| Super U's to see off the Boro at Fortress JobServe 12:14 - Oct 4 with 1770 views | durham_exile |
JM and his charges play host to Mark Sampson interim manager of Stevenage Borough on Saturday at the JobServe Community Stadium. The Boro have not enjoyed the best of starts to the season but with Kurtis Guthrie and Craig Mackail-Smith in their ranks they possess two potential matchwinners and Guthrie does like to score against his old club!
The U’s by contrast have picked up their season big style and after 15 games the record stands as follows 6 Wins, 6 Draws and 3 Defeats. Two of those draws after 90 minutes were converted to victories after penalties of course.
Saturday though remains a banana skin game with the Boro looking to secure a victory and the U’s needing to ensure that they are not in any way complacent.
Having watched the last three consecutive Colchester games (Orient, Spurs and Macclesfield) I can report that Colchester are in rude health and on course for promotion this season. Well why not the league is wide open, we have players waiting to return in Harry Pell who has just stepped up his training and everyone is awaiting Callum Harriott’s first start since his return to the club. Added to this I sincerely hope that Kwame Poku is fit to play on Saturday because he is one of the most promising players that I have seen in many years.
After the emotional drama of defeating Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup on the Tuesday evening, many thought that the Macclesfield game would be too much too soon plus we have a poor record at the Moss Rose. The way that the Silkmen came out of the blocks suggested that they wanted to put one over on the super U’s and in truth they could have scored three goals in a lack lustre first half showing from the U’s.
Colchester lined up:
Gerken
Eastman Sowunmi Prosser
Cowan-Hall Lapslie Comley Sarpong-Wiredu Bramall
Nouble Robinson
Subs:
Ross Clampin Chilvers Gambin Stevenson Senior Norris
Now although the U’s appeared to line up with three at the back, Cohen Bramall did not advance sufficiently up the left wing because frankly Macclesfield played very well in the first half. Also, Sarpong-Wiredu never seemed to get into the game. Colchester didn’t help themselves with misplaced passes and a degree of unease at the new formation. Theo Robinson deservedly scored an equaliser on half time and although the second half was a much closer affair, we couldn’t secure the vital second goal and indeed Macclesfield had a last second “goal” rightly disallowed for a foul on Gerken. In other seasons we might have lost that game, but the U’s are becoming difficult to beat.
Tomorrow is all about victory and securing a place in the top seven. Ignore Guthrie and his antics it is all about putting the Boro to the sword and boosting our goal difference into the bargain.
But how will JM play things and what about his starting line-up.
Much depends on Ryan Jackson’s fitness as to whether JM opts with a back four or not. Personally, I would play Paris Cowan-Hall at Right back if Jackson is not fit. After all he kept Son quiet for 45 minutes last Tuesday week. That might be his better position as well at present.
Jackson’s forward play has been inspirational this season and he is playing the best football of his career in the six matches that I have seen so far this season.
In midfield the workhorse Tom Lapslie must play with Brandon Comley leaving JM to decide as to play either Kwame Poku if fit or Ben Stevenson.
Jevani Brown does not seem to have lived up to his pre-season billing. JM must be careful though because he could be cut adrift from the team especially when Pell and Harriott are fit to play.
Theo Robinson, Frank Nouble and Courtney Senior should play as a front three against Stevenage. Senior saw a lot of the ball last Saturday in the second half and must convert the opportunities that either he or others create. He has pace and skill but often his last pass is woeful, or he simply runs out of steam, but he is a talent.
Therefore 4,3,3:
Gerken
Cowan-Hall Eastman Prosser Bramall
Lapslie Stevenson Comley
Senior Nouble Robinson
Subs:
Ross Clampin Chilvers Gambin Norris Poku Sowunmi
Any manager will know the importance of keeping players content if they are not playing regularly and that is a problem at present with Chuck Norris who simply needs to be fed some red meat before he takes to the field, such is his frustration at not starting games.
Robinson for me was an inspired loan signing, he has goals in him and looks very sharp. I would like to see JM “do a Klopp" and play Norris Nouble and Robinson as a front three but that is perhaps too much for JM to contemplate but for about 10 minutes at Boundary Park, he did have all three on the pitch together.
For a home match, where Stevenage are bound to play five at the back, why not stretch them by playing three strikers and go for the jugular. Too much too soon perhaps but I watched the Liverpool v Salzburg game on Wednesday evening and whilst I am in no way trying to suggest that a Colchester front three can emulate Liverpool , opposition teams’ recoil from a pacy threat across the entire pitch. Kwame Poku could of course play with any of the other two Colchester strikers to create a similar effect . After all, if a criticism of the U’s is that we don’t score enough goals then we will surely convert more chances with a greater percentage of forward-thinking players on the pitch.
Now a moan — direct free kicks from about 20 to 25 yards out. Over the years we have occasionally had a player capable of scoring such opportunities. We all know who they were but currently we have no one capable of converting them. On Saturday we had two very presentable chances, and both were taken (poorly) by Cohen Bramall.
Now I would have thought when he is on the field Chuck Norris could deliver a free kick with venom and bend but to aimlessly fire them over the bar or tamely at the Keeper is not the way to win friends or influence people. On the training pitches we must practice such free kicks so let’s improve the ratio of conversion. Harry Pell would be the obvious choice when fit I suppose but, in the meantime, we are missing out on goal scoring opportunities. Moan over.
The weather in Colchester on Saturday is scheduled to be sunny and 14 degrees Celsius with only a 10% chance of precipitation. The pitch will be immaculate and so a passing game is the preferred option.
Three points and a minimum of three goals are required on Saturday, there is no room for sentiment or complacency. Personally, I would like to see Colchester win 5-0 and that would set us up nicely for Spurs (again) Crawley and Morecambe, which are all winnable games.
Oh, and Kurtis Guthrie, simply ignore him, forget about the boos, focus on scoring goals and that will negate any threat that he might offer. He might even get sent off in frustration!
Enjoy the game.
Up the U’s
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| Super U's to see off the Boro at Fortress JobServe on 16:55 - Oct 5 with 523 views | durham_exile |
| Super U's to see off the Boro at Fortress JobServe on 16:48 - Oct 5 by durham_exile |
Jevani Brown on for Big Frank
Come on the U's |
Full time 3-1
Come on the U's | |
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| Super U's to see off the Boro at Fortress JobServe on 16:56 - Oct 5 with 523 views | wessex_exile |
| Super U's to see off the Boro at Fortress JobServe on 16:46 - Oct 5 by Moor_Pinot |
At last, two more from Tom and it'll be your 5-1 Wessex! The players have dragged us out of this! |
Ha - mine was 3-0, just offering a consolation alternative to Durham  |  |
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| Super U's to see off the Boro at Fortress JobServe on 16:59 - Oct 5 with 520 views | wessex_exile |
Mansfield score a 96th minute winner at Grimsby, U's up to 8th - one place and one point outside the play-offs. | |
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| Super U's to see off the Boro at Fortress JobServe on 17:18 - Oct 5 with 507 views | durham_exile |
| Super U's to see off the Boro at Fortress JobServe on 16:59 - Oct 5 by wessex_exile |
Mansfield score a 96th minute winner at Grimsby, U's up to 8th - one place and one point outside the play-offs. |
Spurs again on Tuesday then Crawley next Saturday.
Come on the U's | |
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| Super U's to see off the Boro at Fortress JobServe on 17:32 - Oct 5 with 503 views | Madeira163 |
Pinault Noir
Spent the morning in Riberia Brava , I’m here Odete in Guernsey no holidays left .
Came home spent my 6€ wasn’t unhappy
Well other than always bet 3-1 but bet365 won’t take my bets when I’m here
Hope you are well
Always good to come to this house and look at my two Riley’s on the wall , Madeira marriage always brings a smile
Hope you both well
Geoff |  | | |
| Super U's to see off the Boro at Fortress JobServe on 17:50 - Oct 5 with 495 views | gerry_us |
| Super U's to see off the Boro at Fortress JobServe on 16:48 - Oct 5 by durham_exile |
Jevani Brown on for Big Frank
Come on the U's |
Sadly sums up our manager in that he can come up with a credible plan to frustrate Tottenham but when we play the team at the absolute bottom of the league we struggle as no attacking strategy in place. I know McG was a defender but surely he has learned by now that you "attack" at home and especially against the bottom club; hence we go 1-0 down and leave it frustatingly late to take all the points.
We are NOT going to succeed while he stays in position and maybe that is the grand master plan, perpetual Div.2; ..... well that basically ain't good enough. |  | | |
| Super U's to see off the Boro at Fortress JobServe on 17:59 - Oct 5 with 490 views | Moor_Pinot |
| Super U's to see off the Boro at Fortress JobServe on 17:32 - Oct 5 by Madeira163 |
Pinault Noir
Spent the morning in Riberia Brava , I’m here Odete in Guernsey no holidays left .
Came home spent my 6€ wasn’t unhappy
Well other than always bet 3-1 but bet365 won’t take my bets when I’m here
Hope you are well
Always good to come to this house and look at my two Riley’s on the wall , Madeira marriage always brings a smile
Hope you both well
Geoff |
Cheers Geoff. People keep liking the works I do. Never understand it. Hoping for more of the same when I move closer to the sea quite soon! |  |
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| Super U's to see off the Boro at Fortress JobServe on 18:01 - Oct 5 with 488 views | Moor_Pinot |
| Super U's to see off the Boro at Fortress JobServe on 17:50 - Oct 5 by gerry_us |
Sadly sums up our manager in that he can come up with a credible plan to frustrate Tottenham but when we play the team at the absolute bottom of the league we struggle as no attacking strategy in place. I know McG was a defender but surely he has learned by now that you "attack" at home and especially against the bottom club; hence we go 1-0 down and leave it frustatingly late to take all the points.
We are NOT going to succeed while he stays in position and maybe that is the grand master plan, perpetual Div.2; ..... well that basically ain't good enough. |
Agree Gerry. Opposition today poor, hadn't even won a game yet we struggled. Individual players dragged us to a result. | |
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| Super U's to see off the Boro at Fortress JobServe on 18:26 - Oct 5 with 461 views | GOSBTS |
Back from the game and must say I have a slightly different view of the 90 minutes than some here and on Radio Essex.
U's controlled first half. Stevenage goal completely against run of play and I think it was a deflection which wrong footed Gerken. In some ways I feel for Norris. There were so many times he tried to make an innovative run off the shoulder of a defender and either our centre-backs or midfielders failed to spot it and passed sideways instead. We looked our predictable selves, but the key difference to the Walsall game was that we were creating chances and looked like we could score. I think that was down to having the 3 up front and came when instead of playing the obvious ball, a player took a risk which paid off and meant the ball wasn't just perpetually pinged round the back four or down the wings.
Second half was very different. We got a swift equaliser but for the next 20 minutes I felt Stevenage were pushing for a second. Whilst their confidence grew, it actually played into our hands as we had more space on the counter which is what we needed. Two quick-fire goals killed the game off and the Guthrie bashing commenced in full flow.
It was duly noted on Radio Essex that winning a game from a losing position is something that the U's very seldom do, so that ought to be applauded. It should also be celebrated that we have a depth of squad which could see us well for the marathon ahead of us. Being able to bring a player like Wiredu off the bench was something we did not have last year, which began to tell as the season progressed. Whilst I agree that we do have some fundamental attacking flaws, this depth of squad is refreshing and encouraging.
Hard fought victory. Well done McGreal for good use of subs. Up the U's! |  | | |
| Super U's to see off the Boro at Fortress JobServe on 18:42 - Oct 5 with 456 views | durham_exile |
| Super U's to see off the Boro at Fortress JobServe on 18:26 - Oct 5 by GOSBTS |
Back from the game and must say I have a slightly different view of the 90 minutes than some here and on Radio Essex.
U's controlled first half. Stevenage goal completely against run of play and I think it was a deflection which wrong footed Gerken. In some ways I feel for Norris. There were so many times he tried to make an innovative run off the shoulder of a defender and either our centre-backs or midfielders failed to spot it and passed sideways instead. We looked our predictable selves, but the key difference to the Walsall game was that we were creating chances and looked like we could score. I think that was down to having the 3 up front and came when instead of playing the obvious ball, a player took a risk which paid off and meant the ball wasn't just perpetually pinged round the back four or down the wings.
Second half was very different. We got a swift equaliser but for the next 20 minutes I felt Stevenage were pushing for a second. Whilst their confidence grew, it actually played into our hands as we had more space on the counter which is what we needed. Two quick-fire goals killed the game off and the Guthrie bashing commenced in full flow.
It was duly noted on Radio Essex that winning a game from a losing position is something that the U's very seldom do, so that ought to be applauded. It should also be celebrated that we have a depth of squad which could see us well for the marathon ahead of us. Being able to bring a player like Wiredu off the bench was something we did not have last year, which began to tell as the season progressed. Whilst I agree that we do have some fundamental attacking flaws, this depth of squad is refreshing and encouraging.
Hard fought victory. Well done McGreal for good use of subs. Up the U's! |
GOSBTS
Pleased you witnessed another home win
And what about the game at the AMEX!
UTU's | |
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| Super U's to see off the Boro at Fortress JobServe on 19:00 - Oct 5 with 453 views | bwildered |
Guthrie's shot took a deflection to wrong foot Gerken, but if you do not try ... Not enough end product down the sides though Nouble worked hard, two lads down left side lack league experience at present.
Timing of equaliser was vital and never looked back thereafter. Looked a penalty from the other end, and a powerful run by Nouble saw the game over.
Two great substitutions, with Norris and Stevenson being replaced by Gambin and the ever impressive Wiredu .
Set pieces still unconvincing, thou Norris shot came off the post.
Starting to play with confidence and belief, nice to see us keep are composure. |  |
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| Super U's to see off the Boro at Fortress JobServe on 19:50 - Oct 5 with 437 views | durham_exile |
| Super U's to see off the Boro at Fortress JobServe on 19:00 - Oct 5 by bwildered |
Guthrie's shot took a deflection to wrong foot Gerken, but if you do not try ... Not enough end product down the sides though Nouble worked hard, two lads down left side lack league experience at present.
Timing of equaliser was vital and never looked back thereafter. Looked a penalty from the other end, and a powerful run by Nouble saw the game over.
Two great substitutions, with Norris and Stevenson being replaced by Gambin and the ever impressive Wiredu .
Set pieces still unconvincing, thou Norris shot came off the post.
Starting to play with confidence and belief, nice to see us keep are composure. |
The 1min47secs highlights suggest that Gerken would have saved their shot had it not been for the deflection.
The penalty would have been confirmed by VAR.
Big Frank put another great shift in and made the third goal for Poku.
UTU's | |
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| Super U's to see off the Boro at Fortress JobServe on 20:41 - Oct 5 with 429 views | GOSBTS |
I know, what a result! I was too busy this morning to get to the stadium to watch it but listened to the second half in the car en route to the game. Started gesticulating and fist pumping a lot when Connolly got the third. Hopefully the person behind me was a football fan and noticed my Brighton car sticker! Can’t wait for MOTD tonight. | | | |
| Super U's to see off the Boro at Fortress JobServe on 10:01 - Oct 6 with 381 views | GOSBTS |
Two other notes on yesterday:
1) Considering Stevenage held FGR to a 0-0 draw a couple of weeks ago, this was an even better result.
2) Ref was very good, let a lot go. Liked it. Also thought he was kind to Theo in the first half as he took the standing leg out of a Boro player with arguably two feet, very very late. Others could have given a straight red for it. [Post edited 6 Oct 2019 10:02]
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| Super U's to see off the Boro at Fortress JobServe on 21:23 - Oct 6 with 346 views | noah4x4 |
I too think it was a decent performance. What is prejudicing opinion is that we went behind, which in recent seasons has been a calamity. But in two consecutive games we have taken points from such a position. Unlike At Macclesfield, the opposition lead was NOT deserved. It was a speculative shot that Gerken would have easily saved if not for a fluke deflection off Prosser. Stevenage then parked the bus and frustrated us. Sometimes the better team has to be patient. Whether we score two in the first half or last ten minutes doesn’t matter. We had 25 shots! How can that be said to be lacking attacking ambition? On another day we might have scored five given the misfortune (hitting post etc). |  | | |
| Super U's to see off the Boro at Fortress JobServe on 20:03 - Oct 7 with 295 views | ghughes11 |
Thank you Noah and GOSBTS.
After watching the full replay on iFollow last night, I felt McGreal had the tactics and substitutions spot on.
I then read comments from Gerry and Pinault and wonder if I was the one wearing rose coloured specks or just being very optimistic after a string of 12 matches unbeaten!
Thankfully, I am not going mad and your views from watching the game live, matched mine via iFollow.
Bring on Crawley!
Up the U's |  |
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