Cod Almighty | Postbag

Sausage suggestions taken on board but will we build a team for the ages?

13 May 2021

Everybody's excited about what might happen under the new ownership. Everybody's got their thoughts on what we can do to change things. Ian Jackson gives us a window into what would make him smile while Geoff and Antony are doing just that already. Tony Butcher urges us to accept relegation with dignity

What is a football club anyway?

Me again, no sausages this time (although I will take up the postbag's suggestion of another wider Lincolnshire survey for 2021 summer season of BBQs)

What I wanted to get off my chest, as a football fan and father of a grassroots player, is the endless fan perception that we "throw money at the squad". The first flight might, the second tier contenders try to and the lower leagues feel they have to but - and call me massively naïve if you like - what has happened to "coaching" a team? The mastery of man management, the improving of a player and moulding of a squad? Of course, it takes time and we want instant results but consider the money angle that fans demand?

I'm not an accountant - and I don't like spreadsheets - but my gut feeling is that if you balance what Town have spent over a ten-year period versus the return of players who spent more than two years with us, it's wasted cash. No disrespect to the players as hired hands earning a wage, but I can't name too many, they didn't contribute legendary performances and the teams are few and far between to remember the good ones by season.

We have a long-serving and popular keeper, granted. I think he has contributed. We have two academy first teamers, both very capable and very popular. We have a young centre back who is popular and would be an asset to the team going forward but who knows if they'll be staying? There are always the inevitable injuries and personal circumstances that change things.

However as the core of a team, blended with experienced additions who are coached, well managed,  and ultimately improved, who knows? Why constantly move them on and bring in other journeymen? Keep an eye out to improve the team, but why do we always release and re-hire?

I'm rambling, I know. It's football, I'm no leftie socialist, but football should look at itself at the lower professional level and decide what it is there for? It can't finance itself so what's the alternative? As a sport, you coach and improve what you have. If GTFC's new owners are anything to go by, maybe the improved environment and treatment of staff will facilitate players to stay, or to consider that their future does lie in Grimsby. I hope so.

My team, the GTFC I knew intimately week after week started with Buckley's first blending of youth, experience and professionalism. Lever, McDermott (young); Sherwood, Childs, Rees, Gilbert (experienced); Birtles (Professionalism). A few years later he added Woods and Futcher. You could name the starting 11 week after week, season on season for a good few years. Would it be fair to say they were not all superstars?. I think it would be fair to say they were a well coached team.

Maybe I'm too nostalgic, too romantic in the 'reality'. Its just, at grassroots, football is a happier experience most of the time, and 'coaches' are trying to coach. When does that stop? UTM

from Ian Jackson

Letters Ed responds: You've asked a lot of questions there, Ian. It seems fair to say the Paul Hurst has a good track record of spotting players and those players improving under his stewardship. Since his return to Blundell Park it has been refreshing to see him using some of the players that have graduated from our academy. The questions seems to be do you and your fellow supporters have the patience to see us build a team or will everyone be on his back if we're not top at the end of September?

The fat lady finally sang

3pm on Wednesday 5 May 2021. I heard the fat lady singing, but I couldn't hear the words. Then I deciphered "goodbye" and "good riddance". Yippee!

from Antony Chapman

Happy daze

Smiling.

from Geoff Wentworth

Letters Ed responds: So are we, Geoff, so are we.

Respect, humility, dignity

I ask one question: what are we now?

Two days, two incompatible statements:
"We want to move forward as a football club, but the new owners have said very clearly, and I'm pleased and in agreement with them, that we're not going to come out and make silly statements"
Paul Hurst 12 May 2021

"No relegation means no relegation"
The world according to Baz 13 May 2021

For Cod’s sake, man, have some dignity; stop acting like a Fentyite!

A wheedling, weasely wheeze to stay up is emblematic of the mindset of the old Mariners' mismanagement. P-Diddy Day's pathetic proposal is simply the last poisoned chalice left in the boardroom drinks cabinet and epitomises everything that the Ancien Regime represented.

We're better than that now.

We don't want to be relegated but we have been. The time for action was at the point the National League decided to keep promotion but not relegation.

Don't let it get you down, you can take it. If it hurts, don't let them see you cry. Hold your head high, Baz, it's a new world. Let's all just accept reality in silence as we slide back to where we recently came from.
The fans' survey asks how we sum up new Town in three words. Let us follow Pettwood and Stockit’s lead in everything we do, everywhere we go: respect, humility, dignity.

from Tony Butcher

Letters Ed responds: The headline "No relegation means no relegation" used for Baz's article was not his but a sub-editing decision by us. 

There's been a positive reaction to the takeover thus far, we'd love to hear other people's thoughts and find out what people want to see going forward? We've got 12 weeks to kill so we might as well start now.