairs. So many things I could pick upon to write about here. Another defeat at Blundell Park on Saturday. The ongoing unrest fans are feeling towards the boardroom. Sol Campbell and our quest for a new manager. The fact we are looking at a relegation battle. Now more than ever and trust me when I say I have a lot to say on these matters.

But I'm not going to write about GTFC today; the growing apathy I feel towards the team I love has seeped into my diary writing. Instead I’m going to write about a condition I’ve developed over the past few weeks and months, that has got worse and stronger as all things Fenty and Grimsby Town have nosedived to all time lows. I’ve self diagnosed and I can confirm that I have what can only be described as a seriously bad case of chairman envy.

Ladies and gents, I present to you Mr Andy Holt of Accrington Stanley. If you haven’t already, give this guy a follow and have a good read through his Twitter timeline and I dare you to not get the same condition as me. Majority shareholder and chairman and an all round good guy doing things properly.

This guy is everything a football club could want in a figurehead, open and transparent. Ask him a question, even as a non-Stanley fan, and he’ll give you an answer. He explains how he votes, and the reasons why, when he attends football league meetings. He's not scared to stand up to the Premier League when making those decisions and, you know what, I applaud that in him. His love and enthusiasm for the club and supporters is infectious and so clear and evident. He is proud to be a part of the club and the community. He works closely with the supporters trust and treats them as friends and not the enemy.

Earlier this month he marked the club's 50th anniversary by giving a free Accrington Stanley shirt to every year 3 school pupil in the Hyndburn area. He arranged to transport them all to the Wham Stadium to get their shirt and club goodies in a £150,000 gesture to try and encourage the 'next generation' of Stanley fans. He has pledged to repeat this every year, making it bigger and better. Amazing stuff and what a way to connect community and club.

The goodwill and feeling that Accrington and their dynamic chairman are creating is certainly one to be envied and admired, perhaps more now than ever given the ongoing events at Blundell Park. Never in all my years as an ardent mariner has there been such discord and unrest. The divide between the club and the fans has never been wider. John Fenty would do well to look at Andy Holt and the way he conducts himself and his business and learn a thing or two about engaging with fans and the community, instead of blaming everyone and everything apart from himself for what is wrong and taking every opportunity to do so. A little goodwill goes a long way.

Watch and learn John, watch and learn.