43 years

I'd like to think that we've got a decent bit of budget remaining for players. I can't imagine that Hurst intentionally left us with just 3 forwards in the squad at the start of the season and just 3 central defenders (including the ageing Waterfall) seems too few as well. My guess is that one or two signings or other loan deals fell through as the window closed which led to the unbalanced squad we have today.

Hopefully, something which Artell will be able to rectify in January. Andy Smith would be an ideal signing, but I wonder if he might see it as a bit too much of a step down at this point in his career? You'd think he would be looking to play League One football at least this season.

Is Andy Smith the only centre back in the world? We need to look beyond players who have played for us previously. It's an unhealthy obsession.

We need players DA can work with long term to mould into the system he wants us playing.

We have cover at CB as both Efete & Mullarkey can play there.

Quoted from Vance Warner

I would also argue that performance levels of existing players has been more of an issue than recruitment in the summer

I’d agree with that.

No names, no pack drill but several of the retained squad in the summer are simply not up to playing the way Hurst wanted to play or Artell wants to play.

I’d like to put my two pence into this debate. I started supporting Town in 1958. It was a pulsating 2-2 draw at BP v Fulham and it left me with a huge sense of pride. We were the underdogs playing London aristocrats but we gave them a real fright. Town became my team. I was a country bumpkin from Burgh and Grimsby was the place for me. I paired the football team with the fishing and was hugely proud that it was famous world wide for its fishing fleet. Loved going on the paddle steamer out to Spurn Head on day trips with my parents.
I seem to remember more good times then and some great goalscorers such as Ron Rafferty and Matt Tees. Perhaps rose-tinted glasses about the past, but the last 20 years have been very hard. 1998 was a high, two successful visits to Wembley. We were going to get a new stadium, but all sorts of opposition was put in the way and nothing happened. Other places with run down grounds got new stadiums -Donny, Rotherham etc. Why did Grimsby always miss out? I am absolutely desperate for this club to get back to good days but at 76 I am not sure I am going to see them. If I won the Euromillions I would offer most of it to the club. It matters to me, it’s been part of my life but I find it tough having to get over defeat after defeat. When we lose, I am as miseraabke as anything. The area needs a boost and it is not going to come from Tory levelling up. The Mariners are needed to provide that boost and it is why we must keep supporting the club. When we were promoted two years ago from the dreaded NL, those lads played their hearts out and would not accept defeat in those play-offs. It was astonishing to witness such guts, such determination in the face of adversity. That’s why I have so much respect for Luke Waterfall, and it’s that sort of fight we need now. UTM.

Quoted from 141269

It's Andy Smith the only centre back in the world? We need to look beyond players who have played for us previously. It's an unhealthy obsession.

We need players DA can work with long term to mould into the system he wants us playing.

We have cover at CB as both Efete & Mullarkey can play there.

I don't recall claiming Andy Smith was the only central defender around? Just noted that we know he's a decent player at this level and locality and his past time with us shows a loan is viable.

We signed both Efete and Mullarkey as full-backs and they've played in that position pretty much exclusively. There's a difference between covering at centre-back in an emergency and being interchangeable with players who normally play there.

For what it's worth, I think both could probably do a decent job in a back three, but I can't see that happening as we don't really have the players to act as attacking wing-backs.

It just seems that there's an obsession with ex town players.

It's only the last transfer window that we stopped clambering at getting Bogle back.

Former players seem to be like the ex girlfriend that we just can't let go of and spend too much time hoping we can give it another go.

Quoted from 141269

It just seems that there's an obsession with ex town players.

It's only the last transfer window that we stopped clambering at getting Bogle back.

Former players seem to be like the ex girlfriend that we just can't let go of and spend too much time hoping we can give it another go.

I couldn’t care less whether they’ve played for us before. If they’re good enough, it really doesn’t matter.

Quoted from hampshiremariner

I’d like to put my two pence into this debate. I started supporting Town in 1958. It was a pulsating 2-2 draw at BP v Fulham and it left me with a huge sense of pride. We were the underdogs playing London aristocrats but we gave them a real fright. Town became my team. I was a country bumpkin from Burgh and Grimsby was the place for me. I paired the football team with the fishing and was hugely proud that it was famous world wide for its fishing fleet. Loved going on the paddle steamer out to Spurn Head on day trips with my parents.
I seem to remember more good times then and some great goalscorers such as Ron Rafferty and Matt Tees. Perhaps rose-tinted glasses about the past, but the last 20 years have been very hard. 1998 was a high, two successful visits to Wembley. We were going to get a new stadium, but all sorts of opposition was put in the way and nothing happened. Other places with run down grounds got new stadiums -Donny, Rotherham etc. Why did Grimsby always miss out? I am absolutely desperate for this club to get back to good days but at 76 I am not sure I am going to see them. If I won the Euromillions I would offer most of it to the club. It matters to me, it’s been part of my life but I find it tough having to get over defeat after defeat. When we lose, I am as miseraabke as anything. The area needs a boost and it is not going to come from Tory levelling up. The Mariners are needed to provide that boost and it is why we must keep supporting the club. When we were promoted two years ago from the dreaded NL, those lads played their hearts out and would not accept defeat in those play-offs. It was astonishing to witness such guts, such determination in the face of adversity. That’s why I have so much respect for Luke Waterfall, and it’s that sort of fight we need now. UTM.

Yo Hants - I am totally with your first class post. At 76 I have been hooked/suffered since my first game with my dad in September 1957 - a 7- 2 win over Leyton Orient. I sill get depressed if we lose Saturday /Tuesday - my wife thinks I need help.

48 years old and first few games for Town were Norwich in the Milk Cup quarter finals, Newcastle (because Keegan was playing for them) and maybe Watford in the cup. First players of note were Drinkell, Lund, Ford, the Moores, Wilkinson, Batch et al. Names I heard from elders before I even got to attend a game.

I was fortunate enough for my teenage years to largely correlate with Buckley’s most successful times and, intercourse me, we were spoilt then.

First year I met my missus we got relegated from (the now) Championship. And by and large it’s been excrement ever since.

Hats off to anyone of my age or beyond or can still muster proper enthusiasm - I really struggle.

And an even bigger hats off to anyone who can’t remember the above and has grown up on the last 20 years of football and is still here. You guys are the real heroes.

What frightens me a little is that Artell now faces the same situation that Hurst was faced with when he returned to the club in 2020. A disjointed and underperforming squad on the fringes of the relegation zone.

He brought in some better players in the January window but was not able to keep us up.

Do people think we are in a better or worse position now then we were then? The squad DA inherited is probably better than the one Hurst had to deal with, but on the other hand the standard in L2 has improved in the last three years.