Cod Almighty | Diary

Does anyone have any confidence in anything?

15 February 2019

A magnificent December took us away from any threat of relegation and, following a New Year wobble in which we lost four games without troubling the scoresheet, three consecutive wins have us back on track to give the glass-half-full section of our fanbase reason to consider the play-offs.

Whisper it – or don’t, because it's already out there – but things at the club appear to be on the up.

Your West Yorkshire Diary is cautiously optimistic. Don’t get me wrong – I'd love to throw myself into this world of optimism free of all known caution, but I’m mindful of the time a good friend of mine got so excited about Christmas 1991 that he danced around the living room in such merriment that he failed to notice his left sock had half-edged off his foot. His right foot trod on the loose part and the poor lad propelled himself forward with such force that he lost a tooth when his face connected with the edge of the fireplace.

What I'm trying to say so poetically is that while things appear good, the sock isn’t always fully on the foot. There's still fundamental work to be done off the pitch and in my opinion we've only just got started.

Yes, allow yourself to dream – and cite Exeter's rise up the division from a few years back when they so nearly clinched promotion after being in relegation bother up until November – but even if we did somehow nudge our way into the play-offs and gain promotion against all odds, it’s not to say that we've turned the corner.

But it wouldn't be wrong to say we're turning the corner. Clearly, while our league position might not be drastically different from this time last season, we're in a better place.

A young, ambitious, diligent and respectful manager has built a young, hungry and committed squad of players. They've shown their potential; they've also shown areas in which they can improve. Finally we have a management team that will give them the time and space to fulfil their potential. At least fourteen players’ contracts that run beyond this summer will help see to that.

So, in that sense, yes, we're moving in the right direction. But to know whether the club has turned the corner is to ask this one simple question: If Michael Jolley and Anthony Limbrick were to leave tomorrow for Shrewsbury Town, would we be able to carry on as we are – growing slowly but steadily under the principles and philosophies that our management team instilled at Blundell Park – or would things unravel to the point where we find ourselves back at square one, slumping effortlessly into old habits and lurching from one disaster to the next?

Failure is in the fabric of this club, and it'll take more than a good run, or even a good season, to wash it out. If Jolley goes and everything resets then no, we haven't turned the corner. If Jolley goes and the next manager is identified using criteria that aim to continue his work because the board had vision and was proactive in protecting what we'd built then yes, we may have turned the corner. In that sense, the sock would most definitely be back on the foot.

Imagine a tangible and realistic five-year plan that's communicated from the highly-polished boardroom table right down to the message board nesbit in Park Street. No more Russell Slades. No more Phil Browns. No more borderline alcoholics or unhinged shouty people – just prudent, sensible, respectable, modern-thinking football people who believe in youth and playing good football.

It's a philosophy that carries no guarantees of success every single season, but it sure as hell would secure our financial footing for our long-term future and give us the best possible chance to prosper.

The word Cheltenham may get you really excited if you're into your horse racing but in the world of football it keeps me entirely flaccid. Our record against the Robins is more than rocky - just one victory in our last ten meetings - while our home record in particular is very poor. Those of you who attended our 1-0 win on the evening of Friday 21 April 2006 can say you've witnessed the one and only time we've beaten Cheltenham at Blundell Park.

Tomorrow's referee will be Trevor Kettle. Good luck, everyone. UTM!