| The Summer of ‘24 - ins, outs and maybes 09:43 - Apr 28 with 80698 views | wessex_exile |
As suggested on the matchday thread, let’s kick off the traditional summer transfer speculation. I’ll start with our current loanees. I doubt Palace would release Owen Goodman, and if they did, would we want him or even be able to afford him? Of the rest, I’d definitely like to see Alastair Smith and maybe Riley Harbottle sign if they were released. As for the rest, they’ll be heading back to make room for new choices. |  |
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| The Summer of ‘24 - ins, outs and maybes on 21:40 - Jun 30 with 2177 views | TheOldOakTree |
| The Summer of ‘24 - ins, outs and maybes on 09:52 - Jun 30 by BLACKCAT |
There's clearly a massive cloud of depression over Essex right now. Obviously It is concerning losing your few good players so soon and there must be doubts over Goodliffe's injury record. But I expect a raft of new signings in the next five or six weeks and then we'll have a better idea of how high or low expectations realistically can be.
Despite the second half of last season I still believe Colchester United have one of, if not, the best management teams in League Two. I have to disagree with some of the views in preceding posts.
Lincoln City was not Moneybags Lincoln City when the Cowleys arrived. It was the club's sixth season in The National League and they'd finished in the bottom half in every one of the previous five. To lead The Imps to the title was a fine achievement and because of the superb FA Cup run the brothers oversaw substantial funds were earned for future spending. They took Lincoln into the play-offs in their first season back in the league and to League Two Champions in the second. These successes should not be belittled.
Colchester United are extremely fortunate that the Cowleys agreed to become their management team. They had much more attractive offers out there. They turned down what is easily the biggest team in your division only weeks before joining The U's. But you had an ace in the hole; they are Essex men. They have only one perceived failure in their past and even then it was leaving Pompey tenth in League One.
I can understand where much of the pessimism is coming from. It's a decade and a half since Colchester supporters had much to cheer and you escaped by the skin of your teeth in April. But I will be astonished if 2024-25 isn't a dramatic improvement on recent years with Danny and Nicky at the helm.
Up The U's! |
“Colchester United are extremely fortunate that the Cowley’s agreed to become their management team”
That does smack a little of Paul Konchesky’s mum telling the Kop they’ve never seen class.
Pretty sure your first post was around the day the Cowley’s were appointed? So, are you one of their parents, spouse, sibling, son, daughter, best friend, agent?
FYI We’ve had managers before that at some stage in their careers have managed Rangers, Newcastle, Everton, Aston Villa, Hearts, Leicester and various other top flight teams and three that I can think of that have taken teams into Europe, one even won the European Cup Winners Cup, oh and one that managed Scotland. It would be fair to say that we know when we’ve got a decent management team.
I nearly forgot, the bloke that took Watford into the Premiership then came and managed us before going on to be the England U21 manager.
PS. With regard to investment into Lincoln City, Sportvest Capital LLP is the name of the vehicle that the South African hedge fund manager set up with two other blokes, so they could put money into the club. According to Companies House, that was in April 2016, so just about the time the Cowleys arrived. [Post edited 1 Jul 7:40]
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| The Summer of ‘24 - ins, outs and maybes on 16:15 - Jul 1 with 1931 views | mfb_cufc |
Alistair Smith and Teddy Bishop both being signed from Lincoln. |  |
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| The Summer of ‘24 - ins, outs and maybes on 16:19 - Jul 1 with 1937 views | RSCOSWORTH |
| The Summer of ‘24 - ins, outs and maybes on 16:15 - Jul 1 by mfb_cufc |
Alistair Smith and Teddy Bishop both being signed from Lincoln. |
Couple of Imps! |  |
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| The Summer of ‘24 - ins, outs and maybes on 16:20 - Jul 1 with 1931 views | TheOldOakTree |
| The Summer of ‘24 - ins, outs and maybes on 16:15 - Jul 1 by mfb_cufc |
Alistair Smith and Teddy Bishop both being signed from Lincoln. |
That's more like it!
Also talk of Jack Payne?
That would be a lot of midfielders, so expect we might be losing one or two from there? [Post edited 1 Jul 16:25]
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| The Summer of ‘24 - ins, outs and maybes on 16:44 - Jul 1 with 1905 views | RSCOSWORTH |
| The Summer of ‘24 - ins, outs and maybes on 16:15 - Jul 1 by mfb_cufc |
Alistair Smith and Teddy Bishop both being signed from Lincoln. |
Smith is now meant to be joining Wimbledon on a season long loan. | |
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| The Summer of ‘24 - ins, outs and maybes on 16:47 - Jul 1 with 1888 views | mfb_cufc |
| The Summer of ‘24 - ins, outs and maybes on 16:44 - Jul 1 by RSCOSWORTH |
Smith is now meant to be joining Wimbledon on a season long loan. |
Correct. Alistair Smith joins AFC Wimbledon on loan. | |
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| The Summer of ‘24 - ins, outs and maybes on 18:34 - Jul 1 with 1807 views | TheOldOakTree |
| The Summer of ‘24 - ins, outs and maybes on 16:47 - Jul 1 by mfb_cufc |
Correct. Alistair Smith joins AFC Wimbledon on loan. |
So, Lincoln were happy to let Smith out on loan again to a L2 club and we were allegedly interested.
Lincoln know the Cowley’s, Smith knows Colchester, Smith is not a Londoner, he’s from oop north and Wimbledon don’t have bags of money to spend:
https://thedonstrust.org/files/AFC-WIMBLEDON-FINANCE-REPORT-JUNE-2024.pdf
Yet he’s chosen to go wombling (assuming he had some say in the matter).
Did he not like what he saw at Colchester or did they somehow manage to find more money than we could/would pay?
Frankie this is not carnage, this is a slaughter. It’s like we’re in a slow motion documentary about a death cult.
The only answer that I like is that his missus gave him earache that she wants the West End nightlife. | | | |
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| The Summer of ‘24 - ins, outs and maybes on 19:02 - Jul 1 with 1784 views | RSCOSWORTH |
Hall sold to Port Vale. This really is a rip it up and start again job. | |
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| The Summer of ‘24 - ins, outs and maybes on 19:05 - Jul 1 with 1778 views | durham_exile |
| The Summer of ‘24 - ins, outs and maybes on 16:47 - Jul 1 by mfb_cufc |
Correct. Alistair Smith joins AFC Wimbledon on loan. |
Very disappointed with the news about Smith
What is the point of him going on loan. Were we not offering a permanent deal for him.
This is a shocking bit of business. |  |
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| The Summer of ‘24 - ins, outs and maybes on 19:18 - Jul 1 with 1742 views | TheOldOakTree |
| The Summer of ‘24 - ins, outs and maybes on 19:02 - Jul 1 by RSCOSWORTH |
Hall sold to Port Vale. This really is a rip it up and start again job. |
I'm grateful for all his effort and wish him well, but never thought he was a captain. I don't even think he took control of the defence, never mind the whole team.
Maybe I would have been happier with him if he'd not been given the armband.
We could do with a real leader at the back. [Post edited 1 Jul 19:21]
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| The Summer of ‘24 - ins, outs and maybes on 19:25 - Jul 1 with 1723 views | TheOldOakTree |
Looks like he can play either right or left back. | | | |
| The Summer of ‘24 - ins, outs and maybes on 19:26 - Jul 1 with 1717 views | burnsieespana |
One word sums it all up carnage!
Hunt seems a decent signing.
Does seem DC doesn't really trust our Academy players to get is up the league.
Hall's departure an odd one but does DC see a lot of potential in Terry?
Wonder if Smith the one who allegedly failed a medical.on Friday and we didn't want to take a chance? |  | | |
| The Summer of ‘24 - ins, outs and maybes on 20:27 - Jul 1 with 1607 views | CrashBandicoot |
Hunt looks a decent signing but Hall never really had leadership skills. Could Kelleher do the job instead? I'm a bit concerned that Chilvers & McGeehan are not on Col U's wikipedia page as part of the squad - are they moving on or still negotiating contract offers? If its the former then we need to replace both. |  |
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| The Summer of ‘24 - ins, outs and maybes on 07:28 - Jul 2 with 1419 views | wessex_exile |
| The Summer of ‘24 - ins, outs and maybes on 20:27 - Jul 1 by CrashBandicoot |
Hunt looks a decent signing but Hall never really had leadership skills. Could Kelleher do the job instead? I'm a bit concerned that Chilvers & McGeehan are not on Col U's wikipedia page as part of the squad - are they moving on or still negotiating contract offers? If its the former then we need to replace both. |
Kelleher would be an excellent call as captain, and according to a chap on X with a pretty good record of being itk, it was Smith who failed the medical. | |
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| The Summer of ‘24 - ins, outs and maybes on 08:43 - Jul 2 with 1381 views | TheOldOakTree |
| The Summer of ‘24 - ins, outs and maybes on 19:02 - Jul 1 by RSCOSWORTH |
Hall sold to Port Vale. This really is a rip it up and start again job. |
It's certainly an Agents dream.
I hope it's not history repeating itself. Was it about 25 years ago when a new manager came in and disembowelled the team?
Replacements then included Fabrice Richard, Steve Germain, Brain Launders, Warren Aspinall and I think Jamie Moralee?
Hoping for a little better this time.
I fairness I think the replacements also included Thomas Pinault and maybe Joseph Keith? ...if you played darts blindfolded, I supose you'd hit the board occasionally! | | | |
| The Summer of ‘24 - ins, outs and maybes on 09:49 - Jul 2 with 1339 views | RSCOSWORTH |
Starting XI V Bradford City 12/08/23
1 Owen Goodman Loan ended
3 Ellis Iandolo
5 Connor Hall Sold
6 Tom Dallison Released
22 Junior Tchamadeu Sold
23 Nico Lawrence Loan ended
8 Mauro Bandeira Loan ended
10 Noah Chilvers Contract offered
16 Arthur Read
14 Tom Hopper
25 Joseph Taylor Loan ended
Starting XI V Crewe Alexandra 27/04/24
29 Sam Hornby Released
3 Ellis Iandolo
5 Connor Hall Sold
4 Fiacre Kelleher
20 Jay Mingi Sold
13 Cameron McGeehan Contract offered
42 Jayden Fevrier Sold
10 Noah Chilvers Contract offered
16 Arthur Read
14 Tom Hopper
24 John Akinde Released
The side that starts the first game of the 24/25 season is going to be very different to the teams that started the first and last games of the 23/24 season. Going to be five different players at least including a different keeper and captain. | |
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| The Summer of ‘24 - ins, outs and maybes on 09:51 - Jul 2 with 1338 views | RSCOSWORTH |
We've now sold five players in the last 12 months. Firstly I think that's pretty impressive for any club and secondly we've done that off the back of four consecutive relegation battles! Crazy! | |
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| The Summer of ‘24 - ins, outs and maybes on 10:46 - Jul 2 with 1289 views | CrashBandicoot |
Payne looks a decent signing, I wonder who else will be joining? | |
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| The Summer of ‘24 - ins, outs and maybes on 11:10 - Jul 2 with 1273 views | burnsieespana |
| The Summer of ‘24 - ins, outs and maybes on 09:51 - Jul 2 by RSCOSWORTH |
We've now sold five players in the last 12 months. Firstly I think that's pretty impressive for any club and secondly we've done that off the back of four consecutive relegation battles! Crazy! |
Does make you wonder about the quality of the Managers/Head Coaches we have had as agree impressive to ve able to sell 5 players who cost us very little to bring in/develop. | | | |
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