In, out, in, out, shake it all about

Much like a government ministers expenses claim, the turnover of players at United in the last few days has been a lot higher than expected.

Probably the most inevitable departure was that of Darren Quinton, who ceased to serve a purpose about two years ago (ie, when we started getting some half decent players). I always had high hopes for Quints in the early days, but a combination of injuries and lack of growth have probably curtailed his chances of making it as a pro. Interestingly enough, John Turner, who must be of a similar age, had the same problems, and it was perhaps a failing of our previous youth system that many of the players it produced have been unable to cope with the physical side of the game.

The same can't be said of the current CRC set up, whose players are forged in granite after a couple of years battling against the cloggers of the Ridgeons League. I don't recall ever seeing Adam Marriott, Jordan Patrick, or Sam Ives, play, but if they are of similar quality to the likes of Josh Coulson and Rory MacAuley then they'll do ok. Georgie Rolls has said on several occasions that the budget is going to be cut next term, so I guess the trio will all have a supporting role to play in what will hopefully be our glorious first season back in League Two.

Shame to see Fazzer on the way out as well, and I hope that won't be the last we see of him. Although he hasn't often stood out this year, I don't think the Brabinator has given him a fair crack of the whip, and I've seen little from either Challinor of McMahon to suggest that they are superior players. He's much too good for City anyway, and with a bit of luck he'll be back in the reckoning next term.

Thanks to Setanta's faffing, I can't make it to Woking tonight, so will be watching the match on TV instead. No need to worry about the result though, as Cards boss Phil Gilchrist has already written the match off as "unwinnable". Either that, or he's employing some very clever Alex Ferguson-style mind games: "We need to focus on what I think are the winnable games. Of course I didn’t expect us to lose in the way we did at Kidderminster, but that wasn’t a game where realistically we thought we could win because of the form they are in. It’s the same with the Cambridge United," he told the Woking News and Mail. I bet he's great at parties.