Mariners Mess Put Imps Struggles In Perspective

Imps fans are not overly impressed with Peter Jacksons new look side so far this season. Defensive frailties of last season are still evident, and chance are being missed at the other end of the field. However for all the doom and gloom there is plenty for City to smile about, the most obvious of which is the state of our bitter rivals Grimsby Town.

Grimsby are in absolute disarray. They haven't picked up a league win in 21 league games spanning back to the beginning of this year. They have just sacked Alan Buckley and are currently drifting without a manager. The only thing they have confirmed about the situation is that caretaker boss Stuart Watkiss is not in the running - a real incentive for him to perform in the interim period! Of course he has to really pick up an ailing team who would be bottom of the football league were it not for punishment metered out to Luton, Rotherham and Bournemouth. Add to this news has broken today that club chairman John Fenty will now sell the club after recent stick he has endured from so called Mariners fans, in particular the hunt for a new boss.

"To say we are looking to take the cheap option is grossly unfair," the Mariners chairman explained. To get this football club out of this current mess will cost a fortune whoever is appointed"

His point being of course that a club is so much more than a manager and a squad of players and as a club Grimsby are in a real mess. Contrast this with the set up at Lincoln, and you begin to see why City have everything to be positive about. The ownership of our club is sorted and safe, the board is strong and the community is gelling with the club. The youth academy is a shining beacon for all of League Two to follow and the actual squad of players is stronger now than at any point over the last few years. It may need tweaking, it may need time to bond but there are positive signs at Sincil Bank.

Grimsby on the other hand continue to lurch from one poor result to another, losing 1-0 at home this Saturday just gone to a Barnet side who weeks before came to Sincil Bank and looked every inch a Blue Square side.

Speaking of Sincil Bank this is another aspect of the club Lincoln should be proud of. The ground is amongst the best intended for this level (granted Darlington, Shrewsbury and Bradford are better grounds) and the club own it. This is another problem proving a sore point for Grimsby chairman Fenty.

"There simply isn't support for the way we have been performing on neither the pitch nor the facility we play from. We need a council that speaks with one voice to tell us what they actually support and if they really want a professional football club locally or not. There is only so much you can take. I face the regular criticism that I am trying to relocate the stadium for personal gain when nothing could be further from the truth."

So next time you're sat at the computer and want to fire off a message board post having a go at Steff Wright or the players just think long and hard about the state this club could be in, and then take a good look at the excellent off the field work that has pushed the club forward since administration. Its not always evident on the pitch, unfortunately that's the nature of the game. However things could be worse, so all Imps fans should take some comfort in the continuing misery at Blunder (sorry Blundell) Park.