Season Preview 13/14

U’s season preview 2013/14

The football season is finally upon us once again and it will be a debut full season for the U’s rookie manager Joe Dunne.

It is fair to say last season was full of highs and lows. John Ward started last season as manager, but only lasted eight games as results and falling attendances counted against him. Ward was really rather unpopular with the fan base and never really endeared himself. His replacement and current boss, Dunne, had no such problem as he knew everything there is to know about Colchester United. Unlike under Ward, the fans got behind Dunne and  backed him to the hilt despite results going horrendously wrong on the pitch.

I think that will be a key factor to this season. Dunne is very much in the Phil Parkinson mould and has helped to strengthen a bond between the fans and the club. This has been seen in the number of season tickets sold within the opening few weeks of going on sale.

What is interesting to me, is that since January, the U’s had quite a decent run of form. After the Scunthorpe defeat in mid January, the U’s did win more than they lost and picked up four draws which saw them to safety.

Craig Eastmond was first through the door this season. © cu-fc.com

A good start is definitely needed as last season proved. The U’s have bolstered the squad with Craig Eastmond, Sanchez Watt and Ryan Dickson, joining the club on a permanent basis. Daniel Pappoe and the returning Sam Walker have both joined on loan for six months from Chelsea.

Joe Dunne was quick to identify his transfer targets and the signing of Craig Eastmond was a remarkable coup for the club. Dunne had to wait longer than he wanted for Sanchez Watt, but persistence paid off as the winger penned a two-year deal.

Another coup for Dunne was the re-signing of Jabo Ibehre to a two-year deal. The powerful striker turned down offers to move to pastures new to stay in Essex.

It didn’t go all of Dunne’s way this summer, as he saw his first choice for left back, Ian Harte, join Championship side Bournemouth and the second choice, a loan bid to re-sign Bradley Garmston declined by his parent club West Brom. Another loanee Dunne wished to re-sign was Billy Clifford, who joined Yeovil on loan.

The left back position remained an issue for the U’s with Macclesfield Town’s, Craig Braham-Barrett, trialling and making three appearances, but looking short of what the club were looking for. Former Southampton left back Ryan Dickson was the next to trial in the left back berth and he did enough to impress the U’s boss and penned a one-year deal, late last week.

Outgoing, Matt Heath was released by the  club and John White turned down a new deal to join Southend, whilst John-Joe O’Toole was sold to Bristol Rovers for an undisclosed fee.

Having watched nearly all the pre-season games this season, I have a few concerns about the team.

The first concern is the defending of set pieces. Against West Ham and Ipswich we conceded from set pieces and although James Collins goal was a little bit more difficult to prevent, the Ipswich goals were both basic marking errors and the inability to get the ball clear shows there is work to be done. The second is goalscoring and goal creation. Another concern is the lack of strength in-depth in attack and defence.

Daniel Pappoe – Unlikely to start in my opinion © cu-fc.com

I actually think the defence is not looking too badly. I would start the season with Magnus Okuonghae and Tom Eastman at the back, whilst the full backs pick themselves. Daniel Pappoe has looked very classy on the ball and appears more able to play the total football that we are aiming for, but I have some question marks about his concentration and position. He has tendencies to chase his man down, rather than stand his ground and also against Maldon, he missed the flight of the ball completely and was unable to catch his man as he prodded past Cousins. Whilst Magnus has his lapses, I thought we saw him returning to his best towards the end of last season and I feel he is better aerially than Pappoe. Also you cannot forget that Pappoe is yet to make a professional appearance and could you really risk playing a rookie alongside Eastman? I am not so sure personally.  Waiting in the wings is Josh Thompson who is a capable defender but lacks that bit of something to be a first team regular. Tosin Olufemi has been one of the highlights of pre season with his displays against West Ham, Spurs and Ipswich. He has proved he could be an able deputy should Wilson get injured, but I wish he was a tad taller. Michael O’Donoghue has also done his chances no harm, but I’d like to see him go out on loan to gain first team experience. It is a little troubling that we have a lack of experience in reserve, but we will just have to see what happens injury wise.

As for the midfield, unfortunately for the U’s,  Craig Eastmond has been missing for large parts of pre season after an ankle injury suffered against Heybridge Swifts in the very first run out. Alex Gilbey has stepped out of the shadows and shown that he has the ability to be a good player, but I am not 100% sure he is ready for a regular starting spot in the midfield at the minute. I love the way that Gilbey demands the ball off of defenders and looks to use it well. I just feel it is vital to get off to a good start and that we need a more experienced head in midfield. I definitely feel there is a space for Gilbey in the squad however.

Club stalwart Kemi Izzet has had a good pre season for the U’s © cu-fc.com

People may disagree with me, but I feel Kem Izzet has been really outstanding this pre season and even at 32 years old, he has shown he has brilliant fitness levels. Whilst his passing is still a little bit off, his hard work, leadership and positioning is definitely beneficial to the side. David Wright has also impressed me in pre season and I really would not be surprised to see the two veteran midfield men partner Eastmond on the opening day. Marcus Bean has put in a shift in every game he has played and has also scored three goals this pre season. The former Brentford man has shown a better all round game and has certainly put himself in contention. He was superb at the start of last season, but lost his way a little under Dunne and will be looking to push for a starting spot. Andy Bond is the other midfield man and I have personally been a little disappointed with Bondy. He has looked like a spare part whenever he is played and I am not so sure he will fit into a midfield two if we line up 4231. I feel his best position is just in behind the striker. Bond has really clever movement in an around the box. He also strikes a ball cleaner than most players, but lacks that bit of pace to be a top player. I can imagine him going out on loan at some point for first team football.

We do not have much dynamism in the midfield and that is a little concerning. I’d like to see a little bit more creativity in the centre of the park.

One noticeable aspect of pre season has been a lack of goals from the forwards. I remember watching pre season last season and thinking exactly the same.

The U’s won more games when Jabo Ibehre played last season © cu-fc.com

Jabo Ibehre will undoubtedly start against Gillingham, but I am worried about the amount of goals he will score. Far too often he goes out wide for the ball and no one comes in off the wing into a central position. Too often there is a hole in behind Ibehre and this is something we will need to work on. I’d like to see Sears play in that position in behind Ibehre, but I am not sure we will line up like that. But Dunne loves attacking football so who knows? One thing that is for certain is that we won far more games with Ibehre than we did without him. He is a vital member in attack and I worry what will happen if he got injured as I am not too sure about Clinton Morrison. He is by far one of the most intelligent players on the pitch, but it appears to me his legs are not as quick as his brain. He also is not at all suited how we wish to play. I think he could do a decent job in behind the striker, but I am not sure he will notch too many goals this season. I would really love him to do well because he gives 100% every time he steps on to the field and I felt he had a decent game against Tottenham.

On the flanks, Drey Wright has signed a new three-year deal and has looked really impressive. I do worry about his defensive side of the game and that is why I think Gavin Massey will start ahead of him. Massey showed great work rate last season and added a few goals. He does lack the ability to breeze past defenders but I feel that is the only real negative in his game. Sanchez Watt will start most games for us and he can be a real match winner for us when he is on form. At the moment he still looks painfully short of fitness, but I think he could easily be our star man.

I do think our defence will be stronger than last season and I do not think we will be as leaky at the back. I really like Sam Walker and I feel he gives a much better presence, so I expect him to be starting the season ahead of Mark Cousins. I feel the back five are experienced enough to stop any silly goals and will get better and better.

Goal scoring remains an issue and I am not sure how this will be addressed as we do not have the budget for it. I would like to see Freddie Sears get amongst the goals and have a feeling he will be top scorer. I don’t think we will be pushing for promotion or the play offs but a comfortable 12th position beckons. I think we have more than enough to defy the bookies and stay away from relegation, but a lot of that depends on injuries as we lack the strength and depth in my opinion.

In terms of line up I’d expect to see us line up at Gillingham:

Walker

Wilson Okuonghae Eastman Dickson

Wright Eastmond Izzet

Massey                                                       Watt

Ibehre

During pre season we have played with  433 and 4231. For an away game and a game where a good start is vital, I think we will be rather conservative and line up with the 433, with a fluid midfield and pace on the flanks. I would love Gilbey to start, however when you are up against a Martin Allen side, it will probably be a battle and I would prefer to see our battlers in the middle to compete.

My personal preference would be:

Walker

Wilson Okuonghae Eastman Dickson

Eastmond   Gilbey

Wright                   Sears                     Watt

Ibehre

The only trouble with this line up is that it is far too attacking, but on paper it is absolutely mouth-watering.

I am really looking forward to how the season pans out and I think we have a good side and Dunne will have learned a lot after last season. I certainly feel there are weaker sides in the division and that on our day we can beat most teams in the division.

Our home form has been a bit troubling in the last few seasons and I feel that we must make the Weston Homes Community Stadium a fortress if we want to finish as high as possible.

Player to watch: Sanchez Watt

Top Goalscorer: Freddie Sears

Final Position: 12th