U's:0 Scousers:1

Everything seemed sparkly and new at the Abbey last night; new manager, new kit, new optimism about the forthcoming season.

There wasn't much new on the pitch though, with Martin Ling's amber army looking suspiciously like Paul Carden's amber army, and Gary Brabin's amber army before that; lots of possession, but no real cutting edge. The new manager will need to sort that out one way or another before the season starts.

Still, it was nice to hear some actual analysis of the game from our new gaffer, rather than the succession of ers and cliches we'd come to expect from his predecessor.

"I spoke to them about being a passing team and that was really the one comment I made before the game, but I think one or two of the players took me a bit too literally," noted the new man, and it's true that in the first half over-elaboration was the name of the game, with passes going back and forth across the pitch to no great effect. The back eight (for want of a better phrase) were also far too deep, meaning that, although Bees and Crow held the ball up fairly well, they had little support and didn't work the visiting keeper.

Liverpool's expensively assembled collection of European teenagers could have been out of sight by half time but for some wayward finishing and good goalkeeping from Danny Potter. An error by Rory MacAuley in the second minute gave lanky manchild Jordy Brouwer a clear run on goal, but Pottsy saved well with his legs. The same player then rattled the post when it seemed easier to score, following up an Andras Simon shot that had also been well saved.

United were better after the break, thanks in part to substitutions which saw Holroyd inject some pace up front, and the Pittster make a welcome return to the left flank. Courtney entered the field with the grin of a cheshire cat enjoying its ninth life, and immediately gave the team a bit more balance and energy. We all know that a fully focussed Pitt is an asset to the squad, so hopefully Ling will be able to get the best out of him if he stays.

Anyway, yeah, United could've taken the lead in a 20-minute purple patch at the start of the half, which saw Beesley shoot inches wide, then fire a 25-yarder just over. But once Carden and Reason departed to the bench, we lost our grip on the game, and Liverpool resumed control. The only goal was absolute peach of a free kick, struck from just outside the box by Gerado Bruner. His curling effort initially looked to be too high, but had wicked dip on it and fizzed over Potter into the net. You can only admire such technique really. 1-0.

After that the Scousers hit the post, and Potter made a couple more good saves, before Glees strode forward and unleashed a rocket which Liverpool's substitute stopper Martin Hansen palmed away at full stretch. This proved to be our last attack of note in the match, and 1-0 it finished.

United didn't play particularly badly, and the defence is looking better with every passing game. But the nagging doubts about our forward line remain, and while all five strikers in the squad are quality players, we need one of them to become the proverbial fox-in-the-box if we're to sustain a promotion challenge.

Man of the Match: Danny Potter - A busy evening for United's number one, who was only beaten by a special goal.





Day trippers of the Match: The huge party of American students that filled the Habbin, all of whom brought at least one disgusting, overpriced, hot dog. I'm sure it was profitable night at the tea bars.

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This is my manor now

So the scaremongering stories from yesterday turned out to be just that, and Martin Ling is the new gaffer.

We as fans always take the piss out of the CEN for reading things on the messageboard and reporting them as fact, so maybe they were doing some clever reverse-prankery by picking Jerry Gill at random and throwing his name into the hat to get us all over excited. Or maybe I'm giving them too much credit. Who knows.

Back to the man at hand. Ling was obviously the stand-out candidate, and with a squad built for passing football we're probably in better hands with him than a long-ball merchant like Liam Daish, even if he (Ling) does sound sound like a character from Lock Stock or Snatch. I hope his "contacts at the London clubs" are of the footballing nature, and not some kind of heavy mob who are going to come and demand protection money from Histon and City.

And it's a brave move from the board to put him on a three-year contract. I've been a United fan for coming up 18 years, and in that time we've had 12 managers (not including care-takers), only one of the whom has lasted for three years or more. That individual, Roy Mac, is also the only one of the dozen to have achieved a promotion, which probably says a lot about the merits of having stability at a football club. Hopefully tonight's match against the Liverpool XI will be the start of happy new era at CUFC.

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Tick tock doc

Anyone seen the terrible Al Pacino movie 88 minutes?

If you haven't, then I wouldn't bother, because it's terrible, but the basic premise of the film is that Al's forensic doctor character keeps getting phone calls from a serial killer telling him he has 88 minutes to live. Said killer always ends his calls with the phrase "tick tock doc".

This line came to mind after seeing the headlines in this mornings evening news about the managers position at United. Not because any of our directors only have 88 minutes left to live, but because time is ticking on before the start of the season and an appointment doesn't seem to be imminent, with a press conference scheduled for this afternoon now cancelled.

"We’ve got Paul Carden in temporary charge and if he has to take the team on August 8, so be it," said Chairman George, the same man who last Saturday told our favourite family newspaper: "We're hoping to be able to unveil the new manager on Monday, which is what we've wanted to do all along."

A spanner in the managerial works then? It's a bit worrying that this delay has coincided with the name of Jerry Gill being banded about, suggesting that perhaps the board are having second thoughts on the merits of Martin Ling, or - more likely - vice versa. Gill may well be a promising young manager ala the Brabinator, but now is not the time for a novice. In my opinion we need an older head who is going to be used to coming in and working with a ready-made squad.

Employing a young manager is a gamble at the best of times, but dropping one into a situation where there is no room for manoeuvre in the transfer market is even more dangerous. Perhaps the most worrying aspect of this story is that, at the age of 38, he reportedly wants to carry on playing, thus his arrival would also provide defensive cover. The whole thing screams cheap option. Loudly.

Anyway, yeah, we'll have to wait and see. But let's hope a decision is made soon, we need a manager before the season starts, whatever the chairman says. Tick tock docs.

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Cards on the table (ii)

Hmm, so Carden won't be going anywhere for a while after signing a new three-year contract.

Certainly it's happy days on the playing front because Carden is great. And you would assume an announcement about the new manager isn't far off, because it would be crazy to give a long-term contract to an assistant manager without the new man agreeing it.

Has it been done for the right reasons though? It's been said several times that Carden was the mediator between Brabin and Chairman George/The Board, which suggests that either Cards likes the directors, or that he is at least more diplomatic than your average footballer. I just hope we've been so desparate to keep him involved because he really is a "true professional" who will "go on to become a great manager one day", and not just because he gets on alright with the chairman.

Cards has been superb for us over the last season and a half, so I have no reason to doubt him really, but as I said in my previous post, I can't help but think it might have been better to have a clean break from the previous regime rather than this half-and-half solution. Hopefully he and the new manager will prove me wrong in the coming months.

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Cards on the table

Another week begins, and the identity of our new manager remains unclear.

It seems it won't be the old manager, despite the rumours which were sweeping round the Abbey at the weekend. It won't be Steve Evans or Mark Cooper either, but it could be Alan Devonshire, who was apparently interviewed by Chairman George yesterday. By all accounts Devonshire's Hampton & Richmond side don't play the most attractive brand of football out there, but his proven record of finishing second and blowing it in the play-offs means he is well qualified to take the Abbey hotseat.

According to his comments on Radio Cambridgeshire this morning, Paul Carden's name has been withdrawn from the ring, if it was ever really in it in the first place. I've been thinking about our former assistant manager's position quite a bit in the last few days, and have come to the conclusion that it would be best for all concerned if he left the club.

Now if you've read this blog before you should know there is no bigger fan of Carden the player than me, so this feels a bit like kicking my dad - or at least my balding older brother - in the teeth. But if he isn't going to be manager, I think his presence will just make things too uncomfortable for the new incumbent. Most managers will want to bring in their own number two, so to be lumbered with the previous manager's assistant is unlikely to please them.

Carden himself says it "would be hard" to go back to being just a player, and I can't see that working either, especially as the new management team might see him as a potential threat to their jobs if we hit a bad patch of form. Plus he is presumably the highest earner at the club, so his departure would give the new man a bit of cash to appoint a back room team of his own and maybe bring in a player or two.

Of course, if he did go we would have a massive gaping hole in our midfield, but sadly, under the circumstances, I don't see any other way that we as a club can move on properly.

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U's:0 Rovers:4

I know inflation is an unavoidable problem in these credit-crunched times, but prices are spiralling dangerously out of control.

For example, when did chocolate become so expensive? You can't get any normal sized bar in Royston's WH Smith store (here at U's Blog we're not afraid to name and shame) for less than 65p, it's ridiculous.

The same issues are apparently afflicting football matches. I paid £15 to watch United play Blackburn on Tuesday night. £15! For a friendly! It seemed like a good idea at the time, but after about 20 minutes of "action" I was seriously questioning my sanity.

It would have been ok if Rovers had a few star names in their line up, but the only faces I recognised from their first half team were skipper Craig Nelson and everyone's favourite spitting llama, El Hadji Diouf. The latter went up in my estimation by taking the wind up attempts of the Habbin in good humour, even displaying his freakishly large tongue on one occasion.

From what I remember United played alright for about 20 minutes. Parky made a couple of sprightly bursts down the right, and Phillips looked his usual busy self upfront, but twice got into good positions before shooting weakly at the keeper. Generally our attacking play wasn't especially threatening, with neither of the central midfielders, Reason and Farrell, straying beyond the half way line very much. The absence of Carden, confined to the dug out, was keenly felt.

Rovers on the other hand looked dangerous every time they got near our box. Their opening goal was a bit fortunate, with Keith Andrews' free kick taking a deflection off the top of the wall and wrong footing Danny Potter. The second came via a defensive cock up, with Reason, Coulson and Hatswell contriving to present the ball to Diouf, who ran clear and slotted the ball into the net.

It was all change at half time for the visitors, who brought on an entirely new line up. United made several changes as well, and these only accentuated the gulf in class between the two sides. Jason Roberts got on the scoresheet twice with close range finishes following a couple of slick passing moves, while United didn't really have an effort on goal of note, aside from a Reason corner which nearly dipped straight in under the crossbar. Some light entertainment was provided by Blackburn's Jason Brown, usually a keeper but pressed into service on the right wing after another player went off injured. He was cheered by the travelling fans every time he touched the ball, and rewarded them with a bit of Ronaldo-esque showboating.

So yeah, for a lot of the match we looked ponderous and ineffective, and while much of this is probably down to the fact that we were up against far superior opposition, you have to worry about the depth of our squad. All we've got on the bench at the moment are kids, and as talented as they may be, our team is going to end up looking very lightweight if we have to chuck too many of them in at once. Best cross our fingers for a relatively injury-free season.

Man of the Match: Jai Reason - Tried his best to keep a grip on midfield.







Muppet of the Match: The tannoy man, for turning a simple announcement about raffle tickets into a 20 minute monologue.

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Lilywhites:2 U's:2

It may seem like a million years ago, but we actually played a football match on Saturday.

What turned out to be the Brabinator's swansong ended in a vaguely entertaining draw, with City once again looking impressive under the tutelage of Gary Roberts. If they can keep their players fit, they'll surely have another tilt at promotion from the newly named Zamaretto League.

For United the future is less certain after yesterday's events. Looking back, the starting line up was certainly one that screamed managerial defiance, with Holroyd on the left wing and world player of the year-elect Daryl McMahon on the right. The obvious flaw in this plan is that McMahon's right foot is strictly for standing on only, which meant time and time again he got the ball in space, only to check back and cross from deep, rather than surging on to the byline.

City scored first through ex-U Ashley Fuller. A quick counter attack following a United corner saw Antonio Murray feed Steve Gentle, whose cross was emphatically finished by Fuller from just outside the box. 1-0.

At the back for United, trialist Rhys Day looked like the kind of cool, commanding presence we could do with to replace Bolly, although if he has any sense he'll be getting his agent to seek out alternative employment as I type. He was certainly more impressive than Hatswell, who seems to treat pre-season friendlies with the contempt of a man who'd rather have stayed on the beach for a couple more weeks. Hats looked decidedly dodgy on a number of occasions, but I'm sure he'll pull his socks up before the season starts.

United equalised from the unlikely source of Gleeson, who went on a Carlo Alberto-esque overlapping run, playing a quick give and go with McMahon and slipping the ball past City keeper Zac Barratt from close range. 1-1 at half time should've been 2-1 to the home side, but another former United man, Dave Theobold, missed a simple headed chance at the far post just before the whistle.

Murray hardly stuck out like a player who should be at a higher level, and missed a simple chance in the second half when he got free of his marker but glanced a header wide. He made no mistake moments later though, after Josh Coulson got in a muddle and gifted him the ball in the box in front of goal. No chance Potter, 2-1.

Danny Crow was one of many United substitutes, and if his performance is anything to go by he has (unfortunately) not changed much since last season; lots of nice touches in the build up but no end product. He was denied by Barratt from close range after being set up by Carden, and could've won the match but headed a Parky cross wide with the goal gaping. There is definitely a good player in there somewhere, but if he doesn't improve his finishing I doubt he'll last long under the new regime.

In between times a more deadly striker, Holroyd, had equalised. Again it stemmed from good work by Gleeson, who reacted quickly when a Sam Ives shot was blocked, and sent over a low cross which super Chris tapped in from three yards.

I guess any conclusions that could've been drawn from the match are now null and void. It will be interesting to see how we line up against Blackburn tonight, with Cardy presumably having taken the reigns. You would imagine a few prospective managers will be in the stands as well, crowd watching could be more interesting than the match itself.

Man of the Match: Dan Gleeson - Scored one, made another, and generally looked solid. If we don't sign another centre half, I reckon he'd do a job there too.





Banter of the Match: Day to Gleeson during the second half - "I feel like I've had five heart attacks". Pre-season fitness levels are obviously high for our prospective new number five.

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Bye bye Brabin

Well what can you say? Except for bugger. And arse. And other such expletives.

It's been clear for the last week or so that all has not been well in the good state of Cambridge United, but I didn't expect it to come to a head in such dramatic fashion. The to-and-fro'ing between Brabin and Rolls in the CEN was, frankly, pathetic from both men, although the Brabinator trumped chairman George in the stupidity stakes with the bizarre elevation of the previously out-of-favour Daryl McMahon to world class status ("Daryl McMahon can play any position and he's another quality player," he said in what turned out to be his final press conference).

You'd have hoped they could've worked through their differences rather than just ripping it all up and starting again, if for no other reason than we will now be using a portion of our (already limited) budget to pay off yet another manager. Our chairman/board of directors have managed to fall out with two managers in just over a year, and while I suspect neither were totally blameless for their demise, it seems there are too many egos battling behind the scenes for the club to function properly for any lengthy period of time. Are we going to keep changing managers every year until they find one that is totally compliant and never makes a fuss? It's a very strange way to run an organisation.

For whatever reason we're now back to square one again, only this time we have a squad full of contracted players who the new manager may or may not fancy. Plus there's the issue of what happens to Carden, because it will surely be a bit arkward if he reverts to a playing role from a position of relative authority.

The main priority now is that the board need to act quickly and decisively when appointing a next boss. We don't have time to mess about, and it's important for the new man to have time to come in and make his mark on the squad before the season starts.

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Bolland gone

"He is interested in getting involved in [club name] in its own right but also with a view to raising awareness of and involvement in football globally. It certainly has the potential for a mutually beneficial and great partnership."

Although I'm not entirely sure what all that means, it's a grand statement of intent isn't it? So who do you think the club involved are? Real Madrid? Man Utd? Chelsea? No, it's our beloved village neighbours of course, announcing the imminent arrival of a new investor from overseas. I look forward to the new man using the Histon brand to raise awareness of the game globally, I'm sure all the kids in China will soon be swapping their Ronaldo posters for pin ups of Jamie Barker in no time.

I'm not too fussed that we're not making any attempts to re-build the British Empire, but it would be nice if we could flesh out our squad in the centre-back department. Following today's announcement that Bolly will be playing his football at the far edge of the known universe (Barrow) next season, we now have just Hatswell, Coulson, plus youngster Darryl Coakley, to cover at the back.

Chairman George had been making noises about offering Bolly a new contract recently, so there must be a bit of money there. However, I'm a bit worried the Brabinator may choose to spunk it on Darryl McMahon instead of a player we actually need.

"Daryl McMahon is a quality player and I think he showed he was the best player on the pitch," said our leader following Tuesday's win over Ely. "It just shows his attitude that he's desperate to come back and play for us."

An unemployed player desperate to get a job, who'd have thought it eh? I think McMahon is ok, and in an ideal world wouldn't mind having him in the squad as cover. But if we're going to challenge this year, we can't afford to go into the season with one senior centre back on the books. And while we're at it, we should probably be looking for a back-up keeper, and a left-winger if Courtney leaves, before we consider signing another average Conference central midfielder. We'd better hope the Brabinator gets his priorities right.

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Here we go again

Despite being relentlessly boring and incident free, this closed-season has passed awfully quickly. I suppose one of the benefits of being regular play-off losers is that it shaves a good three or four weeks off the football-less period between May and July.

I always struggle a bit to get excited about pre-season games. Nick Hornby memorably described friendlies as "methodone football", and indeed surely only an addict would consider trekking out to Ely tonight, especially when two of the principal joys of pre-season will be absent: we won't get a first look at the new players because, er, there aren't any, and the stereotypical pre-season warm weather seems to have done a runner as well.

"The lads all came back in good shape and I'm proud of them for the way they've looked after themselves during the summer," said the Brabinator in his first Bland-a-thon of the season. "We've been working had on fitness straightaway, but I don't believe in hiding the ball for three or four weeks and making them work exclusively on their fitness like some managers do."

Speaking of losers who are obsessed with fitness, it's all go over at the Glassworld, with the potential arrival of United rejects Shane "Too good for the Conference" Tudor and Adam "Too good for the Conference" Tann. Having described Cambridge as "boring" in his legendary Four Four Two interview, Tudor must surely be relishing the prospect of experiencing the cultural smorgasbord that is Histon and Impington. Do they still do kareoke at the Railway Vue?

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