Cod Almighty | Postbag
Saturday night's all write for fighting
22 June 2016
More letters? More? Like Oliver Twist, you lot are insatiable, so here we go with another bag of your thoughts on our thoughts...
We need to boycott B team games
The trust has to organise a boycott. Money is the only thing these clowns understand. If Fenty is faced with a BP of just 300 boycott-breakers to cover the cost of opening BP maybe next time he'll consult. If this is repeated across the country then maybe they'll get the message. Fan protests need to be co-ordinated across the league.
from Baz Whittleton
Letters Ed responds: Hi Baz, thanks for writing. We're totally with you on the boycott thing but whether that's for the trust or a more national party to mobilise is still to be decided. There are a few things not quite clear yet and I think we'll know more in the next month or so. We just published this letter from James Cave, the co-founder of Against League 3 and we'll also have a Q&A with the lad who started the petition. The Football Supporters Federation and Supporters Direct will both play their parts too. Keep yer eyes peeled and let's make sure this is kicked into touch as soon as possible.
George Lucas is to blame then?
Remember that scene in one of the Star Wars prequels where Jar Jar Binks is representing Queen Amidala on the council? They have to vote for something and Jar Jar is all, "I don't know what to do. Won't someone help me?" and someone insidious takes him under his wing?
Fenty in Portugal, right there. Right?
Or maybe that episode of Blackadder the Third with the rotten borough when Baldrick has to vote and he's all "I don't know what to do. Won't someone help me?" and Pitt the Younger takes him under his wing?
Again, Fenty in Portugal.
from Steve McCatt
Letters Ed responds: Well Steve, I knew we were going to get a letter or two on this subject but never in my wildest dreams did I imagine we'd see one comparing Fenty to both Baldrick and Jar Jar.
Being a child of the 70s, the Star Wars prequels make me retch. They were awful, truly awful, but I'm going to allow you the Jar Jar reference point bcause you're totally right. What the hell was our gallant leader/figurehead/non-chairman thinking? Was he even thinking or was he dazzled by the bright lights of the Football League headlights like a one of the rabbits in the Watership Down movie? But that turned out alright, didn't it? Oh..
Let's throw this open to the floor. Give us your best 'John Fenty as a movie or TV character' ideas and we'll print the best of them. Scratch that – we'll print them all.
U21 teams at Wembley
I totally agree with the comments made by the Grimsby supporter.
There is not a chance of me going to any Football League Trophy matches while this awful situation continues. League clubs are constantly messed about by the elite who only want what is best for themselves, i.e. making clubs play whilst Champions League matches are on etc.
This crazy idea needs to be boycotted by the fans. Hopefully the final will be between two smaller U21 teams at a nearly empty Wembley, to show what a farce this is.
from Stephen Simmonds
Letters Ed responds: Hi Stephen, I wasn't sure which fan or article you were referring to as we've all chipped in with our thoughts on the Trophy proposals, in the daily diaries or Peter Anderson's magnificent call to arms. At Cod Almighty we're against it, each and every one of us, and while some fans are accepting of it as inevitable or perhaps even tempted by the thought of seeing someone wearing a Man Utd shirt at Blundell Park, the majority are dead against.
You're right though, if the final or in fact any games are contested by B teams then the grounds could quite possibly be empty because who would want to go and see them? It would be utterly meaningless. It's interesting to note that according to rumour many of the teams who the Football League see as taking the additional places in the competition would appear to regard the idea with the same contempt as we fans.
As they say... watch this space.
John Terry's black arts
I liked the tone and thoroughly agree with the dislike of the 'Black Arts' of the Premier League – shirt tugging, bickering and arguing with the referee, etc. Dare I say it starts with Chelsea and John Terry and works down the leagues?
You're obviously remembering Allenby Chilton in his Mariners, slightly past his prime days greeting a young hopeful as they crossed over after the coin spin. "What's it going to be lad, Accident Hospital or St Lukes?"
from John Darnell
Letters Ed responds: Hi John, we're glad you liked Retro Diary's latest contribution. We all look forward to Friday's as RD invariably nails the feelings of the week so perfectly as to make the rest of us feel quite inadequate.
Allenby Chilton though, a Town legend and of the kind we're unlikely to ever see again for any number of reasons. Have a Google for more info or check out his entry in Rob Briggs and Dave Wherry's excellent reference book Mariner Men: Grimsby Town Who's Who 1892-2007. If you have any more than a passing interest in our club's history then this book is essential reading.
Lazy, good for nothings
CA: Club honours page
Isn't it about time you updated this now?
from Chris Parrott
Letters Ed responds: You're right, Chris, sorry. We'll try much better in future.
Also updated is the original Cod Almighty contract tracker. Often copied but never bettered.
A bit of a twit
Re: Diary 21 June
"I'm thinking about all this in the light of Pádraig Amond's departure yesterday.
Now it's not clear whether this about-turn on the offer to Podge originated with the non-chairman or the manager. But it would be fair to say it bears the hallmarks of Fenty's petulant handling of the McDermott situation.
And wherever the blame lies, I'm not blaming the player".
Well I guess you're feeling a bit of a twit having now heard both sides of the story? Still, I wouldn't let the truth get in the way of your obsessive prejudice against Fenty...
from Simon Handless
Letters Ed responds: Over to our original/regular Diary to respond to this one...
Hello Simon. As it happens, I don't think Paul Hurst's side of the story changes much. We would clearly both have preferred it if Podge or his agent had got back in touch, but given the club's spiteful treatment of him it should be easy for anyone with a reasonable degree of empathy to understand why he didn't. Still, thanks for getting in touch. We'll all look forward to the next Postbag and your defence of Fenty cutting John McDermott's wages by more than half.
Wresting with pigs
Great article, Peter and an issue that has needed addressing long before now. If it wasn't Toto standing up and saying it was a factor in his leaving then it would have been another player before long.
Abuse comes in many forms and not just that targeted at minorities; something that Kick It Out has touched on but not as much as with their work in trying to drive racism out of the game.
If comments online or in person affect a player's confidence and therefore his performances then we need to be looking at ourselves and asking what the hell we're thinking of, if indeed we are thinking at all. We do want them to succeed, don't we?
Would the board of Grimsby Town take it seriously? The club needs a firm hand to steer it and while we can't go back and fix how we dealt with the racial abuse of Aswad Thomas we can get it right going forward.
Maybe a letter to the trust and board about this?
from Rich Mills
Letters Ed responds: What do you think about this? Do we just forget it ever happened now that Toto has left us or do we need to stop and have a think about it? Do we need a whole club approach to it? Drop us a line and let us know what you think.
Imagine this as the credits rolling after a blockbuster movie. There's no post-credits scene other than for us to say thanks, please keep reading our stuff and being inspired to write because it makes us feel all warm inside. You can drop us a line here or on Facebook or even Twitter if you fancy it. We are yet to receive a telegram this year (or any year) but we're not giving up on it and we're really keen on calligraphy with those natty Japanese brushes so get cracking. Please note that anything written on calf skin will not go down well with our more vegetarian staffers.