NEVER mind Clarets die-hard and leading Labour spin doctor Alistair Campbell, Tony Blair could have done worse this week than give Lennie Lawrence a call.

For if ever there was a man for a crisis then Lawrence fits the bill.

His escape acts with Charlton Athletic would have put Houdini to shame as he worked wonders with the south London club.

Lawrence spent nine years with the then largely unfashionable Addicks, keeping them in the old First Division four four years from 1986-90, at a time when they didn't even have a ground to call their own.

He then guided Middlesbrough into the Premiership and after taking charge of Luton Town in December, 1995, worked some minor miracles at Kenilworth Road.

Lawrence couldn't save them from relegation to Division Two at the end of his first half-season in charge.

But he took them to third the year after before subsequently having to settle for mid-table safety with a team of youth products and free transfers against a back-drop of receivership, takeover bids and even the threat of extinction.

Through it all, the Hatters played excellent football and cashed in on the sales of Steve Davis back to Burnley, Gary Docherty to Spurs, Matthew Upson to Arsenal, Kelvin Davis to Wimbledon and Sean Evers to Reading.

Sadly for Lawrence he didn't see any of the cash to spend and following a change of ownership was surprisingly shown the door in the summer to be replaced by former Luton playing legend Ricky Hill.

Luton's loss was Grimsby's gain, however, and Lawrence was swiftly installed by the struggling Mariners who decided that a poor run-in last season had spilled over to the start of the new campaign and Alan Buckley paid the price. Perhaps envisaging a relegation struggle ahead and without major resources to help the fight, Lawrence's trouble-shooting background would appear to have left him taylor-made for the job in the eye of the board.

"Probably, with his record," admitted assistant manager and Grimsby stalwart John Cockerill.

"I was disappointed, personally, to see Alan Buckley go, but that's football.

"Lennie Lawrence is very experienced. He's used to this situation and was probably one of the major factors of getting the job at Grimsby.

"I'm sure he will succeed. From the short time we've worked together I can see that he's very experienced and very knowledgeable and I have enjoyed the last three or four weeks."

Buckley got Grimsby promoted in 1998 in his second spell in charge and having spent all but one of the last nine years the relative minnows are determined to maintain their status -- particularly with some serious television money due to kick-in next season.

"It's important that we do stay up. It's going to be difficult and it has been every year since we've been in this division. But it's important that we stay up and we'll be doing our utmost to see that we do.

"It will take a lot of hard work but if we stick together and work hard we should be alright," added Cockerill, who has seen the impact of Lawrence's arrival start to take effect.

"Obviously it's a gradual thing. It takes time to adapt to new ideas from a manager but they are decent, honest lads and things are beginning to show," he said.

The Mariners won their first League game a week ago but are bottom of the table again thanks to a 1-0 home defeat by Bolton on Tuesday night.

That was their third game without a goal, the shortage of which is evidently Town's major problem.

"That's an honest statement and it's the only thing lacking at times. We have created a lot of half-chances but we're not doing the most important thing which is putting the ball in the back of the net.

"We have played alright and we played well against Bolton and we were unlucky not to get anything out of the game. I'm not saying we should have won it but we didn't deserve to lose and we will confidence from that into the Burnley game," Cockerill insisted.