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Reply | Ravens to have their wings clipped by the Super U's
at 13:38 8 Sep 2024
Oh come on TOOT no sale until the end of the season!
Although with promotion to League One on the cards, he might want to stay.
Certainly the best signing bar none.
Up the U's |
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Reply | Ravens to have their wings clipped by the Super U's
at 16:35 7 Sep 2024
Gerry somebody told me I belonged in a Museum!
So I volunteer and today was Heritage day.
Reckon we need Scully on for the last knockings.
DC is becoming a draw specialist but we need the three points today.
Up the U's |
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Thread | Ravens to have their wings clipped by the Super U's
at 14:19 6 Sep 2024
Before we start thinking about this Saturday’s game against League Two new boys Bromley known as the Ravens there is plenty of news to catch up on.
The first is sad concerning talented Colchester midfield player Milton Oni, who following a tackle against Brentford suffered a rupture to his ACL and a tear to his medial meniscus. He will unfortunately have several months on the sidelines, but we wish him a speedy and complete recovery. Oni looked to show as much promise as Mainoo at Manchester United (he really did) and his injury comes at the worst possible time for him and our team. Get well soon.
Secondly the game last weekend at the Wham Stadium against Accrington Stanley. I travelled with my eldest son arriving in good time to see the welcome sight of Lyle Taylor amongst the matchday squad. Weather was warm and sunny and the 262 faithful in a crowd of 1956 were in great voice.
Having watched three games on Sky Sports+ this season, this was my first live game and the first time to see the players in person.
Now the pies at Accrington are probably the best in the league with good quality filling and moist pastry. I had a meat and potato pie and David a chicken balti.
Lyle Taylor looked fit and well and the players were enjoying the sunshine.
DC lined his team up as follows:
Macey
Hunt Flanagan Iandolo
Egbo Payne Bishop Woodyard
Gordon Tovide Hopper
Subs:
Smith Anderson Read Edwards Goodliffe Taylor Donnelly
Now the game is best described as a game of two very bad halves. First half we had fallen back to our old ways with passes either sideways or back and limited forward forays.
Matt Macey’s distribution was poor and he found touch more often than a Colchester player. Rob Hunt was so poor, he looked nervous and reluctant to make a forward pass or to take more than a couple of touches.
Ellis Iandolo was also devoid of ideas and had his worst game in a Colchester shirt that I have seen. I felt sorry for Manny Egbo isolated on the right wing and receiving little in the way of passes. Alex Woodyard was busy in midfield and Jack Payne tried to get the U’s moving forward. Teddy Bishop looked slow and laboured in the centre of the park.
John Kymani Gordon was always taking too long to get the ball under control and had no decent end product. Samson Tovide (who was given stick by the home support behind their goal all game) failed to get into the game and received little in the way of forward passes whilst Tom Hopper was well Tom Hopper.
Accrington took the lead through Whalley on 25 minutes and we laboured until Egbo was eventually given the ball, he drove forward purposefully leaving defenders in his wake before unleashing a shot which the keeper saved.
Half time in the sunshine and Hopper was taken off and Lyle Taylor made his first league appearance for the U’s. At 34 he looks very fit and I thought his work rate was first class. He looked the part going forward winning headers and prepared to challenge and track back.
More changes were needed and DC who was fuming on the touchline brought on Read for the industrious Woodyard on 55 minutes and the lively Edwards for the ineffectual Gordon also on 55 minutes.
Immediately we had more attacking intent and their full back was scared stiff of Edwards who had the beating of him every time. Arthur Read owned the midfield and sprayed passes right and left.
As the half dragged on DC brought on Harry Anderson for the truly awful Hunt on 65 minutes.
The final change was to replace Bishop with Ben Goodliffe on 75 minutes. Despite our new confidence we were still not creating enough in the final third.
Then on 85 minutes Read broke into the box and shot, the keeper parried it and it went to the right of the goal as we were looking. Goodliffe fired past the keeper powerfully from a really acute angle.
Now we looked like the team who would go on to win the game. However, whilst just about to defend a corner there was a disturbance behind the Colchester goal where the hardcore Accrington supporters were.
From our viewpoint it was difficult to determine exactly what had happened but Tovide was clearly aggrieved and ran to the Colchester bench with the referee in hot pursuit. No announcement was made over the Accrington tannoy but the chant from their supporters was “You fat bast**d” clearly aimed at Samson.
It was suggested however that he had been the subject of some racist chanting from the Accrington supporters. The delay was for some minutes and eventually Samson was persuaded to return to the defence with great support from the faithful.
We then defended two corners and Whalley missed two chances to win the game right at the death. The final whistle went on 99 minutes and we had drawn the game 1-1.
The players and DC and NC came over the to the faithful whilst Arthur Read went quietly off on his own.
Further signings have been made by the club recently with striker Anthony Scully (25) arriving from Pompey on a season long loan and Jamie McDonnell (20) and Joel Thompson (19) both from Nottingham Forest on a season long loan and short-term loan respectively.
So that brings us to Andy Woodman’s Bromley team arriving in North Essex this weekend.
I am clearer as to the best starting XI having watched the game at the Wham stadium.
DC needs to go with the following:
Macey
Flanagan Goodliffe Iandolo
Egbo Payne Read Woodyard
Edwards Tovide Taylor
Subs:
Smith Anderson Bishop Gordon Terry Donnelly Hopper
Injuries affecting Kells and the unfortunate Oni and the likelihood that both McDonnell and Thompson will play some part later in the season will give further options.
Weather tomorrow in Colchester will be 22 degrees Celsius and sunny.
Bromley will have Omar Sowunmi amongst their number. They started the season reasonably well but I am confident that the U’s will see them off tomorrow and I am going for a 3-0 victory with Taylor notching his first league goal and Goodliffe and Tovide also on the scoresheet.
Attendance about 4,300.
Enjoy the game.
Up the U’s
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Reply | United Programme
at 12:35 4 Sep 2024
More teams are now producing digital programmes.
Accrington did on Saturday.
I still prefer the hard copy programme but accept that it is a change of the times. Just like EV's!
Up the U's |
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Reply | Taylor watch
at 12:32 4 Sep 2024
Wessex remember when Huddersfield called a press conference and prepared the chair ready for Parky to be announced as their next manager and he was a no show.
Totally agree about JT.
Quality player and Luton are ruining him. |
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Reply | Accrington Stanley, who are they - exactly
at 16:02 31 Aug 2024
TOOT
I wouldn't say modelling but I am wearing the new home shirt
I also have the black away.
Hunt should go off and Hopper.
Taylor and Goodliffe or Donnelly to replace them begiben the Egbo must be given the ball
Up the U's |
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Reply | Accrington Stanley, who are they - exactly
at 14:46 31 Aug 2024
Starting XI
Macey
Hunt Egbo Flanagan Iandolo
Gordon Bishop Woodyard Payne
Tovide Hopper
Sub
Smith Goodliffe Anderson Read Edwards Donnelly Taylor |
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Reply | The Summer of ‘24 - ins, outs and maybes
at 09:37 31 Aug 2024
Wessex I am unsure whether Scully signed in time similarly McDonnell but they will be two good additions to the team.
Lovely day weather wise.
I am feeling confident about the result and looking forward to the game.
Up the U's |
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Thread | Accrington Stanley, who are they - exactly
at 23:13 30 Aug 2024
If a week is a long time in politics it’s an eternity in football. Last Saturday we dominated the game against Harrogate only to lose 1-0 to a sucker punch after a mix up at the back.
On Wednesday night we should have drawn the game and taken our illustrious opponents the Bees to a penalty shoot-out. Two actions determined the result. First the referee failed to award a free kick in the box and Lewis-Potter scored the simplest goal he will ever score. Now you could argue that it wasn’t a foul and that Colchester should have played to the whistle.
Then after a brilliant run from Egbo he was fouled in the box and the reliable Payne chose that moment to take the worst penalty he will ever attempt to convert. Those who decided no foul had been committed would probably say that the referee evened things up for his error in the first half. So instead of a draw and a penalty shootout we lost another game 1-0.
This Saturday DC takes his charges to the Wham Stadium to do battle against Accrington Stanley. Last season someone called Taylor scored a magnificent solo goal after we had been battered for most of the game but the home team couldn’t convert their many chances.
Will our new Taylor perhaps get some minutes and score tomorrow. I am beginning to think that he is no longer a Colchester player and his transfer was all a figment of our imagination. We were told a calf injury had kept him out and when DC was interviewed this week about the game and possible deadline day transfers the silence concerning Taylor was deafening.
When or if he does get some minutes I would imagine he will be covered in cotton wool and will only be allowed the statutory amount of minutes that Macca Bonne was allowed (8).
The Monserrat striker is a player who has years of experience, if fit let us long suffering supporters see him at the Wham Stadium tomorrow if only for a little while.
DC has a decision to make about his team. I am unsure as to whether he has decided on either three or four at the back and then whether we play four or five across the midfield and then either two or three up front.
Let us look at the options.
Goalkeeper is easy, Macey but then what about a three or four ahead of him.
Donnelly almost caught Brentford cold on Wednesday with his delicious long throws. They should have led to at least one goal with a header from Ihionvien (his last action in a U’s shirt unfortunately) and a close range shot from Hopper.
Do Hunt and Iandolo play as conventional full backs or wing backs. Then we have Donnelly, Flanagan, Goodliffe, Kells and Egbo with either three or four of them employed as either a three or a flat back four.
Midfield – Payne, Read, Woodyard and Bishop (we have debated the problem with accommodation all four in the same team). Wingers are either Edwards, Anderson or Gordon.
Then strikers Hopper, Tovide and Taylor (the scarlet pimpernel).
So, who will DC start at the Wham stadium:
I think either 4,1,3,2
Macey
Hunt Goodliffe Flanagan Iandolo
Read
Payne Bishop Woodyard
Tovide Hopper
Subs: Smith, Anderson Edwards Gordon Egbo Terry Kells
OR
3,5,2
Macey
Goodliffe Flanagan Donnelly
Anderson Payne Bishop Woodyard Edwards
Tovide Hopper
Subs: Smith, Hunt Iandolo Gordon Egbo Read Kells
OR
3,4,3
Macey
Goodliffe Flanagan Donnelly
Payne Read Bishop Woodyard
Anderson Tovide Edwards
Subs: Smith, Hunt, Iandolo, Gordon, Egbo, Terry, Hopper
However, I think DC will line up as follows:
Macey
Egbo Goodliffe Flanagan Donnelly Iandolo
Payne Bishop Woodyard
Hopper Tovide
Subs:
Smith Anderson Edwards Gordon Hunt Read Kells
Sadly, it seems that Milton Oni (MOTM) is injured and of course we don’t know about Lyle Taylor.
I hope that this makes DC’s selection problem understandable. DC is possibly still unsure about his best XI.
Stop Press: Bradley Ihionvien has departed for Peterborough. He could have done so much better. They are a poor option for him.
Meanwhile Jamie McDonnell (Midfield) has joined from Nottingham Forest on loan.
Bradleys departure makes the signing of another striker mission critical.
Weather tomorrow at Accrington 19 degrees Celsius and sunny.
Scoreline 2-0 to the Super U’s
Safe journey to the travelling faithful.
Up the U’s
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Reply | The Summer of ‘24 - ins, outs and maybes
at 11:37 30 Aug 2024
I would still like to see a striker but that seems unlikely.
Matt Jay deserves a move away and I hope something can be arranged for him.
Hopefully Arthur Read will stay
Up the U's |
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Reply | Bees to be stung by the Super U's at the JCS in the Carabao Cup
at 11:32 29 Aug 2024
Milton Oni was MOTM.without doubt.
Hope he is not seriously injured.
Donnelly will upset League Two defences with his long throw.
The perennial striker problem has struck again.
Pity about the penalty because we deserved a penalty shoot out.
Still bring on Accrington |
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