David Hulott looks at Grimsby Town and their chances and he is opimistic.
They maybe more famous for fish 'n' chips than football, but Grimsby Town got off to the proverbial flier last season. With a Manager of the Month award, defeating holders Liverpool at Anfield in the Worthington Cup and a 24 hour spell looking down upon the rest of Division 1, the prospects of a season devoid of the perennial relegation dogfight looked encouraging.
That said, any temptation of Premiership football coming to Cleethorpes was always going to be about as realistic as a Taleban governed Afghanistan hosting the next Miss World. Within weeks the anticipated plummet down the table had begun and Lennie Lawrence, the recipient of the aforementioned managerial accolade, was duly handed his P45. The sepia tinted spectacles could be put back in the cupboard for at least another year.
With a squad already skimpier in depth than an Aussie soap character and an annual transfer kitty that would barely cover David Beckham's weekly groceries bill, the close season loss of Peter Handyside and Kevin Donovan on Bosman's were major blows. The former was particularly missed, as the paucity of central defenders at the club is alarming. The new campaign promises to be more difficult still, with harsh economic realities leading to the likely sale of prized asset Danny Coyne. Ironically, it would appear that he is set to renew acquaintances with Lawrence with a switch to Cardiff City.
With an average attendance of barely 6000 (a rise from the previous season nonetheless) and a severe drop in future income from TV, surviving as a Division 1 club is a constant struggle at Blundell Park. Thankfully, The Mariners player-manager Paul Groves appears to have inherited the art of being able to manipulate the loan transfer system to maximum benefit from his predecessor. Under Lawrence, David Beharall and Marlon Broomes were brought in to bolster the depleted defence earlier in the season, but the masterstroke proved to be Groves's signing of Charlton centre-back Andy Todd. Not only did Todd help to plug gaps that were wider than those in Shane McGowan's mouth, but he also contributed vital goals as Town gradually managed to ease themselves away from the relegation trap door. Unfortunately Todd's transfer valuation was way beyond Grimsby's limited budget and he has since moved on to Blackburn Rovers. Groves will be banking on picking up similar deals over the coming months.
Success for The Mariners can only be measured in terms of Division 1 survival and balancing the books. The prospect of messrs Van Nistelrooy, Owen and Henry ever popping into town for post-match mushy peas and a pickled onion with their bit of battered haddock and a portion of chips is remote to put it mildly.
