Manager Decision Delayed

By: Rob Sedgwick
Date: 24/09/2008

STUART Watkiss will be in charge of the Mariners for at least one more game because the GTFC board will not consider Alan Buckley's replacement until after Saturday's game with Barnet at Blundell Park.

Mr Fenty told the Grimsby Telegraph: "A few applications are still coming in and we will assemble them all before the weekend. They will be circulated to the directors and I would think some time in the early part of next week we will start to whittle them down."

Fenty stressed that the board were not going to appoint someone quickly, as they did when Alan Buckley got the job for the third time in 2006.

"Our position remains the same, however, and we won't change that," said Fenty. "We won't be making any rash decisions. Like I have previously stressed, we intend to make sure we take our time to appoint the right man."

Interesting the current caretaker Stuart Watkiss has not applied for the position, although he has gone on record as saying he would like the job,

"There are many applications but, as yet, Stuart Watkiss hasn't formally applied. I know he has declared an interest in the Telegraph but that's all we've heard so far."

Fenty though has recognised that there has been an improvement around the club since Buckley left.

"Stuart is attending to matters as any good number two does when a manager leaves. There is a spring in the step of the personnel around the club and I think it was a good away point at Morecambe, even though we had been in the lead for so long.

"Ultimately it was a first-class delivery from a free-kick that hauled us back and that's nothing new in recent weeks - it's the third top quality free-kick that has hurt us in as many games.

Grim Rob Says: It looks like Stuart Watkiss is being given a chance to get the job for himself. If so he couldn't get an easier game on paper to win than Barnet at home. Grimsby would need at very least to win handsomely with a tremendous performance before his appointment could be contemplated. Ultimately though one game should not decide the fate of a new manager and someone with a better track record than Watkiss such as Mike Newell would be a better appointment, if Town can afford such a new appointment,

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