Colchester United fan Si Collinson gives his views on the U's

AT the final whistle on Saturday, after Colchester United had lost to Cheltenham Town, there was a round of boos and a lot of choice words.

It was the frustration of yet another game where it was not good enough.

It seems no matter what we do to improve, there is no consistency and we end up slipping to default settings.

Just when we think there is a light at the end of the tunnel, the power is cut and we are left in the proverbial darkness, scratching our heads.

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There has been a lot of the feel-good factor about the side and especially the home games this season, but after we conceded in the fifth minute, you could sense a change in the atmosphere.

We started well, but then Cheltenham got the ball and from their first foray into our half they score from yet more sloppy defending and then we were chasing the game.

Not just in the football sense, but also in the stands the wind had been taken out of our sails and frankly, everyone could only see the game going one way.

Lyle Taylor – yet again one of the few players to come out with any credit – scored a very well-taken goal after he combined with Samson Tovide to level the scores.

(Image: STEVE BRADING)

But as normal, things were not to go our way and Samson was forced off though injury just past the half hour mark and this blunted our attack considerably.

From there, a bad game got worse and after losing the ball through sloppy play in midfield, the visitors were gifted all the time in the world to get their shot off and it was deflected past Macey for Cheltenham to regain their lead and they never looked back.

The second half was the worst 45 minutes of football we have seen in North Essex for a long time and we got what we deserved from the game, nothing.

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After the international break, I did hope that the time spent off the pitch and on the training ground would smooth out some of the rough edges and enable us to combine all phases of the game better but the opposite seems to have occurred.

We are very disjointed and in the first ten seconds of a ball turnover we are very slow to react, on both fronts.

We do not gain our shape quickly enough and get behind the ball when we lose it to start the press early and then when we do win it, we are often caught napping and are pressed to squander possession again.

Personnel-wise, I do not think we are playing the strongest defence we have.

(Image: STEVE BRADING)

As fans, we are not privy to all information and players could be carrying knocks or be under a load management programme which could explain why they are not playing.

But it is hard to see that this could be the case, as if they are on the bench then they should be fit to play.

It is not really the place here to name players, but I am sure as a fanbase if you were to ask ten people the question as to who should or should not be playing, I am certain there would be the same few changes mentioned nine times out of ten.

The matchday squad is light on attacking numbers as the injury list mounts, that much no-one can deny.

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This is where we should look to who we have out on loan and in the under-23s.

These players can be recalled – like the highly impressive Oscar Thorn has been - depending on their agreements or if already in the building, step up as needed.

Instead of playing current players out of position, why not give them a chance to prove they are worth the shirt?

Personally, as a fan I’d rather see a young winger like Thorn playing and showing what he can do, rather than shoehorning a current squad member out of position.

(Image: WWW.CU-FC.COM)

This is detrimental to both players as the youngster will feel there is no pathway and the player out of position will not necessarily be suited and will get the blame from fans, even though he is in a situation not of his own making.

While as always this is one of many views and there will be more going on behind the scenes than any of us know.

One thing is for sure, we need a vast improvement when we travel to Chesterfield in the search of three points.

We need to stick together and stand by the Cowleys.

It is hard to see but hopefully someone will put 10p in the meter and that light at the end of the tunnel will burst back into brightness. Up the U’s.