| RC's latest statement 14:27 - May 11 with 1174 views | durham_exile |
From the official site:
Following the final game at the weekend, Chairman Robbie Cowling has issued the following statement:
"This Season:
Phew, that was nerve racking. I’m so pleased that we have avoided the drop and like many of you, I have been following the games of those teams around us in the last few weeks hoping they drop points so that we finish above them. Wishing misfortune on others is such a shameful thing to do so I’m really pleased that we ultimately survived because of what we did and not because of what others failed to do.
Now we are safe, at the expense of Southend and Grimsby, I genuinely hope that those clubs bounce back into the league as soon as possible. It has been a crazy year to be running a football club in League Two where we have been facing the usual jeopardy of relegation out of the league against a backdrop of decision making that affects the livelihoods of our staff, the health and safety of our staff and our fans, (amidst a killer virus), whilst all of the time ensuring that our clubs could pay all of their bills and avoid bankruptcy.
I claimed previously that I would look back on the decisions I took this season regarding how I managed the club’s finances during the pandemic as being either my best as Chairman, if we stayed up, or my worst if we went down. Well, we’ve stayed up and to be honest those choices don’t feel great whereas had we been relegated, they sure would have felt horrendous. I guess it’s because the impact if we had gone down would have been felt immediately but the true value of those decisions may take some time to be appreciated now we’ve survived.
I can’t describe any part of the last four months as fun. Maybe describing it as death by 1,000 cuts would be more accurate. However, what has felt like a very unsuccessful campaign has actually ticked more boxes for me than previous campaigns which may have felt much more successful as we worked our way through those seasons. For example, where we finished eighth a couple of seasons ago, we didn’t get promoted or even reach the Play-Offs and we didn’t have a great cup run or launch the careers of any of our youngsters either. Whereas this season, we may have gone nowhere near challenging for promotion and haven’t advanced through a single round of any cups but we have witnessed some remarkable breakthroughs from our youngsters.
Just some examples are:
- Noah Chilvers didn’t just break into the first team but become a nailed on first teamer with the third most appearances.
- Junior Tchamadeu made eleven appearances of which three were at just sixteen years of age.
- Ryan Clampin went from being a potential professional footballer to a professional footballer with loads of potential.
- Shamal George has staked a real claim to be first choice goalkeeper having kept six clean sheets.
- Brendan Wiredu, who may not have come through the Academy but who was attracted to us because of it, has been a complete revelation and a major factor in keeping us in the league.
I think our young players have been a credit to us and I expect them to have great seasons ahead of them as they build on the experiences they have gained this season under such intense circumstances.
My biggest regret has been the churn of first team coaches during the season. Steve Ball and Wayne Brown are excellent coaches who are Colchester United through and through. They have invested years of hard work into their coaching careers and their opportunities came at a time when everything was stacked against them. I should have set things up better for them so they could have succeeded but as it is, I feel I set them up to fail. It was not intentional of course, but with hindsight it was inevitable. However, they too would have learned a lot from those experiences - I’m determined to keep them both at the club and would not hesitate to give either of them another chance as first team coach in the future.
That leads me on to Hayden Mullins and Paul Tisdale who have been remarkable and have worked brilliantly together. It may have been for just five short weeks but it was eight intense games and they won twelve much needed points. What they have managed to do in a very short period of time is to get an immediate reaction from the players. How much of that was Hayden or Paul I don’t know but they are both strong, calm characters and they worked very well together so I guess it was the combination of the two of them.
Hayden gave up a job at Watford to join us for what has been a difficult season for the club to say the very least. He has remained calm and supportive although there must have been days when he must have wondered what he had let himself in for. Thanks Hayden, I am very grateful.
Paul has a big reputation in the game and I can confirm that it is well deserved. You would expect someone who has managed 750 league games to be knowledgeable and good at what they do but the way he thinks about the game and has used his experiences to evolve his methods is very inspiring. Coming to Colchester United could have been risky for Paul but he was always confident that he could help us and so it proved. Thanks Paul, I am very grateful to you too.
The Stadium:
First of all, I must mention the brilliant work that my staff have been doing at the stadium this season. So much work went into preparing the stadium for fans and although that work wasn’t fully utilised this past season, our current plan is to stick with our seasonal permits and social distancing measure for the 2021/22 season. This seems to be the most sensible approach for the time being at least but more details will follow once we know more ourselves.
The stadium’s part in the vaccination should be something we are all very proud of. Tim and Sean in particular have been working crazy times to facilitate the NHS and I’m sure many of you will have had your jabs at the stadium and been impressed with the process. I know many of those involved are volunteers and they deserve a big thank you from all of us.
I must say a big thanks to David Gregory too, who has been travelling to all of the away games even at the most dangerous of times. His contributions all season have been first class.
Playing Kit:
We will be taking the unusual step of keeping all of our playing kits the same for the forthcoming season. I know many of you have bought the shirts to support the club and then not had a chance to wear them and I won’t lie to you, the club also has loads of unsold shirts too because we have not sold anywhere near the same levels as normal.
Almost Last But Not Least:
Football is like no other business in that everyone seems to have their opinions on how they can do a better job than those that are in charge and I appreciate that the objectives I set for Colchester United are not always aligned to those of every supporter of the club. The same can be said for almost every decision anyone makes within a football club, from how much we spend on players to what we charge for a cup of tea. All of us within the game understand things will go wrong from time to time and that we will get criticism when it does. We are not opposed to criticism and we do not think we are perfect. Quite the opposite.
However, the manner in which an increasing number of supporters choose to voice their opinions and vent their anger when we don’t run the club as perfectly as they think they can has reached unacceptable levels. It’s been known for years that low ability people do not possess the skills needed to recognise their own incompetence but today’s media platforms have given them a platform where they can find others of a similar ilk to reinforce their high opinion of themselves and their contempt for others. This often results in levels of abuse that are totally unacceptable and I will happily ban such individuals from our stadium.
It’s sadly ironic that those getting the most abuse are those that care the most about the club and work the hardest for it.
I would like to think things will improve and I will never need to ban someone from attending the club they love to support, but I don’t hold out a lot of hope that they will. It’s a human trait which is known as the Dunning-Kruger effect and is clearly being amplified by social media. I do however have a favourite speech on the subject of critics, which I would like to share. It was part of Theodore Roosevelt’s Citizenship in a Republic speech which he gave 121 years ago in 1910.
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
It could of course be claimed that it’s me that suffers from the Dunning-Kruger effect, whereby I’m incompetent and have too high an opinion of myself. That could of course be right but I do at least put myself in the arena. Although maybe that’s just further proof of how stupid I am.
And Finally:
I hope you can enjoy the additional freedoms in the warmer weather as a result of the brilliant vaccination programme and the sacrifices we all made in lockdown. Thank you once again for supporting the club. I know it’s been a hard season for you too and I do hope we can give you a better one when we return."
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| RC's latest statement on 15:08 - May 11 with 1156 views | burnsieespana |
Well doesn't say much if anything for the future! |  | | |
| RC's latest statement on 14:26 - May 12 with 1049 views | TheOldOakTree |
Mr Google is quite the Poundland philosopher isn’t he.
“It’s been known for years that low ability people do not possess the skills needed to recognise their own incompetence” ……… Do you own a mirror?
Why take any notice of people’s opinions, why not judge your ability on facts?
2006 - 10th in the Championship on a shoestring without bankrupting the club.
2021 avoiding non-league by the skin of our teeth and the club posting massive debts.
Previous youth set up, Mickey Cook, a transit minibus, some plastic cones and hire of the university pitch, produces/attracts players that are sold for big money and go on to play in the Premiership, all done without saddling the club with massive expense.
Years of expensive academy with every kind of specialist, as predicted, fails to compete with big academies and produces nothing like the quality we got for free, cheaper, from premiership rejects.
2006 deal done for shiny new stadium so the club could expand and look to the future.
2021 years of wasted opportunity to attract new fans from the fastest growing town in England, with Ipshite in L2. Years of upsetting supporters, years of following the same philosophy and expecting different results. What is the future now, more of the same if we are lucky?
What level of ability can we conclude from that?
Laughably, people have said we should be grateful because the club wouldn’t exist without him, as if he was the only one with money to put on the table. Sadly, who would want to invest now, even if his ego allowed it. Everything achieved in the run up to 2006 has been destroyed, and which direction are we heading?
I don’t condone abuse, but what do you expect if you suggest the few remaining customers are “low ability people”.
(Perhaps if you referred to them as “people of low ability”, you might look a little less of an ignorant t##t). … oh crap that’s me banned.
It’s been known for years, you don’t need big money to be successful at this level, you just need a good chairman. |  | | |
| RC's latest statement on 21:25 - May 12 with 991 views | wessex_exile |
LOL, don't worry TOOT, I'll get you in next season as my "plus one", but you might need to wear my Tony Humes face-mask :-) |  |
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| RC's latest statement on 07:17 - May 13 with 953 views | TheOldOakTree |
| RC's latest statement on 21:25 - May 12 by wessex_exile |
LOL, don't worry TOOT, I'll get you in next season as my "plus one", but you might need to wear my Tony Humes face-mask :-) |
In fairness, a Tony Humes face mask would probably make me more popular 
On a more serious note, I am encouraged by the previous RC statement when he talked about having a new chairman.
I'm guessing he could do with concentrating his efforts on his core business, that must have suffered quite badly over the last year or so and if taking a back seat for a while could stop the relentless PR disasters, it would be a step forward.
OK some people will go too far, but how does he expect fans to react, the facts are quite clear, his time so far has been a disaster and if he wants to band quotes about, then how about "if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen"
For all my dislike of the man, I cannot fault his commitment and honestly, and all the effort he has put in. I just hope he has the wisdom to see that although those he has invested in may have the club at heart, it doesn't mean they have the right ideas or the necessary attributes for the job. This is not show-friends.
The state of the club's accounts filed at Companies House worry me. What happens if, God forbid, he was run over by a tram tomorrow? I'm not sure, but I think Bury went bust because they owed a tiny amount in comparison.
Let's hope HM and PT are still around next season and are given the chance to change our fortunes. If we get back into L1, I will happily put a tenner in the RC statue fund. | | | |
| RC's latest statement on 15:19 - May 18 with 800 views | mfb_cufc |
| RC's latest statement on 14:26 - May 12 by TheOldOakTree |
Mr Google is quite the Poundland philosopher isn’t he.
“It’s been known for years that low ability people do not possess the skills needed to recognise their own incompetence” ……… Do you own a mirror?
Why take any notice of people’s opinions, why not judge your ability on facts?
2006 - 10th in the Championship on a shoestring without bankrupting the club.
2021 avoiding non-league by the skin of our teeth and the club posting massive debts.
Previous youth set up, Mickey Cook, a transit minibus, some plastic cones and hire of the university pitch, produces/attracts players that are sold for big money and go on to play in the Premiership, all done without saddling the club with massive expense.
Years of expensive academy with every kind of specialist, as predicted, fails to compete with big academies and produces nothing like the quality we got for free, cheaper, from premiership rejects.
2006 deal done for shiny new stadium so the club could expand and look to the future.
2021 years of wasted opportunity to attract new fans from the fastest growing town in England, with Ipshite in L2. Years of upsetting supporters, years of following the same philosophy and expecting different results. What is the future now, more of the same if we are lucky?
What level of ability can we conclude from that?
Laughably, people have said we should be grateful because the club wouldn’t exist without him, as if he was the only one with money to put on the table. Sadly, who would want to invest now, even if his ego allowed it. Everything achieved in the run up to 2006 has been destroyed, and which direction are we heading?
I don’t condone abuse, but what do you expect if you suggest the few remaining customers are “low ability people”.
(Perhaps if you referred to them as “people of low ability”, you might look a little less of an ignorant t##t). … oh crap that’s me banned.
It’s been known for years, you don’t need big money to be successful at this level, you just need a good chairman. |
TOOT, just to confirm what you said about Micky Cook. Here is an extract of a interview he had with the Gazette. Sounds just like what the club are doing now, but without the academy BS, and a whole lot cheaper.
He said: “I remember the chairman Mr Heard saying ‘well Mr Cook, what we want you to do is find some talent, develop the talent, get them into the first team at Colchester United and then if he’s good enough, perhaps we’ll be able to sell him for a few bob’.
“I think I was director of youth at Colchester for 11 or 12 years and I had a great team around me — there was Adrian Webster, Geoff Harrop, secretary Teresa Lock and Katy Springett, who was the Education Officer and the two physios, Andy Hunt and Brian Swift.
“It was our job to find these youngsters and specifically my job to put a coaching programme together, a Centre of Excellence over at Essex University and bring them in at seven and eight right the way through to making the decision at 15 to 16 years old.
“I had six or seven coaches that didn’t get paid a lot.
“I think the maximum we spent was between £120,000 to £140,000 a year and that was everything — that was my salary and my staff, all the coaches, all of the facility costs, the buses — the whole lot.
“It was about finding them, developing them and getting them into the first team, giving the manager of the day the chance to use somebody he hasn’t had to pay for and then for the club to then make money.
“When I was in charge for those 11 years, my programme brought between £4.5m to £5m of revenue into the football club.
“It’s never been done since and I used to have to go and report to the board of directors about what we’ve been doing, on a monthly basis just so that they were happy with the way that things were going.”
During his time as Colchester’s director of youth, Cook helped to nurture a number of players who went on to become successful professionals — with Lomana Lua Lua the jewel in the crown.
Having spent hours on the training ground with Cook before dazzling for the U’s first team, the exciting attacker clinched a £2.25m move to Premier League outfit Newcastle United, in September 2000.
“We sold Lomana and I asked Mr Heard if he would recognise what the programme had done and give everybody a pay rise,” said Cook.
“Mr Heard said to me, ‘Mr Cook, well done for what you’ve done - I know you’re not going to be happy with what I’m going to say but I need you in your department to go out and find the next Lomana’.
“That was it and I had to go and tell my team and we were all a bit deflated but along comes Greg Halford, another £2m so a great track record there. |  |
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| RC's latest statement on 19:46 - May 18 with 759 views | TheOldOakTree |
| RC's latest statement on 15:19 - May 18 by mfb_cufc |
TOOT, just to confirm what you said about Micky Cook. Here is an extract of a interview he had with the Gazette. Sounds just like what the club are doing now, but without the academy BS, and a whole lot cheaper.
He said: “I remember the chairman Mr Heard saying ‘well Mr Cook, what we want you to do is find some talent, develop the talent, get them into the first team at Colchester United and then if he’s good enough, perhaps we’ll be able to sell him for a few bob’.
“I think I was director of youth at Colchester for 11 or 12 years and I had a great team around me — there was Adrian Webster, Geoff Harrop, secretary Teresa Lock and Katy Springett, who was the Education Officer and the two physios, Andy Hunt and Brian Swift.
“It was our job to find these youngsters and specifically my job to put a coaching programme together, a Centre of Excellence over at Essex University and bring them in at seven and eight right the way through to making the decision at 15 to 16 years old.
“I had six or seven coaches that didn’t get paid a lot.
“I think the maximum we spent was between £120,000 to £140,000 a year and that was everything — that was my salary and my staff, all the coaches, all of the facility costs, the buses — the whole lot.
“It was about finding them, developing them and getting them into the first team, giving the manager of the day the chance to use somebody he hasn’t had to pay for and then for the club to then make money.
“When I was in charge for those 11 years, my programme brought between £4.5m to £5m of revenue into the football club.
“It’s never been done since and I used to have to go and report to the board of directors about what we’ve been doing, on a monthly basis just so that they were happy with the way that things were going.”
During his time as Colchester’s director of youth, Cook helped to nurture a number of players who went on to become successful professionals — with Lomana Lua Lua the jewel in the crown.
Having spent hours on the training ground with Cook before dazzling for the U’s first team, the exciting attacker clinched a £2.25m move to Premier League outfit Newcastle United, in September 2000.
“We sold Lomana and I asked Mr Heard if he would recognise what the programme had done and give everybody a pay rise,” said Cook.
“Mr Heard said to me, ‘Mr Cook, well done for what you’ve done - I know you’re not going to be happy with what I’m going to say but I need you in your department to go out and find the next Lomana’.
“That was it and I had to go and tell my team and we were all a bit deflated but along comes Greg Halford, another £2m so a great track record there. |
Not forgetting the legend that is George Elokobi who they found at Duwich Hamlet and brought him on to a stage where he left for Wolves and ended up playing in the Prem and scoring at Old Trafford I think (I know it's ridiculous). I don't know if we got any money. I assume we did as I believe he got the hump at being dropped and left mid-season?
So that was 3 Premiership players in about the same number of years from £130,000 per year expenditure, not a bad return. I also beleive the clubs debts were less than a million at that time, presumably thanks to the transfer fees.
It's not the first time I've heard it alleged that Mr H wouldn't give you the steam off of his piss, we were very lucky to have him, shame he wasn't 30 years younger. [Post edited 18 May 2021 19:52]
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| RC's latest statement on 23:43 - May 18 with 718 views | Daniel |
Elokobi went to Wolves for 500k if my memory serves right
Micky Cook's youth setup brought in over £5 million for the club and at a time when first team results were more important than an academy setup.
I wouldn't be surprised if the academy has cost the club in excess of £5 million as well as a long slide down the football league ladder. |  | | |
| RC's latest statement on 10:44 - May 19 with 688 views | burnsieespana |
Mickey Cook didn't find Elokobi as I happen to know the guy who did and he received a previously used Col U top from the management for doing so.
This guy always maintains Ipswich were far more open to introductions of potential players than we were. Furthermore he says that attitude has changed significantly since we started to he Academy. | | | |
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| RC's latest statement on 12:28 - May 19 with 673 views | Leadbelly |
| RC's latest statement on 10:44 - May 19 by burnsieespana |
Mickey Cook didn't find Elokobi as I happen to know the guy who did and he received a previously used Col U top from the management for doing so.
This guy always maintains Ipswich were far more open to introductions of potential players than we were. Furthermore he says that attitude has changed significantly since we started to he Academy. |
Attitude changed significantly in what way? More open or less? | |
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| RC's latest statement on 13:17 - May 19 with 666 views | burnsieespana |
| RC's latest statement on 12:28 - May 19 by Leadbelly |
Attitude changed significantly in what way? More open or less? |
Much keener on having potential youngsters pushed in our direction so positive! | | | |
| RC's latest statement on 15:59 - May 19 with 654 views | Leadbelly |
| RC's latest statement on 13:17 - May 19 by burnsieespana |
Much keener on having potential youngsters pushed in our direction so positive! |
That is good to hear. Just need to start converting them into first team regulars and we’ll have cracked it. | |
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| RC's latest statement on 16:32 - May 19 with 645 views | TheOldOakTree |
| RC's latest statement on 15:59 - May 19 by Leadbelly |
That is good to hear. Just need to start converting them into first team regulars and we’ll have cracked it. |
Or we could do like the other clubs in L2 and save millions on the academy, get our players for next to nothing, get rid of the Director of Failure and his team of experts and concentrate on climbing away from non-league status.
...and possibly get some fans back.
OK, I told RC to stick his season ticket up his derriere years ago, but when people like Daniel have had enough it is time to worry.
Best we pray that the next Messi is coming through the ranks sometime soon and I'm made to look an idiot (no comments necessary), otherwise the facts suggest it's full steam ahead, straight at the iceberg.
Hello A.F.C. Colchester v Wivenhoe Town in the Eastern Senior League. | | | |
| RC's latest statement on 18:37 - May 19 with 628 views | Leadbelly |
| RC's latest statement on 16:32 - May 19 by TheOldOakTree |
Or we could do like the other clubs in L2 and save millions on the academy, get our players for next to nothing, get rid of the Director of Failure and his team of experts and concentrate on climbing away from non-league status.
...and possibly get some fans back.
OK, I told RC to stick his season ticket up his derriere years ago, but when people like Daniel have had enough it is time to worry.
Best we pray that the next Messi is coming through the ranks sometime soon and I'm made to look an idiot (no comments necessary), otherwise the facts suggest it's full steam ahead, straight at the iceberg.
Hello A.F.C. Colchester v Wivenhoe Town in the Eastern Senior League. |
I should have finished my last comment with an exclamation mark.
I stopped renewing my season ticket a couple of years ago as I became fed up with the dire football served up all too often, the platitudes used by coaches about learning from mistakes but never appearing to do so and the apparent acceptance of our given place in the football pyramid with no obvious ambition to “punch above our weight” again. With limited time, due to work, to do things I actually enjoy, not renewing my season ticket was an easy decision to make and I don’t regret it. A number of friends did the same and we now attend occasionally.
The chairman’s aims for a self sufficient Col U are laudable but going all in on the academy has seemed, to me at least, to have been at the expense of the first team squad. Mr Cowling plans may prove to be a stroke of genius in due course but I’m not aware of other lower league clubs following the model. There may be a good reason for that. | |
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