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Every team that has ever got out of L2, has had to cope with shite refs and teams that want to play ugly and kick you off the park. It's no good moaning, it's always been the case.
On paper the next three game don't look too clever, away to the top two teams and then the Saddlers who will probably be on a new manager bounce, but at least they might try to play football, which will give us some chance. Samson and Goodwin would struggle to get into a good Nat League side at the moment and they both need new pastures. 3 in 34 and 2 in 20 just isn't even close for a number 9. We need a different approach.
Sadly, I think our season was stretchered off at Newport, but there are still games to be enjoyed regardless of the results, especially as the weather improves. We are 25 points above the relegation zone, the bills are being payed and hopefully as every day goes by, a realisation is creeping in that the club isn't a jewel of the EFL and isn't worth top dollar. Hopefully one day soon this seemingly eternal 'treading water' will end (for better or worse).
I look at it like someone selling their house. Some listen to the Estate Agent and take the first cheeky offer that comes along. Others are deluded and believe their house is a palace. In between is the full spectrum of human nature, but ultimately anything is only worth what you are being offered for it.
I can’t believe I’m turning down an opportunity to dis the way the club is run, but looking at this, young Brad doesn’t like to let the……erm…………..’grass grow under his feet’……… as it were.
He looks like he’s only been shaving a few months, but in his short career, he has had a high number of jobs, most of them far more illustrious than Col U. So I guess we were lucky to have him at the JCS at all.
I expect he will end up at a ‘big club’ in the near future.
EDIT: Does Tim Waddington do stand up? “we have a stadium playing surface that the club has never had before”
Guess you never saw Layer Road then Tim? Let me suggest a correction for you: “we now have the best stadium playing surface the club has had since it went to the dogs”
My favourite video and lyrics from an exiled life:
Entitled ‘The People’, this roughly translates as :
There are travellers There are people who travel People who stay And people who are passing through There are people who are high And those who hit rock bottom People who sleep And Jean d'Ormessons There are winter people And there are divergent people People who hope And people from Abidjan There are people from the North, people from the South Sweet lives And rough lives
And there are happy people Sad lives sleeping outside And there are happy people And others who are making a fortune
There are high-class people And there are low-class people There are nice people, policemen Junkies and thugs People who cry, people who laugh Teddy Riners and Carla Brunis There are Jean Valjeans Who eat their sorrow Yes, real people who are pitiful People who love each other and gather Different people who resemble us
And there are happy people Sad lives sleeping outside And there are happy people And others who are making a fortune
There are night people There are morning people People who are bored Model agents There are people who annoy And people who relieve People who dream The life of other people And there are changing people And there are stable people Distressing and remarkable people People from the East People from the West People who go Others who stay
And there are happy people Sad lives sleeping outside And there are happy people And others who are making a fortune
And there are indignant people, indigent people Crazy people, merchants There are simple people, lonely people Lucky people and humble people There are lovers, leaders People who are struggling And good people There are gay people and sergeants And in all this
And in all this, us two And in all this, us two In all this, us two In all this, us two
It’s a big loss if it’s true, as he was one of our best signings but in fairness, if you Google him, it was never going to last. He’s been at more clubs than I managed during my divorce.
……aahh ‘Roberts’ in the 80-90’s, you couldn’t fail.
…………and so it continues. The rollercoaster ride, consistently inconsistent, our Jekyll and Hyde season. How do we play so well against high flying Cambridge and yet so bad against Barrow and Chesterfield?
It was only a few months since we gave Chesterfield a 6-2 pasting at the JCS, recently they had managed only a point from their last two games and with our two goalscorers back from injury, there was every reason to be positive, the squad should have been up for this one, but no, it was another shocker. Once again we were on the ropes for much of the game and on 70 mins our season hit the canvas. With 36 points still to play for, the cruellest of all emotions, hope, will continue to torment us, but we are getting close to requiring a miracle.
We can make all kinds of excuses, but after 34 games, the table doesn’t lie. If we are to be honest, our hopes of the play-offs were always laced with delusion, we are not good enough and that is painful, because we should be.
DC and his backroom team worked wonders to sign some good players to replace the ones we lost (and all on a reduced budget). We managed to keep hold of assets in the transfer window, and although there are positives, so many players have just not performed this season, others that have been given a chance have not taken it. Once again, the Cat 2 Academy (that should be providing at least 4 or 5 first team players) cannot offer any help. It is a shame and you have to wonder how much longer DC/NC can stay positive, especially as next season they will most likely need to rebuild the squad again. I think their cult status will stay strong, but I fear that someone will offer them a job sooner or later. There are mangers with much worse records that are offered employment every month.
Whilst it would take Durhamesque positivity to think we can still make the play-offs, there are many reasons to stay happy. Many teams in our position, where the owner wants out, fall out of the league into administration or worse, but here we are treading water, mid-table, players wages are still being paid and we are even turning down offers for our players. Despite the bleak years that seem to go on for ever, there is a very long list of clubs that have suffered much worse than us and we can at least look forward to another season of league football.
If we think back to Etherington’s last games, non-league looked a foregone conclusion as we waited for the next hopeless managerial appointment. The main man receiving ‘see you next Tuesday’ chants and gates falling towards 2000. It was on the verge of turning very ugly. We can only image what would have happened if Mr. C hadn’t have pulled off the masterstroke of signing DC/NC. It certainly bought him time to look for a new owner while simultaneously re-energising the club.
Changing subject, how in this age, can we play two games with only one goalkeeper in the squad? Do we have a first rate stand-in keeper in the squad? Our own Phil Jagielka? There’s no doubt that Samson has mastered diving, but in all seriousness, how can a League club find itself in this position? It needs to be addressed before Saturday.
So, after two disappointing games, we need an easy game against a relegation certainty and right on queue we have Newport County, but oh no, just our luck Newport have found some form and are no longer the lost cause they were a few weeks ago. Their last four games include decent wins against Tranmere and Salford and a respectable draw away to Fleetwood.
Whilst the next game is always the ‘must win’, this one does seem like it will shape the rest of our season. It is going to be difficult, but what will our reaction be? Do we want this or have we already thrown in the towel, has DC lost it? If we don’t get something from this one, then surely it’s over, Michael Caine, Little Voice style. (Google that at your peril).
Our record against Newport is good, since our first meeting in 1950, we have played them 65 times with 29 wins, 17 draws and 19 defeats, but we are haunted by the 5-0 thumping back in October 2023 when post-match, captain fantastic Connor Hall thought it would be a good idea to get trappy with the faithful. Read the room Connor FFS, our lads and lasses had just spent a fortune and literally travelled to another country to watch you play like clueless amateurs, roll over and let County tickle your tummies!!!! The wheels may have come off, but at least we have some pride under DC and don’t capitulate.
Like the U’s, Newport have a vocal support, so hopefully there will be a good atmosphere come 3pm.
I’m not sure if there were any injuries from Tuesday, but I’m going with what must be our best team (apart from Hunt in for the injured Iandolo):
Macey
KVY Tucker Araujo Hunt
Read Bishop
Lisbie Payne Anderson
Mbick
Subs: Emergency Goalkeeper, Barbrook, Flanagan, Akachukwu, Williams, Tovide, Gordon
There’s more chance of predicting the results of a lucky dip than knowing how we will perform on Saturday, but in the spirit of our old friend, I’m going for a 1-3 win, with 2 goals for Mbick and one for Lisbie.
The weather for Saturday is forecast to be light wind, light cloud and 12 degrees. Rodney Parade is quite some journey from Colchester and will test the loyalty of the faithful, who last saw the U’s win away at the Gas in mid-January. Safe journey to all who travel and here’s hoping that you witness another win in the west.
Thousands of pasty faced gingers who've only seen three hours of sun all year will be on the lash in Miami at the end of June. There's a business opportunity for anyone with a few bottles of aftersun.
In the words of the late, great Meat Loaf, 2 out of 3 ain't bad.
Mariner was at Plymouth before and after (as manager) and Mills was at Layer Road in our darkest hour.
But who was the airman? He played 294 times for the farmers.
EDIT: Despite loosing to Norway, leaving Romania one point behind us with two games in hand and Hungary two points behind with three games in hand, we still qualified thanks to Switzerland beating Romania away and drawing at home. Mick Mills was England captain in the five games at the finals. It should have been Keegan, but he was injured.
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