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ATTN GHUGHES11 13:54 - Jul 22 with 2035 views

Sorry fella, didn't want to clog up the Happyleague thread with my moans!!

I am still so disappointed with the transfer dealings.

I do not believe we have replaced full backs sufficiently, although i do hear we may be in the market in that area.

Up front - still a massive issue for us. I'd hoped that Jevani Brown would have been the answer but seems he is going to be utilised out wide.

Paris Cowan Hall, whilst yes has experience, he is the typical journeyman. We are his 10th club. I always feel these types of players make no more than an initial impact, then go off the boil. There's a reason they stay little more than a year at any club. Ibhere, Odejayi, Nouble all spring to mind.

Gerken - Decent keeper but always had a mistake in him. We are playing L2 so guess will do a job for us. Would rather Ross be No1 however.

Can't see anything so far to suggest any improvement on last season. Gambin & Javani IMHO are the 2 players who can make a difference.

Not improved or replaced defensively. Kent will be a big miss.

Still no out and out goal scorer.
Plymouth 4 - 1 Colchester currently still stands as my prediction.

15th in the league, and penultimate season in the football league.

Sorry to sound so negative before we've kicked a ball in anger, but all i see is a slippery slope from here on out.

ATTN GHUGHES11 on 14:57 - Jul 22 with 2023 views

durham_exile

Guys I hope you don't mind my posting on this thread.

I am only disappointed in one respect with the transfer dealings, no Striker has been signed.

Jevani Brown is an attacking midfielder, Paris Cowan-Hall a similar type of player. Neither is a Number 9.

Andre Hasanally and Michael Fernandes are both talented footballers and will do well for the U's this season.

I liked the look of Omar Sowunmi in the friendly at Cefn Druids and Luke Gambin will cause problems with his pace.

Ethan Ross should be number one but he wont be because Dean Gerken will get the nod.

There is money available and we need to sign a striker. I have banged on for weeks about Kane Hemmings at Notts County. He will cost money, but we either are serious about getting out of this awful league two or not.

I'm afraid that neither Big Frank Nouble or Chuck Norris are going to score 20 goals each this season. If only.

I don't feel quite glass half empty as Colukev has suggested but fear that no striker means no promotion. Simples.

UTU's

Sorry again to interrupt but we should all be getting the message through to JM that there is money available and it should be spent on securing a striker in the next two weeks.

Durham_exile

ATTN GHUGHES11 on 14:58 - Jul 22 with 2022 views

Moor_Pinot

Bravely said Kev.
I remain hopeful but have posted my concerns for a while.
At this moment - and for many of the reasons you cite - I can see no end to the decline of the last 12 years. I often feel sorry for Mr. Cowling - he puts in so much yet his investment has bought a training ground and overseen the new stadium but on the pitch......little.
Your premonition about The National League next season has crossed my mind too and I am trying to dispel it. A better than expected start to this season will help my morale.

We still have some good players but hardly better than the average lg 2 version. We now probably do have a couple of goalkeepers, Jackson is a reasonable attacking full back [though a red-card waiting to happen] as is Vincent-Young who needs more encouragement for his forays into the opposition area....rather like Kent used to do.
For people like Prosser & Kensdale this is a make or break season for entirely different age/stage related reasons.
We are ok-ish in midfield if Pell is fit and if Stevenson can be bothered more than last season as away from home Lapslie is useful.
Brown, Gambin & Cowan Hall are as you describe and I am hoping that we do a job on them as we did on Iwelumo & Cureton who were similarly disenchanted journeymen when they signed [albeit higher quality].
Senior may yet leave and I wouldn't mind as his postional awareness is abject along with his first touch. He can be a danger but only in a Colchester United specialist way....ie, inconsistently.
Nouble is not a centre forward any more than was Mikael Mandron, Norris never recovered from injury and my jury are out on him and Frank [another journeyman type] who was lucky to play as often as he did last season. Clearly management think that Junior is not the forward we need but he's not had a go really, so as you say we are very light in the attacking department and the season starts so soon.

I fear a few loans. I groan because we always waste them {Collins last year} a bit like we wasted Slater a couple of years ago when he was one of ours.

I think your Plymouth prediciton may well be accurate. I went 2-1 I think but I am not at all confident of winning on 3rd. Friendlies tell very little but they do build a bit of confidence, last Friday removed any of that.

So, bravely said mate and maybe there's better news to come.

Up the 'not looking too chipper U's'

Moor Pinot

ATTN GHUGHES11 on 21:20 - Jul 22 with 1986 views

ghughes11

I try and see the positives in everything and rely on Durham, Noah and Wessex to help me with that!

From what I see with McGreal's tactics and formations, is that he does not rely on a 20+ a season striker and tries to rely on his front four getting into double figures each.

Last season:
Szmodics 15
Nouble 9
Norris 8
Senior 6

Norris was on fire, up until his injury and then never recovered and when he played, I felt Sammie's game suffered. Hopefully Norris can build up a better understanding with Brown/Gambin. If so, Norris can easily replace the Szmodics goals. Leaving Brown/Gambin to chip in goals, but mainly assists for the other 3!

Nouble scored 9 from mainly the left wing, so no reason why he can't produce the same again.

Senior scored 6, but with his chances, should have scored 16! I already mentioned in the other thread, that I feel that this is Senior's big season. Last season was his first full season and so you can expect some inconsistencies. Can he score more than 10 from the right wing this year?

Paris Cowan Hall only needs 4 goals next year to double the number that Mandron scored. Although Mandron was the ideal strike partner for Smodz!

Pell scored 6 goals in half a season from midfield. Can he get to double figures in a whole season?

I still can't see Plymouth beating us by that score line so early in the season. Maybe after the Christmas break, but not before

Thank you for starting a new thread, I feel like we will add a lot more to it, before the Plymouth match

Poll:

What was the main reason for the Col U win versus Carlisle?

ATTN GHUGHES11 on 21:56 - Aug 8 with 1877 views

ghughes11

Nothing else added to this thread before the Plymouth game, so I thought I would add my thoughts from watching the Port Vale game via iFollow.

Port Vale were obviously playing for the draw. Even in the first few minutes before their goal, they were wasting time!

Their goal and most of their other chances only came due to sloppy play by us. At the time, I thought Lapslie did the right thing by going in for the challenge, however after seeing the replay, there was still another defender and Gerken to beat! Possibly why he didn't get sent off? Or I think the rules have changed so that if an attempt to play the ball happens then it is just a penalty.

After the goal, their tails were up and played some nice football, without really troubling Gerken in goal. We on the other hand decided to go for the long ball up to Nouble and Norris, completely ignoring Brown in the hole.

Senior then got board doing nothing on the right and got involved across the front line and encouraged good play between himself, Nouble, Brown and Bramhall.

I, like most others, got really frustrated with the set pieces. First of all, is it me, or is this division worse for taking players out when they run past you??? Time and time again Senior, KVY, Bramhall and Nouble were stopped in their tracks as we tried to counter. Gamesmanship or cheating?!?! I can't remember it happening as much in League 1. It is definitely one of my pet peeves.
Secondly, I believe that anyone who plays professionally, can cross or kick a ball past the first player standing in the way. But why oh why does it rarely happen? Is it because the defending player knows exactly where Brown/Senior is going to play it and so stands in that exact position. I can understand maybe getting on or two miss-hits but corners and free-kicks in good areas can be the difference between draws and defeats. We have some height in the box with Pell, Nouble, Eastman, Prosser, we need to take advantage of this.

Anyway, so we huffed and puffed trying to create some chances, Nouble taking a few shots on himself, when a pass was the better option and a couple of good saves from their goalie and with half time approaching, I was trying to think of how we could get back into the game and then we score! From the second phase of a corner no less! Good reactions from Norris and a 20 goals a season type goal :-)

2nd half, I think they came close with a cross/shot that bobbled safely in the end wide of the far post.

Lapslie was bursting a lung trying to get up and down, Pell was breaking thing up and trying to kick the Port Vale players back, after they hacked down a few more of our players. Hindsight is a great thing, however Stevenson would have been the better option in this game and probably most home games going forward, especially when the away team is set up for a draw from the kick off, he can unlock defenses and get other players involved going forward.

Subs came on. Gambin for Brown. Stevenson for Pell and Hasanally for Senior.
Gambin with a few nice touches, looking to link the play in the final third.

Crosses flew across the box, but no one their to put them away. Norris was tiring, but no Bonne or Junior to bring on for the last 2 minutes ha ha.

All in all. Only one team looked like winning it and wanting to win it. A solid start, however a home game where 2 points have been dropped.

A tough trip to Plymouth this weekend. The only visit to Home Park was either the 3-0 defeat in Feb 2007 or the 4-1 on Mar 2008!!! Either way, I don't think we will get spanked by that much this weekend (unlike Colukev).

I am going to predict a boring and hard earned 0-0! Which normally would be a great away point against one of the favourites for promotion, but after only drawing at home to Port Vale, I would love us to sneak a 1-0! Same team that started against Port Vale and then changes can be made on Tuesday at home vs Swindon in the cup!

Poll:

What was the main reason for the Col U win versus Carlisle?

ATTN GHUGHES11 on 03:58 - Aug 13 with 1833 views

ghughes11

So not quite the 4-1 you predicted then Kev, however a defeat nonetheless.

What are your thoughts post match?

We have added Bramhall as a replacement full back.

Brown is playing down the middle.

Matched a potential promotion hopeful on their own patch!

Not all doom and gloom?

Poll:

What was the main reason for the Col U win versus Carlisle?

ATTN GHUGHES11 on 08:00 - Aug 13 with 1820 views

wessex_exile

If I may interject chaps, I’ve seen both matches so far, and I’m surprisingly unconcerned that we’ve only got one point so far. There’s been enough in both matches to convince me we’ve got a very good squad (certainly as good as champions-elect Plymuff), and with a bit more work on delivery, and of course someone on the right end of the delivery we’ll be right up there at the end of the season. Whilst the option of another striker would be welcome, I do have faith that Norris will re-find his pre-injury form and start banging them in - maybe starting tonight against his old club?

	Up the U's
Poll:	How will we do in 2016/17
Blog:	Knees-up Mother Brown #24

ATTN GHUGHES11 on 08:46 - Aug 13 with 1814 views

Moor_Pinot

ATTN GHUGHES11 on 08:00 - Aug 13 by wessex_exile

Approve of your optimism Wessex - I've watched both too [from afar]. Goalscoring is already proving a potential problem. I just don't see anything very different from last season - yet. Will Norris even start tonight? Somehow this manager has to try out his options, he failed dismally to do that pre-season. Hasanally perhaps, Fernandes [who is a scorer by repute] or pushing Gambin further forward. He looks far more dangerous to me than Senior ever does. A cup win is overdue.

Moor Pinot

ATTN GHUGHES11 on 17:09 - Aug 17 with 1749 views

Colukev

Sorry for my lack of reply, haven't had a chance to get online much.

The players and mcgreal have backed up my argument yet again.

What a shower of shite. Maybe we will be on the conference a year earlier than what I expected.

ATTN GHUGHES11 on 20:52 - Aug 17 with 1724 views

Moor_Pinot

ATTN GHUGHES11 on 17:09 - Aug 17 by Colukev
Sorry for my lack of reply, haven't had a chance to get online much. The players and mcgreal have backed up my argument yet again. What a shower of shite. Maybe we will be on the conference a year earlier than what I expected.

Precisely what I voiced on here in June. Genuine reason for concern. A group of half decent players who do not seem to get on (did you see the strife between some of em before the second goal) & do not gell as a team. That is a management role.
Early days but there's felt pen on a lot of the walls.......

Moor Pinot

ATTN GHUGHES11 on 22:39 - Jul 1 with 1429 views

ghughes11

Bump!

Not quite the "15th in the league, and penultimate season in the football league."

Although, you could be right about the penultimate season part (although I highly doubt it).

Maybe harsh to bump this back up after a season that was not completed fully. However, there were and still are a lot of negative posts around expectations of the U's last and next season.

No reason why we can't "go again" next season. 4 big losses in regards to experienced players, however no different to the start of last season.

Poku and Bramall a year older/wiser.

A full season with a fit Harriott and Pell.

Senior will learn how to pass. Ok, sorry getting carried away now

This post is not just aimed at you BTW Kev. Let's all get behind the team and finally get out the horrible division!

Up the U's

Poll:

What was the main reason for the Col U win versus Carlisle?

ATTN GHUGHES11 on 12:06 - Jul 2 with 1397 views

burnsieespana

Sorry guys I just do not see the point of this thread given the dire circumstances prevailing.
No money will be spent on players in my opinion as all about conserving resources to survive.
We are going to see more clubs go into administration before the end of 2020 unless a massive fairy godmother comes along.
If I supported Southend, for example, I would be far more concerned.
Instead of buying in somebody maybe one of our young guns will step up to the plate to score the goals we need.
As regards the National League, how many in that will go to the wall as even a well supported and run club like Woking are finding things very tough and they have Martin Tyler, commentator as Assistant Manager!
As of yet, we don't know the start date of the 20/21 season or when clubs will have gate receipts.
My bet is almost no transfer activity will take place until shortly before the season starts to conserve funds across all leagues apart from the Greedship sorry Premiership.

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