Cod Almighty | Diary

For the love of Chris Akabusi.

18 September 2024

Why do we never win against Barrow? Was I foolish to think that this season would be any different against them? Yes, I was. Saturday marked the first time my new housemate watched Grimsby town play a game of football. It’s safe to say he’s not keen to watch again. It was partially my fault as I did big us up, I praised our free-flowing passing football and the quick and precise counter-attacks we have employed so far this season and to be honest I think I was right to big us up. We were at home where we have produced both of our wins so far and I just had a feeling. Well, it turns out I should never feel again.

I don’t want to go into how bad we were because I thought we were on a par with the Notts County game. Now I didn’t see the goal and I didn’t watch the second half, so maybe I’m being a bit too harsh on them but for me that first half was simply shocking. I couldn’t see any of the good things that I thought we had been doing well at all. The passing was loose, we were lazy in the midfield as Barrow won every knockdown and second ball…don’t even get me started on set pieces.

What annoyed me most in that first half is that it didn’t look hard for Barrow at all. That’s probably because it wasn’t but that shouldn’t be the case, we looked miles off the pace. Maybe it was just one of those days, you sometimes get them in football, it’s just annoying when I and many others know how good we can be to go out make Barrow look like Real Madrid.

"Do you have anything positive to say today?" you ask. In terms of Grimsby Town…no. But my network of lower league fans is growing as I recently met a Harrogate Town fan at a house party the other night, so that’s something. It got a bit heated when he showed me that we haven’t beaten them in the last five meetings. Do we never beat Harrogate either? Do we ever beat anyone?? I would say can we play Bradford every week but only recently have our fortunes changed against them!

Anyway, that’s all in the past now. As long as the players learn from that game we can put it behind us and move onto Bromley. For me, this is a must win. I must stress that I don’t think it’s a must win so that Artell keeps his job, it’s a must win to match my ambitions of where I believe Grimsby should be come May. I think Artell should be afforded much more time, and it would take a lot more to go wrong for me to be calling for the sack. Unlike Hurst's final few games, I see what Artell is trying to do: play nice football, develop youngsters and win games of football along the way.

Now for the love of Chris Akabusi please do not embarrass me again Town, we will be watching.

UTM