Getting To Know..........

Ed Blackbourn

Describe yourself in 5 words or less.

A man of many talents

Some players have bizarre matchday rituals/superstitions. What are yours?

When I was much younger, I used to get my dad to park in the same parking space before the game. We had to walk the same route to the match so basically it was all a bit groundhog day! Despite being much older, I still get the driver (usually the wife) to park the car in the same place (the bent fence panel on Harrington Street was rather lucky for some time)

What is the funniest thing you have seen/heard at a football match?

In response to the well known Town chant at Prenton Park explaining the ‘special method’ of preserving fish, the Tranmere Rovers fans responded with a chant of ‘We get our fish from Fleetwood!’

Have you ever made a fool of yourself whilst supporting The Mariners?

Yes, on many occasions. One that springs to mind is waking up on the train in the wrong country on the way home from an away game in Shrewsbury. I had fallen asleep and missed the stop at Crewe where I should have changed trains, and woke up in Rhyl instead. Not the best place to be at 10pm on a cold Saturday night - thankfully there was a train back to Manchester and I didn’t have to sleep on the station!

Which one football match is the most memorable for you, and why?

I am discounting the games at Wembley as they are special for everyone. As far as I am concerned one of the best atmospheres was 18^th November 1995, Grimsby Town vs. West Brom. Ivano Bonetti smashed a winner in front of a full Pontoon stand. As it was in November the second half was played under lights, which always heightens the atmosphere.  There were also the emotions about Mr Buckley and all the ex-Town playing for the Baggies. It is an atmosphere that I cannot quite put in to words; in fact the hairs on the back of my neck are standing up as I type this.

In your opinion, how could the matchday experience be improved?

Winning would be nice! Seriously it would be nice if (safe) standing could be re-introduced to more grounds.

What do you love most about being a Grimsby supporter?

I would have to say the friends (and wife) that I have met through the shared highs and lows of following town. Supporting a small team like Grimsby Town, and going to a fair few away games offers the opportunity to get to know a varied bunch of people that you wouldn’t be likely to meet otherwise.

And conversely, what do you find most annoying about being a Grimsby supporter?

I would have to say being patronised by so called supporters of ‘BIG CLUBS’. I don’t mind the banter from fans of any team if they are genuine fans as they know what it’s all about, it’s the ‘plastic just crawled out of the woodwork to support whoever may be doing well’ ones that get on my nerves.

If you didn't support The Mariners, how would you spend your Saturday afternoons?

Probably doing DIY or lying on my back swearing under my 50 year old Land Rover while trying to keep it road legal.

What role do you think Supporters Trusts have in the modern game?

As the gap between the haves and have nots in football grows, the only way smaller clubs can succeed long term is to be part of the community. If a football club is to become a part of the community there needs to be a two way dialogue between the supporters and the club - Trusts offer a democratic way for supporters to pass their views to the clubs.

How could GTST appeal more to the GTFC supporter base?

This is the million dollar question and sadly one I don’t know the answer to. The biggest problem is that there is no perceived need for a supporters trust as while we have a chairman who supports the club financially the trust is seen as almost pointless. Some people don’t realise what the trust has done and continues to try to do for the supporters. Ultimately it’s the fans trust and it is up to the fans to decide what the trust should be.

The FA/FL seem to 'champion' one rule each season. If you were in charge, what rule would you champion and why?

I could write a whole book on this but there are a few one liners to go at. I would stop Alan Hansen and co watching replays from 20 angles in slow motion and then saying the referee got it wrong.  If red cards can be rescinded after studying TV pictures then the divers and cheats should be given red cards and bans as a matter of routine from the same TV pictures. Stop fining players / clubs for discipline and rule breaking and fine them points instead as this is a much bigger incentive to play by the rules.