Cod Almighty | Diary

I never knew there was so much in it

21 August 2023

Miss Guest Diary writes: When I first started watching Town I used to buy a programme at every game I attended. In the early days this would be only about a dozen games a season but once I got a season ticket it was nearer 40. I have a huge box of them taking up space in the garage even now. Eventually I realised that I had stopped bothering to read them, so I stopped bothering to buy them.

When we got back to Blundell Park after being away for 18 months due to the pandemic, it felt so wonderful to be there that I decided to go the extra mile and started buying the programme again. I bought a few at away games too but soon stopped that as they seemed mostly to be a team sheet, some inaccurate facts about Town and masses of adverts.

The Mariner is different – it is a genuinely good read, containing something for all ages. And I'm not just saying that because I've featured in it a couple of times this year. Even my brother, who knows nothing of football, picked up a copy the other week and was amazed – he couldn't believe that the club produce at least 23 editions packed full of articles and features every season.

It's a pity that some clubs no longer bother to produce a printed programme, including Saturday's opponents Mansfield. Their justification – that sales didn't cover costs and the environmental benefits of not having to waste unsold copies – seems a little thin. Maybe they could have taken the trouble to produce a programme people wanted to read instead. Like their decision to make their stadium cashless – which they boasted about several times while I was there a couple of weeks ago – it smacks of not thinking too hard about what fans want on a matchday.

Obviously, judging from Town's two recent games against Mansfield, they are getting it right on the pitch. But I think a majority of Town fans are on board with our owners' desire to make the football club about more than just what happens on the pitch: Town are also about being part of the community and the overall fan experience. I think they are doing well on both fronts and the experience at Blundell Park will be even better when we finally get hot water in the ladies toilets.

It's a sunny Monday and I can't be bothered to think any more about Saturday's game. We were outplayed by Mansfield again, but not quite so badly. If you want, amuse yourself by trying to work out some of the references in Mr Butcher's account of the affair.

I can't go without a quick mention of the Women's World Cup Final. I don't pretend to follow the women's game and their wins and losses have very little emotional impact on me, but acknowledge it's a sad result for the Lionesses and their supporters. What is much sadder is Spain's goal scorer, Olga Carmona, being told just after the game finished that her father had recently died. I think we are all familiar with the Bill Shankly misquote about football being more important than life and death. We all know that's not true.

UTM