RIP Courtney's Cambridge United career - hello Simon Russell

Today my friends is a sad day in the history of CUFC, up there with the day we sold the Abbey, the day we got relegated to the Conference, and the day we decided to appoint Steve Thompson as manager.

Because just hours ago Courtney Pitt's departure was confirmed, with the little winger joining York on loan for the rest of the season.

For me this is the first bum note Lingy has played in the transfer market so far. Courtney isn't the most consistent of players, and his ability to look like Leo Messi one minute, Kingsley Mbome the next, has always divided the opinions of supporters. But if he was brilliant all the time he clearly wouldn't be at this level, and if you look at the assist charts over the five years he has been at the club I'm sure he would always feature near the top.

Above all, his departure leaves badly us lacking what the Spanish call a "fantasy" player, someone who can come up with an unexpected moment of magic. Quite often during our stay in the Conference a Pitt run or shimmy has been the only thing to light up a dreary match, and I think now he's gone we might truly realise what a dangerous player he is at this level. All the best Courtney.

In his place we appear to have acquired a younger version of Hatswell, a blonde cockatoo by the name of Simon Russell, who played a lot last season for York when they were rubbish, but hasn't featured much since they've become decent. And when you add in the fact that Lingy himself describes the new man as "versatile" (ie not very good at anything), then the early signs don't look promising if you ask me. But I'd be a fool to write off a player before he's even pulled on an amber shirt, so let's hope he shows himself to be worthy of a longer stay.

*Don't forget I want your 20-word match reports on the York match tomorrow. Details below.

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Team of the decade

So soon it will be farewell to the noughties, a decade which has introduced us to the delights of Big Brother, Facebook, Lady Gaga, and a plethora of gadgets prefaced by the letter i.

But while it may have been a good time for social networking gurus and singers of indeterminate gender, the last ten years have not been a vintage period in the long and glorious history of Cambridge United.

Nevertheless, in between relegations, ground sales, Wembley failures, and a million managerial changes, a few talented players have donned the amber and black, so in their honour here is the U’s Blog team of the decade, lining up in a 3-5-2 formation.

Goalkeeper: Lionel Perez.
People seem to remember Perez as just being a bit of a clown, and while his many eccentricities were certainly a big part of his appeal, he was a top drawer keeper as well. Sadly a good goalie can only make a difference behind a decent defence, and while he kept us up virtually single-handedly in 2000/01, he could do nothing to stop our demise the following year. Shame that penalty against Tranmere didn’t go in.


Defender: Dan Gleeson.
One of our most consistent performers since he made his debut in back in 2003, Gleese certainly still has the potential to go on and play at a higher level. Hopefully that will be with United, and I can see him moving to centre half from his usual right back slot in the next couple of years.

Defender: Mark Peters.
Our team at the moment is crying out for a slightly younger version of Mark Peters. An unflappable presence in our first three seasons in the Conference, he could head a ball further than most mere mortals could kick it, and was the master of the tactical foul on the half way line to stop a promising opposition attack. Add to that his exploits between the sticks as emergency keeper, and you have a legendary figure.

Defender: Michael Morrison.
Another extremely consistent player, who looked at home in the first team from the moment he made his debut in 2005. Now fulfilling his undoubted potential in the Championship with Leicester City.

Right Wing: Shane Tudor.
Ok, so Tudor was a grumpy little git who had ideas above his station, and of course went off on that legendary rant about how rude the people of Cambridge are. But on the pitch you couldn’t really fault him, and in 2002/03 he was virtually unplayable as Shaggy’s swashbuckling team took Division Three by storm. Sadly injuries meant he was never the same after that, but he was one of few players to shine in the 2004/05 relegation season, netting some crucial goals including the last minute winner against Oxford.

Central Midfield: Luke Guttridge.
I never took to Guttridge at all, but like Tudor I’ll grudgingly admit he was quite good. His best year was 2003/04, when his goals were the only thing that kept us clear of a relegation battle in Division Three. Some unwise career choices since then have meant he probably won’t fulfil his promise, and I’m sure we were all secretly pleased when Danny Webb lamped him one in that game against Shrewsbury in 2004/05.

Central Midfield: Paul Wanless.
I said Perez kept us up single-handedly in 2001, but that’s a bit unfair on Wanny, whose goals also made a big difference. A last minute winner against his boyhood club Oxford was one of 11 strikes that season, and while injuries and his blatant dislike of John Beck hampered him in 2001/02, he played his part in 2002/03, memorably scoring an equaliser at Lincoln when United were down to nine men.

Central Midfield: Paul Carden.
A key player in both our failed promotion attempts, Cardy has been a bit less consistent this term, but remains one of the top midfielders in the Conference. Also deserves credit for the admirable diplomacy he showed after his best mate the Brabinator was given the boot in the summer.

Left Winger: Courtney Pitt.
As the only player to have featured in all five of our Conference seasons so far, Courts deserves to be in the team on the basis of his longevity alone. Capable of playing like Leo Messi one minute, Kingsley Mbome the next, he continues to divide opinions among U’s fans but would always be one of the first names on my team sheet.

Striker: Dave Kitson.
Bizarrely described as a “wandering gipsy” (is there any other kind?) by Paul Wanless in his LDV Vans final programme pen pictures, the ginger genius is probably the best striker I’ve seen play for United. Shame the move to Stoke hasn’t really worked out for him.




Striker: Scott Rendell.
In terms of haircuts, a Kitson/Rendell partnership would be a barber’s nightmare. Scotty isn’t a particularly good footballer, but his habit of finding space in the six yard box should be enough to help carve out a decent career, and you can’t really argue with his record of 30 goals in 55 league games for United. The best one was certainly the last – the winner against the Chavs in the play offs.

Subs: Danny Potter, Andy Duncan, Rob Wolleaston, Tom Youngs, Robbie Simpson.

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U's:1 Minstermen:2

Bah, who wants to go to Stoke anyway? It's freezing cold, their fans are miserable gits, and Dave Kitson doesn't even play for them anymore. Unlucky York.

Having said that, United were the unlucky ones in a second round FA Cup game which they dominated, save for a mad three minute spell just before half time which ultimately put the visitors in round three. Highlights here, courtesy of MatBro51:



The early signs were promising, with our new young midfield pairing of Ives and McAuley showing up well in the middle of the park and the Pittster carrying on his impressive form of Tuesday night. The only disappointment was that, for all our possession and passing, we didn't force their keeper Michael Ingham into action very often. Holroyd put a header wide and a shot over after latching onto centres from Pitt, while clever play from Ives saw wriggle away from a couple of challenges in the box, but his flighted centre was just too high for Holroyd and Crow.

Part of our problem was that York looked solid as a rock at the back, and while their midfield wasn't up to much, the front pairing of Michael Rankine and Richard Brodie were giving us a lot of problems. After about ten minutes I made the mistake of reasserting my view that, based on his time at Rushden, Rankine is a "spectacularly inept" footballer. He of course rammed that back down my throat by opening the scoring in a fashion that was just plain spectacular. Chesting down a long ball from Ingham, he turned Gleeson and rattled a shot into the top corner from 25 yards. On the day I felt Potter possibly could have done better, but having seen it on tele he would've done well to save what was a really powerful effort. 0-1.

Moments later it was two. A United corner was cleared, and Brodie broke away down the left. Leaving a couple of players in his wake, he loped into the area, pursued by Willmott, who clumsily bundled him over near the edge of the box. You have to suspect that if Carden had been on the field the York top scorer would have been stopped in his tracks further up the pitch, but he dusted himself off to stroke the penalty low to the right of Potter who, as usual, helpfully dived out of the way. 0-2.

Everyone knows we're at our most dangerous when 2-0 down, and in the second period we laid siege to the visitors goal, winning numerous corners and free kicks but again failing to warm Ingham's gloves. Ives hammered a shot just wide from the edge of the area, McAuley failed to connect with a corner with the goal gaping, and then put a shot just wide at the far post.

On the rare occasions that the ball left the York half, Brodie and Rankine had taken to falling over at the merest hint of contact, a tactic which got them plenty of sympathy from baldy ref Mr Ruston. The injustice of it all eventually got too much for Hats, who crudely felled Brodie on half way and ran off grinning as he received an inevitable yellow card. Brodie was soon back on his feet, and almost put the match beyond doubt when, despite looking suspiciously offside, he raced onto a hanging through ball and poked a shot just the wrong side of the post.

By now Lingy had introduced Adam Marriott, who joined Crow and Holroyd in attack, and United kept up the pressure, halving the deficit in the 83rd minute. The goal came from the unlikely source of Tonks, who latched onto a half-cleared corner and drilled in a low half volley which found the net via the inside of the post.

It set up a tense final seven minutes, but despite a few oohs and ahhs from the crowd, we couldn't force an equalisers, and after Ingham had clutched a final corner from Willmott, Mr Ruston signalled the end of the match and York's progress into round three.

So despite playing a good deal better than they did against Rushden last Tuesday, United's cup dreams are over for another year. Never mind though, at least we've still got the Trophy...

Man of the Match: Courtney Pitt - Dangerous both on the flank and in the more central position he adopted in the second half. Had a hand in most of United's best moves.

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U's:2 Diamonds:2

The Pogues are on the radio, Iceland are flogging frozen meat products of dubious origins, and the X-Factor is chugging predictably towards a hysterical climax; it must be nearly Christmas.

So I think I'm justified in dusting off the trusty festive cliches, despite the fact it's still November. Rushden must have thought Christmas had come early when United giftwrapped them a couple of goals in a truly awful first half. But they showed good presents (sorry) of mind to pull it together in an encouraging second period.

Despite the massively variant nature of our recent performances, I'm growing in confidence that the Linguist is indeed a wise man. I liked his comments at the end of last night's game, particularly when he spoke about wanting his charges to show a bit of bravery in their play. I find it incredibly frustrating when players treat the ball like a hot potato and look to offload it at the first opportunity. If he can build a team of good characters who aren't scared of a bit of responsibility, I reckon we'll do alright.

Until that time, our participation in the race for the play-offs must be in serious doubt. It would help if we stopped giving teams above us in the table a two-goal start, and to be honest it could have been more in a first half totally dominated by the visitors. Lee Tomlin, who was the best player on the pitch by a distance, gave them the lead with a 30 yard free kick which beat the badly positioned Potter at his near post.

At this point United, the excellent Courtney Pitt aside, weren't at the races as an attacking force, but they could have equalised when the Pittster released Parky with a super through ball, but the winger blasted his shot over the bar when a square pass to the unmarked Holroyd would have left Super Chris with a tap in. I feel slightly embarrassed rubbishing Parky again, but he was absolutely woeful during his time on the pitch, contributing nothing in the final third and giving Gleese no cover when Tomlin and his full back Kurt Robinson roamed forward menacingly.

It was 2-0 just before half time thanks to Jefferson Louis, who as usual against United did little of note except score a goal. Some swift passes across the edge of the box released Mark Byrne, and he crossed for Louis to sidefoot home with the defence appealing in vain for offside.

We didn't even really look like scoring at the start of the second half, as referee Barrett began interupt the flow of the match with seemingly random blasts of his whistle. It took a moment of inspiration from the hitherto anonymous Carden to bring us back into the game. Sliding in to win a challenge in midfield, he brought the ball away from two players and lamped a 35 yard effort over the stranded Nathan Abbey. Wind assisted perhaps, but spectacular none the less, 1-2.

And four minutes later it was all square, after Crowy was brought down on the right corner of the box by Stuart. Pitt delivered the free kick, and unlike our usual set pieces it was a good one, fired into the six yard box with pace and curl, allowing Brian Saah to escape his marker and head in from close range. Comeback-tastic, 2-2.

United were in the ascendency now, but couldn't capitalise, and by the end the visitors had recovered their poise and looked the more likely scorers. But there wasn't really any other goalmouth action of note, and the match ended all square.

If they can hang on to Tomlin, Rushden look a good bet for the play-offs, so a point against them isn't a bad result, but we need to start turning draws into wins. If we are going to make the top five, I don't think we can afford to be more than six points off the pace at the turn of the year, and with a difficult looking festive programme, the results of our next two league games, against struggling Chester and Eastbourne, could shape the rest of our season.

Man of the Match: Courtney Pitt - The only player to emerge with any credit from that awful first half, he was a constant menace to the Rushden defence.

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U's:4 Eurostar:0

One day our team will learn to play decent football for 90 minutes. And when that day arrives, we may have a realistic chance of promotion.

In our current state we will continue to get results against terrible teams like Ebbsfleet, and even (I'll whisper it quietly) mediocre ones like the Villagers. But you have to think that anyone half decent is going to beat us fairly comfortably, and the sluggishness which, once again, afflicted our play in the first period of Saturday's match needs to be eradicated, and fast.

And lets not make any bones about it, Ebbsfleet were terrible. It amazes me that you still hear people saying things like "the Conference is a really competitive league" and "the standard in this league is higher than ever", when it clearly isn't. There may some relatively big teams at the top of the table, but there is certainly a lot more dross at the bottom than there was a couple of years ago.

Before the game we were serenaded by a samba band, presumably brought in to welcome Fleet's absent striker, and former United loanee, Mango Vieira. It didn't inspire any of the players to do anything vaguely Brazilian in a first half lower on quality than the latest U2 album. Fleet probably had the better of things, and striker Luis Cumbers had a shot blocked by Danny Potter, while tricky winger Ismael Welsh blazed over after a typically mazy dribble. Potter was also forced into one brilliant save, clawing away a dipping shot from Scott Shulton that looked goalbound.

United had threatened sporadically from set pieces, but it came as something of a surprise when we took the lead just before half time. Jai Reason, who put in a much improved performance compared to some of his recent displays, threaded a pass through for Chris Holroyd, who reached the ball ahead of Lance Cronin, skipped past the stranded keeper, and delived a cross to the far post, where the Pittster made a predigious leap to head the ball into the unguarded net.

Judging by Courtney's bonce-rubbing celebration, he hadn't scored a header for a while, but it was just reward for his performances since returning from transfer-listed exile. The winger was at his unplayable best in the second half, displaying his full array of dribbles, tricks, and flicks. In the 53rd minute he was much too quick for Paul McCarthy, turning and being brought down by the Fleet player/coach. Super Chris, whose penalties are beginning to assume the metronomic quality of Scott Rendell's, slotted away the spot kick high to Cronin's left. 2-0.

Shortly afterwards another Pitt run and cross set up a chance for Tonks, who swept his shot over the bar from just inside the box, and after that the game descended into a lull until the final ten minutes, when United put some, perhaps undeserved, gloss on the scoreline. First Pitt was at it again, releasing Willmott with a superb defence splitting pass. Young Robbie kept his cool, held off a defender, and slotted past the keeper via the inside of the post. But the best goal was certainly the last, which stemmed from some good play from subs Sam Ives and Lee Phillips. Picking up an Ives pass, big Phil juggled the ball on the edge of the area, before unleashing a tremendous half volley which rattled the underside of the bar. The ball rebounded to Crowy on the opposite corner of the box, and he took his time and lined up a curling shot which dipped over Cronin and into the far corner. Superb strike. 4-0.

As I say, I think the final score was slightly flattering, but on their second half performance there's no doubt United were worthy winners. We can only hope this result will herald some improved consistency from Lingy's charges.

Man of the Match: Courtney Pitt - Scored one and made two to cap a sparkling performance.





Slightly homo-erotic ritual of the match: Fleet giants Leon Crooks and Darius Charles were indulging in a bout of shadow boxing just prior to kick off. It was very cute.

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Another life down for Courtney

When we move house later this year, me and the missus are thinking of getting a cat. Given the events of the weekend I think it would be appropriate to name the as yet unpurchased feline Courtney.

Because surely no player in the history of football has ever had so many reprieves as Courtney Pitt. In the last couple of years he's been transferred listed, ostracised from squad, and released all together, yet somehow he remains a Cambridge United player. Meanwhile the managers who have tried to get rid of him are both currently unemployed: Martin Ling would be well advised to think twice should he consider not renewing the winger's contract at the end of the season.

In all seriousness, news of Courtney's return to the squad will surely be welcomed be even his harshest critics. I don't think anyone who has seen us play this season can possibly think he isn't a better option than Parky, who may have been a useful player once but certainly isn't one anymore.

But even leaving the scouser's shortcomings aside, we mustn't forget that two seasons ago Courtney was one of our most reliable performers. And although he didn't have the best of times last year he, like Parky, was coming back from a serious injury. Hopefully he'll soon be back in the starting line up, and providing his usual mixture of inspiration and frustration. Welcome back Courtney.

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Time for the important stuff

Isn't it nice to finally have some proper football to talk about?

I've gone from being depressed about the prospect of the new season (when Brabin left) to excited (when Ling arrived) to slightly ambivilent (now). Nevertheless, it's hard not to catch a little bit of the new season buzz, even with the club in disarray.

Most of the team picks itself, with the only possible areas of doubt being on the wing and up front. After Courtney's recent goal-scoring exploits, I was quite hopeful he'd be in Ling's starting line up, but now Cardy is back in charge I suspect he will opt for his scouse mate Parkinson instead. This would be a mistake in my opinion as, while Parky has showed some decent touches in the friendlies, the game seems to pass him by for long periods. Pitt can have a lot more influence, and would give our team a better balance, allowing Willmott to return to his favoured right flank.

Up front, the choice may be taken out of Carden's hands, with Crow apparently struggling after taking a whack in a "sensitive area". I'm sure all male United fans feel his pain. Holroyd and Beesley would be my combination of choice anyway, but if they do play together it will be imperative we keep it on the deck.

It seems unlikely there will be anymore off-field movement until next week. I don't really see how Paul Barry can keep the role of chairman long-term unless he appoints a Chief Executive to be at the club full time. Have we got the money to do that? Probably not, especially given the slightly worrying statement that the appointment of a new manager is "on hold until the financial situation has been assessed".

However, the fuss being made about Barry's bid to buy the ground stinks of mud-slinging to me. While you would hope our new chairman will give a full explanation of his actions, he has done enough for the club in the last few years to earn the benefit of the doubt. For now.

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Pitt and Challinor on the list

Typical, I spent ages (well, a few minutes anyway) writing a piece yesterday about nothing happening, then while I'm doing it something happens, with Challinor and the Pittster being transfer listed.

"Whine grumble moan budget cuts moan whinge finding it hard to strengthen the squad whine whinge high earners grumble grumble grumble," said the Brabinator, neglecting to mention that the reason we're having to chop the budget now is because he spent so much last year.

I have mixed feeling about the potential departures. Challinor is obviously no great loss, having confirmed my pre-season fears that he is a dark-haired version of David Bridges with a series of anonymous performances. You can tolerate those kind of players if they score a few goals, but a record of two in 37 games is hardly earth-shattering. He seems to have done well everywhere else he's been, so it shouldn't be too difficult to get someone to take him off our hands, although I guess we'll have to write off the £15,000 we spunked on him last summer.

Courtney is a very different kettle of fish, and I'm surprised to see that, judging by the posts on the official messageboard, many people would be happy to see him go. The Pittster may be inconsistent, but you can certainly never accuse him of not working hard for the team, and while his form has been a bit patchy since Christmas, he is on the way back from a fairly serious injury to it would be a bit harsh to judge him on that alone. Most importantly, we will need to replace him with a better left-sided player, which could prove tricky as they don't exactly grown on trees. I hope our leader knows what he is doing.

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It's nearly here...

Are you nervous yet? I myself didn't sleep very well last night, although I think that had more to do with the late dinner we had at Anatolia than any kind of Wembley-related anxiety.

Apparently some people have been taking their mind off the match by distributing an army of gnomes around the city. Whatever floats your boat I suppose - I'm just hoping that the amber army dwarfs the support from Torquay, and that Gary Brabin pixies the right team for the occasion.

The elf (sorry) of Danny Potter seems to be a bit of a concern ahead of tomorrow's match, with the club having drafted in Adam Bartlett to provide experienced cover. Obviously you'd prefer not to have to change your keeper for the most important game of the season, but Bartlett comes highly rated and I'm sure will do a decent job if called upon.

Knowing the Brabinator's predeliction for tinkering, I wouldn't put it past him to decide that now is the time to unleash his new 2-1-3-1-3 reverse Christmas tree sweeper formation. But assuming he doesn't have a brain storm, the team mostly picks itself, save for two positions: the left wing and up front.

It's probably a straight fight between the Pitt and Parky for the left flank role. I'm a big fan of Courtney, so would probably stick with him from the start, with Parky to come off the bench if required. The latter has rarely been very effective when starting a game anyway, and it having a natural left-footer offers much better balance. We can only hope that the Pittster has one of his good days if he does play.

Up front I guess Brabin is likely to stick with Rendell and Phillips, but I think that I would bring Holroyd back at the expense of the ex-Torquay striker. The Gulls defenders are big boys, and seemed to cope well with Histon's strong arm tactics in the second leg of their play-off semi final. So it would seem to me that the pace of Holroyd is more likely to trouble them than the power of Phillips. Plus the big pitch at Wembley would give super Chris plenty of space in which to operate.

Whoever plays, let's hope they perform a bit better than the shambles of last season. I think I can (just about) handle us losing again, so long as we do ourselves justice this time. Que se ra, se ra, and all that.

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The Pitt-falls of dropping Courtney

Who likes my pun-tastic headline? I literally spent minutes thinking it up, I'm sure that job on The Sun will be mine one day. Perhaps.

My better half is the president, chairman, treasurer, and probably only member of the Courtney Pitt fan club. It was very much a case of love at first sight, as she marked him out as a player to watch on his debut four years ago, and has been his number one fan ever since. I'm not entirely sure whether it's his dazzling wing play, over-sized shorts, or smily little face that are the main attraction, although I'm guessing it's a combination of all three.

Anyway, her fanatacism unearthed an interesting statistic recently which seems to suggest that when Courts plays, we usually do a lot better than when he's sidelined. Since he returned from his long injury at the beginning of December, our record in games he's started is P17 W11 D5 L1. When he's been benched, or out of the squad altogether, our form is much less impressive: P10 W4 D1 L5.

Make of that what you will, but for me the message to the Brabinator is an obvious one; if you want promotion you need to make sure you pick the Pitt!

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