Colchester vs Bradford

[Cas]

Looking forward to seeing Steve Davies waddling down the wing and us hoofing it up to Devante Cole for ninety minutes. No Paul Anderson due to a broken tibia and no Josh morris. Colchester seem like they're doing alright recently and I seriously don't rate Parkinson or our team at the moment.

3-0 Bradford. Because football makes fuck all sense.

 

[F!RTHY]

Attacking football please, or is that just too much to ask?

Morais, Morris and Anderson all out injured.

Who fills the RM position for this? Marshall and move Billy knott out on the left? That seems the most logical thing to do, but I can also see Routis miraculously getting better, and him being given the RM position

Jones

Darby
McArdle
Burke
Meredith

Marshall
Liddle
Evans
Knott

Hanson
Cole

100 City in attendance and a 1,000 watching the beam-back in the Hendre and McCall Suites.

 

[Indian Dan]

Colchester looked slick and quick up front yesterday - but it's hard to tell because we are so gash at the moment. We have games against Donny and Blackpool coming up - lose those and it's Cooper out.

 

[F!RTHY]

Can we have him?

 

[Indian Dan]

Be careful what you wish for.

 

[dedwardp]

We are quick and exciting when we are attacking, but our defence makes you want to bury your head in your hands in anxiety as soon as the opposition crosses the half way line.

We're unbeaten at home since March, and with two home games this week I'd like to think we could build further on our recent good form as there's a lot of optimism and confidence in the side at the moment. If you include the end of last season, we've picked up 31 points from our last 19 games - so nearly half a season's worth of decent form. No doubt we'll come back down to earth with a bump!

Expecting Bradford to be there or thereabouts come the end of the campaign when it matters, so it's just a question of how long until it clicks together I think. Hopefully not Tuesday night.

 

[LS Bantam]

0-0er I reckon, we'll go with Hanson as per and just pray something drops our way - going by these last few weeks it won't, we'll have a goal bound effort somehow cleared off the line to win and lose another big player to a long term injury

 

[Robert Molenaar]

2-0 down.

We aren't very good.

 

[dedwardp]

Four wins on the bounce for the first time in six years... in fact, in the 17 years I've supported Colchester it's only happened on three other occasions I think. Loving life.

 

[finley]

We were so poor i dont think colchester will have a more comfortable home win all season.

 

[Shrimpurh]

I'm getting deja vu...

 

[leedsvaliant]

I think Firthy owes me an apology..... It's ridiculous when teams like Colchester who were so poor last season are doing ok in the league. It just goes to show how bang average virtually every squad in the league is and every team (apart from Crewe) will be kicking themselves if they don't have a tilt at at least the play offs this season.

 

[Look Out There Are Llamas]

The only thing Colchester doing well shows is that they've made astute signings with the likes of Garvan, Harriott and Sordell. Last season has no baring on it and there's nothing really ridiculous about it.

 

[dedwardp]

Agreed. We certainly were poor last season and looked absolutely doomed, until we brought in some quality on loan in March and since then we've been very good. We picked up 18 points from the last 10 games of the season to survive and, with the freedom that not being in the thick of a relegation battle gives you, we've looked much better again this season.

As above, we've signed further experience again over the summer to complement the team of kids we had last year. We had a slow start to the season but, Fleetwood aside which by all accounts was shocking, we could conceivably have won the other games. Garvan has been an exceptional signing and allowed us to tweak the system slightly so that he and Edwards can protect the back four, allowing Moncur, Harriott, Sordell and Massey to do what they like - and that's paid off with 14 goals in the last six games.

Our massive achilles heel has been the defence now for the past year or so. Recently it has been a Kevin Keegan-esque 'we can let in three if we score four' scenario, although even that has started to tighten up a bit. Last night was a case in point that, having established the 2-0 lead, we tightened it up and focused on keeping a clean sheet which is important. Perhaps that's the compromise for scoring goals, but if we can get in front and then switch to see games out I'd take that.

I was expecting us to be comfortably midtable this season, so it isn't ridiculous that we are looking like we can achieve that (albeit at an early stage of the season). It does amuse me a little though that every time we ever win a game the opposition seems to bemoan how they made a really poor side look good - perhaps we're just not quite as bad as everyone else assumes?

 

[Big Bird]

I looked at Colchester's starting line-up on Saturday and thought we'd lose. It's a decent side for this level. Especially the lad Harriot who I was surprised to see in League 1.

Are the loanees season long? If so I'd have Col U as decent shouts for a play off position considering the lack of stand out teams in the division this year.

 

[dedwardp]

Are the loanees season long? If so I'd have Col U as decent shouts for a play off position considering the lack of stand out teams in the division this year.

We have only got two loanees - Harriott is here until January, and Jamie Jones in goal is also until a similar time although he would be more likely to stay until the end of the season which is useful with Walker out injured until next summer.

If we kept Harriott until the end of the season as well then that would be brilliant, although with his form it would probably be unlikely!