FC United of Manchester: how the togetherness turned into disharmony

It has been 11 years since a breakaway group of Manchester United supporters, weary of the commercialism and gluttony of the modern-day sport, and bitterly opposed to Malcolm Glazer’s takeover, set up their own club, and all those people who viewed them with cold, suspicious eyes, from Sir Alex Ferguson down, probably realise now that movement is here to stay.
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Ferguson described FC United of Manchester as “sad” and stomped out of a press conference when he was asked if he had any words about the team’s first promotion under the management of Karl Marginson, a fruit-and-vegetable delivery man. Ferguson, rising from his seat, had four: “Not interested, not interested.” 

read more below

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/mar/31/fc-united-manchester-broadhurst-park

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As part of the #CambridgeUnites campaign, Cambridge United have today unveiled a new video to highlight the club’s extensive work across all cross-sections of the local community and a membership subscription that will allow fans to support its growth. 

The #CambridgeUnites campaign is now well underway, with the aim of helping Cambridge United Community Trust expand its outreach and positively affect the lives of as many people within the community as possible. The new community video reveals the scale of work already being delivered by the club, but “there’s so much more to do”. 
Read more at http://www.cambridge-united.co.uk/news/article/-watch-cambridge-united-launch-new-community-video-3033428.aspx#DfeCcleBimbMrJQs.99

To support Cambridge United Community Trust by signing up to any of the following memberships, click here now. 

BRONZE MEMBERSHIP
Contribute £5/month and become a Bronze Member of Cambridge United Community Trust, entitling you to: 
•    An exclusive #CambridgeUnites wristband 
•    A monthly email newsletter from Cambridge United Community Trust 
•    A personalised Cambridge United Community Trust Membership Certificate 
•    Have your name added to a "Hall of Fame" on Cambridge United Community Trust’s website 

SILVER MEMBERSHIP
Contribute £10/month and become a Silver Member of Cambridge United Community Trust, entitling you to: 
•    All Bronze Rewards 
•    An exclusive #CambridgeUnites pin badge 
•    Automatic free entry for a monthly #CambridgeUnites raffle - amazing prizes to be won! 
•    An exclusive monthly “Ask Jez” video forum – your chance to get inside info from the Chief Executive as he answers your questions 
•    2 Hospitality Tickets to 3 Academy Matches at the Abbey Stadium per season 

GOLD MEMBERSHIP
Contribute £20/month and become a Gold Member of Cambridge United Community Trust, entitling you to: 
•    All Bronze and Silver Rewards 
•    An exclusive #CambridgeUnites gold pin badge 
•    2 Hospitality Tickets to a Cambridge United home league match per season 
•    2 Tickets to 3 exclusive #CambridgeUnites events per season – first team players and staff present 
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Cambridge United 0-0 Oxford United: A curate's Easter egg

Andrew Bennett reporting from the Habbin:

This Easter has been a stranger one than most. The four-day weekend has lost an hour along the way, the League programme has been set aside in favour of internationals, and Mr Bean has turned into Maigret. Some of it has been predictable (the dismal weather, chocolate-induced indigestion, stupid game shows on Saturday night, Histon losing), some of it less so (England winning excitingly in Germany, the Twenty20 cricket team being quite good, the Light Blues victorious in the Boat Race, Posh not losing), but our beloved U’s have come out of it in much the same position as when they entered it: on the fringes of the playoffs, in plain view but tantalisingly out of reach, bobbing up and down on a bungee rope that is just too short for contact.

It was something of a boon publicity-wise for Oxford United to visit the Abbey a day after the cities’ students had gained battle on the choppy dirty-grey waters of the Thames, although both sets of supporters know that there is no such rivalry between the respective football clubs, and a healthy crowd of 6,108 gathered as the morning’s clouds began to disperse, yielding reluctantly to a watery early-spring sunshine as they turned to cotton wool in a backdrop of blue.

Oxford have enjoyed a fine season so far and arrived comfortably ensconced in second place behind runaway leaders Northampton Town, backed by 1,328 supporters in the South Stand. Like the hosts their squad was depleted by international call-ups (four to United’s two) plus the absence of John Lundstram, who was dismissed at Stevenage on Good Friday, and their change strip of red and black stripes with red shorts made them resemble Histon, like an attempt to lull their opponents into a false sense of security. Top scorer Kemar Roofe was present, though, equal third most prolific marksman in the division with 17 goals, which made it a little surprising that he sported the number 4 shirt.

United line-up: Norris; Furlong, Legge, Coulson, Haynes; Clark, Dunne; Williamson, Berry, Dunk; Spencer. On the bench: Beasant, Omozusi, Roberts, Horne, Ismail, Simpson.

Shaun Derry made one change from Friday’s defeat at Bristol Rovers, awarding Hull City loanee Max Clark his first start in place of Zeli Ismail, and he accompanied James Dunne in a holding role within the manager’s favoured 4-2-3-1 formation. Elliot Omozusi was sufficiently recovered from illness to boost the substitutes’ ranks to six.

After a wild night the wind was still as blustery as a Donald Trump speech and straight from the kick-off Chris Maguire essayed a cheeky shot from the centre circle which rolled apologetically wide. The hosts swiftly began to assert themselves, though, with Luke Berry particularly eager to get forward in support of line leader Jimmy Spencer. The latter had an under-powered header clutched by keeper Benjamin Buchel and Berry was well wide with another header inside the first five minutes, and the U’s skipper had two more efforts at goal before another five minutes were up, while Jordan Bowery broke away to fire wide for the visitors.

Oxford’s game plan seemed to involve utilising the stiff breeze to loft hopeful long balls over the top of the United defence, but time and time again they were overhit or just plain inaccurate and ran out of play or straight to Will Norris. United, for their part, were more patient in their build-ups but were unable to find that killer ball in the final third, but Clark and Dunne looked assured in front of a back four led imperiously by Leon Legge.

Neither keeper was troubled for a good (or not so good) 20 minutes. Dunne stormed through to have a blaster blocked on 27, then Spencer sent a 20-yard curler just wide of the far post two minutes later, following which Ben Williamson’s cross was missed by Spencer and bounced out of play off Berry at the far post before he could react.

Darnell Furlong was brought down 25 yards out by Joe Skarz on 36, costing the Oxford left-back a booking, but Clark’s ensuing free-kick was easily plucked from the air by Buchel. Sam Long then missed the target for the visitors, while in added time Clark’s free-kick found the head of Legge but he could not guide his header on target, thus ending a rather bitty first half in which neither side had produced enough threat to the respective goalkeepers.

Oxford came out for the second half determined to improve on a mediocre first 45 in which they had been second best, and Maguire’s shot from the edge of the box flew narrowly wide within three minutes of the restart. He then drew a foul from Dunne, who became the first U’s man to see yellow, and a little spell of pressure followed from the visitors which resulted in a couple of untidy scrambles in the United box but no really telling attempts on goal.

The U’s rallied and Williamson set up Spencer for a shot on the hour which got rather caught under his feet before he fired over. Maguire was next into the book for an unsubtle shove in the back on Berry, but Ryan Haynes’ free-kick sailed feebly over the bar. Berry then saw an underpowered shot gathered by Buchel and on 65 Danny Hylton replaced Bowery for the visitors.

The much-vaunted Roofe was getting no change out of Legge, who was in commanding form as evidenced when he comfortably blocked the Oxford marksman’s run to gain his side a goal-kick, while Norris also looked fully in control and held Alex MacDonald’s 20-yard shot on 68 minutes.

Three minutes later Ismail replaced a rather out-of-sorts Williamson and soon made an impression with some mazy runs and tantalising crosses, while Robbie Simpson came on for Clark with a quarter of an hour to go to boost the hosts’ attacking options. George Waring then replaced Maguire for the visitors, and Harrison Dunk broke away promisingly only to try to be too clever with his footwork and found himself dispossessed.

With ten minutes to go there were shouts for a penalty at both ends in the space of a minute. Berry made a timely interception as he bustled into the box but seemed to be hauled down, to no interest from the referee,
then up the other end Hylton tumbled under Legge’s challenge to howls of outrage from the travelling supporters, who had been obsessively shouting for handball every time an Oxford player’s shot went near a United defender.
Spencer then had a powerful shot blocked (handball!) before he was involved in an incident with Jake Wright at a throw-in midway into the Oxford half in front of the main stand; Wright made to take the throw, then threw his arm at Spencer’s face. A Yeovil man was sent off for a similar offence at the Abbey two weeks ago, but after consultation with the better-placed linesman, ref Haywood awarded only a yellow card. Given that violent conduct is a red card offence, one has to ask exactly what infringement Wright was booked for.

Both teams had thrown everything they could at each other during the second half, but neither could produce that moment of quality sufficient to break the deadlock, and at the final whistle players from both sides lay prone and exhausted on the sunlit turf. Oxford had not really shown how they had come to be so well placed in the league, presumably at least partly due to their weakened squad, while the U’s had demonstrated why they will fall short in their playoff quest, producing little to truly trouble the visiting keeper for all their honest endeavour. And the jury is surely still out on this 4-2-3-1 formation, which leaves Spencer isolated and wastes Williamson wide to the detriment of the team as a whole. The seeds of a decent team are there, but they need another season to germinate when their injured players will be fit again and the dead wood in the squad replaced. Easter is a good time for rising from the dead, but mid-table safety will do for now. The planning for next season should already be underway.

Statto Corner
Today saw the first goalless draw at the Abbey Stadium this season. There were two last term, against Shrewsbury and AFC Wimbledon, plus a certain FA Cup game against Manchester United. The U’s have recorded three nil-nils away from home this season, at Barnet, Hartlepool and Luton.

Today’s attendance of 6,108 was the third best at the Abbey this term, beaten only by 6,607 against Portsmouth and 6,298 versus Luton Town. The highest away crowds have been 15,425 at Portsmouth, 10,262 at Bristol Rovers and 9,227 at Luton.

This afternoon’s attendance is also the second best ever for a game against Oxford United at the Abbey. The best remains 6,496 on 30th November 1991 when the U’s were top of Division Two (now The Championship); the game finished 1-1, Dion Dublin putting the hosts in front early in the second half before Lee Nogan equalised for Oxford. The teams were:
CUFC: Vaughan, Fensome, Kimble, Dennis, Heathcote, Chapple, Cheetham, Bailie, Dublin, Taylor (Philpott), Wilkins
OUFC: Keeley, Robinson, Smart, Lewis, Foster, Melville, Magilton, Wanless, Aylott (Durnin), Nogan, Simpson
United have lost only twice in 16 league games at home to Oxford since the clubs first met in the Southern League in 1961-62, winning eight times and drawing six. Their only defeats were in 2006-07 (0-3) and 1994-95 (1-2). Their away record is the exact reverse, with 2 wins, 6 draws and 8 defeats.

Max Clark is the fourth man with that surname to turn out for the U’s in a league match. The first was David, a striker who made three appearances during 1955-56, then came Steve, a defender who started 63 league games plus three as sub between 1983 and 1986. Thirdly came Paul, Tommy Taylor’s assistant, who played twice at centre-back during 1995-96 at the age of thirty-six.

Clark is only the second Max to play for United, following Max Porter, who made three Conference starts plus five as sub during 2005-06. He is also the fifth man to wear the number 12 shirt for the U’s this season, after Jacob Blyth, Alie Sesay, Terry Kennedy and Lewis Page. This is a club record for one shirt in one season, beating United’s four number 23s during 2004-05 and four number 26s during 2006-07.

The other number 12s for United before this season have been: Michael Kyd, Tom Cowan, Daniel Chillingworth, Igor Latte-Yedo, Ryan Lockett, Jon Brady, Josh Simpson, Leo Fortune-West, Jack Jeffery, Josh Coulson, Rory McAuley and Matteo Lanzoni.

Player Ratings
Norris 8. Always looked assured and in control.
Furlong 7. Put in a competent shift.
Legge 9. Simply colossal.
Coulson 7. Solid and reliable.
Haynes 8. Growing in confidence with every game.
Clark 7. Busy, energetic and can only improve with experience.
Dunne 7. Quietly dependable.
Williamson 6. Willing runner but is not best used in a wide role and looked rather lost at times.
Berry 8. Always positive and first to get forward in support of Spencer.
Dunk 7. Ran himself into the ground as usual.
Spencer 7. Decent job up front, although like his colleagues, needs to be more ruthless in front of goal.
Ismail 6. Some good work on the right flank.
Simpson 6. Struggled to make an impact.

Match Summary
United gave their all in a deserved draw with high-flying Oxford, although both teams lacked quality in the final third and the game rarely looked like being anything but a goalless draw. Plenty to enjoy, but plenty of room for improvement, too.

Man of the Match
Leon Legge. None of the Oxford players could find any way to get past the big man, who resembled an indulgent but stern adult playing against small children at times.

Ref Watch
Haywood 5. Awarded far too many soft free-kicks and ducked the big decisions.
Soundtrack of the Day
Cassius featuring Cat Power and Mike D “Action”

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Please cast your vote for Man of the Match against Oxford United.

Cambridge Fans United have so far conducted a Man of the Match vote for every competitive game of the 2015/16 season (plus 4 of our higher profile friendlies).  These results are made available on our fixtures page shortly after voting closes.  Voting remains open for 48 hours after the game has ended.

Please see our Fixtures and Results page for who you voted Man of the Match for previous fixtures.  You can also see the current League 2 Table as produced by CFU.

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Supporters Direct and The Football Supporters’ Federation will host the joint annual Supporters Summit in London at Wembley Stadium, on Saturday 16th July 2016 - in partnership with the FA.
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Starting at 10am, The full programme of events for the 2016 summit are still being finalised. Our AGM will be held on the following day, Sunday, 17th July. For now, save the date.

More details including registration details will be announced in due course - if you have any further questions please email enquiries@supporters-direct.org.

- See more at: http://www.supporters-direct.org/news-article/supporters-summit-2016-save-the-date-2#sthash.QvyVYHQW.dpuf

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Please cast your vote for Man of the Match against Oxford United.

Cambridge Fans United have so far conducted a Man of the Match vote for every competitive game of the 2015/16 season (plus 4 of our higher profile friendlies).  These results are made available on our fixtures page shortly after voting closes.  Voting remains open for 48 hours after the game has ended.

Please see our Fixtures and Results page for who you voted Man of the Match for previous fixtures.  You can also see the current League 2 Table as produced by CFU.

Contact CFU | Join CFU | News | Join CUFC Lottery 
(It costs just 20 pounds to join CFU and your membership makes a difference) CFU.

Please cast your vote for Man of the Match against Oxford United.

Cambridge Fans United have so far conducted a Man of the Match vote for every competitive game of the 2015/16 season (plus 4 of our higher profile friendlies).  These results are made available on our fixtures page shortly after voting closes.  Voting remains open for 48 hours after the game has ended.

Please see our Fixtures and Results page for who you voted Man of the Match for previous fixtures.  You can also see the current League 2 Table as produced by CFU.

Contact CFU | Join CFU | News | Join CUFC Lottery 
(It costs just 20 pounds to join CFU and your membership makes a difference) CFU.

Please cast your vote for Man of the Match against Oxford United.

Cambridge Fans United have so far conducted a Man of the Match vote for every competitive game of the 2015/16 season (plus 4 of our higher profile friendlies).  These results are made available on our fixtures page shortly after voting closes.  Voting remains open for 48 hours after the game has ended.

Please see our Fixtures and Results page for who you voted Man of the Match for previous fixtures.  You can also see the current League 2 Table as produced by CFU.

Contact CFU | Join CFU | News | Join CUFC Lottery 
(It costs just 20 pounds to join CFU and your membership makes a difference) CFU.

Retired?
Got a few hours to spare on Mondays or Wednesdays after Home matches?
Willing to get your hands dirty?
 
The Stadium Manager is looking for mature volunteers for the 2015-16 season to help keep the Abbey Stadium safe and looking good.
 
Choose your hours between 9.30am and 3pm on:
Mondays following Saturdays matches
Wednesdays following Tuesday matches
 
For more information or offers of help, please contact CFU by:
e-mail (CFUmp@outlook.com)
phone (07957344005
or by calling in at The Caravan at Home matches.
 
Thanks!

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Have you read the February edition of the Abbey News? If not, you can find the February edition by clicking here

Previous copies --  click here

Would you would like to write for the Abbey News or know someone who would like to then  contact Andrew Stephen by emailing via acstephen@hotmail.com

Do you want to see Premier League U21 sides in the JPT? -
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Last week’s Telegraph report that the Premier League was in negotiations to introduce up to 16 of their clubs’ U21 teams into the Football League Trophy (aka Johnstone’s Paint Trophy) will have sounded vaguely familiar to many fans…
​
That’s because it was also floated in March 2015 as an alternative to Greg Dyke’s proposal to insert a new “League 3” - made up of Premier League B-teams - between League 2 and the Conference. League 3 prompted a large backlash from supporters and the Football League. It was subsequently ditched.

See more at: http://www.fsf.org.uk/blog/view/premier-league-u21-plan-johnstone-paint-trophy#poll

Even the most loyal of Cambridge United employees will admit that record-keeping has never been one of the club’s strong points. Coconuts’ requests for access to archives or objects are often met with an apologetic shrug, although Abbey folklore tells of a long-lost vault, somewhere in the Main Stand’s warren of passageways and burrows, wherein lie the answers to a researcher’s prayer.

Having said that, your Coconuts team is hugely grateful for the club’s generosity in donating the precious artefacts that graced the walls of the hospitality areas prior to the commencement of this summer’s Operation Colin, which saw vast armies of tradespeople transforming the humble Dublin Suite into a spacious oasis of sociability. And the same goes for Jez’s kind invitation to excavate a room whose existence was hitherto known only to a select few. So it was that on a sunny Friday morning, a ragged band of Coconuts volunteers looked on as the doors to this Aladdin’s cave swung open to reveal … dozens of bags of fertiliser.

http://www.cambridgefansunited.org/blog/cambridge-united-1966-and-the-world-cup-mystery


Who was Pickles ?

Pickles (born 1962 or 1963; died 1967) was a black and white collie dog, known for his role in finding the stolen Jules Rimet Trophy in March 1966, four months before the 1966 FIFA World Cup was scheduled to kick-off in England.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickles_(dog)

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Please cast your vote for Man of the Match against Bristol Rovers.

Cambridge Fans United have so far conducted a Man of the Match vote for every competitive game of the 2015/16 season (plus 4 of our higher profile friendlies).  These results are made available on our fixtures page shortly after voting closes.  Voting remains open for 48 hours after the game has ended.

Please see our Fixtures and Results page for who you voted Man of the Match for previous fixtures.  You can also see the current League 2 Table as produced by CFU.

Contact CFU | Join CFU | News | Join CUFC Lottery 
(It costs just 20 pounds to join CFU and your membership makes a difference) CFU.

Please cast your vote for Man of the Match against Bristol Rovers.

Cambridge Fans United have so far conducted a Man of the Match vote for every competitive game of the 2015/16 season (plus 4 of our higher profile friendlies).  These results are made available on our fixtures page shortly after voting closes.  Voting remains open for 48 hours after the game has ended.

Please see our Fixtures and Results page for who you voted Man of the Match for previous fixtures.  You can also see the current League 2 Table as produced by CFU.

Contact CFU | Join CFU | News | Join CUFC Lottery 
(It costs just 20 pounds to join CFU and your membership makes a difference) CFU.

CUFC Lottery 'Accumulator' Results (25 March 2016) - this weeks winning 'Accumulator' numbers are (5137)
-there were no winners of the weekly 'Accumulator' this week, meaning next weeks 'Accumulator' will be £1850.

CUFC Lottery 'Main Draw' Results (25 March 2016) - this weeks winning 'Main Draw' numbers are (6482)
-there were no winners of the 'Main Draw' jackpot this week.
-next weeks 'Main Draw' jackpot will be £300.00.

As the 'Main Draw' jackpot was not won this week
-there is 1 CUFC Lottery member matching the first pair winning £10.00
-there are 2 CUFC Lottery members matching the second pair winning £10.00 each

How to  join or for more details click here CUFULOTTERY

Please cast your vote for Man of the Match against Bristol Rovers.

Cambridge Fans United have so far conducted a Man of the Match vote for every competitive game of the 2015/16 season (plus 4 of our higher profile friendlies).  These results are made available on our fixtures page shortly after voting closes.  Voting remains open for 48 hours after the game has ended.

Please see our Fixtures and Results page for who you voted Man of the Match for previous fixtures.  You can also see the current League 2 Table as produced by CFU.

Contact CFU | Join CFU | News | Join CUFC Lottery 
(It costs just 20 pounds to join CFU and your membership makes a difference) CFU.

​CLUBS LEADING THE WAY ON INCLUSION CODE OF PRACTICE PILOT

Football League clubs across the country have successfully completed the first year of a ground-breaking pilot that sets standards for equality in professional football.
​
The Football League’s Code of Practice was introduced as part of a commitment to English football’s Inclusion & Anti-Discrimination Action Plan which ensures clubs are inclusive across all sections of their business. This incorporates match day operations, general operations, community trust, youth development, fans and the first team

- See more at: http://www.supporters-direct.org/news-article/fan-owned-exeter-one-of-the-clubs-leading-the-way-on-inclusion-code-of-practice-pilot#sthash.80WuPPJh.dpuf

Please cast your vote for Man of the Match against Bristol Rovers.

Cambridge Fans United have so far conducted a Man of the Match vote for every competitive game of the 2015/16 season (plus 4 of our higher profile friendlies).  These results are made available on our fixtures page shortly after voting closes.  Voting remains open for 48 hours after the game has ended.

Please see our Fixtures and Results page for who you voted Man of the Match for previous fixtures.  You can also see the current League 2 Table as produced by CFU.

Contact CFU | Join CFU | News | Join CUFC Lottery 
(It costs just 20 pounds to join CFU and your membership makes a difference) CFU.

Please cast your vote for Man of the Match against Bristol Rovers.

Cambridge Fans United have so far conducted a Man of the Match vote for every competitive game of the 2015/16 season (plus 4 of our higher profile friendlies).  These results are made available on our fixtures page shortly after voting closes.  Voting remains open for 48 hours after the game has ended.

Please see our Fixtures and Results page for who you voted Man of the Match for previous fixtures.  You can also see the current League 2 Table as produced by CFU.

Contact CFU | Join CFU | News | Join CUFC Lottery 
(It costs just 20 pounds to join CFU and your membership makes a difference) CFU.

For the seventh match running a defender or goalkeeper has won the Man of the Match award

Against Northampton Josh Coulson won with 35% of the vote just ahead of Leon Legge

Against Yeovil the winner with 70% of the vote was Ryan Haynes

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Ticket prices shouldn't be set by the free market: don't take our word for it, here's Dr Chris Bojke senior research associate at University of York's Centre for Health Economics looks at "addictive good" provided by football clubs...

Despite the increasing high cost of attending football matches, it hasn’t gone unnoticed that demand, as measured by match-day attendance has remained pretty stable or even increased over time. 
On one hand it is possible to adopt a cold hard economic perspective and argue that the persistently above inflation increases in ticket prices may better reflect the value of a match to fans: fans are under no obligation to buy tickets, so if the cost wasn’t worth it to them, then they could simply spend their money elsewhere.

- See more at: http://www.fsf.org.uk/blog/view/football-ticket-prices-monopoly-suppliers-regulation#sthash.biDhWp1W.dpuf

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At the League Two mach between AFC Wimbledon and Accrington Stanley a little over two weeks ago, a curious incident occurred which warranted comment only from the tidbits columns of the weekend’s sports pages but may yet come to have a significant bearing at the end of the season in League Two. With the clock ticking down to half-time and the score still goalless, a shot from Accrington‘s Billy Kee squeezed through a crowd of players and into the corner of the goal, only for it to become clear that the referee, Trevor Kettle, had blown for half-time as Kee took the shot, meaning that the goal didn’t count.

The match finished goalless, and with just five points separating third placed Bristol Rovers from seventh placed Leyton Orient, that all connected with Accrington Stanley should be indignant at a perfectly good goal being ruled out because an over-officious referee chose that exact moment to call time on the first half of the mach should be both unsurprising and understandable. At the time of writing Accrington Stanley are in fifth place in the League Two table, just one point off the automatic promotion places in this particular division, one point and two places below Bristol Rovers, But perhaps we should be more surprised at the fact that Stanley are in a position to be challenging for a place in League One in the first place rather than at this one particular piece of eccentric refereeing.

http://twohundredpercent.net/accrington-new-world/

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AN EVENING WITH DAVID MOYES
​
Cambridge United is proud to announce the second in a series of “An Evening with…” events, as on Friday 15th April the Premier Travel Hospitality Suite will play host to An Evening with David Moyes, interviewed by Graham Daniels. 
  
This is a unique opportunity to spend the evening with the well-respected ex-Premier League manager (and former U’s player) and get an insight into what makes David tick. 

Read more at http://www.cambridge-united.co.uk/news/article/-an-evening-with-david-moyes-3021926.aspx#8gkpOURXs2bKExsw.99

WarI remember the 2013 Johnstone’s Paint Trophy well. The sun-soaked green of the Wembley turf, the clear blue skies, the buoyancy of hope in my heart and the gurgles of anxiety in my bottom. I remember the huge bank of Southend supporters, and the smaller, but noisy, enthusiastic and ultimately jubilant section of Crewe fans. But I guess I remember most of all thinking that it would all be so much better if we weren’t playing Crewe, with their pride and their history and their passion. I remember thinking that I’d much rather be playing the Chelsea development squad.

Now it seems that those childhood dreams of watching my team go into battle against eleven teenage reserve players could finally be realised. The Premier League is reported to be in negotiations with the Football League as they seek to drop up to 16 U21 teams into the competition next season. And why not? We’ve been too slow to tackle the menace of smaller clubs enjoying an unforgettable day at Wembley.
​
I've written here before about the plight of the lower league clubs and the onslaught they’ve faced in recent years. It’s the same old charge sheet. First the big clubs came for the shared gate receipts. Then they came for the TV money. Then they came for our young players. Then they came for our league places. We thought that was it. We didn’t think we had anything else they could take. We didn’t even consider that they might want our modest little lower league cup competition too.

Warning contains strong language
Read more: http://thesetpieces.com/features/7692/#ixzz43eQlwxIS

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