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

It does seem we are destined to be scratching our heads as to why we cannot have a consistently competitive team.

While I fully understand that the Championship years were where we overachieved, there is no getting away from how the bottom of League Two is underachieving.

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Personally, I think we belong in League One as an established mid-table team.

Now it's all well and good thinking and looking where we should be; what is very much evident at the moment is that it will take a lot of work to achieve this.

After Saturday and recent results, there's probably more eyes on the National League than League One.

It's hard to pinpoint what is going wrong.

There's a lot of talk of a losing mentality and how the chairman, Robbie Cowling, is to blame for the decline.

But to play devils advocate, I disagree. We all moaned about investment and going cheap on internal management appointments but in the here and now, this can't be thrown at him.

(Image: RICHARD BLAXALL)

He went out and appointed the management team we were all crying out for.

They have been backed in the transfer window with a squad revamp and have been able to get in the players they wanted plus at the time, there was not much outcry with who we sold.

It's only now we have been hit by injuries that this is starting to creep into conversation.

So where does the issue lie? Injuries to key players has not helped and having Bishop, Edwards and Tovide all out at the same time has ripped the spine out of the team.

These key players missing has meant that others have stepped up from the bench and in turn, this has limited the options we have to bring on to influence games, when change is needed.

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However, we can't use this as an excuse; injuries are part of the game and must be factored in.

If there are positions where we are light, then let’s look at who we have out on loan to bring back.

Oscar Thorn have proved this is not necessarily the worst idea, as he has come back with a bang.

If the answer is not there or in the under-21s, then let's look to the free agents.

While they may not be a long-term solution, in the short term there must be some who can be a stop gap.

(Image: MATT WILKINSON)

That said, be under no illusion - we won't find a 20-goal-a-season striker hiding, as these players will have been snapped up in the summer already.

Whatever the answer is to the problem, it needs to be found soon.

We have been getting worse over the last few games and the Salford game on Saturday was not good enough.

I get mistakes will be made and football is much easier to play from the stands, but the last 20 minutes were awful.

We had no shape or structure and couldn't even keep possession from a throw in; we literally threw away possession.

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These things get moaned about at Sunday League level, so in the professional game it is unforgivable.

No matter what tactics or set up we are trying to play, if we can not get the simplest of simple things right no manager can influence the game, no matter who they are.

Colchester fans love the club and while we will stand by through thick and thin, this does not mean we will hide our discontent.

(Image: RICHARD BLAXALL)

The boos that came at the final whistle were out of frustration towards a squad that we know can do better.

No-one likes to lose, especially at home but sometimes it's how we lose that really feels like a kick in the teeth.

The FA Cup is next on the agenda, with a trip to fellow strugglers Swindon Town on Saturday.

This is a distraction from the league that will maybe give a few other players a chance to show why they should be first choice over the current XI.

Whatever happens, the fans will be there to support the side and let's hope instead of boos, this time full-time is met with cheers and our name is in the hat for round two. Up the U’s.