Chris off - Holroyd move to Brighton back on?

It's been quite a day for revelations.

First we had Tony Blair declaring that he'd invade Iraq all over again if he had to - no surprise there perhaps. Then it was revealed that England's brave John Terry ((c) The Fiver) is the player who slapped (not literally I hope) a leading tabloid with a super-injunction to block them from printing sordid revelations about his private life. Sounds like JT will have some bridges to rebuild with his England pals, ahem.

And finally we have Chris Holroyd's on/off/on/off/on/off/zzzzzzzzzz move to Brighton, which, despite being declared dead in the water earlier today by their version of the CEN, appears to now be back on again. You gotta love local papers, haven't you? A story also appeared on our official site, then was taken down again shortly afterwards, possibly an indication of somebody jumping the gun in announcing the news. In any case, it would seem that it is finally a done deal. Maybe.

And it's probably best for all involved that Chrissy goes now. Admittedly our goal threat will be seriously depleted, but I'm not sure what sort of contribution he would have made had he been waiting around for a summer move. You may remember that Stuart Fleetwood's goal tally at Forest Green dropped off after Christmas a couple of years ago, when it became clear he would be moving on. I expect that even if a player is trying his best, subconsciously you must hang back a bit in fear of injuring yourself and ruining a potential big move.

The only problem with this saga having dragged on for so long is that Lingy now only has three days to secure a replacement. Hopefully he already has some targets in mind.

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20 word match reports - Sports:0 U's:2

Hurrah hurrah, the road to Wembley continues to be paved with gold for Lingy's amber army. As Clive Tyldesley would've undoubtedly screamed had he been commentating on last night's victory at Eastbourne; NAME. ON. THE. TROPHY. Who can possibly halt our quest for glory? Except maybe Stevenage. Or York. Or Oxford. Or some other teams.

As you can probably tell from this rambling nonsense, I wasn't at Priory Lane last night, so I will leave reporting duty to my learned friends Ling's Awkward Smile and Me and the Palmer, get on fine. Good effort chaps (or chapesses);

Haiku Review:
Eastbourne yet again
Ives and Reason hit the net
Thank god that's over
- Ling's Awkward Smile

A report which doubles as an ode to a recently-departed amber soldier:
Pity it was so cold,
I had a hat on.
The game was ok,
Two-nil to the U's!
- Me and the Palmer, get on fine

*If you'd like to submit a match report - of 20 words or less - about next Tuesday's match against Salisbury/Maidstone, or any future match, you can email me via cufcblog@googlemail.com, visit the U's Blog twitter page, or leave a comment under a recent post.

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Hard man David Partridge wings in

One wonders whether Lingy has a check list he goes through when looking at potential signings. Ex-Orient? Check. A chequered past? Er, Check. Then step forward new recruit David Partridge.

Obviously I'll wait and see what he's like before I get too excited, but on the face of it this looks like a good signing. An experienced centre half who's played in the Football League, and one who must be used to slumming it after spells in the Scottish and Irish leagues. If you believe his wikipedia page (and why wouldn't you?) he also appears to be a bit of a nutter, and as we've lacked a hard bastard at the back since the departure of Bolland he should slot in nicely alongside Saah. Good captaincy material to take some pressure off Carden perhaps?

Unfortunately he's not available for tonight's trophy tie at Eastbourne, which must be the biggest match of our season so far. It's a sad day when I use "trophy tie" and "biggest match of the season" in the same sentence, but if we lose we will literally have nothing left to play for this year. I'm in no hurry to get back to Wembley (or, as it was memorably described by a writer in When Saturday Comes magazine, "The Emirates with a handle"), but the revenue would be nice and it keeps the rest of the season vaguely interesting.

Good luck to any brave souls making the trip down to Eastbourne tonight, fingers crossed you don't have to endure extra time and penalties...

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Black holes and revelations - the CUFC AGM and other stuff

When was the last time you saw United score a goal from open play?

For me it was Danny Crow's late winner against Chester on December 1, nearly seven weeks ago. Seeing as the earliest I'll get to another game is next Tuesday, I will have gone two whole months without witnessing a U's goal that didn't come from the penalty spot. I sometimes wonder why I bother.

Saturday's 1-0 reverse at the hands of York City, our fifth league defeat in a row, was another frustrating, goalless, afternoon, and one that I think emphasised the importance of confidence in football. York did very little of note in the final third, but defended solidly knowing they'd get a chance sooner or later. And when they did finally get a sight of goal they took a shot and earned a bit of luck with the deflection that took Neil Barratt's effort past Danny Potter.

On the other hand, United huffed, puffed, and got nowhere, with our attacks getting more and more panicky - and less and less effective - as time progressed. We looked like a team that had run out of ideas as soon as York scored, which is a worrying sign. Lingy will have his work cut out to turn things around, but hopefully a few new signings will change the dynamic of the squad and inject a bit of that illusive confidence.

One player who may not be on his way out just yet is Super Chris, whose move to Brighton appears to have hit a snag. I suspect the striker's agent is busy whoring his client around clubs in the north west, in the hope of securing him a move nearer home. Hopefully the situation will be resolved soon either way, as we need to know where we stand.

Tonight is the Cambridge United AGM, and chairman Paul Barry will no doubt come under the microscope following the article in today's CN confirming that he'd be prepared to sell his shares in the club. Mr Barry has kept United going in the past few years with several substantial cash injections, for which we should all be grateful, but given the disastrous chairmanships of Law and Rolls, you have to question his decision making in appointing people to look after his cash.

And it's been the suggestion for a while that he doesn't want to keep putting his money into CUFC, so perhaps now is the right time for a change. Whether there is a good alternative out there is another matter, but it seems to me that the current situation, with a chairman and who is based on another continent, and whose commitment is questionable, is not one that can continue if the club is going to move forward. And with Gareth Baldwin set to be unveiled in a consultancy role (see yesterday's NLP) it should be an interesting meeting.

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20-word match report - U's:0 Minstermen:1

Today's match report - well actually two match reports - come from Ben Mynott:

Why use 20 words when three will suffice: smash and grab.

Or two more: woeful finishing.

Especially Phillips. We need a target man desperately. Farewell Hatswell & Holroyd; you've both served the club well & will get a good reception should you ever return. Ben Mynott.

*If you'd like to submit a match report - of 20 words or less - about Tuesday's Trophy replay at Eastbourne, or any future match, you can email me via cufcblog@googlemail.com, visit the U's Blog twitter page, or leave a comment under a recent post.

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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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Trophy, turncoats and trashy television

I awoke this morning to the sound of Carlos Crow roaring a battle cry of "We can still make the play-offs."

Not because young Mr Crow was in my house at 7am you understand, that would have been a bit weird. No, it was on the radio, and although I initially thought he must have signed for another club, it turns out he was referring to United. It (finishing in the top five) all sounds a bit optimistic to me, but I suppose if Loose Women can win an award for being the best factual programme on television then anything is possible.

A more realistic prospect is the FA trophy, and United's hopes of reaching round three remain alive - albeit on life support - after Tuesday's shambolically entertaining 2-2 draw with Eastbourne. The two teams will be sick of the sight of each other by the time next weeks replay is over.

However, our yearly Trophy showdown with the Villagers may have to be cancelled due to allegations that they fielded an illegible player in their 3-0 first round victory at Maidstone. Expulsion from the competition awaits if they are found guilty at an FA hearing on Monday. I like Uncle Fester's assertion in today's CN that they'll get off the hook because "it's not like we signed David Beckham to win us the tie." That's bound to go down a treat with the FA. But perhaps if Histon do get expelled Stutes chairman Tony Roach will reassess his statement that Fallon is the most unprofessional person he has encountered in football...

Anyway, the CN also reports that, surprise surprise, Gareth Baldwin is considering an offer to come on board at United, I don't think anybody saw that coming. Personally I have mixed feelings about his potential involvement. On the one hand he undoubtedly has good commercial contacts which could be utilised to get money into the club, but on the other the way he has treated United fans over the last couple of years, particularly last season during the Glassworld lock out fiasco, has been nothing short of atrocious. You would hope that if he is appointed he will not be given carte blanche to do what he likes as Chairman George was.

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