Post-Match Thread and Ratings Col Ewe 0 -- 2 The one team in Essex

well you better save it then as we dont want you getting run over having forgotten...

Eddy Melito said:

other end of the park and ride. you walk out along a path to a quiet lane at the mcdonalds end of the site, walk along over a bridge over the a12 and hey presto youre at the entrance to the ground. that corner of the car park is usually the busiest with people congregating there, but i guess with so many first time users it would have helped to have some direction.

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Well, I didn't realise that at all! Both previous visits have been on coaches so haven't used the park and ride car park before. It would certainly have been helpful to have some signage to direct supporters! Thank you, will remember in case it's needed in the future.

Enjoyed the result yesterday but thought we rode our luck at times. I was fearful that the young fans were going to spoil the day by invading the pitch at the end but thankfully the stewards kept them off.

Now all we need is to reproduce that atmosphere (and result) at RH tomorrow.

Now all join in with this well known Daydream Believer song.......Cheer up Kevin Keen, oh what can it mean ........... :smile:

rlb999 said:

Whilst I enjoy the rivalry with Col U I'm pleased with our success at the moment rather than being delighted with their problems - some SUFC fans clearly take far more enjoyment from the latter.

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I'm one of the fans who takes unabashed pleasure in both.

I've a mate who's a Spurs fan - nobody's perfect - and he often mentions how North London derbies are now tainted for him by memories of looking around him in the ground and seeing allegedly grown men singing a certain song about Sol Campbell through spittle flecked lips. There's a level of nastiness beyond which it ceases to be friendly rivalry or banter and becomes something which it's hard to label as fun, and it's an aftertaste which it's difficult to rid yourself of.

As decent as I don't doubt that the likes of C & P are, there's not a doubt in my mind that if our league position and Colchester's, and yesterday's result, were both flipped around this board would now be flooded with effluent courtesy of every mouth-breather with a broadband connection and an inferiority complex the size of Ipswich. That was certainly the case the last time they perceived that they were on top, up to and including taunts about the prospect of us going under with not only the loss of our club but the associated livelihoods of many.

'Highlights' from recent Essex derbies lodged in my memory include monkey chants aimed at Franck Moussa, coupled with a collective silence and failure to furnish evidence on the part of both club and fans when the FA were prompted to investigate. According to the official record the incident never happened - even though their fans were on the record laughing about it online. If it's more important to somebody that their football team escapes accountability and/or sanction than that a man should be able to go to work in the 21st century without facing abuse over the colour of his skin, then I pity them. Compare and contrast that with the recent reaction of River Plate and their Chairman, making full acknowledgement and taking full ownership of what happens under their watch, making it unequivocally clear that that's not who they are or what they stand for, and urging those who feel otherwise to stay away. I know which approach I respect, and who I admire as men.

For posting videos celebrating our League 1 title win I've been threatened with physical harm. All good fun, eh? The threats were from somebody palpably inept enough not to be taken seriously, but the insight into the psyche of those who behave that way over football was admittedly pretty terrifying.

So, for me, Essex derbies aren't really something I look forward to. Yeah, yesterday was pretty sweet but I'm not sure we ultimately proved much that wasn't already glaringly obvious from the respective honours rolls, the head-to-head record and the current league table. Looking at the risk/reward equation I think I'll happily forsake the chance to beat a smaller club if it means avoiding the idiocy and malice that lies on the other side of the coin. FFP seems to be doing a good job of ensuring that justice will be done in the final reckoning and that the destination will be worth the road travelled. If we can give it a helping hand along the way and put the Essex derby back on the shelf for the immediate future that'll be just fine by me. After all, relegation is a zero sum game and I certainly couldn't name four clubs in this division whose communities make a more pathetic effort at supporting them and thus deserve the drop more. Can you?

If you want to cheer for them that's your right. I'm perfectly at ease with the fact that I'm enjoying the way that things are panning out.

UTB & DTU

Really off topic but loved the singing downstairs before and at half time but can someone please let me know the words for 'Phil Brown had a dream' thanks

OldBlueLady said:

No doubt Colchester had the upper hand through much of the first half, and that Harriott was superbly contained for much of the time by White and assisted by Atkinson. Agree with those who say Moncur looked class, Porter, on the other hand, behaved like a sack of spuds every time anyone so much as touched him, and Elokobi was very lucky not to be penalised for the fouls he persisted on making on Mooney. Blatant handball by Moncur deserved a booking though, didn't it?

Neither Coker nor Hunt looked fit enough to me, and much as I love them both as players, not sure it was worth risking them in that game, feel tomorrow's is probably more of a challenge.

Bentley - 8, very assured and some important saves on a couple of occasions when the defence were ripped open
White - 8.5, my MOTM, great game, scored and had Harriott in his pocket most of the match
Thompson - 8, would have had MOTM had it not been for a couple of mistakes which almost let them in, had it not been for Bentley
Barrett - 7.5, got to love the passion, was desperate to score, it really meant something to the old boy!
Coker - 7, not sure why he's always first choice for dead balls, that free kick in front of goal at the other end was much better suited to Lenny or Hunt. And please sort out the short corners!
Atkinson - 7.5, solid supporting performance from Will, some great cover and some good tackles
Leonard - 8, dominated midfield again, felt he could have shot a few times rather than pass
Worrall - 7, marked closely and didn't get as many runs down the wings as we're used to seeing, did ok though
Payne - 7.5, another who was marked closely. Didn't do much in the first half but grew into the game and was vital in our attacks in the second
Hunt - 7.5, tenacious and industrious, must be knackered today!
Mooney - 8, worked incredibly hard, the disallowed goal was beautifully taken!

Subs:
Think they all did ok, McLaughlin could well prove to be useful if Hunt's not fit. Piggy looked the most interested I've seen for a while, think he thrives on atmosphere.

Officials:
Felt the ref was a bit of a "homer" for much of the game, the ironic cheers from our supporters on the odd occasion he gave us fouls would suggest others agreed. Not sure why the lino to our left was fussing so much over Cokes' ball placement for a corner when he'd allowed Harriott to play from exactly the same spot in the first half!

Finally, a couple of observations, huge thanks to Colchester's media manager, Matt Hudson, for allowing not just our Junior Blues competition winner, Owen, but also his brother, Aaron, to be mascots for the game. Commendations also to the young man who was allocated to look after them, he was terrific with them. I hope they enjoyed seeing their faces up on the screen and that they had a great time!

Also, how can the H&S bods have permitted a scheme whereby pedestrians have to cross slip roads of a major road to get to a football ground? The walk to and from the park and ride is dangerous, and I also can't understand why that bit of land to the side of the ground hasn't been developed to allow for parking, and to make pathway to the stadium. People were walking along the down slip onto the A12 to walk across the muddy field to get to the away end. Seemed all very dangerous to me and for the life of me, can't understand why they didn't build a foot tunnel into the plans when they constructed the junction.

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Matt is a great bloke who will help anyone, he has been at the club a long time and shows respect to all fans home or away. That piece of land next to the stadium cannot be used for parking we already have the maximum allowed for a stadium of our size in the planning rules.

Rootshallbloke said:

You obviously got some serious strength optimism tablets for Christmas Beefy.

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I said before the season started we'd go up this year. Not seen anything to make me think otherwise.

Beefy said:

I said before the season started we'd go up this year. Not seen anything to make me think otherwise.

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Yeah, ok, I think I made a similar rash statement at the start of the season, so hopefully we will both be proved right. Colchester could also go on a winning run and come up with us. That may be very unlikely, but strange things sometimes happen. Then it would be a championship derby!..............by the way, I am clutching at straws in an attempt to defend my previous post.

Eddy Melito said:

well for next time, the route is
View attachment 3872

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The route which people have been discussing,that cries out for some work done to improve it ,is one quarter the length of the detour you are showing here.!

But understandably they don't want to encourage people to cross 2 slip roads. Its crying out for improvement because they are actively discouraging people from going that way.

Eddy Melito said:

But understandably they don't want to encourage people to cross 2 slip roads. Its crying out for improvement because they are actively discouraging people from going that way.

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But they're not, there were no signs we saw to direct you to that walkway!

OldBlueLady said:

But they're not, there were no signs we saw to direct you to that walkway!

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Is that because it is park and ride into town, not meant for football supporters?

At times one can be SO envious of our north of the county cousins, that it makes you want to spit! How come they find it so easy to slip into the bottom four, when we find it so difficult to break into the top six?

wally4pm said:

Is that because it is park and ride into town, not meant for football supporters?

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It's supposed to double up, you would have expected some kind of sign somewhere.

OldBlueLady said:

But they're not, there were no signs we saw to direct you to that walkway!

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Sorry Kay, but there were signs in the Park and Ride with directions to the ground. Easy enough to follow as well...

OldBlueLady was following these signs:

Colchester and proud! said:

Matt is a great bloke who will help anyone, he has been at the club a long time and shows respect to all fans home or away. That piece of land next to the stadium cannot be used for parking we already have the maximum allowed for a stadium of our size in the planning rules.

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Oh well if the rules only allow that....its good to know that pointless jobsworths are able to push their pens everywhere in defiance of common sense. I am sure the land in question will find an all together more beneficial use in someone's lifetime..:smile:

OldBlueLady said:

It's supposed to double up, you would have expected some kind of sign somewhere.

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I saw signs for the ground at the park and ride, but as I was already late due to the ridiculous pay system there, I ignored them and used the route most took and slid my way across the grass.

Bkdside said:

Both made up on the mini bus up there...twist and shout is nicked and the other changed.

Phil Brown had a Dream
To Build a football team
we had no money so we had to sign them on loan....
we play from the back....with pace in attack
we are Southend united
we are on our way back

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what pace?
what lack of money?
where are all these loanees starting in the team?

clearly a very short minibus trip.

Clinton Baptiste said:

Thought Bentley was faultless. Be very lucky to keep him beyond January especially if there were scouts watching him yesterday. Would think he has been worth at least ten points this season. Looks a class above any other keeper in the league.

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His best game for a while. Hasn't been at that level for much of season though if I am being ultra critical. Big decisions needed from club and him in January. Definitely potential to play at very highest level - will he think he has chance to play Championship level with us. He must possibly be beginning to believe we can do it although playoffs are big gamble.