Cod Almighty | Postbag
GTFC Managers, FGR hill tip, CA diarist disses clubs
17 November 2023
Our first postbag in ages prompted more of you to get in touch. One of the emails we received was from Jase Ives, published last week as a standalone article. The rest are presented here.
Manager Roll of Honour
In support of the first postbag in ages, 27th October 2023, here's a look at the recent manager history post Buckley III:
Mike Newell - seemed clueless, off the field issues :-( 1 year
Neil Woods - good bloke, ran out of steam in a tough spending era 1.5 years
Paul Hurst v1 - given time, promotion, internal dispute, had better offer 5.5 years
Marcus Bignot - half a season, brought lots of players in, something didn't click. Sacked after winning 3-1 away 0.5 years
Michael Jolley - new approach, new powerpoints, media target? Internal dispute, left on his own accord 0.7 years?
Ian Holloway - who knows what went on there? Strange Covid era, formed the odd couple with Fenty 1 year (with Covid)
Paul Hurst v2 - stability, promotion, money, structure, faltering start to the season, haters going to hate 3 year 'ish'
Worst of all, I can't add Russell Slade to that list - too painful. 1 year
from Ian Jackson
Letters Ed responds: Thanks Ian, agree with lots of that but not sure on Jolley's tenure length and the description of his departure. Also Rob Scott, a case of 'if you don't like him, don't effing include him?'
Reply from Ian: Correct, about 20.5 months, that's 1.7 years. Typo on my part probably
Thanks for the accuracy
Skirting the infamous FGR hill
A message for the excellent Miss Guest Diary. She shouldn't be discouraged from attending on Saturday. The Stagecoach No.63 bus will take you up the hill from Nailsworth town centre to the primary school just short of the ground. That will save a walk up a slope which I agree is like Lincoln but twice as bad. Let's hope for a turnout to match 2018. UTM.
from David Crofts
Letters Ed responds: Thank you David, for the kind words and the travel tip. See you at the top!
Do better CA
Hi there chaps.
Sorry to have a little rant, but as much as I love the site, I think that we have to be a little careful about this sort of stuff. I quote:
"If Morecambe went bust tomorrow, nobody would notice. They could just leave a gap in the league table and no-one would ask why it was there. I feel the same way about Accrington Stanley and Barrow. Why are you lot existing?"
Maybe the author is taking the piss or being ironic, but it doesn't read that way. It simply isn't good enough to write off the emotional investment that other communities have in their football teams, just because Town have a better history. It's a comparatively better history, but let's not get too carried away.
Barrow were founded in 1901, and despite being shite for most of their history, deserve some respect, out there in the middle of fucking nowhere, disappearing for decades then coming back and putting together a better side than the current Town. I'd be a little bit careful about that sort of dismissal, as I would about Accrington Stanley - a club famously shafted in 1962 but a founder member of the league in 1888. Respect, says I. The current iteration may not be the same club but it represents the same community. I can see no reason whatsoever for dismissing them as an irrelevance.
And Morecambe is a massive shit-hole. I once spent 6 miserable months there as a student. Even the residents would not deny that it's awful - but again, the club was founded in 1920 and might be the only thing that the long-suffering residents get some pleasure from. Even fucking Crawley were founded in 1896.
So.....the bizarre notion that we should cry over Bury but not over the putative disappearance of these other clubs is just ridiculous, and might I say, unworthy of this fine site. Please stop doing it, ok?
from Phil Ball
Letters Ed responds: Thanks Phil. We've passed your comments on to BOTB Diary. They were typed more in jest than anything, and even if not, rest assured that it is not a view shared by all the the many voices of CA. His thoughts today on vanity projects FGR and Salford on the other hand...