Cod Almighty | Postbag
Postbag: save the postbag, save the world
12 September 2007
Well, here we are again. A new season. A new postbag catching up on the last three months after loads of moaning by people about why isn't there a postbag this, and why isn't there a postbag that. Well, as I have managed to free myself slightly from the shackles of wage slavery, I'm hoping we can make this a bi-weekly thing. Me and you. Together. Close. Almost touching. But not quite. You're such a tease like that.Anyway, textafy your thought nuggets and spazoom them in my direction via the wonderful medium of electronic postal delivery with these words: postbag@codalmighty.com. But I don't want your spam, baby.
Blade praise
Hello there. Just wondered if you would kindly add a link to our independent fan site on your links page?
My partner and I run a non-commercial Sheffield United fan site, simply called Sheff-Utd.
It's nice to find another site who feel they don't want to compromise their independence by advertising - so bravo to you.
We would love to add a link back to Cod Almighty (great name) on our links page, as well as on our League Two grounds page once it's had a little refit.
I must say, as a Blade, the trip to Grimsby was always one we looked forward to with pre-match drinks in the Leaking Boot. I don't know any Sheffield United fans who haven't got a soft spot for Grimsby Town.
All the best for the rest of the season and hope to have you back up the leagues soon.
from Lindsay Clayton
Letters Ed responds: Well how could we say no to such a nicely worded request.
Up Top Town gamblin
Can anyone explain to me why in top town Grimsby (i.e Victoria Street) there are two betting shops within yards of each other, not failing to mention just around the corner opposite the central libary another betting shop. What's that all about? Surely top town doesn't need three separate bookies? One alone is bad enough, never mind three.
And another rant for good measure what about the two amusement arcades in top town? One opposite Barclays Bank and one opposite the bus terminal. It's starting to resemble Cleethorpes sea front. Has Grimsby gone gambling mad? It appears so.
from Ken Coulbeck Jr
Letters Ed responds: Er, yes.
Greatest Goals: A century in the writing
I know that Town are now well on track for mid-table obscurity and therefore newsworthy information is hard to find, but I really think CA is spinning out Town's Greatest Goals a bit too long. The poll kicked off (not bad, eh?) on 19th Dec 2006 with a promise to reveal results on 15th Jan 2007. The countdown actually started early on 9th Jan (50-34) then we had 20th Jan (33-21) and 29th Jan (20-11). Thereafter, goal Number 10 appeared soon after, but nothing since! As March draws to an end, it is clearly not one goal per month - maybe per quarter? If so, the winning goal will be revealed in May 2008.
from Clav Divs
Letters Ed responds: Nice to hear from you as always, Mr Divs. And rest assured that I will attempt to get things moving along on this by giving all those involved the beating of their lifetime. Let's be honest - they deserve it.
Back in the day
Seeing Brian Robinson's letter regarding GTFC and t'internet got me thinking on who/where/when did the first GTFC related report get served up on the web.
Using the advanced search option in Alta Vista, and setting the date ranges - 1 Jan 1990 to 31Dec 1996 I came across the following. Is this the earliest report still available on the web?
Extending my search to 1/1/1997-1/12/1998 it seems that the first website by a town fan which is still available on the web seems to be this one (whatever happened to Henry's Cat?)
Further to Brian's request of the first official site then I can inform readers that the official site's first season was 1998-9, the site was built by Si Wilson and the content was managed by... Me! Previous to this I was running (like many others) an unofficial site, that covered some of 1997-98.
from Martin H
Ash cash stash was gash
Had my BBC ticker thingy running and was a little surprised to see the following story under the headline 'Fatal robbery footballer jailed'.
from Martin Handsley
Letters Ed responds: Ah yes, our old friend Mr Sestanomanwithavanovich. Although I originally read your email as 'fat rubbery footballer jailed' and assumed it was a story about Darren Barnard.
Our friends in the south (of Lincolnshire)
When I moved up to work in Lincolnshire I thought that I would miss the local goings on of my teams back in North Essex and Suffolk - Colchester and Ipswich. I have to say, though, reading what madness Steve Evans and co are going through in the Lincolnshire Echo is brilliant.
The fact that yesterday's Sports Echo had 'Subs all used' in the team line-up following their defeat against Notts County was funny in a twisted kind of way.
Then there is the Crazy Jim Rodwell sideshow. 'Everything is fine, the takeover is still going ahead,' says Jim. 'I've got no money for loan players!' says Steve. Continue this for the next few weeks or until Boston go out of business.
Anyone else enjoying the demise of Boston?
from John Pakey
Then and now
Hello on this dark day when the mariners manage to lose 4-1. Still, the BBC mini report made me laugh, and just wondering what the hell could survival be?
from Mark Taylor
Letters Ed responds: He. The more things change, the more they stay the same, eh?
Then and now, again
I support the worst team in the world. That was the consensus of the group of people I was having a pint with on Saturday night, after the game. Being a Lancashire Mariner, I was drinking in Colne (15 miles or so from Accy) with my mate (a Southampton fan who witnessed the so called performance).
In there we spotted the lad who took the half time crossbar challenge. He was with his dad (Stanley but mainly a Burnley fan) & another bloke (Stanley but mainly a Blackburn fan). The pub was rocking to the voice of 50 or so FC United fans (they had won 5-1 at Colne).
I had to agree with them. At least I had solace in my eleventeenth pint.
from Mark Wilcock
Letters Ed responds: He. The more things change the... oh
Space to watch
Watch this space. Danny North will be the first Grimsby striker to score more than 20 goals in a season since Mendonca. Mark my words.
Not *this* season, obviously.
from Steve McKatt
Letters Ed responds: Or, perhaps, *this* season.
Sure bet
By my reckoning Bore, the Lump and Toner all have eight goals this season. It's going to be close for top scorer this season, eh? Who's your money on?
from Billy BodShon
Letters Ed responds: My money is on all three of them.
To B or not to B
Barnes, Bennett, Bloomer, Bolland, Bore, Boshell. Add to that Barwick, Beagrie, Butler. The most B's to play for Town in one season?
from Jim Horsefly
Posh football is crap
re: FA Cup Final. Didn't the Beeb rather give the game away with their endless trails for the game: 'Two Teams, One Goal'? Admittedly they didn't mention that you'd have to watch 119 minutes of highly-paid dross before seeing it, but I suppose they have to maintain the suspense somehow.
re: Mrs Crouch. The laws of genetics would suggest that she must be about 7' tall, so no wonder she felt a bit of a draught at the Osmond end.
from Phil Watson
Postal strike
All this talk of Grimsby Town nearly made me go to a match the other week. It's taken me four years to find this website, but now I find that there's no new postbag. How will everybody see my words of wisdom?
Does Diddy Dave still play in midfield?
from John Bumby
Letters Ed responds: He does indead. For Grantham Town.
Dataco suck the wormy cock of Satan's ageing tortoise
Can you not piss Dataco off by printing a letter from a "contributor" with details of the fixtures? Could always be devious and type out rather than cutting and pasting, or leave really really subtle clues like Grimsby v well known Lincolnshire opponents h, well known Lincolnshire opponents v Grimsby a. Would this still break copyright laws? Maybe need to get Drum diary to check with one of the boffs at Drum Uni? They used to know everything when I lived a few miles further up the A1 and I had to watch another team playing in black and white 'cos I couldn't afford to come home every two weeks.
from Phil Shorter
Letters Ed responds: I could do that. I could also email them and tell them that they stink of wee. Or I could just write on here that Dataco are a bunch of shit-tingling fuck-buckets. Then hopefully one day someone will be googling 'dataco' and they will find these words of wisdom. And nothing at all will change in the world, but I'll feel a little better about myself.
Words
Last week I was driving my Aunt from London to Walesby and we got chatting about words only Grimsby folk use. Wasn't there a CA article about this? If so could you possibly let me have a link to it?
from Will Douglas
Letters Ed responds: I can and I will, Will. It's here.
Free the fixtures
Not sure if you're already aware of this campaign but please check out this link as it affects all independent fan sites in the country.
from Lindsay Clayton
Letters Ed responds: Ta muchly.
Wading in
Has the diary overdosed on Viginia Wade at Wimbledon or reading the Famous Five to some poor innocent child(ren)?
I'm sure Andy Holt is a good (cool?) guy, but I would not appreciate being called a "good egg" (Diary 09/07) even if I was about to escape to NZ to escape my brain being scrambled (scrambled - geddit?)
from Phil Shorter
Bent Bostards
Who is this man Shelton writing articles for you?. HOW DARE YOU allow him to publish a phrase like 'bent Bostards'. You should remove this article FORTHWITH... or your website should be deleted!!!!
from John Kime
Letters Ed responds: Fucking hell - I'm getting emails from Daleks. Nice one.
Shirt hurt
Will any of the old t-shirts (Super Clive, Ivano, and We piss on your fish) be available again in the near future?
from Alex Haigh
Letters Ed responds: Resident capitalist and t-shirt seller extraordinaire Rich Dawson informs me that we current have WPOYF (2 x M), Clive (2 x XL) and Ivano (2 x M). We're unlikely to order more unless there was significant demand, but as the man himself has said: "never say never".
Moan moan moan
Moan moan moan. Sky TV. Internet message board. Moan. Carling. Shit pub. Large screen. Engerland. Whinge. Whinge. Best league in the world. Whine. Sack the manager. Moan. Sack the board. Whine. Sack the players. Moan. Kill the ref. Blah blah bleedin' blah fucking blah.
from A modern football fan
Letters Ed responds: Quite.
Cock Robin
Reading about the 1-0 win at Everton in the 1984-85 season made me realise just what an exceptional result it was in the context of the stature of Everton at the time. This made me think back to Lennie Lawrence's remarks at the end of the victory over Liverpool in the Carling Cup during his tenure. We had just beaten what was essentially Liverpool's reserve team in a competition that none of the big clubs take seriously, and here was Lennie describing it as, "probably the greatest result in the club's history". I mean please, it didn't even compare with the Wembley victory against Northampton a few years earlier. That's the problem with managers who come here and have no sense of the clubs history.
from Pete Kennedy
Equidistant podcast
BAWC Radio's third GTFC Hour is now available to listen to exclusively on BAWC Online. To download Simon Dolan's sixty minute chat with John Cockerill, Steve Sherwood and Dave Otter please follow this link.
from Jake Olley