Now the dust has settled over a quiet deadline day I got to thinking, is the problem trying to sell the location rather than the club??
For us that are born n bred in and around Grimsby we know just what's around, the beautiful lincolnshire wolds, miles of golden coastline, lovely villages ect, but to someone who does not know anything all he sees and reads about is Grimsby, a town in decline, at the end of the country's worst road. Kills me to think like this but I have to wonder, because we can't offer the carrot of a decent wage or a perceived nice play to live, how will attract a better class of player, my heart sinks at the thought of not only the demise of my beloved GTFC but more so, the demise of my beloved home town of Grimsby

Quoted from Northbank Mariner

Now the dust has settled over a quiet deadline day I got to thinking, is the problem trying to sell the location rather than the club??
For us that are born n bred in and around Grimsby we know just what's around, the beautiful lincolnshire wolds, miles of golden coastline, lovely villages ect, but to someone who does not know anything all he sees and reads about is Grimsby, a town in decline, at the end of the country's worst road. Kills me to think like this but I have to wonder, because we can't offer the carrot of a decent wage or a perceived nice play to live, how will attract a better class of player, my heart sinks at the thought of not only the demise of my beloved GTFC but more so, the demise of my beloved home town of Grimsby

Good points but don't you think that better facilities would be a good starting point? I've just one thought on this - the local council have been putting up barriers to a new stadium for God knows how long whilst other clubs & councils have worked together to create new community facilities. Why can't our club & our council do the same?

Sell the viking blood, the best fish in the land, the working class world class support. A hero at Gtfc is a hero of the Town! To be a mariner means to be the toughest.

I think the main off put apart from the ground is the travel and although a daily trip up the M180 is ok for a while, it would grind most people down after a few months. Few would relocate for a 1 year contract.

We suffer from being an outpost,an end of the line club
Look at where similar situated clubs are now... Barrow, Torquay, Workington.

I'd also question how many footballers would care about the wolds and the countryside. It's much more important whats in a town for men in their 20s.

Quoted from hheh2

Sell the viking blood, the best fish in the land, the working class world class support. A hero at Gtfc is a hero of the Town! To be a mariner means to be the toughest.

Almost all the players who joined this summer mentioned the fans and looking forward to playing in front of a GY crowd. Jolley has mentioned a lot that the fans here will get behind the team if they work hard and put 100% in, so obviously has used this as a selling point.

Which is why it was shameful to watch them get booed off, slagged to intercourse from minute 1, have the manager abused by the shitehouses behind his back and then see an 80% empty ground at full time on Saturday. Let alone some of the toxic, pathetic comments on here and across social media since 5pm Saturday. Town fans hold themselves in oddly high regard considering a significant proportion of them are just your standard knobhead who you’ll find at any other club or, more likely, pinned to a sofa each Saturday afternoon.

Quoted from Misterton Mariner

We suffer from being an outpost,an end of the line club
Look at where similar situated clubs are now... Barrow, Torquay, Workington.

Hence why our youth system and a manager who believes in it is so important. It's been neglected for about 10 years though now.

I think the Area ,facilities has a lot to do with it but so does social media and any player who clicks on to the fishy, and I'm sure they do , would run a mile.

Quoted from Misterton Mariner

We suffer from being an outpost,an end of the line club
Look at where similar situated clubs are now... Barrow, Torquay, Workington.

Exeter, Plymouth, Carlisle, Norwich, Swansea, Fleetwood, Hull..


Could be anything.. wages, status of club, facilities, finishing position of club over past twenty years, perceived ambition of club.. how can we know for each individual? Most of these players due to their age will only know us as a bottom feeder League Two or non league club with a dilapidated stadium..

Quoted from newarkmariner

I think the Area ,facilities has a lot to do with it but so does social media and any player who clicks on to the fishy, and I'm sure they do , would run a mile.

Go on Stoke's forum after they lost to Leeds on Sunday.. we are no different to other fans who perceive their club to be struggling. Although we seem to have been in the doldrums for far longer than most..

Quoted from newarkmariner

I think the Area ,facilities has a lot to do with it but so does social media and any player who clicks on to the fishy, and I'm sure they do , would run a mile.

Any player who wastes their time on the Fishy is a flipping idiot (though, admittedly, footballers do have a lot of spare time in their hands).

They should know whether they have played well or not themselves so looking online for the approval of a load of people who weren't good enough to do their job is just daft.

Some good points on this post. I think location wise we are one of the most difficult if not the most difficult place to sell to an outsider. We are literally set away from everything. Even clubs as close Lincoln and Scunthorpe at least are in that clusp of clubs around them, Scunny being close to Sheffield and Lincoln to Nottingham. We are really the end of the world it seems when you’re driving home along the M180.

We can no longer rely on our reputation from the 1990’s, where we were an attractive option due to the football we played and Mr Buckley. Players these days were born in the early to mid 90’s so nobody is going to think “Grimsby were in the Championship the other year they’re a massive club for this level” they are gonna know us as League Two strugglers and Conference play-off winners, and like Old Codger says...the stadium, training facilities etc haven’t been upgraded. Had we moved in to the so called “Conoco Stadium” years ago and had we invested heavily into the clubs facilities back in the early 00’s then I dare say we wouldn’t have this issue.

I was born in GY, but I’ve never lived there. I love going over, especially to Clee and Humberston, but of course I know of the negative reputation the town gets, but like stated we have beautiful areas there and some great spots where some players have moved here and ended up staying even after they’ve left the club (Macca, Gally, Disley and even Scott Vernon clearly, to name but a few). I suppose for MJ it’s another challenge added to the list.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

Good points but don't you think that better facilities would be a good starting point? I've just one thought on this - the local council have been putting up barriers to a new stadium for God knows how long whilst other clubs & councils have worked together to create new community facilities. Why can't our club & our council do the same?

A split Council 50/50 Labour and Conservative doesn`t help plus we have a Labour MP for GY and Conservative for CLPS we need them all on the same page for the greater good.It`s high time these lot got a good kick in the ballots when you look at low voter turnout 4-5k BP regulars on the warpath might cause them some worry? Watch THIS space ;)

Having signed 10+ players every year for the last 8-10 years tells me we do not have a problem attracting players,

Yes some players turn us down for whatever reason,

BUT

Some players even turn down a lot bigger clubs than us.

Don't forget money talks and overcomes most of the perceived negatives

Quoted from grimsby pete

Having signed 10+ players every year for the last 8-10 years tells me we do not have a problem attracting players,

Yes some players turn us down for whatever reason,

BUT

Some players even turn down a lot bigger clubs than us.

We don't have a problem attracting players who don't have a better offer. Perhaps this season our signings have been better quality but there's several who still haven't been persuaded by the manager. Far better no signings than crap signings but there's further progress that needs to be made to make us look a better option.

Quoted from newarkmariner

I think the Area ,facilities has a lot to do with it but so does social media and any player who clicks on to the fishy, and I'm sure they do , would run a mile.

Give over, the Fishy is no different than just about every football forum.

Quoted from ska face

Almost all the players who joined this summer mentioned the fans and looking forward to playing in front of a GY crowd. Jolley has mentioned a lot that the fans here will get behind the team if they work hard and put 100% in, so obviously has used this as a selling point.

Which is why it was shameful to watch them get booed off, slagged to intercourse from minute 1, have the manager abused by the shitehouses behind his back and then see an 80% empty ground at full time on Saturday. Let alone some of the toxic, pathetic comments on here and across social media since 5pm Saturday. Town fans hold themselves in oddly high regard considering a significant proportion of them are just your standard knobhead who you’ll find at any other club or, more likely, pinned to a sofa each Saturday afternoon.

I must have forgotten my hearing aid or the lower attracts a better kind of supporter? A large number upped and left after the 4th goal but I only heard muted booing and saw lot`s of head shaking etc.It was a very bad day at the office and even in recent poor seasons seldom you will have seen the opposition basically gifted 4 goals in a single game. I honestly doubt Town will have another one of those days all Season ?Yes they will lose games Yes they will play badly and make individual errors they will also do the same and win that`s league 2 mate.The support 5800 with by all accounts around 400 STH absent due to holidays is nothing short of miraculous given the lack of signings etc over Summer had we won 4-1 the whole Town would have been bouncing.Marathon not a sprint I will wager more home fans will attend the last game than the first  ;)

I'm not from Grimsby, but have lived here over 35 years and have been watching Town about 30.
So I class myself as a Lincolnshire lad and a Grimsby Town fan.

I've seen a massive slide in the last 10/15 years. I remember us beating West Ham, Liverpool.
Since then we've struggled to get out of a league we should never have been in, struggle to attract players, the ground is slipping in to disrepair.

Fenty has decided his legacy is to force us in to a new ground, has spent pointless thousands on the project and sodomist everything else. A ground we will never fill in my lifetime. Unless we get massive investment from a  millionaire, end up doing well and the plastics come out the woodwork. Failing that it will more than likely end up like Darlington, empty, and eventually bulldozed for shops. A ground which could force us in to financial ruin.



The only problem with Blundell Park is lack of parking. Sort that. Tidy the place up. Why wouldn't a smaller ground do? Bournemouth manage just fine.

I think that the most frustrating thing about the total non movement on the new ground is that it also has the added spin off of BP having zero investment in it,falling further into disrepair and becoming more and more of an embarrassment.
I know I am in the minority of this, but I think the time has come to abandon the 'pie in the sky'  stadium that is unlikely to be built anyway and explore ways of replacing the main and Osmond stands with single  tier unobstructed stands with the option to extend into the corners.
I know many will cite needing 7 day a week income streams, but exactly how many clubs have this?
Not a high percentage j suspect.
Just doing nothing, which seems to be the present situation, is not an option for much longer.

I think that the most frustrating thing about the total non movement on the new ground is that it also has the added spin off of BP having zero investment in it,falling further into disrepair and becoming more and more of an embarrassment.
I know I am in the minority of this, but I think the time has come to abandon the 'pie in the sky'  stadium that is unlikely to be built anyway and explore ways of replacing the main and Osmond stands with single  tier unobstructed stands with the option to extend into the corners.
I know many will cite needing 7 day a week income streams, but exactly how many clubs have this?
Not a high percentage j suspect.
Just doing nothing, which seems to be the present situation, is not an option for much longer.

Your average lad in his twenties isn’t arsed about areas of outstanding natual beauty, village pubs and “golden” coastline.

Quoted from LH

Your average lad in his twenties isn’t arsed about areas of outstanding natual beauty, village pubs and “golden” coastline.

There's some cracking totty around Meggies on a weekend.

I was born in Cleethorpes and left when I was 21 to go to uni in Huddersfield (and I've been living in Leeds ever since).

I attended an open day at Bangor university in North Wales and liked the place. But when I also saw an equally nice campus at Huddersfield I decided on Yorkshire because, well, Bangor was out on a limb and Huddersfield was within half an hour of several major cities (and that meant a better social life - gigs, nightlife, etc - and job prospects).

Of all the people I went to school with who left to go to uni, precisely none of them have returned.

I absolutely adore Grimsby and Cleethorpes. I love the football club and I love that I can return to see my parents - still living in the house that I grew up in. My grandparents used to live down Manchester Street - also where my dad grew up.

I have a job in Leeds that just doesn't exist in North East Lincolnshire. There are nice things from back home that I miss, but that's because of the emotional connection I have with a childhood spent there. It's almost impossible to view our home town(s) objectively.

I must admit, that drive along the A180 past the refineries, food factories and decrepit docks isn't doing us any favours. I see those things and feel all warm inside because it means I'm almost 'home', but if I saw the same things on my approach to Wigan, for argument's sake, I'd feel very different about it.

Footballers' careers are short. For what we're able to pay them, they'd have to consider uprooting from places they call home - even if they don't live in Leeds, for example, they can have a career in Sheffield, or Manchester, and still feel close enough. Grimsby, on the other hand, just feels that bit further and that bit unknown - and it's not like we have anything to offer that other cities in the north don't have (although our beach is decent).

It's vital we look after our youth team and develop local talent because fewer players will relocate. If we were still in the Championship and had money to play with, I'm sure that would sweeten the deal, but when Carl Magnay left I remember him saying something about petrol money.

Seems trivial in the grand scheme of things, but that's the level we operate at now. As much as I (and we) love Grimsby, we're only going to become less attractive to players. As hard as that is to hear/read.

This has been said before but needs saying again,

The best times we have had are the years in the top flight mainly with local lads,

The next best time we had was in the now championship mainly with local lads,

So if we want to compete at a higher level we have to grow our own.

Quoted from LH

Your average lad in his twenties isn’t arsed about areas of outstanding natual beauty, village pubs and “golden” coastline.

The attraction to footballers coming to GTFC from outside the area has faded since the demise of the Bags Ball

Dose club house players and families? if they did it may be easier to say this house comes in with your job. that way they dont have to spend money to relocate and when they sod off to better things we reuse the housing.
Trouble is look at the quality we have attracted in recent decades theres very few that have gone on to better things.

Quoted from monkeyboy

Dose club house players and families? if they did it may be easier to say this house comes in with your job. that way they dont have to spend money to relocate and when they sod off to better things we reuse the housing.
Trouble is look at the quality we have attracted in recent decades theres very few that have gone on to better things.

Erm, Townsend, Nolan, Toto, Mendonca.oh, lest not forget Bogle, Francis who both are now at premier league clubs...unfortunately monkeyboy the times we now live in are those where to get young blood isn't about the house it's about what living here offers them, which to the outsider us a shitehole that stinks of fish, you and I know that's wrong but it's how the outside world perceives Grimsby

Quoted from monkeyboy

Dose club house players and families? if they did it may be easier to say this house comes in with your job. that way they dont have to spend money to relocate and when they sod off to better things we reuse the housing.
Trouble is look at the quality we have attracted in recent decades theres very few that have gone on to better things.

Erm, Townsend, Nolan, Toto, Mendonca.oh, lest not forget Bogle, Francis who both are now at premier league clubs...unfortunately monkeyboy the times we now live in are those where to get young blood isn't about the house it's about what living here offers them, which to the outsider us a shitehole that stinks of fish, you and I know that's wrong but it's how the outside world perceives Grimsby

Quoted from Northbank Mariner

Now the dust has settled over a quiet deadline day I got to thinking, is the problem trying to sell the location rather than the club??
For us that are born n bred in and around Grimsby we know just what's around, the beautiful lincolnshire wolds, miles of golden coastline, lovely villages ect, but to someone who does not know anything all he sees and reads about is Grimsby, a town in decline, at the end of the country's worst road. Kills me to think like this but I have to wonder, because we can't offer the carrot of a decent wage or a perceived nice play to live, how will attract a better class of player, my heart sinks at the thought of not only the demise of my beloved GTFC but more so, the demise of my beloved home town of Grimsby

Slightly off subject but on it. I do agree there are some amazing places around. Just been to Grimsby with my 5 year old lad for 5 days (coming back Wednesday!) and we had such a good time. We did Clee, skeggy, Clee swimming pool and Weelsby Woods. Some amazing places... BUT, on the other side (off subject a little) I'm so upset and annoyed at what has become of the place I used to play football EVERY NIGHT with my friends. Willows Park, the park itself is a state (kids fault not council) But the 1 thing that has hit a nerve with me is the state of the grass (or should i say forrest now) we played for hours on end on the grass next to the park now kids can't go near it with it's over grown bushes, nettles and god knows what.

Quoted from RichMariner

I was born in Cleethorpes and left when I was 21 to go to uni in Huddersfield (and I've been living in Leeds ever since).

I attended an open day at Bangor university in North Wales and liked the place. But when I also saw an equally nice campus at Huddersfield I decided on Yorkshire because, well, Bangor was out on a limb and Huddersfield was within half an hour of several major cities (and that meant a better social life - gigs, nightlife, etc - and job prospects).

Of all the people I went to school with who left to go to uni, precisely none of them have returned.

I absolutely adore Grimsby and Cleethorpes. I love the football club and I love that I can return to see my parents - still living in the house that I grew up in. My grandparents used to live down Manchester Street - also where my dad grew up.

I have a job in Leeds that just doesn't exist in North East Lincolnshire. There are nice things from back home that I miss, but that's because of the emotional connection I have with a childhood spent there. It's almost impossible to view our home town(s) objectively.

I must admit, that drive along the A180 past the refineries, food factories and decrepit docks isn't doing us any favours. I see those things and feel all warm inside because it means I'm almost 'home', but if I saw the same things on my approach to Wigan, for argument's sake, I'd feel very different about it.

Footballers' careers are short. For what we're able to pay them, they'd have to consider uprooting from places they call home - even if they don't live in Leeds, for example, they can have a career in Sheffield, or Manchester, and still feel close enough. Grimsby, on the other hand, just feels that bit further and that bit unknown - and it's not like we have anything to offer that other cities in the north don't have (although our beach is decent).

It's vital we look after our youth team and develop local talent because fewer players will relocate. If we were still in the Championship and had money to play with, I'm sure that would sweeten the deal, but when Carl Magnay left I remember him saying something about petrol money.

Seems trivial in the grand scheme of things, but that's the level we operate at now. As much as I (and we) love Grimsby, we're only going to become less attractive to players. As hard as that is to hear/read.

Who the heck would want to live in Leeds, footballer or no footballer? Grimsby is no more or less attractive to any footballer if the money is right. Who would want to live in Rochdale, or Rotherham or Fleetwood or Bury or Blackburn or Hull or Scunthorpe or Accrington or Burnley or wherever?

Attractive places like York or Chester has done them no good at all as it? It is just an urban myth about Grimsby. The reason some players give it a miss is we have been shocking for 17 years or so, we don't pay high enough wages to get the really sought after players and we are seen as a struggling league 2 club.

Quoted from Northbank Mariner

Erm, Townsend, Nolan, Toto, Mendonca.oh, lest not forget Bogle, Francis who both are now at premier league clubs...unfortunately monkeyboy the times we now live in are those where to get young blood isn't about the house it's about what living here offers them, which to the outsider us a shitehole that stinks of fish, you and I know that's wrong but it's how the outside world perceives Grimsby

Mendonca! He left 21 years ago. Are you the bloke who used to turn up in the Lower on Boxing Day in the 80s and say 'how's Tees doing?'  ;D

Quoted from lew chaterleys lover

Who the heck would want to live in Leeds, footballer or no footballer? Grimsby is no more or less attractive to any footballer if the money is right. Who would want to live in Rochdale, or Rotherham or Fleetwood or Bury or Blackburn or Hull or Scunthorpe or Accrington or Burnley or wherever?

Attractive places like York or Chester has done them no good at all as it? It is just an urban myth about Grimsby. The reason some players give it a miss is we have been shocking for 17 years or so, we don't pay high enough wages to get the really sought after players and we are seen as a struggling league 2 club.

I think you're missing the point. You don't have to live in Fleetwood or Burnley or Blackburn if you play for the club but you're within a very easy commute from Manchester or Liverpool if you fancy living in a larger urban area with more going on. Which for most blokes in their 20's, is what they're after. The point about York and Chester doing badly is moot because it's not a hard and fast rule that nice/more desirable places to live will automatically be successful, the clubs still need to be run well but they have a geographical advantage in attracting players if everything else is equal.

Quoted from mariner91

I think you're missing the point. You don't have to live in Fleetwood or Burnley or Blackburn if you play for the club but you're within a very easy commute from Manchester or Liverpool if you fancy living in a larger urban area with more going on. Which for most blokes in their 20's, is what they're after. The point about York and Chester doing badly is moot because it's not a hard and fast rule that nice/more desirable places to live will automatically be successful, the clubs still need to be run well but they have a geographical advantage in attracting players if everything else is equal.

No I am not missing the point. I would think that most pro players spend relatively little time in the town they play for. It is just a job for them, and the commute is part and parcel of that.

If they are based in and around Grimsby they can go to Sheffield or Hull or wherever if they want a "lot going on."

They train all week where they play, but any leisure time they do have I imagine will be spent with friends and family in other parts of the country. Pay enough money, and any obstacles about playing here will disappear. Obviously doing as poorly as we have for nearly two decades will severely restrict the pool of players we might get, but that is another debate.