Mentioned Part 6

By: Rob Sedgwick
Date: 26/08/2000 (Last updated: 17/01/2026)

"No disrespect to the likes of Grimsby..."

Life as a Town fan

The following is an excerpt from the lonely planet British Phrasebook (1st edition - Sport section). Basically it's written by an American lady to try to explain some of our quaint customs and language differences etc.:

"Go to a football match. For the full cultural monty, don't go to see Liverpool or Manchester United, go to a match in a lower division, say Grimsby Town vs Hartlepool. The players will all be English and most of them won't be much good. They'll be playing in a bleak stadium on a surface slightly smoother than a sheep meadow and you can keep yourself warm with cups of squirrel-grey tea (no relation to Earl Grey).

"You'll be in the company of between three and eight thousand passionate fans, who are third and fourth generation supporters of their teams. As a Grimsby Town supporter remarked, without a trace of irony, 'Anyone can support Man United, they're a great team, they've got great players. But to support a club like Grimsby Town, now that's what English football is all about, because you know they're crap, and they always were crap, and they haven't got any money so they're going to stay crap'."

I wonder which one of the 3 - 8,000 fans actually said that - probably all of them!

Spotted by Alan Altoft (aka Toppy) in Sydney.

European Domination

Below was on the Guardian's website Football Unlimited

"We're not asking you to cry for Alan Buckley. The manager who, against all the odds, won the Auto Windscreens shield for Grimsby, got them promotion to the First Division and, while we're on the subject, kept them there, does not need your sympathy.

"However, he has just got the sack after two league games, so if you've got any odd jobs that need doing while he finds his feet, we're sure it would be much appreciated.

"Now that Buckley is out of the way, the only thing Grimsby need to embark upon an era of European domination is a new manager. "It's a big job," said Huxford, "and we've got to find a manager that's got credibility, is well founded and has got the ability to run a very tight ship on a very tight budget. Similar to what Alan's done."

"Right, so that's a manager who'll be able to be as successful as Buckley, with the resources that were available to Buckley, for the same wages as Buckley was on. Can anybody think of a suitable candidate?"

Spotted by Todd Bontoft

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