The Duguid Effect,the pride and passion in wearing a U's shirt. This seemed lacking last night or cannot GW rally the troops ? This after all was a local Derby,if the players cannot get stirred up by this fixture what chance future league fixtures ?
bwildered - I wasn't at last night's game - did the U's not play with pride and passion, if so who were the culprits. Please explain.
From reading reports we failed to attack sufficiently until 2 goals down.
Of more concern is Gillespie's continuing fitness concerns. Clearly we cannot afford the luxury of playing him every second or third game and then only for half the match.
I thought the pride and passion was there but as is now omni present since the start of last season, I am not sure we play to the best of our abilities due to tactics, questionable coaching and I think management motivation is an issue too.
Why - can Dean not throw a ball out to start a counter attack ? Why does the routine have to be a whack down the middle when everyone is back in position ?
To beat Ipswich was important in my book, why split what was looking a good central defensive partnership ? White and Lockwood may have had niggles but would they have both missed out if it was a league match I wonder ?
We tried to play neat little triangles which is commendable but no less than five times we gave the ball away close to our area.
Does Yeates not need a good talking too and is he getting it ?
I see us getting some results but can also see us imploding on a regular basis until we can get some discipline into our play.
On the whole I thought we aquitted ourselves well last night. As regards Duguid, altthough a fabulous servant he was rather limited in his ability so was very surprised Plymouth went for him as thought he was badly shown up last season.
Think it is about time we gave the new crop our full support.
Yeates, in my humble view was the one who looked like giving us chances last night although cannot for the life of me see why Wordsworth is preferred to Elito.
Perkins looked a real tiger, all over the pitch when he came on and hope he starts saturday.
I didn't feel that we looked that good to be honest.My concern is,are some of the better L1 teams as good as a slightly under strength binners because we won't beat them either.
I have swayed this way and that over what the problem is,i am now drifting back to the 'its the management' camp.
Mind you it sounded like a capable display against Swindon so i'll take positives from that result.Interesting to see Hudds and Harts both lost at the weekend
I think Williams will be gone before Christmas.He has said on numerous occasions we must learn from our mistakes but nothing seems to change.
I thought we were poor at Ipswich and I didn't many examples of players desperate to change things.Whether that was down to lack of motivation or poor tactics I don't know.I wonder if the players are being asked to play in a way they know does not work?
None of the back four were at the club before January yet they don't seem to be a marked improvement on what was there before.
Yeates - I regret bitterly that he failed his medical as I would have been delighted had he gone to Palace.He is massively overrated in my opinion.Whilst he has ability it seems nobody,least of all himself,can direct this for the benefit of the team.Whenever he f***s up(regularly) he is looking for a scapegoat.He is a luxury we can't afford.
Limited though he was,Duguid would always lead by example,getting stuck in and badgering others.I didn't see that from anyone on Tuesday.
Williams has had money to spend,the likes of which no other Colchester Utd manager could have dreamed.Despite this we were dire last year,were relegated and have not started that well this season.I wonder how many clubs in this country would not have changed something over th esame period?
Perhaps that we have not changed anything is to our credit.
We're traditionally (I think!) a club that gives chances and time for things to develop. Rarely do we actively sack a manager.
I still ask this: what changed between CCC season 1 and CCC season 2 ? Wayne Brown is the defining player.
We were second best of what has been described as a poor League One when we were promoted and though we've not set the world alight, who expected us to? Look at Derby. A losing mentality is desperately hard to get rid of - and one wonders how this is to be achieved.
But I still think Williams will be gone by Christmas.
Ok so GW goes by Christmas - who is going to replace him?
I have to say that we are still very early days in the season and after an indifferent opening match against a team that we normally struggle against at Victoria Park, the team has started to settle.
Biggest disappointment is the degree of negativity from amongst the U's fans.
I read an article where magilton was supporting his friend GW after many U's fans had handed back their season tickets. Really how many and when did this happen.
More accurately the position is I understand that whereas 4,000 season tickets were sold last season that number is closer to 1,800 this year.
Relegation and increased ticket prices, credit crunch etc etc has surely played a part as well.
I suspect that crowds will gradually increase during the next few weeks as the WHCS becomes more of a fortress.
Yes losing at Poorman Road was a disappointment especially as I thought that we would have beaten them given their indifferent strat to the championship but we failed to be more positive early doors and were always chasing the game.
Lets be more positive Oldham will present a real opportunity for the team to show their credentials and then we have a free weeeknd before Crewe away (always one of my favourite away grounds).
The U's must ensure that Gillespie is quickly returned to the side and if he misses this weekend then Gresty Road will afford him the opportunity to add to his goalscoring record.
In the meantime a loanee striker must be obtained to provide cover.
So I say keep GW because until someone better is nominated he will continue to command the support from the majority of U's fans.
Too early to make managerial changes, stability is required, select the best team and stick with them (injuries notwithstanding) - (look at Easter or Le Fondre for extra strikepower now and don't forget about Izale Mcleod at Christmas time).
In the meantime let's get behind the team and the manager.
Up the U's
PS Duguid was crap when playing for Plymouth against Swansea in the recent televised game.
We only know how to play one way, no matter what the circumstances. 2 nil down in a one-off, cup -tie (for example)- why not go for 3 up top for the last 20 minutes ?. GW cannot see past 4-4-2, has no plan B and persists with playing players out of position....Ifil at LB on Tuesday being one case in point. We are seriously lacking in pace and quick movement (what a breath of fresh air Gillespie was, if all to briefly, at Portman Road). All in all, I think we are becoming way to predictable, we need to change that and fast. Good luck to GW if he can turn this around, but I've got serious doubts about that right now. As for Duguid ....don't see how his presence would have made a bit of difference, but I never rated him much in any case. Gillespies fitness is a much bigger issue for us imho.
The thing I remember admiring most about Geraint in his first season when he and the team could do no wrong was his refreshing honesty and disinclination to blame the referee like so many managers. However, my abiding memory of that season were a number of players really playing above and beyond their ability and Doogie was excellent that season. I think it was much more difficult for those people - including people like Baldwin and Gerken to sustain it in the relegation season.
Where my confidence in GW has waned is the fact that certain aspects of players games that you would think could be improved - Gerken's kicking and ability to start the occasional counter attack with a throw to name but two - simply have not transpired for me and I seriously question what exactly goes on for how many hours each week - 8,10 on the training pitch.
It's 25 years since I played but I can still remember it being drilled into me not to play short passes around the 18 yard box, yet we have done this many times over and given away goals as a result of it. There were four or five examples of this on Tuesday night.
I bear GW no ill will and would be delighted if he turned it all round but I have serious doubrs he will or can. That's not to say if the day does come to part company that I would not be comfortable saying he has done his best because I honestly think he has.
Whether that best is good enough, ultimately only Robbie Cowling can answer.
If he were to go I would favour somebody with some real zip about him, like Ian Holloway.
After the initial settling down period on Tuesday night,despite several ex skippers in the side,nobody seemed intrested in trying to up the tempo.Duguid knew what this fixture meant to the fans and would have instilled a more forceful pace,which might have led to less time and space being given. Too much respect was given to the opposition which inevitably lead to lazy play which resulted in both goals althought well taken were preventable.
