Cod Almighty | Diary

Welcome to the second half

1 July 2019

Trentside Diary writes: Well, that’s it then. We’re closer to next new year’s eve than we are to a sad 1-0 defeat to Mansfield Town last new year’s day. The squad’s coming together nicely and we’re less than five weeks away from our opening encounter with the Shrimps. Who knows, we might even be under new ownership by the new season – but don’t hold your breath. Nothing moves quickly at Town.

The close season is always a dreadful time for football fans. In search of a football fix, it’s impressive how many have tuned in to watch the Lionesses. I haven’t managed to watch more than a few minutes because the commentary is just excruciating. It’s the same when the Beeb is covering the FA Cup and some non-League outfit is taking on a shiny team from higher up the food chain. The commentators can’t stop themselves from being totally patronising or marvelling over a sequence of play that really is mediocre.

I watch lower-league football regularly. Don’t try to make to make it seem more exciting than it is. Don’t pretend the skill level is higher than it is. There will be good moments, but in over-eulogising you are doing the game a disservice. Women’s football is developing. It won’t take a hundred years to reach the standard of the men’s game because we know so much about training, tactics and game management. But in the shrieked excitement for a move that is unexceptional, you are actually taking the shine from one that genuinely impresses.

Talking of shiny teams, it was with some amusement and disbelief that I saw a Manchester United supporter had started an online petition to get rid of three players. Obviously spends too much time on Football Manager. As a team that has spent £1.6billion since the breakaway league was created and has the attitude that they can have any player they want, they really are not very good at spending wisely, are they?

Is that what it’s like in the rarefied world of the top flight? Come and look at our world. We have to dig down the sofa for lost coppers in order to give Mr Jolley any sort of playing budget. Ignoring the Town fans who spoke to someone who knows someone who may or may not have seem them play and thinks the new signings are useless, we really seem to be spending wisely. I for one am looking forward to seeing how they shape up.

In another trimming to expenditure, our much-loved floodlights are being lowered and painted black and white, rather than being replaced. What’s not to like? They should last us nicely 'til we move to the new stadium. UTM!