Well, New Zealand won the rugby union world cup, and so in celebration I have changed my name back to Captain Haddock, but it was sad to hear of the death of the great all black - Jonah Lomu.
However, this week has been overshadowed by the terrorist attacks in Paris, and as I write this now in Bamako, Mali. The attacks in Paris were shocking, horrific and completely unjustifiable on any level. It is though important to remember that nearly all muslims do not believe or support this warped toxic view of the world, also that Syrian refugees do not equal terrorists, whatever Sky news or the Daily Mail claim - the evidence of their propaganda is flimsy at best. It's sad to see how the right wing media, alongside this Tory government have jumped at the opportunity to put forward an argument to bomb Syria. I cannot see how dropping more bombs on a country already devastated is going to help the situation, apart from radicalising more young people throughout Europe. You defeat an ideology like IS through argument and debate, showing what a lot of shit it is, alongside trying to stabilise the whole region of north Africa, Iraq and Syria, and stopping Israel from pouring petrol on the burning flames of Palastine - a mess Israel has created with the tacit support of the West.
It is interesting how Saudi Arabia (the West's so called friend) sits silently, as it allegedly funds IS, an organisation supposedly full of Saadam Hussein's former Ba'th Party members!
UTM,
Captain Haddock
Sunday 22 November 2015
Saturday 24 October 2015
After last weekend's exciting and entertaining but ultimately fruitless rugby union, the real news isn't that the southern hemisphere countries on paper dominated the rugby world cup, but the sad demise of a once proud industry. Over the last few weeks we have seen the steel industry closed down in Redcar, and now Scotland. The town of Scunthorpe (a town we all know well) will be decimated with the loss of 900 jobs, let's face it, there isn't much in the town to start with, so this will have a massive impact. The Tory Government have just watched all of this happen with little if any interest. Cameron blames cheap Chinese imports of steel, while Osborne offers the Chinese any major construction contract it wants! A communist country devoid of human rights and freedom, a country that occupies Tibet and executes more people than any other country in the world. If this was the banking industry or Cameron's posh mates he would throw money at the problem to help them, but it's industrial workers who he couldn't care less about; or if this occurred in the south east like when the Thames flooded last year he was quick to help, but this is in the north. He knows Scunthorpe though, because his in-laws are from Normanby Hall - shame on you Cameron!! Once the industry closes there is no going back, and under this and previous Conservative Governments there is a shameful record of destroying Britain's manufacturing base.
Scotland came so close to knocking out Australia in the rugby world cup - there were two disgraceful decisions in the match. The first one was the yellow card awarded against Sean Maitland for deliberate knock on, when he clearly was trying to intercept a pass, you can see this when you look at his other hand. It should have been a scrum to Australia, instead Australia scored a try from the subsequent line out. The second decision was the penalty near the end when again it should have been a scrum to Australia. It seemed to me that the southern hemisphere referee ensured another southern hemisphere team progressed - the question is, would he have given a penalty if it had been the other way round? I doubt it!! The Mariners have a break from the league this weekend with a tricky trip to John McDermott's Harrogate Town in the FA Cup, but hopefully we can keep the unbeaten run going.
UTM
Captain New Zealand
Scotland came so close to knocking out Australia in the rugby world cup - there were two disgraceful decisions in the match. The first one was the yellow card awarded against Sean Maitland for deliberate knock on, when he clearly was trying to intercept a pass, you can see this when you look at his other hand. It should have been a scrum to Australia, instead Australia scored a try from the subsequent line out. The second decision was the penalty near the end when again it should have been a scrum to Australia. It seemed to me that the southern hemisphere referee ensured another southern hemisphere team progressed - the question is, would he have given a penalty if it had been the other way round? I doubt it!! The Mariners have a break from the league this weekend with a tricky trip to John McDermott's Harrogate Town in the FA Cup, but hopefully we can keep the unbeaten run going.
UTM
Captain New Zealand
Saturday 17 October 2015
The rugby world cup moves forward now the final group games have been played, with Wales, Ireland and Scotland having qualified for the knock out stages - Scotland appear to have the hardest task against Australia, who put the team of posh southerners out of their misery relatively easily. However, New Zealand march onwards in their defence of the trophy, but after South Africa's shock defeat to Japan they have bounced back impressively.
The Mariners unbeaten run continues with good victories at home to Gateshead and Halifax, and draws with Forest Green Rovers (which was an improvement on last season) and Braintree. They have an awkward trip to Torquay today, but another three points and we would really be getting into a position to seriously challenge for the title.
It was good to see Grimsby feature in the final episode of 'This is England 90', a really powerful scene set in a post-industrial apocalyptic landscape with the dock tower in the background. It was nice to see local actor Thomas Turgoose getting some good recognition for his performance. However, it won't be too long until that idiot Sasha Baron Cohen puts out his film, 'Grimsby', which isn't even set in Grimsby at all - unlike Shane Meadows, Cohen is just another posh southerner taking the piss out of the north - what a wanker.
Finally, I feel sad for our neighbours Scunthorpe and the impending job losses in the steel industry, it will have a major impact on the town. It's typical that our government are quite happy to support the banking industry but couldn't care less about ordinary working people - under Conservative governments we have seen the majority of our major industries destroyed! The evidence of their contempt for hard working people is the reduction in working tax credits - it's the posh bastards in the Conservative party who are lazy and live off the efforts of hard working normal people!!
UTM
Captain New Zealand
The Mariners unbeaten run continues with good victories at home to Gateshead and Halifax, and draws with Forest Green Rovers (which was an improvement on last season) and Braintree. They have an awkward trip to Torquay today, but another three points and we would really be getting into a position to seriously challenge for the title.
It was good to see Grimsby feature in the final episode of 'This is England 90', a really powerful scene set in a post-industrial apocalyptic landscape with the dock tower in the background. It was nice to see local actor Thomas Turgoose getting some good recognition for his performance. However, it won't be too long until that idiot Sasha Baron Cohen puts out his film, 'Grimsby', which isn't even set in Grimsby at all - unlike Shane Meadows, Cohen is just another posh southerner taking the piss out of the north - what a wanker.
Finally, I feel sad for our neighbours Scunthorpe and the impending job losses in the steel industry, it will have a major impact on the town. It's typical that our government are quite happy to support the banking industry but couldn't care less about ordinary working people - under Conservative governments we have seen the majority of our major industries destroyed! The evidence of their contempt for hard working people is the reduction in working tax credits - it's the posh bastards in the Conservative party who are lazy and live off the efforts of hard working normal people!!
UTM
Captain New Zealand
Monday 28 September 2015
It's been an interesting week here at Garibaldi House - a news report on the BBC stating how these flats are no longer fashionable and that's why they're being demolished, instead of the fact that to maintain them is not cost effective. Not sure what that was all about! Then, shock horror we find out that the country is being run by a deviant who puts his penis into the mouth of a dead pig - am I the only person who actually isn't really surprised that we have an alleged pig fucker as Prime Minister!! The Bullingdon Club are made up of a bunch of upper class rich wankers (which also included Osborne and Johnson) who used to allegedly burn £50 notes in front of homeless people as an initiation ceremony, perhaps a smack in the mouth would be the appropriate riposte! After the allegations of drug abuse and pig fucking, all the press want to do is attack Jeremy Corbyn - a normal person!
This week is the Labour Party Conference and the beginning of a new political reality - the media don't seem to have grasped it, the old political process has changed, and we are entering a new era. It will be interesting to see Jeremy Corbyn's conference speech and the fight back against the Tories with his anti-austerity agenda - why should ordinary people suffer while the alleged pig fucker and his mates do exactly what they want. I would rather have a country run by normal people for normal people, than one that is only run for the benefit of a small minority at the top.
Just another quick message to Assam Allam, the Labour Party is not your party, you do not own it! If you don't like what has happened to the Labour Party then fuck off and join the Tories. Stick to trying to change the name of Hull City and leave the Labour Party and trade union movement alone!!
This leads on nicely to the rugby union world cup, which after South Africa lost to Japan seems to have caught the medias imagination - rugby union traditionally the sport of the posh of the south of England, unlike football - I always support Scotland! It was rather amusing to see the royal brothers both sat there at the England vs. Wales game, both English - one supporting England, and the other Wales - just because you've made up your own surname and called yourself Wales doesn't make you Welsh! Anyway, from now on until the end of the tournament I shall be known as Captain New Zealand! However, it was good to see that the Mariners managed an away win at Southport, never the easiest place to go and get three points, but a 4 - nil win and the unbeaten run goes on. It'll be a big game at Blundell Park on Saturday against Forest Green Rovers.
UTM,
Captain New Zealand
This week is the Labour Party Conference and the beginning of a new political reality - the media don't seem to have grasped it, the old political process has changed, and we are entering a new era. It will be interesting to see Jeremy Corbyn's conference speech and the fight back against the Tories with his anti-austerity agenda - why should ordinary people suffer while the alleged pig fucker and his mates do exactly what they want. I would rather have a country run by normal people for normal people, than one that is only run for the benefit of a small minority at the top.
Just another quick message to Assam Allam, the Labour Party is not your party, you do not own it! If you don't like what has happened to the Labour Party then fuck off and join the Tories. Stick to trying to change the name of Hull City and leave the Labour Party and trade union movement alone!!
This leads on nicely to the rugby union world cup, which after South Africa lost to Japan seems to have caught the medias imagination - rugby union traditionally the sport of the posh of the south of England, unlike football - I always support Scotland! It was rather amusing to see the royal brothers both sat there at the England vs. Wales game, both English - one supporting England, and the other Wales - just because you've made up your own surname and called yourself Wales doesn't make you Welsh! Anyway, from now on until the end of the tournament I shall be known as Captain New Zealand! However, it was good to see that the Mariners managed an away win at Southport, never the easiest place to go and get three points, but a 4 - nil win and the unbeaten run goes on. It'll be a big game at Blundell Park on Saturday against Forest Green Rovers.
UTM,
Captain New Zealand
Sunday 20 September 2015
Well congratulations to Jeremy Corbyn the new Labour leader, and Tom Watson the deputy leader. It was a landslide victory for Jeremy Corbyn with nearly 60% of the vote, and Watson won relatively easily. However, if you listen to the London based media you would think otherwise, the usual suspects - The Sun; Daily Mail; Daily Express etc have all been an utter disgrace. They talk of a divided party but with nearly 60% of the membership supporting him it is not divided, and those Labour MP's like Simon Danczuk need to remember this - it's MP's that are out of line with party thinking.
Then we had the attacks on Jeremy Corbyn for not singing the national anthem, which is nothing but a pro-royalist dirge anyway - even Scotland and Wales have their own! He stood in respectful silence to honour those ordinary men and women who fought and helped to defeat Nazism, while some of the British ruling class and royalty were cosying up to Hitler and Mussolini, and as we now know even the queen was doing her Nazi salute!! At least Jeremy Corbyn now has time to get used to being in charge and prepare for the future as we enter the conference season, and it should be a united Labour conference behind him. The good thing though is less and less people read the right wing press, especially the younger population who now use social media, and many of these will be able to vote in 2020, and hopefully 'generation rent' will sweep middle england away for good! And Assam Allam can just fuck off!!
The refugee scenes from Hungary look more hopeless by the day, not helped by a right-wing Hungarian Prime Minister, even though ordinary Hungarians are trying to help. It was good to see Corbyn heading to a rally about the refugee crisis immediately after being elected Labour leader, but typical of David Cameron that he flew out a few days later to a refugee camp - going doesn't mean you actually care!
It was good to see the Mariners keeping their unbeaten run going with a late equaliser at Chester, and then another draw (they should have won) in Friday's televised clash with Tranmere. I expect both Tranmere and us, along with Forest Green battling it out for the title come next April. Finally, hats off to the Japanese rugby team for beating South Africa!!!
UTM
Captain Haddock
Then we had the attacks on Jeremy Corbyn for not singing the national anthem, which is nothing but a pro-royalist dirge anyway - even Scotland and Wales have their own! He stood in respectful silence to honour those ordinary men and women who fought and helped to defeat Nazism, while some of the British ruling class and royalty were cosying up to Hitler and Mussolini, and as we now know even the queen was doing her Nazi salute!! At least Jeremy Corbyn now has time to get used to being in charge and prepare for the future as we enter the conference season, and it should be a united Labour conference behind him. The good thing though is less and less people read the right wing press, especially the younger population who now use social media, and many of these will be able to vote in 2020, and hopefully 'generation rent' will sweep middle england away for good! And Assam Allam can just fuck off!!
The refugee scenes from Hungary look more hopeless by the day, not helped by a right-wing Hungarian Prime Minister, even though ordinary Hungarians are trying to help. It was good to see Corbyn heading to a rally about the refugee crisis immediately after being elected Labour leader, but typical of David Cameron that he flew out a few days later to a refugee camp - going doesn't mean you actually care!
It was good to see the Mariners keeping their unbeaten run going with a late equaliser at Chester, and then another draw (they should have won) in Friday's televised clash with Tranmere. I expect both Tranmere and us, along with Forest Green battling it out for the title come next April. Finally, hats off to the Japanese rugby team for beating South Africa!!!
UTM
Captain Haddock
Friday 11 September 2015
It could be a very interesting weekend, with the winner of the Labour leadership election being announced tomorrow morning; if it's Jeremy Corbyn that is elected, as I hope, then potentially there will be a leader of the Labour Party with the majority of Labour MP's not supporting him but massive support amongst the membership (a membership that will never forgive or forget those MP's if they bring down his leadership), or a Labour leader with the majority of MP's supporting them, but massive numbers of ordinary supporters opposing them!
It's always a strange time of the year when summer is coming to an end and we start to move into autumn - we are in the last days of the cricket season, and it seems a longtime ago now since England regained the Ashes. We are now well into the football season, and that initial optimism around the Mariners has begun to disappear but the reality is there's plenty of time. However, Grimsby Town need to win tomorrow against Aldershot and improve their level of consistency and build on last week's victory at Boreham Wood.
This time of year is when our television screens are bombarded with mass produced rubbish - from X-factor to Strictly. However, local actor and Town supporter, Thomas Turgoose returns to our screens on Sunday evening on Channel 4 in 'This is England 1990'.
The main issue in recent days and weeks though has been the refugee crisis across Europe, which has been shocking, especially the way David Cameron has done everything he can to avoid doing anything to help until being shamed into it! There are many people doing what they can to help, such as those taking aid to Calais - if you want to help you can pledge money at crowdfunding.justgiving.com/humankinduk.
Finally, today is the anniversary of 9/11, and as someone who lives in aa high-rise, Garibaldi House my sympathises go out to them as usual.
Captain Haddock
It's always a strange time of the year when summer is coming to an end and we start to move into autumn - we are in the last days of the cricket season, and it seems a longtime ago now since England regained the Ashes. We are now well into the football season, and that initial optimism around the Mariners has begun to disappear but the reality is there's plenty of time. However, Grimsby Town need to win tomorrow against Aldershot and improve their level of consistency and build on last week's victory at Boreham Wood.
This time of year is when our television screens are bombarded with mass produced rubbish - from X-factor to Strictly. However, local actor and Town supporter, Thomas Turgoose returns to our screens on Sunday evening on Channel 4 in 'This is England 1990'.
The main issue in recent days and weeks though has been the refugee crisis across Europe, which has been shocking, especially the way David Cameron has done everything he can to avoid doing anything to help until being shamed into it! There are many people doing what they can to help, such as those taking aid to Calais - if you want to help you can pledge money at crowdfunding.justgiving.com/humankinduk.
Finally, today is the anniversary of 9/11, and as someone who lives in aa high-rise, Garibaldi House my sympathises go out to them as usual.
Captain Haddock
Friday 31 July 2015
The Captain's back in the East Marsh
The Captain is back, after a combination of copious amounts of beer and a few weeks at sea! It looks like most of my neighbours have been moved out of the flats - hope they don't demolish them after I've had a night on the booze. There's been a lot happening since I've been away; the Mariners having signed what appear to look like some decent players and then having a good pre-season, so far; the Labour leadership battle in full swing with Jeremy Corbyn appearing to be in the lead; and England having a good day on the opening day in the third ashes test.
There seems to be a lot of genuine optimism around Grimsby Town FC, after some interesting signings to back up the majority of good players who re-signed after the play-off defeat. It was disappointing to lose Lenell John-Lewis and Carl Magnay - good luck to them both, but they might well live to regret their decisions by the end of the season. Omar Bogle, apart from having the best name in football, looks an excellent prospect, and poaching Andy Monkhouse from Bristol Rovers was a definite up yours to Darrell Clarke! I hope you have all recovered from the pain and heartache of Wembley and are full of optimism for the season ahead. It's the hope that gets me every time - at my age you'd have thought I'd have learnt by now! However, after our all conquering pre-season (nearly), excellent purchases, and operation promotion (£110K), what could go wrong!!!
After Labour's general election defeat, and Ed Miliband's attempt to introduce 'austerity-light' instead of the Tories nasty vengeful dismantling of the public sector and attacks on the poor, we are now faced with a choice - Jeremy Corbyn; Andy Burnham; Yvette Cooper; or Liz Kendall? There now appears to be an anti-austerity surge (at last) within the labour movement towards Jeremy Corbyn, which reflects what is going on in the rest of Europe, with Alexis Tsipras and Syria in Greece, and the rise of Podemos in Spain. I would rather have a Labour party led by Jeremy Corbyn than the one led by Tony Blair who was only interested in his own bank balance! I will therefore be voting for Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader.
As for the cricket, by the time you are reading this, who knows who will be winning!
Captain Haddock
The Captain is back, after a combination of copious amounts of beer and a few weeks at sea! It looks like most of my neighbours have been moved out of the flats - hope they don't demolish them after I've had a night on the booze. There's been a lot happening since I've been away; the Mariners having signed what appear to look like some decent players and then having a good pre-season, so far; the Labour leadership battle in full swing with Jeremy Corbyn appearing to be in the lead; and England having a good day on the opening day in the third ashes test.
There seems to be a lot of genuine optimism around Grimsby Town FC, after some interesting signings to back up the majority of good players who re-signed after the play-off defeat. It was disappointing to lose Lenell John-Lewis and Carl Magnay - good luck to them both, but they might well live to regret their decisions by the end of the season. Omar Bogle, apart from having the best name in football, looks an excellent prospect, and poaching Andy Monkhouse from Bristol Rovers was a definite up yours to Darrell Clarke! I hope you have all recovered from the pain and heartache of Wembley and are full of optimism for the season ahead. It's the hope that gets me every time - at my age you'd have thought I'd have learnt by now! However, after our all conquering pre-season (nearly), excellent purchases, and operation promotion (£110K), what could go wrong!!!
After Labour's general election defeat, and Ed Miliband's attempt to introduce 'austerity-light' instead of the Tories nasty vengeful dismantling of the public sector and attacks on the poor, we are now faced with a choice - Jeremy Corbyn; Andy Burnham; Yvette Cooper; or Liz Kendall? There now appears to be an anti-austerity surge (at last) within the labour movement towards Jeremy Corbyn, which reflects what is going on in the rest of Europe, with Alexis Tsipras and Syria in Greece, and the rise of Podemos in Spain. I would rather have a Labour party led by Jeremy Corbyn than the one led by Tony Blair who was only interested in his own bank balance! I will therefore be voting for Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader.
As for the cricket, by the time you are reading this, who knows who will be winning!
Captain Haddock
Wednesday 20 May 2015
Wembley Blues
I have been lying in a darkened room since late on Sunday night, the effects of the alcohol have now warn off and the painful realisation of a sixth year in non-league football is beginning to sink in! I feel emotionally ripped apart and have no desire to leave Garibaldi House and venture into the real world - what happened on Sunday was worse than any defeat I've known. When we lost our league status that sad day at Burton, it had some inevitability about it but Sunday was despair snatched from the jaws of hope!
However bad Sunday was, there have been some huge positives this season and we have become a proper football team again, playing some excellent football peppered with the odd disaster - who wants to remember losing at home on a Tuesday evening 1 - nil to Southport and he had to score didn't he! There were the two local derbies against Lincoln, losing at Sincil Bank was bad enough but how we capitulated at home to them after going into the lead was a true horror show. It took us a few weeks to recover but it shows the players mental strength because they did recover and if there had been another fives games would surely have gained automatic promotion. Even though Barnet were champions I think the best two teams in the league were Bristol Rovers and the Mariners, in fact the best team to visit Blundell Park all season were Bristol Rovers. Barnet had an excellent goal scorer in John Akinde, but the Mariners did do the double over them, after they got off to a flying start to the season. I think one clear advantage this season was getting knocked out of the FA Trophy relatively early so it didn't become a distraction and lead to a fixture congestion in March/April.
The emotional impact of Sunday's defeat will be difficult to get over for the management, players and supporters. I know we lost to Wrexham on penalties in the FA Trophy final in 2013, but that was nothing compared to Sunday and many of us were more worried about losing fingers and toes to frost bite. I think it would have been easier if we had lost 2 - nil, it was the fact that we took it all the way and were clearly the better side. I have no idea why their goalkeeper was not sent off for handball, even though that apart he actually looked a good player, and their striker Taylor could easily have been sent off. The Grimsby support as usual were immense and even though Bristol Rovers (population of Bristol - 437,500) had twice as many supporters as Town (population of N.E. Lincolnshire - 159,800) we still drowned them out! Darrell Clarke their manager said all the right things about Grimsby Town (even with his shenanigans over the Grimsby Telegraph! I think its a right wing piece of shite), but it will be interesting to see how long he stays at Rovers.
Anyway, there's no point dwelling on it and we must move forward, so let us make 2016 our promotion season and get off to a flying start. This means that we need to get the vast majority of the players signed up as soon as possible (good luck to all those released, especially Ross Hannah). We need to build on both the excellent team spirit and support into an automatic promotion push. If we compare the squad as it is to all the other teams in the Conference then we are clearly better than the rest, obviously the two teams relegated have the advantage of parachute payments (we wasted our's years ago!) but I see Tranmere Rovers being the more dangerous of the two. However, it is likely that it will take time for them to adjust (as it did with Bristol Rovers) and we need to build up a good points gap (like Barnet this season) before they get used to the Conference. We also need to treat the FA Trophy with the contempt that the Conference administrators treat Grimsby. We should play a mixture of reserves and juniors, and play the first team only in league matches and the FA Cup. If they do well in the FA Trophy good luck to them and it will give them more experience.
We need to get the whole community behind the team so youngsters would rather watch the Mariners rather than Man United or Liverpool on television (I can't believe that there will be school children now who have never experienced Town as a league club). Those plastic supporters that you see in the precinct with their premier league team's shirt on need to remember football is more than Man United and Chelsea. It's clubs like Grimsby Town that make football what it is - it's not that long ago that the Mariners beat Liverpool at Anfield, or Manchester City and Chelsea at Blundell Park.
Come on people of North East Lincolnshire get down to Blundell Park, and make it into a fortress - let's make 2016 Grimsby Town's promotion season and build on what we did on Sunday!!
UTM
Captain Haddock.
I have been lying in a darkened room since late on Sunday night, the effects of the alcohol have now warn off and the painful realisation of a sixth year in non-league football is beginning to sink in! I feel emotionally ripped apart and have no desire to leave Garibaldi House and venture into the real world - what happened on Sunday was worse than any defeat I've known. When we lost our league status that sad day at Burton, it had some inevitability about it but Sunday was despair snatched from the jaws of hope!
However bad Sunday was, there have been some huge positives this season and we have become a proper football team again, playing some excellent football peppered with the odd disaster - who wants to remember losing at home on a Tuesday evening 1 - nil to Southport and he had to score didn't he! There were the two local derbies against Lincoln, losing at Sincil Bank was bad enough but how we capitulated at home to them after going into the lead was a true horror show. It took us a few weeks to recover but it shows the players mental strength because they did recover and if there had been another fives games would surely have gained automatic promotion. Even though Barnet were champions I think the best two teams in the league were Bristol Rovers and the Mariners, in fact the best team to visit Blundell Park all season were Bristol Rovers. Barnet had an excellent goal scorer in John Akinde, but the Mariners did do the double over them, after they got off to a flying start to the season. I think one clear advantage this season was getting knocked out of the FA Trophy relatively early so it didn't become a distraction and lead to a fixture congestion in March/April.
The emotional impact of Sunday's defeat will be difficult to get over for the management, players and supporters. I know we lost to Wrexham on penalties in the FA Trophy final in 2013, but that was nothing compared to Sunday and many of us were more worried about losing fingers and toes to frost bite. I think it would have been easier if we had lost 2 - nil, it was the fact that we took it all the way and were clearly the better side. I have no idea why their goalkeeper was not sent off for handball, even though that apart he actually looked a good player, and their striker Taylor could easily have been sent off. The Grimsby support as usual were immense and even though Bristol Rovers (population of Bristol - 437,500) had twice as many supporters as Town (population of N.E. Lincolnshire - 159,800) we still drowned them out! Darrell Clarke their manager said all the right things about Grimsby Town (even with his shenanigans over the Grimsby Telegraph! I think its a right wing piece of shite), but it will be interesting to see how long he stays at Rovers.
Anyway, there's no point dwelling on it and we must move forward, so let us make 2016 our promotion season and get off to a flying start. This means that we need to get the vast majority of the players signed up as soon as possible (good luck to all those released, especially Ross Hannah). We need to build on both the excellent team spirit and support into an automatic promotion push. If we compare the squad as it is to all the other teams in the Conference then we are clearly better than the rest, obviously the two teams relegated have the advantage of parachute payments (we wasted our's years ago!) but I see Tranmere Rovers being the more dangerous of the two. However, it is likely that it will take time for them to adjust (as it did with Bristol Rovers) and we need to build up a good points gap (like Barnet this season) before they get used to the Conference. We also need to treat the FA Trophy with the contempt that the Conference administrators treat Grimsby. We should play a mixture of reserves and juniors, and play the first team only in league matches and the FA Cup. If they do well in the FA Trophy good luck to them and it will give them more experience.
We need to get the whole community behind the team so youngsters would rather watch the Mariners rather than Man United or Liverpool on television (I can't believe that there will be school children now who have never experienced Town as a league club). Those plastic supporters that you see in the precinct with their premier league team's shirt on need to remember football is more than Man United and Chelsea. It's clubs like Grimsby Town that make football what it is - it's not that long ago that the Mariners beat Liverpool at Anfield, or Manchester City and Chelsea at Blundell Park.
Come on people of North East Lincolnshire get down to Blundell Park, and make it into a fortress - let's make 2016 Grimsby Town's promotion season and build on what we did on Sunday!!
UTM
Captain Haddock.
Saturday 16 May 2015
Welcome to the dis-United Kingdom! What on earth have the British people done? God help us all now we have a majority Conservative government. We now have a recipe for complete chaos with a small majority and moving towards an in-out referendum over our membership of the EU, and a Tory party obsessed with being anti-EU.
The dis-united nature of Britain can be seen with Scotland turning towards nationalism and away from UK politics altogether, large parts of the north of England turning towards the Labour party (can we join Scotland?), Wales bizarrely swinging towards the Conservatives. The polarisation between rich and poor ended up with the majority of London being Labour. The midlands and the south (middle England) turning more strongly towards the Tories than previously, and 60% of the entire population voting against them.
However, I am proud of the good people of Grimsby voting in a local woman Mel Onn representing the Labour party with an increased majority. It was good to send that vile fascist Victoria Ayling out of town, hopefully to never return! I was disappointed to see our neighbours in Cleethorpes let us down and re-elected Martin Vickers instead of that good man Peter Keith. Apart from the area around Park Street which is virtually the East Marsh, many people in Cleethorpes see themselves as a cut above the working people of Grimsby. That's the problem with many who become self employed and move to Cleethorpes, see themselves as middle class and then vote Tory and support benefit cuts on the poor. However, they are quite prepared to fiddle the system claiming tax relief on as many things as possible! They should be happy now they've elected the Tories, but when the £12 billion of cuts begin and Grimsby is devastated and the uncertainty over the EU referendum kicks in, they'll have no customers and their businesses will go bankrupt!!
Now the Tories are in power they will be trying to introduce all manner of vindictive shit! They have said they intend to repeal the Human Rights Act - clearly they don't think the poor should have any rights. Say goodbye to the NHS, it was excellent while it lasted - just remember what it used to be like as you pay your GP. When you have no employment rights and your boss can dismiss you because he or she doesn't like the look of your face! When they remove a trade unions ability to take industrial action and undermine any rights that working people have, don't blame me! If you're a fox and you live near Brocklesby, my advice is move into town before the sick perverted Tories repeal the fox hunting ban, hunt you down and tear you apart with their dogs!! Then the £12 billion of welfare cuts are coming and when they do they will destroy people's lives, sending more people to foodbanks to survive, and pushing even more people to suicide.
Anyway, after the general election result I haven't had a particularly good week, the odd result apart (Mel Onn winning Grimsby and Ester McVile losing on the Wirral) but all eyes are now firmly focused on Wembley Stadium and the Mariners play-off final against Bristol Rovers. It's a shame the Conference's two best teams are meeting each other in the final - Barnet were inferior to both teams but with Akinde up front he took them to promotion. It should be a close game and hopefully Grimsby's recent experience of both the play-offs and Wembley will give them the edge. Hopefully, by the end of the weekend Grimsby Town FC will be back proudly in the football league, but if not the same as with the Tories we will fight on forever and never be beaten!!!
UTM and an end to this unwanted Tory government.
Captain Haddock.
The dis-united nature of Britain can be seen with Scotland turning towards nationalism and away from UK politics altogether, large parts of the north of England turning towards the Labour party (can we join Scotland?), Wales bizarrely swinging towards the Conservatives. The polarisation between rich and poor ended up with the majority of London being Labour. The midlands and the south (middle England) turning more strongly towards the Tories than previously, and 60% of the entire population voting against them.
However, I am proud of the good people of Grimsby voting in a local woman Mel Onn representing the Labour party with an increased majority. It was good to send that vile fascist Victoria Ayling out of town, hopefully to never return! I was disappointed to see our neighbours in Cleethorpes let us down and re-elected Martin Vickers instead of that good man Peter Keith. Apart from the area around Park Street which is virtually the East Marsh, many people in Cleethorpes see themselves as a cut above the working people of Grimsby. That's the problem with many who become self employed and move to Cleethorpes, see themselves as middle class and then vote Tory and support benefit cuts on the poor. However, they are quite prepared to fiddle the system claiming tax relief on as many things as possible! They should be happy now they've elected the Tories, but when the £12 billion of cuts begin and Grimsby is devastated and the uncertainty over the EU referendum kicks in, they'll have no customers and their businesses will go bankrupt!!
Now the Tories are in power they will be trying to introduce all manner of vindictive shit! They have said they intend to repeal the Human Rights Act - clearly they don't think the poor should have any rights. Say goodbye to the NHS, it was excellent while it lasted - just remember what it used to be like as you pay your GP. When you have no employment rights and your boss can dismiss you because he or she doesn't like the look of your face! When they remove a trade unions ability to take industrial action and undermine any rights that working people have, don't blame me! If you're a fox and you live near Brocklesby, my advice is move into town before the sick perverted Tories repeal the fox hunting ban, hunt you down and tear you apart with their dogs!! Then the £12 billion of welfare cuts are coming and when they do they will destroy people's lives, sending more people to foodbanks to survive, and pushing even more people to suicide.
Anyway, after the general election result I haven't had a particularly good week, the odd result apart (Mel Onn winning Grimsby and Ester McVile losing on the Wirral) but all eyes are now firmly focused on Wembley Stadium and the Mariners play-off final against Bristol Rovers. It's a shame the Conference's two best teams are meeting each other in the final - Barnet were inferior to both teams but with Akinde up front he took them to promotion. It should be a close game and hopefully Grimsby's recent experience of both the play-offs and Wembley will give them the edge. Hopefully, by the end of the weekend Grimsby Town FC will be back proudly in the football league, but if not the same as with the Tories we will fight on forever and never be beaten!!!
UTM and an end to this unwanted Tory government.
Captain Haddock.
Tuesday 5 May 2015
Captain Haddock's Election Blog
We are on the verge of the 2015 general election and all of the opinion polls are saying we are in for a close result. However, there is only one real choice, between David Cameron who has nothing in common with the people of Grimsby, and Ed Miliband who represents working people. Grimsby is a poor working class town that has suffered over the last 5 years at the hands of this evil Tory-Lib Dem coalition. At least with the Mariners going to Wembley we have something to look forward to locally.
In Grimsby it looks like the election will be battle between Labour's Mel Onn and the vile Victoria Ayling representing Ukip this time - how can you trust a creature like Ayling when she moves from one right wing party to the next, National Front to Conservative and now Ukip. Those of you thinking about voting Ukip, if they win, Grimsby will be come an irrelevancy at national level.
Our neighbours in Cleethorpes have an interesting battle between Vickers the current Tory MP who in 5 years will be remembered for nothing he did for Cleethorpes, apart from voting for the bedroom tax, and the Labour candidate Peter Keith. A vote for the Lib Dem 's is a waste of time, and a vote for the Greens or TUSC will just split Labour's vote and benefit the Tories. How on earth can you take TUSC's Cleethorpes candidate seriously - Malcolm Morland was the Lib Dem candidate in 2010, what a joke!!
This is the only time every 5 years when we are equal and my vote is no less importance than any wanker who runs a big business and rants on in the Tory press about how good the Tories are - yes for greedy exploitative money grabbing bastards like them! Anyway, if it's good enough for that right wing piece of shite, 'The Sun' to endorse a political party then so can I (and unlike Murdoch I actually live in the UK and have a vote here, whereas, that undemocratic bastard just makes comments). The right wing media don't control social media!!! On the 7th May it's important for the future of North East Lincolnshire, and Britain that people (and all you good trade unionists flirting with TUSC) vote Labour. People of Grimsby vote for your locally born Labour candidate - Mel Onn, and those of you in Cleethorpes vote for the Labour candidate, Peter Keith. It's going to be a big week for the area with hopefully a new Labour Government, and a Mariners victory over Bristol Rovers in the play off final and a return to the football league were we belong.
UTM and Vote Labour,
Captain Haddock
We are on the verge of the 2015 general election and all of the opinion polls are saying we are in for a close result. However, there is only one real choice, between David Cameron who has nothing in common with the people of Grimsby, and Ed Miliband who represents working people. Grimsby is a poor working class town that has suffered over the last 5 years at the hands of this evil Tory-Lib Dem coalition. At least with the Mariners going to Wembley we have something to look forward to locally.
In Grimsby it looks like the election will be battle between Labour's Mel Onn and the vile Victoria Ayling representing Ukip this time - how can you trust a creature like Ayling when she moves from one right wing party to the next, National Front to Conservative and now Ukip. Those of you thinking about voting Ukip, if they win, Grimsby will be come an irrelevancy at national level.
Our neighbours in Cleethorpes have an interesting battle between Vickers the current Tory MP who in 5 years will be remembered for nothing he did for Cleethorpes, apart from voting for the bedroom tax, and the Labour candidate Peter Keith. A vote for the Lib Dem 's is a waste of time, and a vote for the Greens or TUSC will just split Labour's vote and benefit the Tories. How on earth can you take TUSC's Cleethorpes candidate seriously - Malcolm Morland was the Lib Dem candidate in 2010, what a joke!!
This is the only time every 5 years when we are equal and my vote is no less importance than any wanker who runs a big business and rants on in the Tory press about how good the Tories are - yes for greedy exploitative money grabbing bastards like them! Anyway, if it's good enough for that right wing piece of shite, 'The Sun' to endorse a political party then so can I (and unlike Murdoch I actually live in the UK and have a vote here, whereas, that undemocratic bastard just makes comments). The right wing media don't control social media!!! On the 7th May it's important for the future of North East Lincolnshire, and Britain that people (and all you good trade unionists flirting with TUSC) vote Labour. People of Grimsby vote for your locally born Labour candidate - Mel Onn, and those of you in Cleethorpes vote for the Labour candidate, Peter Keith. It's going to be a big week for the area with hopefully a new Labour Government, and a Mariners victory over Bristol Rovers in the play off final and a return to the football league were we belong.
UTM and Vote Labour,
Captain Haddock
Wednesday 29 April 2015
Captain Haddock's Election Blog
There is just over a week to go before the general election. I can imagine most of you will be pleased when it's over and are probably sick of seeing the party leaders on television. It looks like the result will be close, but the reality is - do you want a posh bastard like David Cameron back in charge, or Ed Miliband because there is no other choice. The people of Grimsby can vote Ukip or any other party but it's a complete waste of time. In fact, the more Victoria Ayling appears on television the less likely anyone would ever want to vote for that ex-National Front, ex-Conservative joke candidate. It will be interesting to see if she puts her money were her mouth is and sues the Mail on Sunday regarding the allegations about her comments over her son!
I'm not saying that Ed Miliband is the answer to our working class prayers but he will be considerably better than David Cameron who doesn't even like working people, never mind non-working people. If he gets elected there will be nothing left for working people - no meangful NHS or an education system, but then again what does he care being an Old Etonian like most of his posh mates. Grimsby has got a lot worse over the last five years with poverty increasing, but there is hope for the future with the new renewable industries and being the gateway to Europe (whatever lunacy Ayling spouts!), and finally moving on both physically and emotionally from the fishing industry.
Those of you who are thinking of voting for one of the smaller parties, such as the Greens or TUSC, just remember there is no chance of your candidate being elected and all you are doing is splitting the working class vote, and helping both the Tories and Ukip who have total contempt for us!
UTM
Captain Haddock
There is just over a week to go before the general election. I can imagine most of you will be pleased when it's over and are probably sick of seeing the party leaders on television. It looks like the result will be close, but the reality is - do you want a posh bastard like David Cameron back in charge, or Ed Miliband because there is no other choice. The people of Grimsby can vote Ukip or any other party but it's a complete waste of time. In fact, the more Victoria Ayling appears on television the less likely anyone would ever want to vote for that ex-National Front, ex-Conservative joke candidate. It will be interesting to see if she puts her money were her mouth is and sues the Mail on Sunday regarding the allegations about her comments over her son!
I'm not saying that Ed Miliband is the answer to our working class prayers but he will be considerably better than David Cameron who doesn't even like working people, never mind non-working people. If he gets elected there will be nothing left for working people - no meangful NHS or an education system, but then again what does he care being an Old Etonian like most of his posh mates. Grimsby has got a lot worse over the last five years with poverty increasing, but there is hope for the future with the new renewable industries and being the gateway to Europe (whatever lunacy Ayling spouts!), and finally moving on both physically and emotionally from the fishing industry.
Those of you who are thinking of voting for one of the smaller parties, such as the Greens or TUSC, just remember there is no chance of your candidate being elected and all you are doing is splitting the working class vote, and helping both the Tories and Ukip who have total contempt for us!
UTM
Captain Haddock
Thursday 2 April 2015
I watched the last Prime Minister's Questions last week, before the general election - what a disgraceful performance from a large number of MP's, and I'm sure David Cameron actually makes up a lot of the statistics as he goes along. The entire institution is out of date - many of the Conservative MP's look completely out of touch, not just with ordinary working people, but with any semblance of reality! Then we had last week's Six o'clock news masquarading as a party political broadcast for the Conservative Party, two Old Etonians chatting in his kitchen - disgraceful! Cameron said he has no intention of standing for a third term - how arrogant when he is yet to even win one general election.
Cameron argued when shouting across the dispatch box that the NHS was in a better state than it was in 2010. What planet is he on? Anybody who has had to use the NHS will know that it is beginning to fall apart, from various private companies (owned by many Tory MP's and an ex-Tory health secretary) implementing healthcare on the cheap, the vandalism of the Tory NHS reforms to the lack of availability of your GP!
It is about time our democracy (what little we really have) was reformed and brought up to date. PMQ's shows that even the building is no longer fit for purpose with its adverserial construction. We need a new purpose built Parliament constructed somewhere in the centre of Britain, similar to the Scottish Parliament with a semi-circular chamber, and a fully elected second chamber. There also needs to be a purpose built block of flats and offices for each MP so there is no justification for a further expenses fiasco. However, the final part of this constitutional reform which is necessary, is the abolition of the monarchy - the funeral last week of Richard III in Leicester shows up the present monarchy, when they are not even related and their origins are not in this country but pre-unification Germany. We need a an elected constitutional President without the power they wield in the US and France, but more like Ireland or Italy.
If any of you out there are still thinking about voting Conservative or Ukip, then the Tories are looking at cutting an extra £12 billion from the welfare budget. If you think that means hitting the so called 'scroungers' then think again, because due to the fact Grimsby is well known for its low wages (minimum wage if you're lucky) and poverty, and two thirds of benefits go to working people, it probably means you!! Don't think a vote for Ukip will help, their policies are even more extreme than David Cameron. The only way to stop this nightmare senario and Grimsby being shafted is to vote Labour - vote for Melanie Onn (a local person as well) on 7th May, and after the Mariners victories at Dover and Welling, perhaps, we can all wake up on the 8th May with a more positive future - Melanie Onn elected as Grimsby's new MP, the Tory government kicked out, and Grimsby Town back in the Football League.
UTM
Captain Haddock
PS - a letter of support from a hundred Tory businessmen is hardly news, I'm sure the Labour Party could get a letter signed by the 1.8 million on zero hours contracts stating what shit employers those 100 Tory businessmen are!!
Cameron argued when shouting across the dispatch box that the NHS was in a better state than it was in 2010. What planet is he on? Anybody who has had to use the NHS will know that it is beginning to fall apart, from various private companies (owned by many Tory MP's and an ex-Tory health secretary) implementing healthcare on the cheap, the vandalism of the Tory NHS reforms to the lack of availability of your GP!
It is about time our democracy (what little we really have) was reformed and brought up to date. PMQ's shows that even the building is no longer fit for purpose with its adverserial construction. We need a new purpose built Parliament constructed somewhere in the centre of Britain, similar to the Scottish Parliament with a semi-circular chamber, and a fully elected second chamber. There also needs to be a purpose built block of flats and offices for each MP so there is no justification for a further expenses fiasco. However, the final part of this constitutional reform which is necessary, is the abolition of the monarchy - the funeral last week of Richard III in Leicester shows up the present monarchy, when they are not even related and their origins are not in this country but pre-unification Germany. We need a an elected constitutional President without the power they wield in the US and France, but more like Ireland or Italy.
If any of you out there are still thinking about voting Conservative or Ukip, then the Tories are looking at cutting an extra £12 billion from the welfare budget. If you think that means hitting the so called 'scroungers' then think again, because due to the fact Grimsby is well known for its low wages (minimum wage if you're lucky) and poverty, and two thirds of benefits go to working people, it probably means you!! Don't think a vote for Ukip will help, their policies are even more extreme than David Cameron. The only way to stop this nightmare senario and Grimsby being shafted is to vote Labour - vote for Melanie Onn (a local person as well) on 7th May, and after the Mariners victories at Dover and Welling, perhaps, we can all wake up on the 8th May with a more positive future - Melanie Onn elected as Grimsby's new MP, the Tory government kicked out, and Grimsby Town back in the Football League.
UTM
Captain Haddock
PS - a letter of support from a hundred Tory businessmen is hardly news, I'm sure the Labour Party could get a letter signed by the 1.8 million on zero hours contracts stating what shit employers those 100 Tory businessmen are!!
Saturday 21 March 2015
Why does Jeremy Clarkson seem to think he can do and say exactly what he likes, making racist remarks, causing diplomatic incidents, stating how he would have striking workers shot, and now allegedly assulting someone at work. The majority of ordinary people would have been dismissed for gross misconduct if they had done any of these. It's about time the BBC a public funded broadcaster dismissed him, they should have done it years ago. If a private television company then employed him, shame on them, but it's up to them, and the general public to turn off any programme featuring him!!
However, David Cameron's defence of his mate Clarkson shows once again the questionable judgement Cameron has, after his close friendships with so many dodgy wealthy people, none of us have forgotten that you employed Andy Coulson. I can't imagine that David Cameron supports workplace violence but his comments about Clarkson certainly condone it. However, when you look at the way this unelected Tory government have undermined employment law you do wonder though!
Working people used to have some protection against unfair dismissal after being employed for a year, but Cameron extended this so working people now need to be employed for two years before being protected. He argued this was done so businesses would employ more people - what utter rubbish!! They have also priced most ordinary people out of being able to enforce any of this anyway by introducing a fee of approximately £1,200 to take an employer to an employment tribunal. This means it's even more important today to be a member of a recognised trade union.
Then we have that neo-fascist Nigel Farage wanting to remove 'much of race discrimination law', and I'm sure he would go further if he could. This shows why he shouldn't be elected as an MP, or any Ukip nutter for that matter. Nigel Farage is nothing more than a failed Tory want to be politician, an Oswald Moseley of 2015. Then locally we have Victoria Ayling standing for Ukip, who every time she opens her mouth, demonstrates a breathtaking level of ignorance and stupidity!
I see David Cameron has now agreed to appear on the TV election debates, as long as he doesn't have to go up against anyone else on his own - what a chicken! Best place for him is in a Ken Fatty Fried Chicken bucket of failed posh politicians.
Anyway, good to see the Mariners won again today - onwards to Dover on Tuesday and looney tunes Farage country.
UTM - time for some cheap strong Polish lager!!
Captain Haddock
However, David Cameron's defence of his mate Clarkson shows once again the questionable judgement Cameron has, after his close friendships with so many dodgy wealthy people, none of us have forgotten that you employed Andy Coulson. I can't imagine that David Cameron supports workplace violence but his comments about Clarkson certainly condone it. However, when you look at the way this unelected Tory government have undermined employment law you do wonder though!
Working people used to have some protection against unfair dismissal after being employed for a year, but Cameron extended this so working people now need to be employed for two years before being protected. He argued this was done so businesses would employ more people - what utter rubbish!! They have also priced most ordinary people out of being able to enforce any of this anyway by introducing a fee of approximately £1,200 to take an employer to an employment tribunal. This means it's even more important today to be a member of a recognised trade union.
Then we have that neo-fascist Nigel Farage wanting to remove 'much of race discrimination law', and I'm sure he would go further if he could. This shows why he shouldn't be elected as an MP, or any Ukip nutter for that matter. Nigel Farage is nothing more than a failed Tory want to be politician, an Oswald Moseley of 2015. Then locally we have Victoria Ayling standing for Ukip, who every time she opens her mouth, demonstrates a breathtaking level of ignorance and stupidity!
I see David Cameron has now agreed to appear on the TV election debates, as long as he doesn't have to go up against anyone else on his own - what a chicken! Best place for him is in a Ken Fatty Fried Chicken bucket of failed posh politicians.
Anyway, good to see the Mariners won again today - onwards to Dover on Tuesday and looney tunes Farage country.
UTM - time for some cheap strong Polish lager!!
Captain Haddock
Sunday 1 March 2015
The captain has been binge drinking in true East Marsh fashion! Just sobbered up - there's been a few things going on since I last ventured out of Bevin House, what on earth has Austin Mitchell been going on about? What an idiot! The sooner we get rid of him and replace him with our truely local candidate, Mel Onn, the better.
That vile individual, Victoria Ayling has put her foot in it again - there's no future in renewables! That appears to be the only future Grimsby has, and I can't see her neo-fascist mates in Ukip helping us, or producing a better alternative. How can anyone vote for her and expect to be properly represented, a posh woman who isn't from Grimsby, who at the last election stood as the Conservative candidate and before that had been a member of the National Front!!
UTM
Captain Haddock
That vile individual, Victoria Ayling has put her foot in it again - there's no future in renewables! That appears to be the only future Grimsby has, and I can't see her neo-fascist mates in Ukip helping us, or producing a better alternative. How can anyone vote for her and expect to be properly represented, a posh woman who isn't from Grimsby, who at the last election stood as the Conservative candidate and before that had been a member of the National Front!!
UTM
Captain Haddock
Sunday 15 February 2015
As somebody who enjoys watching football I was astonished at the latest television deal that the Premier League has signed with Sky Sports and BT Sport for £5.136 billion. Some of the football clubs, including ironically Manchester United, have said that they hope the money doesn't go straight to the players! At present the average Premier League wage is about £44,000 each week, with Wayne Rooney being the highest paid player earning over £300,000 per week!!
The Premier League has fundamentally affected football in the UK because it has been able to do exactly what it wants unregulated, while the FA has just watched. The clubs appear above the law with so many of them now the play things of foreign owners and investors, and all it takes is a large amount of money to purchase one (irrespective of where the money has come from!). Many of these clubs are run at a loss paying sky high wages but ignoring their customers - their loyal supporters. The founding of FC United of Manchester is a good example of where a set of loyal supportershad had enough of being treated like a permanent cash cow to be milked every fortnight. The ironic thing is that these clubs need the supporters to create the atmosphere at the matches which is part of the package both Sky Sports and BT Sport have purchased, with the clubs carrying on exploiting them with high ticket prices.
It saddens me to walk around the precinct and see so many young lads wearing Manchester United, Liverpool or even Arsenal shirts - what about Grimsby Town? They might not have had much luck and been badly run in recent years, but they are your local team. Okay if your from Scunthorpe or Lincoln but live in Grimsby then fair enough but get a Lincoln or a Scunny shirt on then! I can also understand those Town fans who also cheer on a big club as well (they deserve to experience some success) but those who just go, 'Grimsby are rubbish!' and that's it are a disgrace! They might be rubbish at the moment but they haven't always been and they might be good again - let's face it Hull City have been rubbish for most of their history but look at them at the moment. Where would football be in Britain without Grimsby Town, Lincoln City and Scunthorpe?! Grimsby Town have long and proud history with England internationals like Jackie Bestall and George Tweedy, and more recentlt top players like Kevin Drinkell and Italian international Ivano Bonetti. I've watched the Mariners beat nearly every current Premier League team, and it was a Grimsby director who just happened to be President of FIFA who secured the world cup in England in 1966.
If you want football to end up as foreign owned clubs with superstar all foreign teams, and a third rate England international team then you haven't got long to wait. The moment Manchester United managed to force the rule change which meant that for league games the home team kept the entire gate receipts was the beginning of the end of fair play. Anyway, it's away at Barnet next Saturday.
UTM
Captain Haddock
The Premier League has fundamentally affected football in the UK because it has been able to do exactly what it wants unregulated, while the FA has just watched. The clubs appear above the law with so many of them now the play things of foreign owners and investors, and all it takes is a large amount of money to purchase one (irrespective of where the money has come from!). Many of these clubs are run at a loss paying sky high wages but ignoring their customers - their loyal supporters. The founding of FC United of Manchester is a good example of where a set of loyal supportershad had enough of being treated like a permanent cash cow to be milked every fortnight. The ironic thing is that these clubs need the supporters to create the atmosphere at the matches which is part of the package both Sky Sports and BT Sport have purchased, with the clubs carrying on exploiting them with high ticket prices.
It saddens me to walk around the precinct and see so many young lads wearing Manchester United, Liverpool or even Arsenal shirts - what about Grimsby Town? They might not have had much luck and been badly run in recent years, but they are your local team. Okay if your from Scunthorpe or Lincoln but live in Grimsby then fair enough but get a Lincoln or a Scunny shirt on then! I can also understand those Town fans who also cheer on a big club as well (they deserve to experience some success) but those who just go, 'Grimsby are rubbish!' and that's it are a disgrace! They might be rubbish at the moment but they haven't always been and they might be good again - let's face it Hull City have been rubbish for most of their history but look at them at the moment. Where would football be in Britain without Grimsby Town, Lincoln City and Scunthorpe?! Grimsby Town have long and proud history with England internationals like Jackie Bestall and George Tweedy, and more recentlt top players like Kevin Drinkell and Italian international Ivano Bonetti. I've watched the Mariners beat nearly every current Premier League team, and it was a Grimsby director who just happened to be President of FIFA who secured the world cup in England in 1966.
If you want football to end up as foreign owned clubs with superstar all foreign teams, and a third rate England international team then you haven't got long to wait. The moment Manchester United managed to force the rule change which meant that for league games the home team kept the entire gate receipts was the beginning of the end of fair play. Anyway, it's away at Barnet next Saturday.
UTM
Captain Haddock
Saturday 7 February 2015
I'm sat here watching Celebrity Big Brother, a modern day freak show - many of our television channels are full of this endless cheap TV, from sending people nobody has heard of down some ski slope hosted by Davina the queen of reality television, to our very own poverty pawn show, skint.
I watched the recent series of Skint for a couple of reasons, to see how bad Grimsby was portrayed, and to see how many people were on who I knew. I did think the programme could have been a lot worse in its portrayal of the town and its people. I didn't watch it when it was filmed in Scunthorpe but those who did tell me it was a lot worse. I think it showed how close knit Grimsby is and how we look after our own. I do think it's an absolute disgrace that a London based production company having chosen Scunthorpe to pray upon should then move thirty five miles east to pick on us. They could have chosen any town or city in the country but again they chose another northern town so the southerners can have a good laugh at our expense.
Anyway, going back to Celebrity Big Brother, it has been an example of how bullying is allowed to take place without anybody stopping it. It has given a platform for Katie Hopkins to put forward her vile right wing views, and the majority of weak personalities around her have let her get away with it, apart from obviously Perez and Nadia. Hopkins already has a voice in her column in The Sun which is another vile newspaper like the Daily Mail. Her despicable comments about the Scottish nurse who contracted ebola were down right racist, and her comments about the north show what a right wing racist bigot she really is - what's on BBC2!!
UTM
I watched the recent series of Skint for a couple of reasons, to see how bad Grimsby was portrayed, and to see how many people were on who I knew. I did think the programme could have been a lot worse in its portrayal of the town and its people. I didn't watch it when it was filmed in Scunthorpe but those who did tell me it was a lot worse. I think it showed how close knit Grimsby is and how we look after our own. I do think it's an absolute disgrace that a London based production company having chosen Scunthorpe to pray upon should then move thirty five miles east to pick on us. They could have chosen any town or city in the country but again they chose another northern town so the southerners can have a good laugh at our expense.
Anyway, going back to Celebrity Big Brother, it has been an example of how bullying is allowed to take place without anybody stopping it. It has given a platform for Katie Hopkins to put forward her vile right wing views, and the majority of weak personalities around her have let her get away with it, apart from obviously Perez and Nadia. Hopkins already has a voice in her column in The Sun which is another vile newspaper like the Daily Mail. Her despicable comments about the Scottish nurse who contracted ebola were down right racist, and her comments about the north show what a right wing racist bigot she really is - what's on BBC2!!
UTM
Sunday 1 February 2015
Welcome to the first post from Captain Haddock of the East Marsh. I decided to write this because the local newspapers covering Grimsby area a waste of time - The Grimsby Telegraph isn't even a proper local paper anymore now that it's printed in Leicester. If it's such a guardian of free speech and truth then a few years ago when they closed their print works in Grimsby making quite a number of printers redundant they made sure that wasn't covered in their paper! It's not even an objective read, and is nothing more than another mouthpiece for the Daily Mail's right wing bile (they are part of the same newspaper group), even though I'm sure there must be some good NUJ members on their pay roll. However, I wouldn't even wrap an electronic fishcake in it's vrtual edition.
The other main reason for writing this, is because Grimsby has been let down by so many people over recent years, those who run the town but have filled their own pockets on others suffering. I can understand local people supporting UKIP, even though UKIP's policies and principles would unleash further devistation on the ordinary working people and poor of the town. Grimsby has been let down by the town's ruling class, and past and present governments, and local politicians, even though the current Labour Council has been starved of money by the Tories causing real poverty in both the East and West Marsh. However, the council hasn't helped itself with its block paving fiasco up town! We've also had a 'ghost MP' since the last election - Austin Mitchell should have retired before the last general election, because he hasn't done much since apart from moaning about all women short lists and generally sounding like a refugee from the 1970's with his attitudes about women. At least at the next election Grimsby has the chance to elect a local person who understands the town and even supports the Mariners.
Increasingly, it looks like a battle between Labour and UKIP, but how can anyone seriously vote for a posh woman who stood last time as a Tory and is now the UKIP candidate! You clearly cannot trust anyone who is willing to change party so easily, even if it is from the Conservative's to a neo-fascist party like UKIP, with a leader who asked people to call him 'the general', more like posh ex-Tory banker, which is who Farage really is - a modern day Oswold Moseley. My father's generation fought
fascism but now it's been resurrected in UKIP, and they need challenging and defeating again.
Anyway, how can a posh person like Victoria Ayling have any understanding of Grimsby and its people. I bet she's never even slept one night in a council house! So I hope the good people of Grimsby will see sense and not vote UKIP or Conservative because they have contempt for us.
UTM,
Captain Haddock
The other main reason for writing this, is because Grimsby has been let down by so many people over recent years, those who run the town but have filled their own pockets on others suffering. I can understand local people supporting UKIP, even though UKIP's policies and principles would unleash further devistation on the ordinary working people and poor of the town. Grimsby has been let down by the town's ruling class, and past and present governments, and local politicians, even though the current Labour Council has been starved of money by the Tories causing real poverty in both the East and West Marsh. However, the council hasn't helped itself with its block paving fiasco up town! We've also had a 'ghost MP' since the last election - Austin Mitchell should have retired before the last general election, because he hasn't done much since apart from moaning about all women short lists and generally sounding like a refugee from the 1970's with his attitudes about women. At least at the next election Grimsby has the chance to elect a local person who understands the town and even supports the Mariners.
Increasingly, it looks like a battle between Labour and UKIP, but how can anyone seriously vote for a posh woman who stood last time as a Tory and is now the UKIP candidate! You clearly cannot trust anyone who is willing to change party so easily, even if it is from the Conservative's to a neo-fascist party like UKIP, with a leader who asked people to call him 'the general', more like posh ex-Tory banker, which is who Farage really is - a modern day Oswold Moseley. My father's generation fought
fascism but now it's been resurrected in UKIP, and they need challenging and defeating again.
Anyway, how can a posh person like Victoria Ayling have any understanding of Grimsby and its people. I bet she's never even slept one night in a council house! So I hope the good people of Grimsby will see sense and not vote UKIP or Conservative because they have contempt for us.
UTM,
Captain Haddock
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