Up the Us
Up the Us Promoted to the football league in 1950, Colchester United have spent all but two seasons in the bottom two divisions, bouncing between the third and fourth tiers on a regular basis. Howe...
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Losing to City is expected but it looks like you made a good showing of it. The league was the main goal coming into this season to fight for promotion and it looks like that is nearly confirmed. Plenty of season left but the way this team has played all year, promotion looks inevitable.
@LABoog4
Yes, I love playing against the bigger sides when doing a career like this. Even though you lose, it's a good indicator of how I am managing to develop a club (or sometimes not!).
I's the magic of the cup competitions.
Club Buys Part of Stadium
For fans who have been a little perplexed at the apparent arrival of building kit and materials, these last couple of games, the truth is now out.
The club has bought a 49% stake in the stadium from the council, and the money invested to do that is to be used to expand the stadium. Colchester Council built the stadium with a seating capacity of 10,000, in a design that always left the ability to expand later. Indeed, the ground and the surrounding land is sufficient to have a much bigger stadium.
Stadium to be Upgraded
Work is starting to expand the ground to 20-25,000 seats, ready for a return to the Championship. The major work will be done in close season, but much preparation can be done now. It fits in with the rest of the development for Colchester’s leisure centre. The stadium was originally built ‘in the middle of nowhere’ alongside the major route from London to Norwich, but the intervening years has seen a steady development of facilities, including a cycle track, rugby club and, next to the stadium, completion is due on a complex including indoor bowls, a large cinema and 10 restaurants, which will turn the stadium and its surrounting area into a mecca for people wanting to pursue their leisure interests.
“We have wanted our stadium back within the club for many years”, said the club statement. “This is the culmination of that, and we couldn’t be more excited.”
The council decided to keep a majority share in the stadium to ensure its future couldn’t subsequently be compromised by anything that happens in the future. “We have seen other clubs suffer when owners sell the ground. Robbie (Cowling) is not that kind of person, but who knows what might happen in the far future? This ensures that cannot happen to Colchester United.”
It’s another step forward for what is becoming quite a progressive club.
Cup Progress
The start of February saw the U’s conquer Nottingham Forest yet again. After beating them in this season’s Carabao Cup quarter-final, the U’s ran out 2-0 winners at the City Ground in the 4th round of the FA Cup.
Norton Opens against Forest
Together with their win over the same club in last year’s Carabao Cup, that makes a hat-trick of victories over the premier league side. Fans were heard singing “Can we play you every week?” in the second half. Championship side Barnsley await in round 5.
The U’s followed that up with a quarter-final BSM Trophy win over Lincoln City, as their attempt to retain the trophy gathered pace. Academy graduate Hernan Peralta polished his growing reputation with a double against the Imps, who were once managed by U’s manager Danny Cowley.
Fabien Louis was the hero of the 5-0 thrashing of Oxford United in the league, scoring an 11-minute hat-trick in the second half, in front of a host of higher-league scouts.
“We are on a good run, most certainly” said Cowley. “The players have really found their groove now and it looks good for the rest of the season.”
Another Academy Player Steps Up
Centre-back Teddy Welsh (17) has been promoted to the first team squad, adding to the team’s defensive options.
Welsh joined the club last season and has made steady progress to the point where manager Danny Cowley decided he could make the step up.
“Teddy is big, strong and has a good footballing brain on him. He’s been brilliant at intercepting play in the reserves and he deserves his chance to make a mark.”
Welsh made a solid start in his debut against Lincoln City in the BSM Trophy, more than holding his own against a dynamic attack, and playing a big part in the victory.
The City-games seem to have been great. Losing 4-1 on aggregate seems realistic, but you did well to push them in both games. More talents coming through, the Welsh fellow already looks first team ready, and Louis seems to receive high praise, also scoring a hattrick recently.
I've just qualified for the BSM Trophy final myself. And it seems you're getting there too.
I like Pep's response: he's always overly positive about the opponents. Even if City blows them away, Pep is still talking about a very strong opponent. It's respectful from one side, but from a different angle it's an overload of feathers up someone's @$$
- @JustinCase0110 They were some of the most satisfying games I've played for a while, despite losing them both.
I have so many academy players coming through. I can't possibly keep them all, I suppose... @Danimal5981
Ha ha ha. I posted that ncomment from him simply because I think he would have said it, given the gap between us and how well we did.The U’s go Marching On
The U’s completed an entire month of victories by winning the four matches they had in the second half of February.
Olav Petersen and Xisco Aguilar scored a brace each to see off Sheffield Wednesday in the league, followed by a 6-0 thrashing of Burton Albion away from home, which saw six different names on the scoresheet. Reading were then despatched 5-1, with the U’s five goals coming from different players.
The U’s finished the month booking a trip to Wembley to defend their Bristol Street Motors trophy, in a match that saw academy debutant Xabier Rojas score in his first ever match, coming on as a late substitute and notching on 76 minutes.
The U’s are in control of League 1, five points ahead of Rotherhjam with a match in hand, and a huge 14 ahead of Derby in third, with the top two securing automatic promotion.
Fabien Louis is the U’s top goalscorer, on 21 goals, deposing Samson Tovide as the go-to striker for goals.
He also leads the League 1 goalscoring charts, with Tovide currently 10th.
FA Cup Run Continues
10-man Colchester United advanced past Championship Barnsley in the FA Cup at Camulodunum, winning 2-0 despite right-back Andres Nunez being sent off in the second half.
Barnsley who, as the bottom team in the Championship, are just one place above the U’s in the pyramid, had no answer to the supremely confident U’s, illustrating the difference between being top of one division and bottom of another.
Either side of that, the U’s recorded three more wins in the league, to continue their progress towards the Championship, where they could well replace their FA Cup opponents next season.
The Plymouth match was notable for the return of Bradley Ihionvien after 3 months out with a toe injury, and he continued where he left off, with what proved to be the winning goal for the U’s.
Bradley Ihionvien: Scoring Return
Next up in the cup is a massive test against the billionaire Premier League side Newcastle United, at St James’ Park, no less. It could be the end of the road for the U’s this season.
“We are looking forward to the challenge” said manager Danny Cowley. 52,000 in the crowd, on TV and a chance to show the country what we are about.”
@CO88LER5 wrote:
I have so many academy players coming through. I can't possibly keep them all, I suppose...I always try not to flood my squads with academy players, at least in the first couple of seasons. A mix of real players and a few academy graduates is my preferred way to go about it, currently also only having two in my first team squad at Stockport, closing in on the end of the third season. Later on I might get some more involved with real players getting older. But I always try not to flood the squad too soon.
A lot of big wins lately. 5-0, 6-0 etc. Seems a bit too easy for you at the moment...
U’s Stun Magpies in the Cup
Colchester United pulled off a major upset in the FA Cup quarter-final with a 2-0 win at St James’ Park. Star striker Fabien Louis was the hero, with two breakaway goals, to add to his growing reputation, as the U’s dug in doggedly during the entire match and hit the billionaires on the break, as the League 1 outfit sent their fans into delerium.
Fabien Louis Celebrates His Second Against Newcastle
“What can I say?” manager Danny Cowley said. “We had a plan and it worked. Fabien’s pace made him ideal to do exactly what he did, and our defence was marvellous.”
So, four teams remain, and the U’s have a semi-final at Wembley. The draw was as kind as it could be, too, pitting the Essex outfit against Fulham, whilst what the neutrals would really like as the final – Chelsea vs Liverpool – is the other semi.
Elsewhere, 4 academy players scored in the match against Northampton Town, as the U’s retained leadership of League 1 with 8 games to go.
Squad Break-Up in the Summer?
There have been a significant increase in the number of scouts from across Europe at U’s matches recently, suggesting that a number of players may be on the move in the summer. Colchester United’s exploits in the cups, most of them televised, have triggered a reaction from clubs of all sizes, setting fans’ nerves on edge.
Top of the shopping list will be Fabien Louis, who has made scoring against premier league sides a strong habit this season. After the aggregate defeat against Manchester City, Pep Guardiola singled the young Frenchman out for special praise.
Louis: in Demand this Summer?
Others likely to generate interest are established midfielders Olav Petersen and Marcel Ruiz, goalkeeper Ned Labrovic and a number of other kids, such as Satoshi Takahashi, Iago Miranda and the other scoring sensation from the academy, Xisco Aguilar.
“Our players are not for sale, certainly at the moment,” said manager Danny Cowley. “We are trying to build something special here and it’s going to take stellar offers for us to even consider it.
“Having said that, if a really big club comes in for someone, and we think it’s the right move for the player, then obviously we would have to have a conversation, but I can assure fans that we are not a selling club under any other circumstances.”
It’s a development that was probably inevitable but also unwelcome, for the fans of the club.
Trophy Retained and Promotion Gained
The U’s retained their BSM Trophy at Wembley, with a 3-0 win against their promotion rivals Rotherham United. The U’s had the upper hand from the start, with a 13th-minute Louis goal, en route to his hat-trick in the final.
The fans enjoy Wembley
“We are pleased to have retained this trophy,” said manager Danny Cowley. It shows we still have the hunger.”
The celebrations were short, given that the club had a league match three days later, where they won at Wycombe to seal promotion to the Championship.
“It’s a great reward for the hard work we’ve put in all season,” said Cowley. “We can now start planning for a tougher test next season, although of course we still have matches to play this season, and we won’t take our eye off the ball just yet.”
Back to back promotions and back to back EFL Trophy wins. And now in the FA Cup semi final too with a favourable draw. Your team go from strength to strength, and I anticipate an easy run in the Championship too.
- @JustinCase0110
It's been quite interesting, really, Some of the matches have been a stroll recently, but some of them are much harder than the score suggests, which makes it satisfying.
I think that we may well see some dramatic change to the squad in the summer, though, as a number of players have really caught the eye and bigger teams are bound to be interested. Great work on back-to-back promotions. The Championship should be exciting, the hardest league to get out of.
What players do you think you can sell for a big enough profit to reinvest into the squad?
- @LABoog4
Well, I "promised" the goalkeeper, Ned Labrovic, that he could go if he got a better offer. Maybe that could raise £10 million. Olav Petersen is another - maybe £4-5 million, and he's also on a promise of the same kind. But the biggie is Marcel Ruiz, who could fetch £30 million. He shouldn't be with Colchester really and I don't know why bigger clubs haven't made an offer, but being a Championship club now raises our level of interest from other clubs.
I expect the manager will have to honour his agreement with each of those, which would be a welcome amount. I've been deliberately nurturing in-house replacements for all three. Fischer and Gardiner as goalkeepers, Alexander Schmitt as the CDM (for Ruiz) and I already has Noah Chilvers when I started the career to replace Petersen as CAM - and also Iago Miranda and Ryan Norton, who were promoted at the start of last season.
The other potential big fee I really don't want to sell, which is the French youngster Fabien Louis. He's in my squad with a value of £10 million at the moment, but that might go up when we hit the Championship. I've seen that happen before.
I don't know what kind of budget I'm going to get from the owners at the momet but, to be honest, I think I already have players who can do a job in the Championship. Not all, obviously, but a very good base. I have had a lot of games this season, which means quite a few of my academy players have got a lot of minutes and therefore grown quite a bit.
So, it's going to be an interesting summer... More Records Set by the U’s
The second half of April saw Colchester set new club records.
Firstly, they reached the final of the FA Cup for the first time in their history, with an end-to-end thriller at Wembley against Fulham. The scoreline of 4-2 disguised the fact that it was a close-run thing until Fabien Louis (who else?) made it safe in the 84th minute with the third of his hat-trick. Louis started the scoring early on, catching Fulham asleep in the 4th minute, and all the other Col U goals were breakaways.
The win sees them meeting Chelsea, currently the Premier League leaders, in the final, as they prevailed over Liverpool in the other semi.
Colchester made further history by winning the League One Championship. Their only previous promotion to the second tier was as runners-up to their Essex rivals Southend United, back in season 2005-6; this season therefore sees them winning their highest ever divisional title.
The second half of the month also saw three hat-tricks. Fabien Louis scored three times against both Fulham and Lincoln City, whilst Xisco Aguilar scored a first-half hat-trick at Derby County as the U’s clinched the title. Unfortunately for Aguilar, he then broke a toe just before half-time, which will see him miss the remainder of the season.
Xisco Aguilar: Season Over
The U’s lead Rotherham United by 10 points, with the latter having just 3 matches remaining; their next one is against the champions, but they too already have promotion secured, so this will be a ‘dead rubber’. Only pride is at stake.
Colchester players dominate the assists chart, showing the creativity of the squad:
Wow I have never seen an assist chart like that! So many players with over 5 assists, that is great to see in a squad.
Chelsea will be a great final. Top of the PL against League 1 winners. Will have to be your biggest upset yet if you want to win it all..
U’s Stun Premier League Champions
In what is probably the biggest upset in modern football at least, Colchester United beat Premier League champions Chelsea in the FA Cup final at Wembley.
The League 1 champions got off to the best possible start when Fabien Louis danced past the Chelsea defence and scored in the 4th minute – something that Col U have done several times this season and a trait that the Chelsea management should have been aware of. Louis’ second goal came from a Chelsea corner, after it was cleared to Marcel Ruiz, who put the young Frenchman through with a first-time pass. It was a classic rapid counter-attack, which has also been a feature of Colchester’s play against the bigger sides all season.
Ebereche Eze pulled one back for Chelsea, who had camped in the Colchester half, and we thought that would lead to an avalanche from the Premier League champions, but it was Noah Chilvers who scored next, latching on to a loose ball in the penalty area during a rare Colchester attack, to send the minnows in to the half-time break 3-1 up.
The second half was all Chelsea traffic, and Nicolas Jackson made it 3-2 with a well-taken shot on 53 minutes, but the U’s held on and scored another breakaway goal – Louis’ third – in time added on at the end of the match to record a 4-2 scoreline that was not reflective of the game as a whole.
“I’m lost for words” said manager Danny Cowley. “What can I say, other than a huge ‘thank you’ to all the fans, the staff, the players and the whole of Colchester for the support and hard work that has led to this.”
When he was reminded that, apart from the historic nature of the win, this trophy means that Colchester will be in the Europa League next season, his reaction was of shock. “You know, I never thought of that. We were simply focused on giving a good account of ourselves.
“It’s something else we’ll have to plan for. Simply amazing.”
38% possession and a final win. Jose himself would be proud!
Great win, this changes things big time next season. Not only do you have the grueling Championship schedule but also Europa added into it. The squad depth will be important.
Planning for Next Season has Begun
Danny Cowley: The work never stops
An interview with Danny Cowley has revealed the thinking behind next season.
Q: What are the priorities going to be for next season – consolidation or a promotion push?
DC: Let’s not get that far ahead! The Championship is a big step up, so we’ll approach it from the perspective of a game at a time and see where we go – at least in the early stages.
Q: How does Europe affect your thinking?
DC: We know we have at least six European games to fit in before Christmas. That adds to the workload, so we’ll have to keep a decent-sized squad. We don’t know what the opposition will be yet, so we don’t know how to approach those games and how they affect the side for the games either side. It’s an interesting challenge.
Q: Talking about the squad, what’s the likely change there? What budget will you have?
DC: I would be very silly to mention a number, as that makes you a hostage to negotiations. We have some thoughts about who might go and where we’ll need to bring people in as a result. Last season, we developed a lot of academy promotees because we had the games to play them in. We are confident many of those can make the step up to Championship football. Let’s wait and see.
Q: But do you expect a lot of change?
DC: We will see changes. How many, I couldn’t possibly say at this point.
Q: It’s going to be an exciting season. The ground is being expanded, too. What are you hoping for?
DC: Big crowds, enjoying exciting, hopefully winning football. The more the merrier!
@CO88LER5 wrote:It always amazes me how you can keep these players happy with so few games during a season. 19 games for Chilvers, out of 42 at this point. Having performed so well in those 19, one would certainly expect him to have played more often. The same goes with Ruiz, Dean, Tovide, Petersen, Miranda and Viudez on the above chart. Maybe a few of them have arrived during the season, obviously that will better reflect their number of games. But for those who've been there all season, I would expect most of them bo be unhappy at this point.
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