https://www.cu-fc.com/news/202
Following the announcement of Colchester United's retained/released list, Head Coach Danny Cowley said the following:
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the players and staff for their exceptional professionalism and efforts throughout last season.
Last summer brought some unique challenges, and we were not able to bring the group together as quickly as we would have liked. We eventually assembled a group of young players, some living professional football for the first time, balanced by a collection of senior professionals.
Regardless of the age gap between the two groups, the changing room worked. The spirit and togetherness of the group grew as relationships developed.
Our young players brought enthusiasm and energy, while the seniors were magnificent in supporting them. As a group, they have been an absolute pleasure for Nicky and I to work with.
While the future is incredibly exciting, it does naturally bring uncertainty. We have some short term challenges that we must navigate. In football, the only certainty is that it is going to be uncertain!
We have the foundations of a good squad. It has brought much needed stability to this club over the past two seasons.
We are clear on what we need to add. Players who will make us physical and robust enough to successfully endure the stresses of a grueling League Two campaign. Our ambition is clear. We know exactly what we want to achieve for this football club.
We would like to keep as much of this squad together as possible. We only like to make change for significant gain. Continuity brings consistency. Relationships develop both on and off the pitch, as does the understanding of the way we work and the way we play.
Alongside signing players with the playing attributes to compliment our game idea and personalities that will add to our changing room, the timing of our recruitment is equally critical. In the past two seasons, we have had to wait until the end of the transfer window to put the group together.
This has had clear consequences. We dropped far too many points in the opening ten games of both campaigns, leaving us playing catch up. We are really hopeful that the group will come together much earlier this time around.
It was fantastic to secure contract extensions for Jack Payne, Harry Anderson, Teddy Bishop, and Sam Kuffour. Jack, Harry and Teddy have not only been pivotal performers on the pitch but are vital cogs in our dressing room culture.
Sam, as we all witnessed at Cheltenham, possesses incredible athleticism and some really eye catching attributes. We look forward to helping him bring these qualities together on a consistent basis as he continues his upward trajectory.
We are currently working incredibly hard to negotiate new contracts for Arthur Read, Ellis Iandolo, Owura Edwards, Rob Hunt, Samson Tovide, Kane Vincent-Young, and Tom Smith.
While these processes are never straight forward, we would love them to stay and help build what will be a super exciting future with us.
The sad reality of this time of year is having to say goodbye. Firstly, to Matt Macey. Matt has enjoyed two excellent seasons at the club, playing over 100 games. In his first year, he won the League Two Golden Glove award by keeping over twenty clean sheets.
An incredible achievement when you consider the club had conceded over eighty goals the season prior. Again this season, across all competitions, we have conceded less than a goal per game, which again highlights his impact.
We also say goodbye to John-Kymani Gordon after two years at the club. JK finished the campaign by successfully helping Rochdale secure promotion back to the Football League and we wish him the very best moving forward.
Farewells also go to Dom Gape and Jack Baldwin. They are two good senior professionals who played an important role in driving daily standards at the training ground and being top role models to our young professionals.
Finally, to our captain, Tom Flanagan. Tom commands the utmost respect of everyone at this football club. He has enjoyed a fantastic career to date and led this group brilliantly from the front.
He was never frightened to have difficult conversations or do what was right for the group. Tom is currently finishing his Master’s degree in football business and has an incredible amount to offer the game.
We will be fully supporting him through his rehabilitation and in the meantime we would be crazy as a club not to use his expertise, contacts, and experience at this level to help us to continue to move forward.
We must also bid farewell to our loan players. This is always a downside of utilising the loan market. However, in our current position, it is a strategy that grants us the opportunity to work with elite-level young talent and I am sure you will agree that the team was vastly improved by the contributions of Micah, Harvey and more recently Will, Finn and Romeo. Nicky and I are so excited to watch their careers continue to progress.
Apologies for the time taken to communicate this retained list. The truth is I hold the information because I don’t like giving our competitors any advantage until I have to!
After four consecutive seasons of fighting relegation, competing in the top half of the division over the last two years represents real progress. However, for Nicky and I, this will never be enough. I want so much more for us all.
Today people see Colchester United as a stable League Two club with a good Academy that has the capabilities of producing a conveyor belt of young players that can play at the top end of the EFL.
Consequently, many people see us as a stepping stone. If we want to achieve what this club is capable of, we have to get beyond this. We want to be able to develop young talent while achieving our goals of moving up the football pyramid together.
When I close my eyes and think of Colchester United, I think of 10,000 supporters week in, week out driving the team to play high energy, dominant, winning football with players that they love to watch and can really connect with.
I see players, staff and supporters part of something that is much bigger than themselves, that brings us all happiness and success in equal measure. Dream big! Moving forward anything is possible for us!
Thank you once again on behalf of the players and staff for your unconditional, unwavering support this year. I hope you enjoy a fantastic summer, take the time to recharge, and return ready for what has the potential to be an incredible time in the history of Colchester United.
Come on you U’s
Danny and Nicky |  |
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