The Fishy - Grimsby Town FC



League Two Table

  PGDPts
1Bromley42+2683
2MK Dons42+3576
3Notts County42+2676

4Swindon43+1975
5Cambridge Utd41+2774
6Salford42+773
7Chesterfield41+1168

8Crewe42+1166
9Oldham41+1765
10Grimsby40+1665
11Barnet42+1064
12Walsall42+662
13Colchester42+858
14Fleetwood Town42-255
15Bristol Rovers42-1652
16Accrington Stanley41-651
17Gillingham41-1249
18Shrewsbury42-2744
19Cheltenham40-2343
20Crawley Town42-2237
21Tranmere41-2336
22Newport County42-3134

23Barrow41-2733
24Harrogate Town42-3033

Full League Two Table
Prem|Champ|L1|L2|NL|NLN|NLS
SPL|SC|S1|S2

Follow the Fishy on Twitter
NewsNow logo

Question of the Week

Who will win League 2?










 

Feedback

By: Bill Osborne
Date: 16/03/2005

Everyone has their own views on the current financial situation at Blundell Park and we present here two different views from Fishy subscribers in our Feedback Column.

There is no doubt in that, well documented relegations and financial problems (which could lead to further relegation in the next couple of years) have left many Mariners fans scratching their heads wondering whether or not the Buckley years were really just a dream (twice at Wembley in one season? Really?)

But the latest news, that of an actual plan to pay off the debts with Mr Taxman over the next couple of years, to me at least, feels kind of liberating. The problems mentioned above are in fact part of a catch 22 situation (no cash leads to relegation leads to worsening the money situation leading to relegation etc) a non-stop downward spiral.

However now Fenty is saying that the club is breaking even, and the only problem off the field is 700,000 owed to the inland revenue. We now have an agreement with these wonderful people and with the fans continued efforts with projects such as "Keep The Mariners Afloat" in two seasons time, we would be (whisper it) free from debt with the books balanced! That would be it! Finished! No money problems ever again! OK, that's a bit rich, but with sensible management, this is actually an option.

So the future is not at all looking bad, as long as the community (ie Grimsby Town fans) take a little responsibility and dip into their pockets for the club that they love (think of all the money you've saved not being a Man U fan and spending 50 odd quid on ticket prices!) and we could once again be a healthy, vibrant and secure football club.

Pete Watson


It always grieves me to learn of a football club in financial difficulties which I understand Grimsby are presently experiencing. What really riles me, though, is how the directors let the situation get so bad without (apparently) doing much about it.

I don't know whether Grimsby Town have an accountant or a financial person on the board, but if not then this is about time to take one on - and not for the money that might be pumped in - but for the financial common sense that he or she could bring. The money owed to the taxman can only represent tax and national insurance deducted from (mainly) players' salaries and VAT. I don't suppose that there will be any tax on profits since there isn't usually any profit in the lower divisions to pay tax on.

So in reality the money owed to the Taxman is cash Grimsby have collected from others, on trust, and failed to pay over. This, to me, is simply bad, short-sighted and irresponsible financial management and really deserves to be punished, though, as a supporter of my own local team, I know that it hurts when the Club's future is at stake.

What needs to happen is that the culprit(s) should be sought out and got rid of. I would like to bet that they don't run their own businesses that way - so why should they run the Club's business in such a slipshod manner? Best of luck to Grimsby Town on their survival out of this mess. Remember that Brighton and Hull City were in a similar situation not many years ago and look where they are now!

So what about calling a moratorium with the Tax Office and getting someone on board who you can really trust to get it right? That way you can all look to a much better future that the past few years which must have been hell for you all.

Good Luck.
Mike Commins Rochdale supporter.

Add To Facebook


This site is by the fans, for the fans, and we will consider articles on any subject relating to the Mariners whether it be related to current news, a nostalgic look back in the past, a story about a player, a game or games in the past, something about Blundell Park or football in general. Click here to submit your article!


Related Stories


Forum Latest
Thread TitlePostsLatest Post
Match day and season tickets 59Mappers10/04 21:36
Crewe game23moosey_club10/04 21:35
Tonights match6TwoLeftFeet10/04 21:29
Shareholders12IlkleyMariner10/04 20:34
Immingham Town FC6LN8Mariner10/04 20:10
Prediction Thread Crewe H 25.2629HertsGTFC10/04 19:41
The Play-offs - not the end of the world?74marinerjase10/04 19:27
Jay Williams 28Southwark Mariner10/04 19:19
Ex-GTFC players thread5,007livosnose10/04 18:59
New Book - A History Of Grimsby Town 1910-19405BLANNY10/04 18:35

This Season and previous Seasons