Cod Almighty | Article
by David Martin
26 October 2017
We are used to Grimsby being slighted. But a National Football Museum display on "Fish, Football and Philosophy" which doesn't mention the Mariners must be a new low...
The National Football Museum was never going to bend over backwards to include too much about the mighty Mariners. But to omit us from a key section of the museum for the thing we are best known for throughout football is just plain daft. Is the curator a Forest Green fan?
Taken as a whole, the museum is somewhat more entertaining than a 0-0 draw at Morecambe in the eye of Storm Brian. The venue has an eclectic collection ranging from Roger Hunt's World Cup winners' medal to Jimmy Glass's boots from the day the goalkeeper's injury-time goal kept Carlisle in the League. And not even the keenest Town fan could find an excuse to squeeze us into the section about Pelé or the history of the FA Cup.
However, you can listen again (and again and again) to John Tondeur's commentary as Wayne Burnett got the golden goal in our first ever trip to Wembley (I cried). And to David Burns as Kevin Donovan won the play-off final against Northampton, even if the second-rate graphics christen Kev both "Donovan" and "Donavan" in a single sentence.
But when I chanced on a mini-section labelled "Fish, Football and Philosophy", I started rubbing my hands with glee at the thought of a Townfest. After all, when it comes to fish, we are top of the league. All fish aren't we?
OK, I couldn't realistically expect to see the full song sheet for "We piss on your fish". But I thought the curator might have said "yes we do, yes we do" to a blow-up Harry or at least the only club badge that features a fish. How great would "clap, clap, clap clap clap clap, fish" sound echoing around this museum from one of those interactive videos that seem to dominate the place?
Guess what? The Fish, Football and Philosophy fest gives Town the (fish) finger. We don't get a mention. Not one. There's a crap fish tank, no doubt provided by the generous sponsors, Aqualease. Fleetwood's "Cod Army" gets a mention. So too do Southend. There's even a picture of Billy the Fish. But as for Town, nothing.
What an own goal. Google fish and football and we are the first club to appear. OK, it is on page three, after some football-playing goldfish from Brazil, but we are still first.
I was all set to storm back to the entrance to demand my money back until I remembered that I got in for free (and carefully studied the carpet as I sneaked past the staff with hands out pleading for £6 because they are a charity, you know).
But no. We are Town. We are bigger than money. This is about principle.
So I've written to the museum asking it to right its wrong. Until common sense prevails, and Harry or at least our badge appears in the Fish, Football and Philosophy section, can I suggest that all Town fans now boycott the National Football Museum. The campaign starts here.
This surely is a campaign all Town fans can get behind. What should we do to right this wrong?