The M11/Josh Coulson Derby (Cambridge v Orient)

[SVH]

This one deserves it's own thread as Josh Coulson returns to Cambridge for the first time since leaving. I notice he's lost his place in the team lately too. Maybe Orient fans can shed some light on that one.

After picking up 4 points against Plymouth and Cheltenham, we have to be looking at getting the 3 points here. 2-0 win.

 

[E10rifle]

This one deserves it's own thread as Josh Coulson returns to Cambridge for the first time since leaving. I notice he's lost his place in the team lately too. Maybe Orient fans can shed some light on that one.

He’s not good enough for League football. Far too slow. Been killed in the channels all season and deservedly dropped.

We’ve got some reasons to be cheerful. Embleton has started to make us more solid at the back by binning off fatties Coulson and Brill and we’re better away from home, so hopefully we’ll put in a decent showing. Wilkinson and Angol are both back, so we carry a bit more threat going forward. Pity our record at the Shabbey is so awful, but no time like the present to turn it around.

 

[SVH]

I assume you'll be bringing 1000+ fans on Sat?

Ref Coulson - a shame he won't be starting as he would get a great reception but tend to agree with all the comments above about league football. He struggled to get into our team with numerous managers so not a surprise to see him lose his place.

 

[E10rifle]

I assume you'll be bringing 1000+ fans on Sat?

Ref Coulson - a shame he won't be starting as he would get a great reception but tend to agree with all the comments above about league football. He struggled to get into our team with numerous managers so not a surprise to see him lose his place.

Can’t think of a league game in recent memory that we’ve brought fewer than 1,000 for a Saturday game, so I don’t see why that will change. Maybe 900-odd as it’s so close to Xmas?

Coulson will be on the bench, so you’ll get to clap him when he waddles up the sideline. He’s probably fourth choice - and a bit lucky to be that - but we are very short on experience in the team, and he certainly lends that. Imagine he’ll either be off to the knackers yard or the conference come the summer.

 

[Laker]

Yep, Coulson’s level is the Conference really. Still love the bloke, mind.

 

[The Terminator]

I have some sympathy for Coulson, because in terms of heading and clearing he does a job but he is vulnerable to pace. Quite a few times under Embleton and Fletcher he's been left exposed in 1v1s with the way both have decided to play, which he has no chance with and at times their open playing styles don't suit him. His ball playing skills did significantly improve under JE though.

He has another year left with us - Personally I'm happy to have him as a squad player, but if he wants to play regularly he'll be better of leaving most likely.

Expecting around 1,400 to make the short trip, our other two away games over Christmas are Newport and Walsall so most will go to this one.

We've looked better in the last three games defensively which has been good to see.

No idea what Cambridge will turn up, they seem to be a complete roulette this season with their results.

I believe we did try and get Caldwerwood, but he decided to stay put.

 

[Arbury]

Looking forward to this as always. Was talking to a taxi driver who supports orient the other week and we agreed it’s a derby but without any bad feelings between us, sure you’ve nicked a shed load of players of us over the years but I can’t hate you lot for it, can certainly hate ling though the useless bollock, that was something we couldn’t agree on, other than he spoke a lot of sense.

As for the game, I quite fancy us to win, which is a good thing for orient as I’m never right.

2-0 and the playoff push continues.

KTF

 

[The Terminator]

Trevor Kettle now thrown in as the referee - How many clangers can he make in one game this week............

 

[Vanni]

The Orient fans probably love Josh Coulson as much as we do but it was only a matter of time before they discovered the reason we had to let him go. Sad but true, unfortunately. Josh does remind me of another player we had back in that memorable 2013/14 season who had a great year in the Connie but then was not good enough for the step up- Tom Champion (though I bet loads of Cambridge fans reckon I'm wrong on this, and that Champion wasn't afforded enough time to prove himself at L2 level). But that's another story.

I do find games like this one a bit odd. It's like Arbury says, it is a derby and footy fans should always hate/or dislike their rivals but I can't bring myself to hate Orient, or want them to get beat week in week out or anything.

Terminator - I believe you're right re. Calderwood. I did hear from a reliable source that Orient did indeed want him at the time but that's about it, and only Calderwood himself can say what made him stay put. Personally, I don't think it had anything to do with money (compensation) but more like the fact that he had only just signed a contract extension.

 

[E10rifle]

Not sure any Orient fans would class it as a derby. Nice, local game where we take lots of fans, sure, but there’s no needle. If we aren’t in the same division it’s not even mentioned. We’re a bit short on rivals (West Ham too government-funded, Barnet and D&R too poxy), so you’d think we’d make a bit more of it, but nah. What’s to dislike about Cambridge? Sarfend (and Brentford at a pinch) are the only ones that exist.

 

[E10rifle]

Quite a few bookings in this one.

 

[E10rifle]

Quite a few bookings in this one.

Just the 14 cards now heading into seven minutes of injury time.

 

[Vanni]

Ref, as expected, was poor but not the reason we lost the game. It's not the number of yellow and red cards he dished out today, as tbf most were indeed bookable offences, it's more to do with his unbelievable inconsistency - one player gets booked for something, while another player does the exact same thing a minute later and gets away without even a word in his ear.

All in all I think Orient's win was fully deserved, though we sure made it easier for them, esp. in the first half when the game was won and lost imo. That first half showing was truly atrocious.

I do have my doubts on the two pennos, but I'm more interested in having another look at Smith's disallowed goal; he looked onside to me?

 

[The Terminator]

Can't grumble too much after our first win in 2 months, but that final 20mins showed how weak our mentality has been in recent weeks, because we made that far, far too difficult for ourselves.

Cambridge were as poor as we was clinical in that first half, superb free kick from JMD which ultimately won us the game.

Kettle as expected was a bit of a dick, but he got both pens right and both reds IMO.

We played alot better last Saturday and drew, we also had some luck with the disallowed goal which looked rather iffy and with Wrights penalty rebound. Sam Sargeant made 2 very good saves and Lee Angol IMO should've made it 4-0 as well.

Cambridge a complete roulette side, awful first half but all guns blazing in the second - Can beat Plymouth and Exeter, yet find themselves 3-0 down against ourselves - Although fire power isn't really our issue.........

Would expect Ross to get the job pernamently now.

 

[Arbury]

Pretty disappointed not to get anything out of that game, it was pretty even until orient scored, nicely worked free kick but Taylor really shouldn’t have conceded it imo, poor defending from then on, 2nd goal was a truly awful bit of defending from a player who should know better, every time he’s near the ball I just know he’s gonna fuck up, he’s just a walking(he can’t run) liability, can’t believe he still gets picked every week, third goal was class, knew Mitov was dodgy after the first and it was a cracking strike.

I still fancied us even at 0-3 down, wasn’t convinced by orient at all, very workmen like but I can’t fault how clinical they were, 3chances 3 goals, we started to get back into it and had a perfectly good goal chalked off by the Lino(we cant blame kettle for this one) and then roles scored, soon followed by a pen, unfortunately for us that break for a 3rd just didn’t fall.

We all know what kettle is like but I really think he’s getting worse, some of the bookings today were really bad, angols especially(who had a quality game I thought and someone I’d love in the amber and black)

Not sure about taking Hannant off at ht, I assume it’s an injury as we were carrying some passengers, Lewis who frustrates the shit out of me and Knibbs in particular. Roles wasn’t fit enough to end the game let alone start it, played well but was clearly fecked at the end.

Overall disappointed not to have at least a point but I can still see positives in this side, need a couple of additions in jan(Angol please) and we’ll fine be fine.


KTF

 

[E10rifle]

need a couple of additions in jan(Angol please)

Think you’ll find that’s it’s us that likes buying your players (and managers), not vice-versa.

 

[Arbury]

Think you’ll find that’s it’s us that likes buying your players (and managers), not vice-versa.

You can keep the other 10 players plus subs and you’re manager, just Angol please.

 

[Vanni]

Pretty disappointed not to get anything out of that game, it was pretty even until orient scored, nicely worked free kick but Taylor really shouldn’t have conceded it imo, poor defending from then on, 2nd goal was a truly awful bit of defending from a player who should know better, every time he’s near the ball I just know he’s gonna fuck up, he’s just a walking(he can’t run) liability, can’t believe he still gets picked every week, third goal was class, knew Mitov was dodgy after the first and it was a cracking strike.

I still fancied us even at 0-3 down, wasn’t convinced by orient at all, very workmen like but I can’t fault how clinical they were, 3chances 3 goals, we started to get back into it and had a perfectly good goal chalked off by the Lino(we cant blame kettle for this one) and then roles scored, soon followed by a pen, unfortunately for us that break for a 3rd just didn’t fall.

We all know what kettle is like but I really think he’s getting worse, some of the bookings today were really bad, angols especially(who had a quality game I thought and someone I’d love in the amber and black)

Not sure about taking Hannant off at ht, I assume it’s an injury as we were carrying some passengers, Lewis who frustrates the shit out of me and Knibbs in particular. Roles wasn’t fit enough to end the game let alone start it, played well but was clearly fecked at the end.

Overall disappointed not to have at least a point but I can still see positives in this side, need a couple of additions in jan(Angol please) and we’ll fine be fine.


KTF

Good post Arbury. Yeah, that disallowed goal was down to the lino and not Kettle, who it has to be said, was poor for both sides. He seemingly changes his mind by the second on what is a booking and what is not. Don't know if you noticed but he didn't look like he was going to show a second yellow to their lad until Greg Taylor told him to.

Don't agree with you on Hannant though. Not a single U's player had a decent first half but he was easily one of the biggest culprits, in fact I thought he wasn't even trying to get into the game.

There were quite a few things I didn't like about that performance but two things in particular stood out for me above all others. One was seeing Smith. Lambe and Richards acting like spoilt brats over who gets to take the penno, and the other was Calderwood's demeanor throughout the whole 90 mins. I know he's not the feisty type but ffs man show some emotion!