Cod Almighty | Postbag
Postbag: Since I've been gone
24 April 2011
The letters editor's laptop has been out of action for some time, which is a shame as you have been responding to some trenchant diaries with some trenchant writing of your own, so read on.
To write on, use this link. The postbag will carry on through the close season, so long as we have letters to publish.
Move along, there's nothing to see
Yep, agree with Al Wilkinson, the season's done for me.
Time to get out the cricket whites. Nothing to see at BP until the Boston Two have got to work and started moulding their own team. I will not be persuaded to return until September and the summer game has finished.
Enjoyed 2 or 3 games all season what a poor return !
from Martin Robinson
I support Cod Almighty, there happens to be a club attached
I hate to say it but it's hard to give a toss any more when nobody at the club does.
Town weren't much higher up the league when my dad first used to take me to games in the 70s but the town still got behind them and the club made an effort. Nowadays the whole lot of them don't seem to have woken up from the first relegation from the Second division (or whatever it was called) and still seem convinced they're a bigger club than the other teams in whatever division we end up in. A subscription only website, high ticket prices, secretive board/chairman - it's not making much of an effort to invite fans in is it? Like everything these days, football is easily accessible via the internet, satellite telly, even travelling so why turn up at your local club if they act like they don't care?
I still check Town's score every Saturday but to be honest I don't really know who plays for the team these days and like you say - they won't be around long will they so why bother? And no, I don't know the managers' names.
When I first moved down to Devon there were no decent teams down here and I would make an effort to see Town if they had a fixture here. Now I wouldn't bother - like Theakstons ale, the team don't travel well so why pay to stand in the cold while a load of players I don't recognise get tonked by Yeovil or whoever? I'm not cheating on them; I would never go see another team as there's no attachment. I want Town to care enough to make me care again.
Humph. Shit, this reads a bit negative doesn't it? I still love you lot though as whatever the standard of the Mariners you still write to a high standard. Maybe I support CA and there just happens to be a club attached?
Oh well, 'til the glory days return....
from Rich Mills
Letters Ed responds: Thanks Rich. We don't mean to eclipse the club, but some times we can't help it, as the following exchange reveals ...
Easter Monday fixture
From Ann to CA Is the kick off time on the official website correct at 19:45? In the programme it says 15:00 so which is correct please.
Ann Allen 4/4/2011
[From CA to customerservice@gtfc.co.uk]
Hi folks - are you able to answer this question from one of our readers at Cod Almighty please?
Thanks, Pete
[From GTFC Customer Service to CA and Ann] Hi CA
The programme is correct, it is a 3.00 pm kick-off
Kind regards GTFC Customer Service
Return of the famous Grimsby peeps One person who slipped your list was Peter Collinson a film director. Never heard of him? OK, he was the the director of The Italian Job, the one with Michael Caine. Not a lot of people know that. Born in Cleethorpes and died quite young. It was thought that the sequel planned was never made due to him.
There was also a songwriter who wrote loads of Michael Jackson's famous lyrics whose Mum lived in Church Avenue Humberston in the 70 and 80s, Rod Temperton. He is credited with Thriller and you don't get many bigger songs than that!
from Don
Letters Ed responds: To be fair to us, we had included Rod Temperton.
Our imagination is becoming a scary place
Is it just me you are winding up by making a variety of comments about Mr Scott and, errr, someone else, before they have taken the superb opportunity that Mr Fenty has given them to sort out our basket case of a club? Ok they may not be trying to play much football as yet to get out of this league but haven't we tried and failed with that one over a number of seasons whether it's hoping to get us promoted (admittedly not much of that recently) or stave off relegation.
I admit I was not sad to see Russell Slade depart but in hindsight I was wrong. It wasn't a great season when we reached the play-offs but at least we did get there. I'm now at the point of not much caring about tactics or Buckley inspired pass and move ethics. We've tried to pass to each other this season via something purporting to be central midfield but got fed up with that rather fast when someone as much as put a tackle in. If we either cut out midfield entirely or pack it with people you wouldn't want to meet down a dark alley then fine if that's what it takes.
Cod Almighty attempted to be the voice of reason when Neil Woods was in charge, even though it was obvious he was far too decent a person compared to many of the arrogant and ignorant managers who stalk touchlines at all levels (knighted or not). I think Mr Scott may well be arrogant, and hopefully only as ignorant as it takes for him to be successful in his field of work. Can Cod Almighty diarists at least give him (oh and the other one as well whoever he is) some time; or else are you not adding to the basket case problem and depressing the likes of me still further? After all if Scott (and the other one - is it Captain Oates?) fail then then even Fenty might give up at that point and clear off and leave us to start again from the lowest base we can imagine - although as we are finding our imagination is becoming a scary place.
from Mike Hubbert
Letters Ed responds: Thanks Mike. Perhaps I ought to make a couple of points in response. If there is a Cod Almighty line, its one that has evolved from years of collaboration as the club has... done the opposite of evolve. There is no party line. People use the website to express their views (that's what it's for) but, whatever those views may be, we encourage them to do it entertainingly but honestly. Doing both is not always easy where Grimsby Town are concerned.
Consistent
Check out GTFC's latest offering of a youth team website? Check out this quality match report from the Hartlepool game? The club are at least consistent.
from Josh
Entertainingly Mardy
Well done Mardy diary for giving us a diary that isn't more depressing than the results of the football club we support.
from Martyn Wyburn
Letters Ed responds: I'm pretty sure that was the one where Mardy told the Telegraph the Diary hasn't been at its best lately, but will get better soon, honest.
No, I'm the jinx
Interested to read Richard Lord's jinx paranoia. I speak as someone who saw us win 1 0 at Ipswich in early 1999 and next saw a Town win against QPR in the FA Cup in October 2003. My first league win in over four and a half years followed at Brentford the week after. Okay, I had missed a season through illness and wasn't doing that many games but I like to think that is as woeful as it gets. Last season I missed only five home games but saw only one home win. Out of thirty three games home and away, the grand total of successes came out at two. I finally stopped going away after Rochdale and, of course, we won at Accrington in the next game. The worst thing is I was congratulating myself on my good judgement when seeing we were two nil down.
Oddly enough, I saw the 7 2 and 6 1 wins this season, but have missed three home games of which two were won. In 2007/8, I saw forty six matches in all competitions but during a three week trip abroad managed to miss the biggest home and away wins for that campaign. In fact I've managed to miss the biggest wins in the following seasons as well.
A change of working pattern in 2002/3 meant I didn't come up for the Town v Burnley game (the one that finished 6 5). I nearly forgot that one.
In 2005/6, expecting zilch, I went away for a week in September and so the Tottenham game doesn't feature on my curriculum vitae either. My record during that comparatively successful season was thirty three seen of which we won fourteen and lost thirteen. I made sure I didn't miss a home defeat in any competition. I think there were nine in total.
I moved back up North during the 2003/4 season and saw about half of our games but the clattering of Barnsley didn't feature as I'm sure you've already guessed.
Unlike Town's performances in the last decade, that is impressive.
Joking apart, I have been pathetically grateful to see a handful of home wins in 2010/11 after last year's experience, but five wins in twenty one home games isn't convincing me to renew my season ticket given the last one was against Kettering three months ago.
from Chris Smith
Plugging leaks with one hand, punching holes with the other
Apologies if this is bullshit, I've had a drink. Please dismiss me if this is self indulgent ranting.
But...
This is ridiculous, DJF(C) cannot put two and two together and work out that the fact that no manager has really had a season in charge since before Buckley III might be something to do with each successive team under each successive manager either battling relegation, succumbing to it or not achieving promotion from a league we ought to be able to walk out of (not my opinion, but you take my point) may have something to do with the fact that they have been equally ineffective. He also, of course, fails to recognise that he is the constant in all of these things.
But this is to be expected, when a man who, only a few years ago, was described by CA as "the fan doing more than any other" (I seem to remember, without irony), has stood at the helm of a club, which we are led to believe he loves, and seen it go from bad to worse under his stewardship. He is bound to be reluctant to come to the logical conclusion that it is his fault. When he spoke in interview, again a few years ago about how 5 Star Fish was a company that made however many million a year and that was something he could (I presume figuratively) cuddle at night, whereas GTFC was like a leaky bucket that sprung a new hole every time you thought you had everything plugged, he must have hoped or perhaps only imagined, that one day he would manage to plug those leaks.
Rather than what it appears he has done, which is to bat away any helping hand after two minutes of work telling it's owner "No, that's not what I wanted" ... "If you barely manage to do any good after two minutes work what the fuck will you do if I leave you to your own devices with appropriate tools for a whole season? Get out!" (I may have lost my sense of time during that metaphor.)
I say this is to be expected because we must understand that for DJF(C) to admit that this is all his doing would be an incredibly painful experience for the man. Not dissimilar to a cradle catholic turning their back on God, this would be Fenty turning his back on himself. Admitting that he cannot solve our problems, that he cannot plug all of the leaks, and that, in fact, he has been the thing preventing many of them from being plugged, if not causing a couple of new ones himself.
It is therefore our job to tell him that this is the case. Many fans of other clubs would have voiced their opinion much more strongly than we have. They would have boycotted games, there would have been jumble sales organised and pamphlets posted. If, for example, Birmingham were to be taken to 4th Division football within the decade under a new chairman, words would have been had. Is that a fair comparison?
So is it our fault? Should we have got 'The Fenty Out' earlier? Must we explain it to him as there are too may psychological barriers preventing him from admitting it to himself? Is he a victim of circumstance here? Do you remember when Newell said he was surprised at how few people were calling for his head after his initial string of bad results? So bad is our attitude that out managers have been leading the boo boys in their own dismissal, but that is not extended to the chairman.
Consider this a call to arms if you wish. Let us man the barricades and instill a permanent change in mentality. You first though, I can barely bring myself to feel angry. Consider me apathetic if you wish. I don't fucking care.
from Joe Mooney
A modicum more backbone
Over the past few weeks and months I, like a lot of us I'm sure, have been struck by how often the Mariners have gone ahead in a game only to tamely surrender the lead. It seems to be pretty much every match nowadays. Needing a degree of distraction on a Monday afternoon I thought I'd investigate if it really is as prevalent as my mind is telling me.
Looking back over the last eight games we've garnered a total of five points with five draws and three losses. And no wins. As well you know. However the telling point is that in seven of those matches we have held the lead at some point, and on three occasions by two goals.
In very simplistic terms then, if we'd held all leads we'd achieved over just those eight matches we would have scored 21 points, instead of the actual return of five. That, by anyone's maths, is a difference of 16 points. Our current total for the season is 56. Adding 16 to that is 72 and would see us in sixth position in the table, tied for 5th place with Fleetwood on points and with a game in hand on them.
I know it is easy to live in a "what if..." world when clearly what's gone has gone and cannot be changed, but had our team a modicum more backbone the play-offs could still be a real possibility.
Sobering, no?
from Andy Holt
S 'n' S
In Monday's diary, the Regular Diary person referred to Shouty and Shorty by the abbreviated moniker "S 'n' S".
When I were a lad, when I asked my mam what was for tea she'd say "S 'n' S", thinking she were funny, as it stood for "Shit & Sugar".
Maybe *that's* what we should call our quadruped management team.
from George St George
Cartwheels in Leeds
On Tuesday Idle Diary wrote at half-time of the Reserves' match against Leeds - "if the stiffs go on to win it I'll do a cartwheel in the middle of Leeds on my way home".
Given the final result was 5-2, can I ask did he?
Interesting to see Makofo score a hat-trick too, eh?
from Bobby Wright
Letters Ed responds: Idle Diary replies: "The answer to all his questions are 'yes'. No photos, but there were several witnesses."
Huge thanks to all our readers who've contributed to this edition of the postbag. If you'd like to have your say in the next one, email postbag@codalmighty.com.