Bring Back Our Stripes

By: Dave Boylen
Date: 21/03/2007

THINGS are looking good for the Mariners and it seems that we are going to achieve a middle of the table position to end what has been a tipsy turvy campaign.

After the resignation of long-time servant Graham Rodger I am pleased he is now back at the football club, resuming his old job managing the Football in the Community project.

The arrival of Alan Buckley was not greeted with open arms by a lot of supporters but I think personally it was the right decision. There was only one man to do the job and he lived in Waltham and also he wanted to come back to - in his own words - finish the job that he left previously.

The improvement happened straight away, we won I think the first three out of four games, then lost the next seven. Finally we have gone and won the last seven out of eight games which has made the Mariners safe.

Town are now running out of matches, we are just going to fail the play-offs by - in my opinion - maybe by a couple of points.

I think it is time for Alan and the Chairman to take stock of the playing situation and put the feelers out for players who will become available for next season.

Knowing Alan as I do he will already have a shortlist written down in his little black book of who he requires. I think his major target will be to try and get Martin Paterson to come to the Mariners on a year's loan, providing he has not been snapped up elsewhere.

I also think that the boss will encourage the development of Danny North who I noticed from the day Alan first came back said quite a lot of good comments about him.

The major plus about starting a new season with Alan Buckley in charge is that he will be taking the pre-season training. That is where the manager makes his impact, stamps his authority onto his players. He has the players in front of him for nearly eight hours a day doing stamina work, along with ball skills which I know Alan believes in religiously.

Town have now got just got eight games left, four at home and four away. Now that we are safe maybe Alan can blood some of the youngsters who are in the juniors at the moment. There is nothing to lose giving it a go.

On a different issue what about changing the shirts back to the famous Black & White stripes, footballers are very superstitious, even ex-Footballers. I put it to everybody how strange is was that the stripes were abandoned last year, and just look at the season we have had. Let's get back to the famous Black & White stripes, that's if we are not contracted to wear them for another year.

So I am launching this campaign: bring back our proper stripes for the start of next season. To me it does not look the same watching the Mariners without the famous stripes.

On a final note I cannot believe some of the posts that are on the message board about Macca, how some people can say that he does not deserve to be given a award by the Government in respect of all the years he has played at Grimsby Town is beyond me.

Some of the comments on the board are unbelievable. Here is a guy who has given his all to the club for all those years, I know he nearly went to Hull a few years ago but let me tell you this he also, when asked by Charlton Athletic just when they were on the edge of going through all the divisions with Alan Curbishly, turned them down.

I could not believe it at the time, the reason why he turned Charlton was because the respect he had for Alan Buckley, who was coming back to run the club for a second time, I thought he had made the wrong decision, but look what happened Wembley twice in six weeks and also man of the match in one of the finals.

Some of the posts have been disgraceful. I say back him to the hilt, one comment why should he get an award when he only works so many hours a day, what a stupid statement. People do not know what a gentleman Macca is, if I am doing a charity event he is always there to give a hand, not just with me but with loads more people as well.

All you genuine supporters get behind this campaign and support it to the hilt.

See Dave's other articles

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