I am writing in reply to the letter (February 24) from S Grattan, in which he complained about the state of affairs at Colchester United.

I am amazed at the image that was portrayed in the letter, as it certainly is not one I can relate to at the club.

While some of his points regarding the stadium may be true, it is not from lack of effort from the club or the fans, who have attempted to create an atmosphere like the one that had 70 years to develop at Layer Road.

The situation since the first season is greatly improved and there is now far less tension between the fans and the stewards, and therefore a better atmosphere being created.

The club can also not help that the proposed development of the area around the ground has taken so long to proceed.

However, once it does, it will no doubt help integrate the stadium within the town.

His on-the-pitch concerns do ring true with many comments from fans this season.

However, it’s not like the team is not creating chances – they are. It’s just we are lacking the clinical striker to put them away.

Now you could say John Ward and Robbie Cowling should just go out and find one, but I cannot blame Mr Cowling for not wanting to splash the cash after the way Paul Lambert and then Aidy Bothroyd both burnt him a bit over the past three years.

S Grattan says he can’t remember seeing us win a game 3-0 or 4-0, and then proceeds to call for Phil Parkinson to come back.

Well, how many games did we win like that under Mr Parkinson? Not too many.

The season we were promoted, we only won two games by more than two clear goals. One was against Leamington in the first round of the FA Cup and the other was against a very poor Gillingham side.

In fact, we regularly drew or won by only one goal that season as well, much like this season.

He also states: “Mark my words, we will be lucky if we don’t get relegated this season.”

Well, at the time of writing, we are on 45 points, and 52 is usually accepted as being a figure you are safe on, so I would say we would be the unluckiest team ever to get relegated from this position.

Overall, I feel the club is better off without fans like S Grattan. Colchester United is a small club fighting above its weight, mainly because of Mr Cowling and his excellent financial backing over the past five years.

We are investing wisely in new training facilities and our youth development. I, for one, will not be deserting the club at this time, or in the future, as they are my team.

Steven Ellis
High Road
Layer-de-la-Haye