Cod Almighty | Diary

No way, José?

20 November 2019

Miss Guest Diary writes: As the poet Thomas Hood wrote:

No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,
No comfortable feel in any member
No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees
No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds
November!

Add to that no league games for a month, no manager and no clue how to run a successful football club and you've pretty much got the current experience for Town fans.

I usually confine my interest in Town to what happens on the pitch and leave all the angst about mismanagement and PR disasters to my fellow diarists. But even I haven't been able to ignore recent events like the Farage fiasco, the Jolley tapes, the majority shareholder's car crash of an explanation and the mysterious failure of the new owners to materialise. If only I could find something else as engaging to occupy my Saturday afternoons for nine months of the year, I would be sorely tempted to kiss goodbye to being an active Town supporter. As they used to say: suggestions on a post card, please.

In the meantime, I am confining myself to positive events.

First up is the news that Town's SLO Kristine Green has been appointed to the board of the Football Supporters Association. For those who don't know, the FSA exists to represent the interests of fans within football with the aim of achieving positive change. You can read about their aims and mission statement here. I think the part about advocating supporter ownership might strike a chord. I am sure Kris will fulfil this role with the flair and diligence she has brought to looking after Town fans in recent years.

More good news: Town will have another league game in November as the match against Cheltenham has been rearranged for next Tuesday evening. This will give me the opportunity to sample the delights of the Ocean Fish Bar before the game. In another piece of good news, the Ocean has just been given a Good Food Ward. Rightly so, in my opinion, as it has long been our preferred fish and chip restaurant in Cleethorpes.

Last night the Wales Under 21 side won their Euro qualification match against Bosnia & Herzegovina. Not really good news for Town fans, I know, but at least one denizen of Cod Almighty Towers has Welsh affiliations. Alas, Harry Clifton did not make it onto the pitch and they don't have any further matches until next spring. But I understand that, even though he's already 21, Harry is still eligible to take part and may get his chance then.

Saving the best till last: I woke up this morning to discover that José Mourinho has been appointed manager of Spurs. I have sorely missed him in the last 12 months: his pouting and his preening, his unprovoked rants and his enigmatic pronouncements. The Premier League has been a duller place without him and watching his antics will go quite a way to taking my mind off the disaster that is Town at the moment.