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SPECIAL “OLD LANG SYNE” EDITION

DECEMBER 2016

“Football is a simple game complicated by idiots.”

Bill Shankly

Opening Resolution

It’s been a bit of a year hasn’t it? Last season ended within a whisker of the play offs, having made a

disappointing start to the season, which eventually led to the demise of popular boss Richard Money

and his replacement by Nottingham lad Shaun Derry. Shaun had a tough act to follow since Richard

will always be remembered as the man who led us to two Wembley triumphs, our longed for return

to the Football League and the exciting FA Cup ties against Manchester United. Sadly, even the best

reach a point in a job when it needs someone else to come in and take things on a slightly different

course to improve and develop. And we certainly did. The 7-0 thrashing of Morecambe in particular

left us all impatient for the next season with huge expectations of successful and flamboyant football

and stacks of goals.

AMBER NEWS

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Cambridge fans are a knowledgeable and long suffering bunch. We have learned to live with

disappointment and our history is one

of extremes, great moments followed

by years in the wilderness and

followed again by astonishing wins.

We are proud of our club and

sometimes, unrealistically, expect to

compete with much richer and more

established clubs.

So the anticlimax of our early season

form wasn’t such a shock. Worse than

the poor results was the dreadful and

turgid style of play which meant that,

in some games, we had no shots on

target, sat back and hoped that our opponents would make mistakes. The wise men on the Habbin,

who have the answer to all life’s conundrums, opined that Mr Derry’s tactic of employing loanees

from big clubs meant that they couldn’t be replaced easily or well by using our own resources. And

Barry Corr wasn’t available to paper over the cracks. Some of us ‘optimists’ continued to remind

others that our most successful seasons generally began disastrously and that a good start was often

a millstone round our neck. The fans needed change and Mr Derry’s position was certainly called into

question.

We played better away, defeated Dover in a very spirited comeback and were unluckily defeated at

home by Wycombe, one of the form teams of the division, who rode their luck and conned a poor

referee from start to finish. Our own Josh Coulson was injured- partly as a result of the referee’s

laissez faire attitude – but we were playing football on the front foot with flair and verve. The after-

match post mortems were upbeat and optimistic – unusual given all those depressing home defeats.

But we saw that it was the turning point.

Since then the team have been on a remarkable run of form. As I write, six wins and a draw in the last

seven games. The destruction of Hartlepool away and the dismantling of once famous Coventry City

have been the highlights along with the fine form of Luke Berry and Ikpeazu.

Surely, if we can hang on to our best players during the January sales, acquire a lightning fast centre

back with silky distribution skills and a regular goal scorer we should manage promotion by one route

or another? Thank goodness for another bad start!

The Year in Amber Looking back on the past twelve months, it seems to have flown by but yet has still provided so many talking points and emotional stops along the way for fans of the mighty U's.

CFU members appointed, by an overwhelming vote, Dave Matthew Jones as Fans Elected Director to succeed the indefatigable Colin Proctor, whose contributions to the club were then recognised by the Board with the award of an Honorary Associate Director post.

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Dave has chosen to develop the role of FED by assuming the post of Supporters Liaison Officer, previously held by Dave Doggett, and has embarked on a range of initiatives, aimed at improving the match day experience for fans. Several of these are work in progress at the current time, but with the objective of achieving recognition and an award to the club, as soon as may be.

The prospect of an all ticket match against Leeds, in which the allocation of places was on the basis of rewarding past support, led to CFU members renewing in haste (thank you all) so as to secure their entitlement to a ticket in the first tranche. We also picked up some new members, as well, before the deadline passed.

Welcome, all.

Please feel free to ask us anything or offer your services. The club often asks CFU if it can provide people to help with particular things, be it selling programmes or 50:50 tickets (Tim Christopher does a great job of managing both the sales force and the stocks of both items). We also need to expand the number of Abbey Helpers, who really do benefit both fans and the club on match days.

If you can help, even if only sometimes, please pop along to the CFU 'van on a match day and we shall be glad to see you and add you to our lists!

A happy and successful new year to you all.

Robert Osbourn

Robert was elected as Chairman following DMJ’s elevation to Director. We are fortunate to have such a worthy successor.

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Simon’s Christmas Cracker

Twas the night before Boro, and all through the club Not a player was stirring, not even a sub. The kits were all laundered and packed up with care, And Gordon was hoping that all would be there. The players were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of 3 points danced round in their heads. And Shaun in his onesie, and Joe in his cap, Had just settled down for a long winter’s nap. When out on the pitch there arose such a clatter, Shaun sprang from his bed to see what was the matter. Away to the window he flew like a flash, Tore open the curtains and threw up the sash. The moon did reflect off the new Habbin roof Gave the appearance of reindeer, all on the hoof. But when Shaun he did focus, what did appear, But a manual mower, pulled by eight tiny U-deer. With a giant of a driver, not lively or quick, He knew in a moment it was groundsperson Mick. Less rapid than Marvin his coursers they came, And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name! "Now, Doggett! Now, Daniels! Now, Cutting and Jeffery! On Walker!, On, Bonner! On, Stewart and Beattie!” To the edge of the South Stand! To the Newmarket Road End! “Now cut away! Cut away! Cut away friend!" And then, in a twinkling, the grass was all mown The prancing and pawing of Beattie was shown. As Shaun drew in his head, and was turning around, Down the floodlight came Doggett, with great abound. He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his feet, And his clothes were all tarnished with grass stains and peat. A sack full of notes he had flung on his back, And he looked like a member of an Eskimo pack. His eyes-how they twinkled! His dimples how merry! He gave Shaun his sack and said, “Don’t sell Luke Berry!” Shaun looked inside, and with eyes all aglow, Said he’d buy Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero. The stump of a fag Dave held tight in his teeth,

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And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath. “Now” said Dave curtly, as Shaun counted the cash, “We haven’t played Leeds yet, so don’t be too rash!” Dave jumped in his car, turned the key and it started, He had one thing to say, before he departed! Dave looked back at Shaun, with brow full of furrow, And said, “Just make sure you beat Stevenage (Borough)”. Merry Christmas everyone. Simon Lankester Simon is a very fine photographer. It seems he is a gifted wordsmith too!

“The politics of FIFA, they make me nostalgic for the Middle East.” Henry Kissinger

The Game is About Glory

Or is it, all too often, about greed, power and money? Given all we’ve heard in recent years about

extreme and widespread corruption at FIFA, it then fined England and Scotland for having the

temerity to wear armbands displaying poppies. Showing respect for the war dead is hardly playing

politics and it’s not as if other teams haven’t been allowed to wear more obviously political symbols.

It’s OK to turn a blind eye to Russian corruption in all manner of sports, to their war crimes and

persecution of minorities or to the exploitation of foreign workers dying in droves in the desert heat

as the result of another corrupt FIFA

decision...... It’s high time we withdrew from

FIFA and helped to create a governing body for

world football which was actually fit for

purpose.

And how similar is our own ‘elderly white

business men’ FA, a body which seems to have

reported itself to the government for its own

incompetence. Not only has it been unwilling to

recruit younger people with wide experience of

football, it ignores the experience of fans and deals with referees, clubs, managers and players in an

autocratic, outdated and haphazard way. It’s obvious that referees suffer as much as we do from

sudden changes in the interpretation of laws we thought we knew. A lot of penalties, red cards and

offside decisions are now the subject of raging controversy. Meanwhile serious issues have been

sidelined, presumably as unimportant.

It is clear that the child abuse scandal is set to grow and grow and it is becoming clear that people, in

a position to do something about it, turned a blind eye because winning and success are aims which

justify any means required. Clubs have much more in place during this age of litigation but one can’t

help but think that the game’s administrators have been more interested in their own importance

and luxury than the sport they are supposed to govern.

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Similarly, given that the links between heading footballs and dementia have been understood for

decades now, why hasn’t more been done to look after victims and their families? This shouldn’t

depend on charity and goodwill. There are vast amounts of money in football which ought to be used

more responsibly.

We read that some of our top clubs, whilst paying obscene salaries to players, neglect the disabled

and the elderly, whilst squeezing every pound of profit they can from their supporters. Responsible

clubs are committed to the idea of inclusion for all fans, whatever their needs, but this principle

should be enshrined in laws overseen by a governing body which has real power to ensure that the

rights of all fans are protected.

I find it sad that fans of so many clubs end up deprived of the pleasure of supporting their clubs

because they are at odds with owners more concerned

with profit and lifestyle than the welfare of the clubs they

have invested in. Properly run clubs don’t make a loss but

they don’t make much profit either. Proper amenities,

youth schemes, community projects, ground

developments and investment in the team should use any

profit there might be. Any club which fails to progress will

eventually struggle to survive. Cowboy or casual owners

have no place in our leagues and it should be impossible to acquire a club without the most rigorous

checks.

Our club has a fine record in the community and is mindful of its obligations to all of its fans. More

provision is being made for autistic fans and for the disabled but there is always more to be done. I

have often wondered whether we might do more for the very elderly, for instance. Could we give

them more heavily subsidised tickets, easier access to the ground or more comfortable or warmer

areas to sit in? I know we have good fan representation on our Board and that such things are

discussed. CFU will make sure that Cambridge United are exactly that – United in Endeavour – and as

a community.

Supporters Direct (with thanks to DMJ)

........are working hard to influence the reform of the FA

and encourage wider representation of supporters in

the game.

Last year saw the first structured meetings with the

EPL and the EFL – something that needs to be reflected

at club level. Some supporters’ trusts find it easy to

engage with their clubs but for some it isn’t so simple

and Supporters Direct will try very hard to encourage

this process and support all Trusts.

It is particularly pleasing that the badly thought out experiment of ‘big teams’ playing their under 21

teams in the EFL Cup has been brought to an end. The EFL and EPL have to understand that grass

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roots football doesn’t exist simply to protect the power and incomes of the Top Six but to provide real

competition. Any club, however small, must have a realistic

chance of competing with the best – otherwise the

Premiership might as well separate itself from the rest of us

and become a European TV League. I think it’s wonderful that

fans voted with their feet and showed the governing bodies

what they thought by ignoring the EFL Cup in large numbers.

I am optimistic that the EFL and EPL have shown a willingness

to listen to fans groups such as Supporters Direct. Talking to

the redoubtable DMJ means that we all have the chance to

make our views heard.

Ten New Year Wishes

1. Hold on to Luke Berry and Uche Ikpeazu for several years.

2. To witness a huge improvement in the quality of referees so that ‘physical’ teams can’t ruin

games by making cynical and dangerous challenges on skilful footballers with impunity.

3. For Notts County to stay in the league and for their

goalkeepers to carry on being generous to us.

4. For all the ground development to take place apart

from a small area of the North Habbin. I’d love to see

the memorial bricks in the new NRE too.

5. To see CFU awarded a new and luxurious van befitting

the status of its

occupants.

6. For the shop to produce a shirt with the old book and ball

badge on it.

7. To bring back the VP’s club and make it free for those

who’ve followed Cambridge for 50 years.

8. To hold on to Will Norris and Brad Halliday and Harrison

Dunk and ......

9. To see Barry Corr score for us again and to see Josh

Coulson in our defence.

10. For all at CFU to have a Happy and Prosperous New Year –

and enjoy another promotion season!

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And finally….. We begin 2017 in a very good place. Shaun Derry, not surprisingly, has been nominated, again, for

Manager of the Month. His pleasure at recent

performances has been palpable and his

interaction with our fans great to see. It takes

time to build firm foundations and it is to be

hoped that Shaun is happy to continue the

work at a club where fans really appreciate

being entertained and honest endeavour. The

window is always a worrying time for teams

at our level but we must hang on to our best

players, who must surely know now that this

club is going places. In addition, the away

support for them has been phenomenal. It

would be hard to improve on it.

It makes me sad, as a long time Nottingham resident, to see Notts County in such a predicament.

Their fans are entitled to ask questions about whether the club’s finances were handled responsibly

and about the recruitment of players and staff. Many of my friends were particularly angry at the

sacking of Shaun Derry – the classic response to a few poor results. I wish them well anyway as we all

wish long suffering fans of Coventry, Blackpool – and others well. We had some dark times here too

but they pass and every fan at some time will think “this is our season”.

We have the prospect of an exciting FA Cup tie against

Leeds and of the arrival of a couple of new players to

strengthen a very confident side playing excellent football.

More than that, we have the prospect of returning to the

levels we graced many years ago and which many of our

younger fans have only read about.

Let’s hope so!

Happy New Year,

Andrew

Make a difference and join CFU.

Your opinions and contributions are

always gratefully received.

acstephen@hotmail.com

[Deadline for the next newsletter – Wednesday January 25th at 8pm]

United in Endeavour