Cod Almighty | Diary

The Cold Still

6 November 2024

Autumn has always been my favourite of the seasons.

Birds drift in formation towards warmer lands. Leaves rest on the ground as we trudge through their burnt oranges and yellows.

There's an extra chill in the air. The vibrant colours of replica shirts are replaced by duller coats and jackets and scarfs. Bobble hats keep our ears warm, gloved hands grip hot chocolates and the inside of our pockets. Trainers are replaced by boots.

The floodlights are on by half time as the last of the afternoon sun disappears begrudgingly over the Findus, setting in the eyes of those in the main stand.

It's completely dark by full time, figures shuffling under street lamps down Imperial Ave as the McDonalds golden arches come into view. There's a stillness to the estuary and lights flicker on the Humber. Fireworks explode silently on the horizon.

We sit waiting for the condensation to clear in our cars as Radio Humberside comes to life and the final scores are read aloud. Grimsby nil.

The optimism of summer dilutes into the cold reality of the present. It's hard to know what the future may hold but we know what the past has taught us. This time last year we were managerless and sitting 21st in the table having lost seven of our last nine league games. This season we sit 10th having won five of our last nine. The progress has been obvious, if not accelerated.

The recent cup games have given us a chance to pause and reflect on the last year, the last month, the last week. New investment, new heights, new depths.

On our most recent podcast episode 'Jekyll and Hyde' we were joined by EFL pundit Gab Sutton who boldly declared at the start of the season Grimsby would finish 10th in the table. So far, so good? He pointed to his admiration of David Artell, his authentic and engaging man-management skills and the good job he has done at getting players, coaching staff and fans alike to "buy into" his methods. But his next test may be his hardest yet – making the players believe they can deliver on their promise.

Jason Stockwood stated in his latest Guardian article "data is just a torch, illuminating some of the unknowns but far from revealing everything." After the Wealdstone game Artell called into question the mentality of his squad. Attributes such as determination, commitment, resilience and desire are exactly the type that can't be measured by data. And are arguably the most important when building a team. You only find out if a player possesses such attributes when the chips are down and you look into the whites of their eyes. Rather than a spreadsheet.

So this next run of eight games between now and Christmas, all but one against teams below us in the table, will give a better indication of where we deserve to be. Still bobbing around the play offs or watching on from further back. By then we will have drifted into winter. The birds and the leaves and the light will be gone.

And we may need a bigger torch.