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Dissent in the ranks

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Given recent events at Layer Road, it`d be remiss not to comment on them, you`d think I`d not been paying attention!

As long as I write in the Club`s own, “Official match-day magazine” I realise many will image me as a club toady; that my rose-tinted specs were a condition on getting the gig and that even on those rare occasions I do cross the line, it`ll be edited out anyway.

The first may be true, the rose-tinted specs are just an aspect of my character I`m afraid and as for the editing, that lot in the Media Department would know a grammatical error if it bit them on the? {snip – Ed.}

For my two pence worth (probably not even worth that) I think it`s a shame we can`t all pull in the same direction. Cuckoo Farm has been more Cuckoo Land for so many years. I honestly thought it`d never happen.

The team`s achievements on the pitch have brought the situation to a head. If, as a commercial business and as a town, we are turning thousands of people away as we don`t have the facilities, it`s madness. Financial suicide. The stadium makes sense in so many ways.

I still blink and rub my eyes when I see pictures of foundations being sunk and concrete poured. “Not in Colchester.” I tell myself. “There must be some mistake.” But there isn`t. It really is happening. Our new stadium is being built. Right now. Not “In the future.” Or “We hope to by x, y, z date.” Now, this minute, just up the road.

It has taken a lot of people a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get to this stage. It seems complete madness to turn on one another, when there are still so many battles to be won, which we must fight together.

If it were over something vital, like the pitch being made of broken glass; child slave labour being used on the stands; ITFC being painted into the seats – that might make some sense.

For the very people that, without, we may not have made it – for them to cause such consternation over a pub, or lack thereof? I just can`t get my head around it.

Maybe that`s just me, I do tend to miss the important things sometimes, it`s not unheard of. I just hope that when the turnstiles roll for the first time, those that have put so much work in are the first through them. They deserve it. We all do. Whatever the problems are, surely they`re not insurmountable.

The club have said as much. There may not be a bar, for now. They`re not ruling it out entirely. If there are 7-10,000 thirsty football fans, gasping for a pint before the match what would you do? We`re back to financial suicide. CUFC have been run as a smart, sustainable business up until now, why would we expect them to stop all of a sudden?

Short sharp shock

It`s about keeping your eye on the ball. Much like the team of late. After our excellent start, perhaps they were lulled into a false sense of security, or started to believe their own hype?

We drew with Sheffield United, were unlucky to only draw with Barnsley and then spanked Preston. Burnley at home, that should be easy, right? Well, it probably should if we`d played as we had in the first three games. The minute you think the game is won, it`s lost. Burnley out-battled us. There aren`t many sides can say that over the past few years.

Hopefully that defeat will have been a short, sharp, shock and things will be back to their best today for Charlton. We have a habit of raising our game against the ‘bigger` sides. The recently relegated Addicks fit that bill.

Chris Iwelumo will be the first of the summer exodus to return to Layer Road. Of the main ‘leavers` he`s likely to get the best reception. It didn`t take long for the Charlton fans to see what we saw. His match-winning brace soon had them singing his name.

There were those writing him off before a ball was kicked. I read one fan likening him to Kim Grant and Jason Lee. Let`s hope he plays like them today.

Eye on the ball today U`s fans rouse the team to their best. Up those super white and blues!

Read this and more from the gasman in the U`s Award Winning Matchday Magazine “U’s Review” Still priced at £3 available on matchdays and from the Club Shop!

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