CUFC v CUFC 2/6 (Cambridge v Carlisle)

[shoddycollins]

Need to get the CUFC league standings, but this is our first game in it.

Cambridge have had a bit of an iffy start. I expected more from them but it's early yet.

We've been alright, undefeated at least and have played some outstanding football, just need the end product we so prolifically had this time last season. Cometh the hour then, cometh the Jaboman. If you combined our attacking prowess from last season with our midfield dominance from this then we're be winning 3-0 every time.

 

[huddsmoose]

We've apparently had 3 shots on target in our 3 games so far. I'd predict 0-0 if we could defend.

 

[cufc17]

The first of four consecutive away games in all competitions.

Although Cambridge haven't had a great start, this'll be a tough game I think. Curle could revert to the 4-2-3-1 used at Pompey, bringing Devitt in for Wyke.

I'd settle for a point, probably 0-0 or 1-1, but don't think a win is out of our reach.

 

[daviejones]

I think this is the perfect game for us to go out and win. Cambridge had high hopes at the start of the season and have had a poor start, so you'd expect them to not want to settle for a draw. If they set up attacking to get the win then we should do the same, get Jones and Joyce in midfield again to break up play and hope that we convert more of our chances.

I'd expect Jabo to be in for Wyke after tonight and possibly Devitt for Miller meaning we'd play 4-2-3-1. I'm going to go for a 2-0 win for us, I predicted a draw tonight as I figured Cheltenham would set up to frustrate us but I would hope, with Cambridge playing at home and needing a win, that they won't do the same.

 

[Vanni]

Sadly, Derry doesn't believe in 'needing the win', all he cares about is trying not to lose. So, I would forget all about this Carlisle soaking up the pressure and hitting us on the counter tactic, as it's not going to happen believe me. Having said this, Carlisle will still beat us but simply by being better than us which atm isn't such a hard task.

 

[hellogregory]

I don't think we're as good as a lot of our fans are making out. We have some really good players don't get me wrong, but I don't see that cold ruthless streak in the side that you need to be promotion contenders, like Northampton, Oxford, Bristol R had last season where they'd punish you while they were on top in a game. We don't. Our bark is better than our bite at the moment.

We've been quite dominant in the last 2 games, should have been 3-0 up at half time in both and be going into this off the back of 2 convincing wins, yet the Plymouth match was a goal line clearance away from being a draw, and last night was a few minutes away from being a defeat. I know these are ifs, but it highlights the fact that we simply can't kill teams off while we're on top.

That said, I do think we need to scrap this playing 2 defensive midfielders, particularly at home. Last night we didn't need both Joyce and Jones on the pitch, the game was one sided enough to sacrifice one of them and bring on a more attacking threat who'll get into the box and either make things happen, give defenders something else to think about creating space for strikers, or score them self. In tough away games fair enough play the 2, but not in home games where we're taking the game to the opposition. So out of the 2 Joyce has to be dropped for the home games, because Jones is better.

As for this match, I can only see us winning if we keep a clean sheet. Unfortunately I can see Cambridge scoring simply because goals have been dry recently and we'll give them the break they need... so I'm going for a 2-1 defeat.

 

[shoddycollins]

I don't think we're as good as a lot of our fans are making out. We have some really good players don't get me wrong, but I don't see that cold ruthless streak in the side that you need to be promotion contenders, like Northampton, Oxford, Bristol R had last season where they'd punish you while they were on top in a game. We don't. Our bark is better than our bite at the moment.

We've been quite dominant in the last 2 games, should have been 3-0 up at half time in both and be going into this off the back of 2 convincing wins, yet the Plymouth match was a goal line clearance away from being a draw, and last night was a few minutes away from being a defeat. I know these are ifs, but it highlights the fact that we simply can't kill teams off while we're on top.

That said, I do think we need to scrap this playing 2 defensive midfielders, particularly at home. Last night we didn't need both Joyce and Jones on the pitch, the game was one sided enough to sacrifice one of them and bring on a more attacking threat who'll get into the box and either make things happen, give defenders something else to think about creating space for strikers, or score them self. In tough away games fair enough play the 2, but not in home games where we're taking the game to the opposition. So out of the 2 Joyce has to be dropped for the home games, because Jones is better.

As for this match, I can only see us winning if we keep a clean sheet. Unfortunately I can see Cambridge scoring simply because goals have been dry recently and we'll give them the break they need... so I'm going for a 2-1 defeat.

I don't remember any of the promoted teams being really fast out of the blocks last season, we haven't started Jabo yet, so hopefully that can be the difference if he starts against Cambridge.

I get what you mean about not needing two defensive midfielders but it hasn't exactly limited our chance creation, and I feel that if we'd say, played Devitt or Kennedy for Joyce in those games we'd only have squandered even more chances. I'd like to see these midfielders also so a bit of the drive Kennedy has to get into the box at the end of the build up if they know a cross is coming in.

 

[Tom_CUFC]

Norris, Taylor, Legge, Coulson, Adams, Mingoia, Keane, Berry, Gosling, Elito, Williamson for me, but, I suspect Long and Dallison especially will play. Willing to forgive Coulson for his horror show on Tuesday under the circumstances but Dallison was slightly improved so I could deal with it. Be interesting to know who the other injury is in addition to Maris, don't actively recall anyone taking a serious knock on Tuesday.

It goes without saying we could do with a positive result from this but we need a good performance too, just to give us a spark more than anything else, the league table still means jack at this stage and talk of relegation from some is nothing short of ludicrous. The fixtures haven't been kind and don't get any easier next Saturday either, but we're going to have to suck it up and start beating good teams at some point if we want to be up there, and I still think Carlisle will be one of them. At least if we can show that we are capable of taking the game to teams and being creative, then it's a starting point regardless of whether we end up winning or not.

2-1 Cambridge, Williamson and a revitalised Berry.

 

[Chris0922]

We haven't won at Cambridge since 1997 - That is all

 

[shoddycollins]

We haven't won at Cambridge since 1997 - That is all

Most of that was in our period of utter drossness between Jimmy Glass saving us from relegation and us eventually getting relegated when you could probably say that of our record against most clubs. I think they went down as we came back up so we missed playing them for a whole decade.

 

[hellogregory]

I think up until 2 seasons ago we hadn't played Cambridge for about a decade. Before that we were in league 1 for 8 years while they were in the conference.

 

[Chris0922]

I know! We still haven't won against them in ten games - The 19 year thing just makes it sound better if we win tomorrow....

 

[SVH]

40mph wind predicted for 3pm tomorrow should make good viewing...

 

[shoddycollins]

40mph wind predicted for 3pm tomorrow should make good viewing...

I hope Cambridge have plenty of spare balls then.

 

[Laker]

We'll win a game in the end, might as well be tomorrow.

 

[Habbinalan]

Hard to believe that I was checking who Satanage and Exeter were playing today - depending on Stanley and Luton to keep us out of the relegation zone. I believe there may be goals this afternoon. I hope some of them may be scored by someone in an amber shirt.

Perfect preparation for Wolves away and Luton home would be a 3-1 win. 4-4-2 might deliver it.

Norris, Long, Legge, Coulson, Adams, Mingoia, Keane, Berry, Gosling, Piggot, Williamson

20 mph winds and chance of showers should make for a reasonable spectacle.

 

[huddsmoose]

For some reason I feel quite confident this morning. I should know better.

We really need a win to shake the team out of this malaise. I don't care how we do it but 3 points matters more than a good performance today IMO.

 

[shoddycollins]

Think we'll go with a changed line-up for the first time in three games now Jabo must be calling for a start, and Devitt too. I just can't forecast what formation we'll go with. In midfield we're strong and good and creating chances so it makes sense to go 451/433 away from home, a bit more solid without being overly negative, but that would mean dropping both of the strikers who have started for us so far this season. We'll see.

Against Cheltenham, Wyke was guilty of squandering good chances, while Miller seemed to play more as a Number 10, creating chances but not getting on the end of things. I think we'll likely put our trust in Jabo to tuck something away while with that midfield we shouldn't have too much difficulty creating.

_______________Jabo_______________
Devitt_____________________Lambe
______________Adams_____________
______Jones___________Joyce______
Grainger__Ellis__Raynes__T.Miller
____________Gillespie_____________

Bench: Crocombe, Gillesphey, Atkinson, Kennedy, Penn or McKee, Wyke, S.Miller

Is one possibility for how we could line up.

If Cambridge play as I've heard Derry likes to, then I think we should do well against them. In the games I've seen us in so far we've kept the ball largely on the ground, which, they might struggle to deal with; while we ourselves have defended well against high-balls, mostly through Raynes' aerial ability. We've looked more vulnerable when hit on the break as we're not the fastest at the back, or sometimes just as a result of our own characteristic error-making.

 

[AtaturkOzgutson]

THE CUFC CUP

Colchester 2 - 0 Cambridge
Cambridge ? - ? Carlisile
Carlisle - 1st Oct - Colchester
Colchester - 7th Jan - Carlisle
Cambridge - 4th Mar - Colchester
Carlisle - 11th Mar - Cambridge

Col 2 3pts
Car 0 0pts
Cam -2 0pts

Well it's clear that March is going to be a BOX OFFICE SENSATION for the deciding heats in the battle to decide once and for all who the true CUFC are.

And we look screwed already.

 

[shoddycollins]

THE CUFC CUP

Colchester 2 - 0 Cambridge
Cambridge ? - ? Carlisile
Carlisle - 1st Oct - Colchester
Colchester - 7th Jan - Carlisle
Cambridge - 4th Mar - Colchester
Carlisle - 11th Mar - Cambridge

Col 2 3pts
Car 0 0pts
Cam -2 0pts

Well it's clear that March is going to be a BOX OFFICE SENSATION for the deciding heats in the battle to decide once and for all who the true CUFC are.

And we look screwed already.

Surely it's a league rather than a cup

I'm looking forward to getting our season underway today

 

[daviejones]

The only league that truly matters, the CUFC league. Colchester have a strong lead at the moment, a loss for Cambridge today would surely consign them to relegation as the least significant CUFC club leaving the other two to fight it out for the title.

Our media man had jumped the gun slightly, at one point changing our hashtag to #CRL, before later realising that this is a battle to be won on the pitch and one which we must commit all of our time to. This is why we drew against Cheltenham, KC had told the players to save their energy for the first match of the real season. Everything so far has been pre-CUFC season. If we get relegated from League 2 but win the CUFC league then I will be more than happy.

 

[shoddycollins]

The only league that truly matters, the CUFC league. Colchester have a strong lead at the moment, a loss for Cambridge today would surely consign them to relegation as the least significant CUFC club leaving the other two to fight it out for the title.

Our media man had jumped the gun slightly, at one point changing our hashtag to #CRL, before later realising that this is a battle to be won on the pitch and one which we must commit all of our time to. This is why we drew against Cheltenham, KC had told the players to save their energy for the first match of the real season. Everything so far has been pre-CUFC season. If we get relegated from League 2 but win the CUFC league then I will be more than happy.

Think the #CRL thing was someone else he retweeted, we've stuck very rigidly to the hashtag #cufc

 

[AtaturkOzgutson]

Surely it's a league rather than a cup

I'm looking forward to getting our season underway today

Well yeah, but cup is CU innit? Seems fair.

 

[Habbinalan]

Well yeah, but cup is CU innit? Seems fair.

This is just the qualifying round (which we'll all qualify through obviously). We've also got the third rounds of the FA Cup and League Cup to come - then we all meet in the play-offs next May to decide the final outcome for the season.

EFL Trophy does not count towards this competition.

 

[shoddycollins]

This is just the qualifying round (which we'll all qualify through obviously). We've also got the third rounds of the FA Cup and League Cup to come - then we all meet in the play-offs next May to decide the final outcome for the season.

EFL Trophy does not count towards this competition.

I hope one of us gets Chesham United in the FA Cup

 

[daviejones]

Think the #CRL thing was someone else he retweeted, we've stuck very rigidly to the hashtag #cufc

https://twitter.com/cufckit/status/748143085662670848 I wonder which fellow CUFC bribed him?

 

[shoddycollins]

https://twitter.com/cufckit/status/748143085662670848 I wonder which fellow CUFC bribed him?

haha he got shot down

 

[daviejones]

haha he got shot down

Yeah it was promptly changed back to CUFC, CRL is just awful to be honest. The hashtag isn't even much use to anyone who already follows the club and player accounts.

 

[hellogregory]

What the actual fuck Curle!!

Against a team struggling for goals, so we set up negative. I expected Devitt to start in a system like we started at Portsmouth, not this! I can only hope that Kennedy will be given license to go forward otherwise Jabo is going to be completely isolated.

 

[shoddycollins]

What the actual fuck Curle!!

Against a team struggling for goals, so we set up negative. I expected Devitt to start in a system like we started at Portsmouth, not this! I can only hope that Kennedy will be given license to go forward otherwise Jabo is going to be completely isolated.

I think that might be the plan. I had presumed Devitt would come in for one of the strikers and Jabo for the other but I guess Kennedy played himself into the starting line-up with his impact on Tuesday. Kennedy is probably more likely to be the one who scores than the one who sets him up but based on Tuesday that's exactly what we need.