Cod Almighty | Diary
What do we have to offer
18 November 2019
Trentside Diary writes: Well that was 24 hours that shook the world, or more accurately Blundell Park. How do you write a diary about what happened there? I have thought of little else but Grimsby Town Football Club since the horror show that was Thursday night slipped into the car crash that was Friday.
A text message from a friend alerted me to something going on and a short time later, the meagre 111 words spoke volumes in what it didn’t say. "Grimsby Town Football Club can confirm that following a recent run of poor results it has parted company with manager Michael Jolley by mutual consent".
We might disagree about many things but when it comes to the club, most Town fans aren't stupid. We haven't played a match for weeks. If it was results, it would not have happened now. Speculation was rife. Most wouldn't have been surprised if it was a bust up with Fenty, our very own immovable object.
You always get a nasty minority at Town who have a go constantly. Some of it is personal, and makes you wonder why anyone would want to be involved with us. But apart from them, there wasn't a great groundswell of opinion that the manager had to go.
We'd played some pretty turgid stuff recently, but then there were occasions when it clicked and you could see the start of something special. We're a young, developing team and had a young manager learning his trade. Mr Jolley seems like a decent chap. He has revitalised links with the community which Town have been lacking for years.
A tape has emerged of Mr Jolley having a sweary rant about local media, in particular Radio Humberside presenters, and he mentions the lack of budget. Surely that’s not why he has gone? Yes he sounds angry but at least he’s showing some passion and commitment to the club. I've always thought local radio is abysmal and should be avoided at all costs so couldn’t disagree with what he said. It was secretly recorded, supposedly just after we had lost 4-0. I probably said something very similar.
I genuinely think Jolley could have taken us to promotion. We just needed the confidence to be less defensive, but that would have come. After 15 games in 1979-80 we were in exactly the same position as now and we went on to be champions. We have the team and had the manager to be pushing for the play-offs and many of us were prepared to give him time. You wonder if he had just had enough and wanted out.
So what do we have to offer as a club: to our fans, a new manager, or potential investors? We have no budget and we'll sell our decent, up and coming players in January or the summer. The board is just hanging on in there in case someone comes in to buy the club or they can sell the ground to Barratt homes. Any developmental decision or genuine investment is beyond them.
There is a hard core of fans who are overly aggressive towards the manager and players. Some are racist despite "zero tolerance" policies, and even though it's 2019 some belittle or patronise female supporters. Not by any means is it a majority but who decent would want to come to Town? Fans are drifting away and will continue to do so. There is something very rotten at the core of the club.
I say thank you Mr Jolley for what you have done. Without you we would have been down again in 2018. You will go on to bigger and better things. Pity we couldn't be there with you. Now you're gone we will be looking over our shoulders at that long drop again. UTFM!