Cod Almighty | Diary

A moment to reflect

1 September 2022

Deadline Day can wait a moment.

Glass Half-Full Diary hereby pays tribute to Daphne Farquharson, a GTFC stalwart for many a year, who only relatively recently took a deserved rest from leading on Disabled Supporters duties, and has passed away.  When detailed tributes flow from respected long-serving Mariners such as John Tondeur (circa 40 years commentary service), and Lisa Piggott (25 seasons of GTFC employment) on twitter, that definitely reinforces the loss to the club.  From 1980 until last year, any query on disability issues at GTFC would be directed to Daphne, a very important individual to an important set of supporters and their friends and families.

My own first-ever away day was to a mid-rebuild Oakwell, Barnsley, in the early 1990s, where my father and I sat with the GTFC Disabled Supporters Club.  Although we didn't actually travel with the Disabled Supporters, we met them at the ground and sat in a temporary shelter, a covered cabin with other GTFC and home disabled supporters.  Meanwhile fellow Mariners visitors were soaked. Would we have been able to attend without Daphne ensuring there were sufficient rainproof accommodation? Of course not.

If you glance at the social media comments, Daphne "worked tirelessly", "did so much", was a "true champion". It is worth taking a moment to reflect on that work, pay thanks, and to hope that the sterling work Daphne contributed is built upon at Blundell Park under the new ownership. That would be the most appropriate tribute to her efforts.

To deadline day, briefly.  Bluntly, I cannot be doing with it. Firstly its timing. It should be either the Friday before the season starts or at a at a push, within a week, not five or six games into the season.   

Currently we have to tolerate this media circus of who might go where, who supposedly needs what, and bucketloads of self-righteous nonsense from the likes of Wesley Fofana who yesterday, upon becoming a Chelsea player, chose "not to criticise" his former employers Leicester by complaining of "false and misleading comments". He's 21 years old, he's just signed a multi-million, seven-year contract, and that's his mindset.  

Secondly, all the bluster and activity at the top of pyramid leaves those paupers in the lower divisions awaiting the leftovers from the top table.  We rely now on out-of-favour fringe players opting to have a go at fourth-flight instead of under-23 football. It is not as if Leicester, notwithstanding their acquisition of our own Ben Grist in recent-ish times, are likely to spend the reported £70 million funds received for Fofana on division four players. 

Three of last year's loanees - Callum Jones at Hull and Arjan Raikhy at Villa as well as the often-mentioned Alex Hunt at Sheffield Wednesday - seem plausible options for us, but they are all midfielders. We've been seeking a striker seemingly forever.

Talking of which, ex-Town striker Tony Daws has become Scunthorpe's interim boss, promoted from their academy now Keith Hill has gone.

I hope those of you off to visit Omar Bogle and friends in Newport at the weekend have a great time.

UTM.