Advert
Advert
CambridgeDon
-
Posts
7,312 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
8
Posts posted by CambridgeDon
-
-
We are a joke. Fraudcroft's legacy will continue to haunt us for years unless a sizeable chunk of those on the retained list are dumped. What I fear will happen is that, out of the 16, it will be our best players - Ripley, Chislett, Garrity, and Ojo - that will go, leaving us with the dross that couldn't win a game in Hanley Park. And the prospect of us having Ikpeazu still on the books along with Loft, two strikers who couldn't score in a month of Sundays, fills me with dread. Absolutely insane.
If I feel sorry for anyone in all this it's the manager who, after 17 games of watching this dross, will now be waking up to what he's let himself in for. I hope that there is some master plan behind this because, as it stands, we will be in another relegation battle. And he will be gone by Christmas.
The person we need to hear from in all this is not DM or the Chief Executive but our hapless owners. We are looking already like we are National League ready and we are owed an explanation. What we need are some cast-iron reassurances about the budget, our recruitment and our prospects for next season.
It is going to be a long summer.
-
9
-
-
2 hours ago, werstayinup said:
I know the majority on here wont like it but it wouldn't shock me if they were to offer Uche something for next season,they could see that he would be a handful for League Two defences if he had a proven goal scorer alongside him( I aren't saying it's what i want though)
Nor me. It was interesting that when Uche signed he remarked that DM had tried twice to sign him, so he was clearly an admirer. Whether he's still an admirer after some of the performances he's put in this season is another matter. It was also interesting to hear Sproey say repeatedly on Saturday that Uche would do well in L2, which has put summat of a doubt in my mind.
I think we'll find that after Charlton's interest Uche has his sights set on a club higher than L2. If we do keep him and Loft, we would then be lumbered by two forwards neither of whom has a goal in them, or very few. Not my cup of tea I'm afraid.
-
Just watched Crewe on Sky scrape a draw at relegation threatened Colchester with a last minute goal courtesy of fighting till the last minute. I tell you, either of these two would have given today's Vale team a run for their money and I'm just hoping that nothing like our team today turns up for the start of next season or its another disaster in the making. Get it sorted, Vale!
One nice piece of news though - Hanley Town finish their season with a 3-0 win and our very own Doddsy - in his very last game - scores the third. Even at 37, he might have done us a favour today after the dross we put out. Well done, Louis, fond memories!
-
9
-
-
Dire, drab performance summing up our miserable season. Time for a big, expensive clear out because there is no character, confidence or fighting spirit in this side, let alone quality. Unless we see a massive injection of talent, we will do nowt next season.
Lost count of the number of times I asked myself how we'd ended up with such a useless squad lacking any sort of leadership or esprit de corps on the pitch. Looking back, that 7-0 drubbing at the start of the season was just a harbinger of things to come. And so it proved.
Hope DM can turn this around - good luck to you, big fellah, you're gonna need it.
-
6
-
-
- Popular Post
- Popular Post
Ikpeazu is a complete donkey - complete open goal and he puts it wide. Needs to go!
-
7
-
2
-
1
-
Inconsequential half by a poor Vale side drained of confidence against a Cambridge side desperate not to lose (13 fouls and 3 yellows already, one of which should have been red). The table tells us everything and at -33 that's where we belong. The summer is going to be critical - needs a total rebuild. We look a mediocre L2 side already and unless our owners find the money to keep our best players, get rid of the dross and recruit players with some fight, it's going to be another long season.
-
6
-
-
2 minutes ago, JohnDoe said:
Does that mean we are signing weir? God help us, but why else play him. Is grant injured or done. Ojo on the bench too.
Maybe they're lining him up as Gaza's goalscoring replacement 🤕
-
1
-
-
On 25/04/2024 at 00:31, Wrex said:
We won 9 of 26 games with Arblaster
Which just shows how bad the rest of the team were...
-
2
-
-
5 hours ago, PVFC764 said:
But that is no surprise anyone can score against us most of the time due to our ever giving defence and midfield. 🤣.
Agree there are little gems in the non-league, but you just have to have the network to find them. Did Fraudcroft even consider those leagues.
Yes, you need the network to get chapter and verse on them but, as a starting point, the headlines are easy to find. Shortlisted for the Non-League Golden boot (in addition to the ones I listed in an earlier post) are Joe Taylor (Ramsgate, 40 goals), Dawid Rogalski (Marlow, 34 goals), Jake Reed (Lowestoft, 32 goals) and Marcus Wylie (Enfield, 33 goals). Enfield also have Sam Young on 27 goals, making a very effective partnership that has taken them into the playoffs for the National. So, yes, did we ever even consider them?
What sticks in my mind (as I'm reminded living here) is how effective Cambridge's forward recruitment has been. After losing both Smith and Knibbs to Reading, they recruited Kaikai, Kachunga, Ahadme and Lyle Taylor - in addition to Okenabirhie - and these five strikers have scored 33 goals for them in 141 games, almost certainly enough to keep them up.
We'll see how good they are on Saturday when they turn up at Vale Park.
-
1
-
-
2 hours ago, werstayinup said:
I did say we could target a national league striker as well as an experienced League striker,there are plenty of league teams watching national league players... in fact in January a championship side signed Tolaj's strike partner
We definitely should be targeting the National League where you will find players like Paul McCallum at Eastleigh (30 goals this season), Nicke Kabamba (Barnet, 24 goals) and Mani Dieseruvwe (Harlepool, 23 goals).
If you drop one tier lower, you find strikers like Paul Blackett (South Shields 29 goals) and Ollie Pearce (Worthing, 40 goals).
Several of these are on the short list for the NGA (ie non-league) Golden Boot award where there are also several other prolific goalscorers plying their trade in the lower reaches.
Admittedly, not all or even any of these would make it in the EFL but I wonder how much attention we are paying to these players. Peterborough and one or two others seem to make a fine living out of it - and with the shoddy fare we've had to put up with in recent seasons, it might not be a bad idea to give them a look over.
-
2
-
-
Carol's letter is rightly apologetic but the one area where - in due course - we need to see more explanation is the need for restructuring within the club.
On the playing side, this is going to be difficult, given the number of underperforming players still under contract, and expensive. To start with, we have to put right the glaring deficiencies we know about from this season including two full/wing backs, two strikers who can actually put the ball in the net, and at least one dominant centre half and one dominant midfield player. It's possible, even likely, that three or four of our better players will be leaving for other clubs, so they too will need to be replaced along with, I would say, four or five other first choice players so that we can relegate the dross we've seen this season to the bench. That's possibly as many as fourteen or fifteen new players so I hope that Carol has deep pockets because the thought of the majority taking the field now turning out in League 2 would be a recipe for disaster.
Players aside, the one restructuring issue that Carol does not address in her latest letter is the most important (the elephant in the room you might say): how she intends to hold the manager accountable for results on the pitch. In our previous structure, she naively delegated all footballing matters to a single individual - with disastrous results. Aside from being too close to the DoF, she was, it appears, letting him mark his own homework for the lack of any depth of understanding and independent advice within the club. The Board (apart from Rudgie) appears to lack any depth of footballing experience or football strategy and without a strategic core of Non-Executive Directors who can fulfil this role (for example, experienced former players or coaches with management experience) she has no independent source of advice on the Board to help her steer the club through choppy waters. If we don't strengthen this aspect of the club, we are going to find that history will repeat itself.
Lot to do then - and the proof of the pudding will be in the eating.
-
4
-
-
On 07/04/2024 at 17:44, Andy Proctor said:
We don't have a good record against Peterborough, so if we only lose 1 nil I'd take it, as it doesn't do much damage to the goal difference which is what it could come down to.
Neither does Dazza. Last time he was there with Wednesday, they lost 4-0 so my guess is he will have a point to prove on Wednesday. Let's hope so.
-
- Popular Post
- Popular Post
On 04/04/2024 at 09:38, Coyney Valiant said:It shows how bad we are when we’re relying on uchi to get us goals how did the owners let it come to this
Valid question - how did it come to this?
I stood in Cambridge Utd's pothole strewn car park this week, watching my car being washed and looking around at the portakabins, occasional skip and other assorted junk, not to mention their second rate ground and asked myself the very same question.
This season, in addition to Okenabirhie, Cambridge added Ahadme (top scorer on loan from Ipswich), Kachunga, Kaikai and Lyle Taylor. These five have scored 33 goals for them in 128 appearances, goals that look virtually certain to keep them up. Last game, ironically, they put three past Wigan.
Cambridge have smaller attendances than we do - and I infer, a smaller budget - and yet they had seemingly little difficuly in adding forwards to their squad having lost Smith and Knibbs to Reading in the summer. So we are entitled to ask some searching questions about striker recruitment. Cambridge are a well managed club, a community club, and they have an unrelenting focus on what happens on the pitch first and foremost.
To me, therefore, our owners have got to have a serious look at where their priorities lie. This season may be too late (let's hope and pray not) but next season needs a complete change of focus. If not, we can expect more of the same.
-
12
-
2
-
Foyle? According to Wiki:
"Foyle was named as Head of Recruitment at Northampton Town in February 2015. He went on to work as chief scout at Scottish Premiership club Motherwell the following year. Speaking in September 2019, "Well" scout Martin Corrigan credited Foyle with bringing a high calibre of players to Fir Park, calling him a "workaholic" with an encyclopedic knowledge of the English football's lower leagues. He returned to Northampton Town in his former role as Head of Recruitment in May 2021. He left Northampton Town in November 2021 to become Morecambe's Head of Recruitment. He left the role six months later. He joined Scottish Premiership side St Mirren as Head of Recruitment in June 2022."
An interesting possibility, given his expertise in recruitment, which is something we desperately need after the last three windows.
-
2
-
-
3 minutes ago, Essex Boy said:
This feels worse than at any time in our recent history. Carol has come in & saved the club from Smuthwaite. She has put in millions & been totally let down by Flitcroft & his cronies. Hopefully Carol remains as committed to the club as ever, but a total rebuild is required after our almost certain relegation.
Hopefully she will stay committed but her first priority is to find additional external investment for the club and to spend it on the playing squad - but absolutely not under Flitcroft's watch.
-
4
-
-
2 hours ago, Devine intervention said:
I'll see this season out m8 then because I've had a few things happening at games which could lead to worst case scenario hospital ,going not renew just go when feel like it .
I'm.finding it harder and harder work till 6 a.m sat morn have a few hrs sleep then spend a hr odd travelling to and from the games to watch at times diabolical performances ok at home we seen some goals it's being better bar last week where if I could have walked out on 30 mins I would have and sat there watched all of it and thought (why am I here this is so underwhelming ).
So there's your answer fella .
Lewk after theesen, yewth - tinner woth mekking theesen bad fer a game a footy 🙂👍
-
2
-
-
1 hour ago, Shropshire_Valiant said:
I'm generally not one for kneejerk reactions but I too am flabbergasted we've not signed a striker🤯. I can't quite get my head around it, I hate the word but unbelieveably poor on so many levels. Epic fail as the kids say these days!
I honestly don't care if we were unlucky either(we had 31 days!!!), there's no sympathy in football or favours if we go down it will be well and truly deserved.
Does anyone have a link to a list of free agents so I can at least try to cheer myself up over a cup of tea?🤪
Free agents - the last refuge of the desperate 😀
-
1
-
-
Blessed is the man who expects nothing for he shall never be disappointed (Oscar Wilde)
-
3
-
3
-
-
47 minutes ago, Osh said:
You can just see him and Smudger arguing about who they're going to punch next.
Ha ha - but in Smudger's case it should be pinch 😀
-
Crikey, fearsome look, Maybe we should go four at the back with Lopata and Smudge in the middle. Scary prospect!
-
2
-
-
7 minutes ago, MBE said:
That would be with Wilo upfront then.
Chizzy and Mighty behind.
Sincerely hope we don't play Willo upfront where he is going to get kicked to pieces with predictable results. He needs to play off a bigger forward who will take the physical weight off him.
-
2
-
-
17 minutes ago, Osh said:
He's going to win us a lot of free kicks, starting on Saturday hopefully
-
2
-
-
- Popular Post
- Popular Post
-
3
-
1
-
7
-
56 minutes ago, robf said:
I think by games he means appearances. I think it's bit unfair to lump Massey in there though. He's played out of position upfront and then a lot of his appearances have been at wingback.
If you make it Loft, Ikpeazu and Wilson, for instance, then it's five League goals in 42 appearances.
Five league goals in 42 appearances, that's not so reassuring!
Moore out
in Port Vale present
Posted
We'll be lucky. Bromley's average home attendance this season is 2637 - lower than the average for the National - so they might manage one coach.
Or we could get lucky and see Solihull Moors promoted. Their average home attendance is a whopping 1445 - the fifth lowest in the National - but at least they're local.
This is what we're going to get in the bear pit that is League 2. More than one or two seasons at that level and our owners will have run out of money.