Not Out Of The Woods Yet

By: Rob Sedgwick
Date: 23/11/2009

CARETAKER boss Neil Woods has been confirmed as the new Grimsby boss. Woods got the nod from the Town board after six weeks of deliberation. In the end it boiled down to a straight choice between Woods and former Town boss Russell Slade.

It's a brave decision by the board to appoint someone with no managerial experience to rescue Town from relegation out of the league.

The board will inevitably face criticism for not appointing second choice Russell Slade, Grimsby's only successful manager of the last decade, who was recently sacked by Brighton. Slade came within one minute of getting automatic promotion three seasons ago, and since then Town have struggled at the wrong end of the League Two table with a succession of failed managers.

Neil Woods has been caretaker for six weeks, during which time Town have failed to win a game and been knocked out of two cup competitions. They have also been subject to the most embarrassing defeat in a generation when they were empathically knocked out of the FA Cup at home by non-league Bath City.

One improvement under Neil Woods has been the style of football. Town have adopted the more passing game favoured by Woods - one of the chief criticism levelled at Russell Slade.

Grim Rob Says I don't agree with this decision as results under Woods have been no better than his predecessor Mike Newell, and he has no pedigree whatsoever as a manager. All I can hope is that the board have seen something in Woods which has not been apparent in what he has done during the six weeks he has been in charge.

Thanks to dazwev for the headline

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