The proper relegation thread.

[Chris FGR]

Grimsby and Southend need to put a run together like Barrow have, win 3 or 4 on the spin and they’re right back in it.

 

[Gladders]

Grimsby and Southend need to put a run together like Barrow have, win 3 or 4 on the spin and they’re right back in it.

Worst thing is we could easily have won the last 4 games, could easily have lost them too! But in an alternative universe somewhere we are on 36 points now!

 

[chipmunx]

Worst thing is we could easily have won the last 4 games, could easily have lost them too! But in an alternative universe somewhere we are on 36 points now!

somethings got to give on Tuesday.....
Barrow (WWWW) v Grimsby (DDDD)

 

[masi51]

somethings got to give on Tuesday.....
Barrow (WWWW) v Grimsby (DDDD)

Think this ones down as ZZZZZZZZZZZZ

 

[dedwardp]

We're seemingly banking on Southend failing to catch us, but factoring in all the undeserved points we robbed before Christmas it's a travesty we're still not in the bottom two.

Next up for us is Tranmere, Bradford, Bolton and then Barrow. If (big if, sure) Southend can start to close the gap up before we play them in a few weeks then that could become a bit of a winner-takes-all Essex derby. Last time we were this close we were both climbing into the Championship, sad.

 

[valefan16]

Interestingly form wise over the last 5 games 6 of the bottom 8 are winless in 5 (Barrow (4) and Vale (2) the only exceptions.

 

[saddler78]

Look at our next few games we could be in deep shit this time next week.

 

[GTFCfish]

Worst thing is we could easily have won the last 4 games, could easily have lost them too! But in an alternative universe somewhere we are on 36 points now!

Yeah I was looking at that earlier and also one of those was against Colchester so we could quite fathomably have been only one point from safety with a game in hand.

 

[Valeite]

Look at our next few games we could be in deep shit this time next week.

I`d take your fixtures over Colchester`s any day. It`s unfortunate when you lose your manager to bigger rivals but you need to get over it.

 

[masi51]

Look at our next few games we could be in deep shit this time next week.

Not a chance in hell you will be dragged into any relegation dogfight.
Unlucky yesterday. Would say a draw was a fair result.
Maybe you should look at who supplies your boots ,because all your players seem to fall over when they receive the ball. Not only you but Morecambe are exactly a carbon copy of you.
You both need to get that out of your set up

 

[Luke Imp]

Are Colchester struggling because of Covid i.e. forced to let players go and head into this season with what they've had, or part of a wider cut in budget/poor transfers/been on the cards for a while etc?

 

[Bottega Don]

Are Colchester struggling because of Covid i.e. forced to let players go and head into this season with what they've had, or part of a wider cut in budget/poor transfers/been on the cards for a while etc?

From an outsiders point of view the fact they never seem to appoint an external manager feels like it would be an issue. The last manager they had that had managed someone before Colchester was John Ward who left in 2012. They seem to go with the people their chairman knows.

 

[dedwardp]

Are Colchester struggling because of Covid i.e. forced to let players go and head into this season with what they've had, or part of a wider cut in budget/poor transfers/been on the cards for a while etc?

The players we lost from last season were Ryan Jackson, Luke Prosser, Brandon Comley and Frank Nouble, with Theo Robinson's loan expiring too. On paper, Tommy Smith should be an upgrade on Prosser - he's two years younger and has spent his career at a higher level. Comley was only ever a bit-part player and his replacement Noah Chilvers has been amongst the better players this season, so no issues there. Nouble was a loss in that he offers a different option, albeit he is back now. We're not scoring goals so we must miss Robinson, and Jackson has been a loss as Miles Welch-Hayes is a level below.

Recruitment hasn't been great, but much of the team has largely been the same as last season's who were always in and around the play-offs, so it is baffling how awful we have been as, if anything, the league table completely flatters us. The only other difference was appointing Steve Ball in the summer so that one clearly didn't work.

Since John Ward was manager, the same circle of staff have rotated through the different jobs - Joe Dunne, Tony Humes, Richard Hall, Wayne Brown, Steve Ball, John McGreal etc. Tony Humes had a go as manager alongside Richard Hall, when he left he became the Director of Football where he still remains and Hall went back to the U23s. McGreal and Brown were in charge of the U18s/U23s, Ball was at Maldon. McGreal has had a go alongside Ball and Brown was placed at Maldon to get senior experience, now Ball has had a go to be replaced by Brown and is believed to have dropped back into a different role so on. So it's largely the same faces, just swapping jobs, all working to a set philosophy which is primarily a 4231 formation throughout every age group - and playing with one up front hasn't worked in all of that time.

Robbie Cowling had his fingers burnt with Paul Lambert and Aidy Boothroyd (albeit, paid handsomely in compensation), and has since decided that he wanted to develop our own managers. But the whole structure, philosophy and coaching staff etc has basically stayed the same for years. Assuming we can scrape by this season, then it has to be a major wake up call that there needs to be a serious change in direction this summer or else it is just delaying the inevitable.

 

[valefan16]

As you saw yesterday Theo isn’t a massive loss in his current guise!

 

[GTFCfish]

It`s unfortunate when you lose your manager to bigger rivals but you need to get over it.

A post that really needed to be said that, as the Walsall fans on here are always waffling on about being massive and bigger than Port Vale so well done on really putting them in their place.

 

[northstandexile]

Our next four games are tough and if we lose all four we could be in the dog fight.

FGR, Tranmere, Newport and Exeter.

 

[masi51]

Our next four games are tough and if we lose all four we could be in the dog fight.

FGR, Tranmere, Newport and Exeter.

Win all 4 and you wont be seeing me next year

 

[valefan16]

A post that really needed to be said that, as the Walsall fans on here are always waffling on about being massive and bigger than Port Vale so well done on really putting them in their place.

Think it’s a bit tongue in cheek after the Walsall fans kicked off when Clarke came and ranting about coming to a team in trouble and way worse than them... now of course we are above them!

I can’t comment on his time on Walsall but so far he’s showing good promise at Vale, he’s turned Zak Mills and Adam Crookes into footballers, sorted the defence that had let us down November onwards and now slowly turned the ship and got us playing with some quality and the results have now started to turn (hopefully).

After Askeys rigid 4-3-3 I love the fact Clarke will adapt to a game like yesterday when Col U sprung a surprise diamond so we “slipped into a 3-5-2” as he put it. Think we had about three formations Tuesday as the game changed.

So far I am pleased with DC and hope that continues, he’s been unlucky to only have the points for us that he has with some unlucky defeats and the injuries.

 

[denzel ecfc]

You'll find a way out of it like most do and start spending money you don't have again to get a promotion out of it.

We've not seen a promotion for 14 years, 14 frigging years!

12 years for us. It was 18 before that!

 

[Robshep]

Win all 4 and you wont be seeing me next year

Probably doesn't want to see you now

 

[masi51]

12 years for us. It was 18 before that!

Your quite content being a feeder club...A club with over a hundred year history never higher than the old third division or league 1.
The Wigan of the South.........A Rugby town first

 

[denzel ecfc]

Your quite content being a feeder club...A club with over a hundred year history never higher than the old third division or league 1.
The Wigan of the South.........A Rugby town first

Ah but Wigan got to the Premier League and won the FA Cup.

 

[saddler78]

I`d take your fixtures over Colchester`s any day. It`s unfortunate when you lose your manager to bigger rivals but you need to get over it.

Bigger rivals that havent been above us for 20 years ok then.

 

[saddler78]

A post that really needed to be said that, as the Walsall fans on here are always waffling on about being massive and bigger than Port Vale so well done on really putting them in their place.

Dont recall seeing that said on here mate?

 

[masi51]

Dont recall seeing that said on here mate?

Agree never seen that myself

 

[Kauto Star]

Think it’s a bit tongue in cheek after the Walsall fans kicked off when Clarke came and ranting about coming to a team in trouble and way worse than them... now of course we are above them!

I can’t comment on his time on Walsall but so far he’s showing good promise at Vale, he’s turned Zak Mills and Adam Crookes into footballers, sorted the defence that had let us down November onwards and now slowly turned the ship and got us playing with some quality and the results have now started to turn (hopefully).

After Askeys rigid 4-3-3 I love the fact Clarke will adapt to a game like yesterday when Col U sprung a surprise diamond so we “slipped into a 3-5-2” as he put it. Think we had about three formations Tuesday as the game changed.

So far I am pleased with DC and hope that continues, he’s been unlucky to only have the points for us that he has with some unlucky defeats and the injuries.

As Clarke managed to get a tune out of Guthrie yet? I believe I am correct in saying that he has yet to score for you, following on from not managing a single goal for us in his time at Bradford City. 17 months without a goal now.

Is he out of contract in the summer?.if so, he has no chance of getting another gig in the football league

 

[valefan16]

As Clarke managed to get a tune out of Guthrie yet? I believe I am correct in saying that he has yet to score for you, following on from not managing a single goal for us in his time at Bradford City. 17 months without a goal now.

Is he out of contract in the summer?.if so, he has no chance of getting another gig in the football league

He’s only human!

In fairness Guthrie hasn’t featured the last two or three games until coming on to see out the win yesterday. He battles well, but against Oldham he could of had a hatrick the crosses Worrall put on a plate for him... Pope would of buried them. I think he will struggle once Pope is back next week to get game time.

He is known as the traffic cone harshly maybe by our Podcast team!

 

[Shrimper92]

Our next four games are tough and if we lose all four we could be in the dog fight.

FGR, Tranmere, Newport and Exeter.

Mansfield are safe

 

[GTFCfish]

Dont recall seeing that said on here mate?

No I was taking the piss at him mate.

 

[Soz]

Bigger rivals that havent been above us for 20 years ok then.

until we appoint d-man and he takes us above you within about 8 weeks. nice one darrell