beckball Beck's Back: Can We Go One Beta?

[smp20]

The Beck Era

It’s hard to imagine that 25 years ago Cambridge United, lead by Dublin, Taylor, Claridge and Co, were one game away from taking their place in the inaugural Premier League. That they got so close to the promised land – and ultimately didn’t make it – was largely down to their eccentric manager John Beck. Beck arrived in Cambridge as a player before becoming assistant to Chris Turner and then taking over as boss in January 1990, when Turner moved into a directorial role. He inherited a side that had already hit rock bottom – the U’s had to apply for re-election in 1986 – and was ready to bounce back.

As a player, Beck was a stylish midfielder noted for his ball-playing ability, and grew up under the tutelage of Dave Sexton at QPR. Ironically the style of play he chose to employ as a manager could not have been further removed from the fluent passing game of Sexton’s Rangers side of the 1970s. Beck’s teams were – and still are – all about getting the ball into what Charles Hughes’ infamous coaching manuel describes as Positions Of Maximum Opportunity (POMO). This meant a lot of long balls played into the corners for wingers Philpott and Michael Cheetham, who would  either attempt to win a set-piece or aim a cross at towering forward pair Taylor, who had been plucked from non-league football in Suffolk, and Dublin, a converted centre-half released by Norwich City.

If his football was positively pre-historic, in other ways Beck was way ahead of his time. He employed a statistician in the days when OptaJoe was a mere pixel in his daddy’s eye, and introduced conditioning techniques like ice-baths, which are now common-place in the game but which, 25 years ago, seemed completely alien. It was a curious mix, but it worked. Mid-table when Beck took charge, United stormed up Division Four in the second half of the season, eventually squeezing into the Play-Offs thanks to a sixth place-finish, then winning through to the final where they beat Chesterfield 1-0. Fitter, stronger, and faster than most opponents, they fared even better in the Third Division, clinching the title 12 months later thanks to a 2-0 final day win over Swansea City at the Abbey. Both promotions were all the more remarkable given that they were achieved alongside runs to the FA Cup quarter-finals. Though United were eventually vanquished by top-flight opposition – Crystal Palace and Arsenal respectively – on both occasions, they achieved some notable scalps, thrashing First Division Sheffield Wednesday 4-0 and dispatching Bristol City 5-1, a game that included a stupendous 20-yard volley from Philpott.

No one outside of Cambridgeshire expected the team to be able to make the step up to challenge for promotion again, but Beck had assembled a talented squad: pocket-sized goalkeeper John Vaughan was dubbed The Legend by supporters for his prowess between the sticks, defenders Liam Daish and Alan Kimble would go on to enjoy long careers in the Premier League, and midfielder Richard Wilkins might have joined them if injury hadn’t intervened. Up front, Taylor and Dublin had competition from a young Claridge, signed from Aldershot. The free-spirited Claridge was never going to be an easy convert to Beck’s methods and the pair clashed from day one. Writing in his autobiography, Tales from the Boot Camps, Claridge recalls turning up for his debut with dirty boots, as was his habit. Beck promptly dropped him from the team. The pair would later come to blows at half-time during a league game after Claridge committed the cardinal sin of dribbling inside when he should have laid the ball off to a team-mate.

Faced with the prospect of superior opposition, Beck’s tactics got more extreme and the manager cranked gamesmanship up to the max. The team trained on the playing surface at the Abbey Stadium to try and make passing football as difficult as possible, while the grass in the corners of the pitch was grown extra long to help hold the ball up. Opposition complained of boiling hot dressing rooms, deflated practice balls and tea topped up with a whole bag of sugar. But as long as the results continued those supporters didn’t care what opposition managers thought. The U’s started the season in unbeatable form and went top of Division Two in November, thanks to a 2-1 win over Ipswich at Portman Road.

At this point the Premier League founders must have started sweating. Little Cambridge and their ugly, anti-football weren’t part of their grand plan for a footballing superleague – having the U’s in there alongside Liverpool and Manchester United would have been like the cast of TOWIE gate-crashing a party at the Bullingdon Club. They needn’t have worried. Having been embarrassed by United once, teams found a way of countering their tactics in the second half of the season and, though Beck’s side rallied to finish fifth, Leicester City, a team the U’s had dispatched 5-1 earlier in the year, romped to a 6-1 aggregate victory in the Play-Offs.

Taylor had already been sold, sent to Bristol Rovers along with £100,000, as part of a baffling swap deal which saw the U’s receive the hopeless Devon White in return. That summer, Dublin joined Manchester United for a club record £1million, Claridge went off to Luton, while Beck lasted three months into the 1992/93 campaign before getting the boot. United were relegated at the end of that season and have arguably never recovered. Claridge is sure that, had Beck been a little more flexible, the team would have reached the top flight. “Beck will always say we got so far because of him and his methods,”  he said. “I maintain it was in spite of them. I believe he stopped us being what we really could have become.” He may have a point, but this would seem to me a harsh assessment of a manager who turned a squad of unknowns into one of the most feared sides in the lower divisions.

Beck will never be everyone’s cup of tea, and it is perhaps not a coincidence that his favourite quote comes from American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson: “To be great is to be misunderstood”. But, whether you consider him a misunderstood genius or a bit of a lunatic, few would argue that his time in the Cambridge hot-seat was the most exciting period in the club's history.

 

[smp20]

2017: Beck Returns To The Abbey

The man. The legend. 25 years on from his first reign at the club John Beck, now 63, has taken the helm at the Abbey. His promise: emulate his success from the 1990s, however he will go one better and take the U's to the Premier League.

The Club

Now heading into our 4th season back in the Football League after nearly a decade playing non-league football, we are predicted by the media to do well this season.

The Tactic

We're an  aggressive attacking side that looks to get the ball wide and into the box as soon as possible. No fancy football allowed. Short passing, cutting inside and unnecessary dribbling will land you on the subs bench. 

Results 

An excellent first couple of months. Our only losses have come in the cups against higher-league opposition. Blissett and Ikpeazu have formed a very nice partnership up top and our two last minute winners vs Colchester and Swindon show our never say die attitude.

League Table

It's still only early days but we're sitting in 1st and we are the league top scorers.

Transfers

No permanent transfers in or out, with Blissett being our only loanee signed. Meanwhile, 3 youngsters step down to the conference to battle for a future place in the U's first 11. We will be looking to strengthen in January; full squad analysis to come in December.

However Beck took no time in assembling his own backroom staff. Top quality coaches, scouts, data analysis team and medical staff.

[smp20]

October - December 2017 Update

Results

October was a rough month for us. We crashed out of the Checkatrade Trophy after being thrashed by Southampton's youngsters and 3 losses in 4 league games followed. However, our league form picked back up and we're on 10 game unbeaten run.

League Table

We've gained a 4 point lead at the top and we're 8 points clear of 4th spot. We may still be conceding quite a few, but our attack has been lethal.

Player Stats

Mingoia's performances from right wing has been outstanding so far, averaging 7.78 and creating 33 chances in 28 appearances. Howkins and Legge have formed a good partnership at centre back. We've suffered a few injuries which hasn't helped us keep a consistent side - notably Brown, Taylor, Dunk (broken leg) and Ikpeazu spending a lot of time in the medical centre. We will need to strengthen in January. Squad Analysis to come.

[smp20]

31st December 2017 - Squad Analysis

Goalkeepers

Forde is still a good keeper despite his age. However, he's unlikely to earn a new contract unless he's happy with a pay cut. Beckability = 7/10

Mitov is only young so he's got plenty of time to develop. He looks very average however. Beckability 5/10

Right Backs

Halliday is a grafting full-back with plenty of room to develop. Gets forward a little bit too much for Beck's liking, might be better suited for centre midfield in this system. Beckability 7/10

Leon has been our back-up right back but again is another player suited to playing further forward in this system. He's being trained as a right winger and has impressed for the youth team playing there. Beckability 6/10

Left Backs

Carroll is a decent all rounder, but doesn't possess the defensive ability or work rate to be considered first choice left back long term. Beckability 6/10

Greg has unfortunately spent most of the season out injured wirth re-occuring torn ankle ligaments. Unless he makes a really good recovery from March onwards he will be moved on. Beckability 5/10

Centre Backs

Legge is the club-captain and is a good all-round centre back. Beckability 7.5/10

Howkins has earned a loan extension after great performances in the first half of the season. He's an absolute beast, but his work rate and determination does let him down a bit. Beckability 7.5/10

Taft is a good aerial centre back, but we require a bit more pace and mobility in our centre backs in this strategy. He will be returning to Mansfield in January. Beckability 5/10

Centre Mids (Defend)

Deegan is a lower-league Roy Keane. A bit of a nutter, puts himself about and not too bad on the ball. Would have played more games if it weren't for injuries and suspensions. Beckability 7/10

O'Neil is a solid all-rounder and can cover quite a few positions so he's a good squad player. Beckability 6.5/10

Box-to-Box Midfielders

We need to get him playing it longer, but Osadebe has been integral to our success providing real energy in midfield. He's physical and hard-working. Beckability 8/10

Lewis is a decent understudy to Osadebe. Physical, but lacks the mental ability. Beckability 6/10

Right Wingers

Piero needs to stop cutting inside and he lacks a bit of pace, but he's a terrific crosser and you can't argue with his performance. Beckability 8.5/10

Brown has had a frustrating start to his time here at Cambridge. He's been excellent playing at right wing in the league, but has been out with injury after injury. I think he will come good. Beckability 7.5/10

Amoo is being packed back off to Scotland after not impressing. Twice he dwelled on the ball instead of crossing and lost it, resulting in the opposition scoring and costing us 3 points. Harsh, but Beckability 1/10

Left Wingers

Harrison is the longest serving player in the squad and he's been good this season. However, a broken leg will see him out for the majority of the next few months and I'm not sure he'll be up to it when he returns. On face value, Beckability 8/10.

He's quick and has flair, but isn't a typical Beck winger. Beckability 6/10

Target Men

Uche is the kind of striker who terrifies defenders. Strong, good in the air combined with pace and a bit of footballing ability. His only downfall is the amount of times he picks up injuries. Beckability 8.5/10

Blissett was our solitary summer addition and he has not disappointed. For what he lacks in technical ability he makes up for in brute strength combined with pace. He's our top scorer so far. Beckability 8/10

Jabo is a great target man link player. In his prime he would have been a class Beck-style forward, but at 34 lacks the pace required Beckability 6.5/10

When we need an injection of pace, on comes Azeez. Lacks the aerial ability to be a true Beck forward, but a good impact player. Beckability 6/10

Observations

• We could do with an additional keeper; Forde has picked up a few injuries and Mitov isn't of the required standard. Ideally a keeper who can kick it long over the opposition defence.
• We need a left back to compete for the position with Carroll; or ideally replace him, allowing him to move further forward.
• We will need to bring in a left winger to replace the injured dunk, or rely on Carroll and Elito to perform there.
• We need extra cover at centre back as Taft's loan deal will not be renewed.
• If we can add a pacy-tall striker then Azeez and/or Ibehre can be replaced. They're  not good enough long term.
• We need someone who can take long throws to add a new dimension. We also need to overhaul our set pieces, 7 goals from corners and 3 from indirect freekicks is not good enough for a team with our aerial prowess.

[smp20]

What a win!!!!!!!!!!

[Nobby_McDonald]

Great start to life as John Beck.

[DavidBeckham]

Congrats on the fantastic win against Wolves mate 

[Northernpilgrim]

Great start 😀

[smp20]

10 hours ago, Nobby_McDonald said:

Great start to life as John Beck.

 

3 hours ago, DavidBeckham said:

Congrats on the fantastic win against Wolves mate 

 

1 hour ago, Northernpilgrim said:

Great start 😀

Thanks guys. Got a bit carried away last night and ended up finishing the season and sorting out my squad for the 2nd season . Therefore an end of season update and squad update to come at some point today. 

[Bartrcm]

Will be following this, as usual.

[smp20]

On 10/31/2017 at 10:42, Bartrcm said:

Will be following this, as usual.

Cheers

[smp20]

An excellent first season under Beck as Cambridge secured the League 2 title . Throughout the entire campaign we never dropped out of the top 3.

Transfers

We bolstered our squad in January with two money signings. Right-back Lanre Oyebanjo, who played under Beck at Histon, joins with a terrifying long throw, while 6'7 Omar Sowunmi can play at centre back or up top. Out of the freebies South African international Kgosi Ntlhe adds more quality at left back and Andrew, Tornaghi and Platt add more depth to the first team squad. In March we brought in unattached speedster Aidan White who can play anywhere down the left. Obadeyi came in on loan to play on the left wing replacing the injured Dunk.

Results

We went January unbeaten until the 7-5 thriller in the FA Cup against Swansea. February was a poor month for us where we picked up just 3 points and no wins in 5 games but a 6-0 thrashing of rivals Luton got our morale back and we finished the season nicely.

League Table

Yeovil were the only side that threatened our title challenge put a strong finish helped us pip them to the title. We managed to beat the club record points and lowest amount of losses.

Player Stats

Uche Ikpeazu lead the way with 21 goals, followed by Blissett (16), Andrew (14), Azeez (13) and Ibehre (9). Piero Mingoia was our player of the season, 7.74 average rating. Out of the new signings, Calvin Andrew was the star grabbing 14 goals in 19 appearances and averaging 7.61. However, Oyebanjo was a flop .

[Rikulec]

On 31.10.2017 at 10:31, smp20 said:

Thanks guys. Got a bit carried away last night and ended up finishing the season and sorting out my squad for the 2nd season . Therefore an end of season update and squad update to come at some point today. 

Haven't we all been there. Excellent start, I'll be following.

[mjaferrie]

Excellent first season!

[smp20]

Cheers @Rikulec and @mjaferrie - another half season update to follow!

[smp20]

Cambridge United Season 2: 1st January 2019

Transfers

We sold off a few players that didn't really fit the mould and managed to get a bit of cash for them. We also loaned out a few promising youngsters. Our first signing of the summer was target man James Hanson but his time at the Abbey was very short lived. 2 games and a goal into his time here he picked up a 3 month injury and his loan was terminated. His club-mate Paul Coutts was also terminated after a dreadful start and a bust up with Beck.

In terms of permanent transfers Matt Preston was the first agreed. He's a strong, pacey centre back who is even competent up top. We broke the club transfer reckon to bring in hard-working midfield general Markus Schwabl, albeit over the course of 3 years. Kamara, Dawson and Virtue all joined us on loan bolstering our first team. On deadline day we opted to sign Kyle Howkins after a successful loan last season, while arguably the signing of the window was Rolando Aarons on loan. His pace will terrify league one full backs. Joseph Mendes joined on a free in October adding pace and quality up top while Morais will offer cover for Mingoia.

Results

We had a mixed start in the league, performing well away and poor at home. We had an excellent streak of results at the end of September through to October, including 6-0 wins over Bradford and Mansfield away and a first home win thrashing rivals Peterborough 5-0. We're a little patch of late, but we are still winning more than we are losing.

Our time in the Carabao Cup and Checkatrade Trophy was shortlived, going out in the 2nd round to Bristol City and losing all out group games. We beat league 2 opposition in the 1st and 2nd rounds of the FA Cup and we now face Man City at the Abbey.

League Table

We're just one point behind leaders Scunthorpe and we've created a gap between us and the players. Fingers crossed we can keep this up.

Facilities

We've had a couple of upgrades to our junior coaching and recruitment. Hopefully we will start to bring through some promising youngsters. We had one good player last intake, Dan Jordan, who I forgot to tag! I will screenshot him at the end of the season.

Mingoia and Aarons have been excellent down the wings but the spotlight is definitely on Kamara who has been banging in goals! It's a shame that Uche got injured as he also started well with Kamara.

[smp20]

This is how we now line up at home. Team had started to sit back, so now we just push them back all game.

[smp20]

From this.....

To this....Well that was a bit of excitement!!! 

[smp20]

Spoiler

Nice new little feature this.

[smp20]

Another fantastic season as we secured back-to-back promotions, emulating Beck of the 1990s. We haven't managed to achieve the FA cup runs, but going out to Man City and Swansea is certainly forgiveable.

Transfers

We made two signings in January, both of whom were unattached. Charlie Adam comes in as our set piece and long pass specialist while Lichaj is physical, aggressive and has a long throw. Ideal for our right back position. Liam O'Neil, Gary Deegan and Jack Barmby were deemed surplus to requirements and were moved on.

Results

A couple of bad results here and there, but all in all a good finish to the season.

League Table

We smashed the record for goals scored in the 3rd tier of England and beat our own record points tally from last season.

Facilities & Youth

We've continued to develop our youth setup, but our youth intake was not worth shouting about this year. However this is the best from the first intake:

He could develop into a decent box-to-box midfielder.

Player Stats

Aboubakar Kamara was a fantastic goalscorer for us, just one shy of 40 goals. Meanwhile the wing combo of Mingoia and Aarons was outstanding, particularly the latter. Since joining Charlie Adam has been a class act, creating chances for fun.

 

[smp20]

Beating our 1991 record 

[Nobby_McDonald]

Two excellent seasons.

[kidthekid]

Wow Awesome progress

[smp20]

Thanks @Nobby_McDonald and @kidthekid 

[smp20]

1st January 2020 Update

Transfers

We extended the loans of Dawson and Kamara who don't appear here. Our first signing was the re-signing of Luke Berry, back for his 3rd stint with the club. We needed a home-grown at club player to add to the squad so I looked past his push for a move to rivals Luton...Despite renewing the loan of Dawson I opted to sign Federici as I wanted an experienced keeper between the sticks. Loan-wise we brought in Galloway and Williams to improve our backline as well as Verlinden to compete for our right wing slot. My efforts to re-sign Rolando Aarons were to no avail so I opted to bring in Johnny Russell on the left. The sale of Joseph Mendes to Millwall lead to the signings of Elliott and Bogle, giving us 4 good options up top.

Results

We took a while to get going in the league, losing more than we were winning. However come November  we really started to hit some form. Our best results include the wins over Hull and Villa who are both pushing for the title. We're out of the league cup already, but we start in the FA Cup 3rd round away to Huddersfield - hoping we can win and end up on a good cup run.

League Table

Our latest run of form has pushed us up the table within touching distance of the playoffs. If we can keep this up then we have a chance. Much better than first anticipated; it looked like keeping away from relegation was about all we were going to muster.

Player Stats

It's clear to see the core of our team. Federici, Adam and Russell have been ever present, while Williams, Kamara, Galloway and Lichaj have only missed 7 games between them. Howkins would also have been up there but he broke his leg, while Verlinden has also been out injured for 3 months. Kamara is yet again leading the way with his goals while Scottish pair Adam and Russell have been our key performers and creators.

[smp20]

Decided to let Josh Holloway, a promising youngster, leave for a tidy sum of £1.4m.  I'd like to see him do well, but he isn't your typical Beck midfielder so probably best he developed elsewhere. Besides, we need the cash.

[smp20]

Squeaky Bum Time: 10 Games To Go! 

Transfers

We brought in quite a few freebies to add depth to our squad - Avevor is a pacy centre back who can also cover right back and centre mid, while Wheater & Johnson bring experience into the side. Tyrone Mings joins on loan with a view to a permanent transfer.  We also completed the signing of Callum McMananaman who is a quick, traditional winger. In February we brought in Gozie Ugwu for injury cover.

Results

Overall 6 wins, 3 draws and 2 losses in the league this calendar year. We beat Hudderfield in the FA Cup, but we struggled to make any kind of impact at Anfield.

League Table

We're up to 4th now, but it's extremely tight!

Youth Intake

Always nice to see a potential 'golden generation' though I'm not getting carried away. Matthew Wood does look like a cracking prospect though:

[smp20]

We hit a rough patch but finally managed to pick up another win!

This league is so tight and exciting!!!!

 

[smp20]

An excellent run of form to the end of the season, particularly as we were 2-0 down against Brentford and we had 10 men for 88 minutes vs Ipswich!

Get in!!! Play-offs secured, finishing in 5th place. We face Brentford in the play-off semis

 

[Bedese]

Just standard smp things here...  

[smp20]

Terrible. Just bloody terrible. 

[smp20]

Gozie Ugwu!!! From League 2 reject to 2 Championship play-off goals to send us through to the final! What a hero!!!!

QPR in the final. Cmon lads!!!

 

[smp20]

Alas it just wasn't to be. We were 3-0 down at ht and switched to an even more attacking 3-4-3.  Unfortunately QPR scored 10 mins into the second half to go 4 ahead. A brace from Ugwu gave us a bit of hope, but we were torn apart on the counter when we were pushing for the goals we needed. 

[smp20]

Overall, despite the play-off final disappointment, a season to be proud of. We we're expected to be at the bottom of the table battling for relegation but instead we matched the clubs (and Beck's) rcord position of 5th in the 2nd tier.

Player Stats

Rather than go through player profiles now, I'm just giving an overview - will do a full squad analysis once I've set my team up for next season. I've already demoted a few players from the 1st team that will not be getting new contracts next season. Club icon Mingoia will also be on his way out; I think league one was his limit. For the second season running loanee Kamara was our top scorer. Our other loanees Mings, Williams, Galloway and Verlinden were also good performers. I will be attempting to extend their loans or get them in on a permanent basis.I don't want to make too many changes for next season, but we do need to improve the core of our squad.

 

[smp20]

4 players in the TOTY, very good going!

Oooohhh this is interesting reading...

[smp20]

That's a lot of money for a 15 year old, deciding whether to accept or not!

[smp20]

£2.5m is a lot of money for Cambridge United, but when you're only paying him £160 a week while West Ham pay him £90k its worth a punt  

[Rikulec]

How the ****.

[smp20]

1 minute ago, Rikulec said:

How the ****.

He was transfer listed at about £1.7m, but I non-neg put them down to pay all his wages and they agreed but for a bigger fee...man they really didn't want him 

[Maw74]

Lol that sums up Wet Sham really.

[Nobby_McDonald]

It's ridiculous a club would pay £90,000 per week to have him play for somebody else.

Very good season. Bugger in the final.

[Northernpilgrim]

Shaping up nicely

[smp20]

On 11/4/2017 at 22:50, Maw74 said:

Lol that sums up Wet Sham really.

 You could say that!

On 11/6/2017 at 22:14, Nobby_McDonald said:

It's ridiculous a club would pay £90,000 per week to have him play for somebody else.

Very good season. Bugger in the final.

It is ridiculous, but it happened . 

On 11/8/2017 at 21:49, Northernpilgrim said:

Shaping up nicely

Thanks.

Sorry for the delay between updates - the next one is a bit of a long one because I've completed a full season.

[smp20]

We matched our positional finish from last season but managed to go one better by winning the play-off final. Premier League football, here we come!!!   

Transfers 

It was a busy season for us transfer wise, but I tried to get most of my business done early. Loan starlet Kamara joined us on a permanent transfer while loanees Ro-shaun Williams and Tyrone Mings extended their loans. We managed to get Rolando Aarons, who we had on loan in League 1, in on the cheap adding pace down the left. Tyler Blackett can play centre-back or left-back and is a bargain at £200k. I used the free transfer market to add depth to the squad; Mara provides competition for McManaman, Robinson is a good backup to Mings and Shotton will be our right back. Terraciano joined as a solid backup keeper. Further into pre-season we brought in the physical, versatile Gbamin and big Andy Carroll. On deadline day Murgia joined us on loan to add more quality to our midfield. In January we added just two players; towering centre back Jake Cooper and freebie backup Andre Castro. There weren't many outgoings, but the big sale of youngster Matthew Wood made the headlines and we sold another youngster, Austin for a good price as well.

Championship

Results 1 ~ Results 2

We gained 6 more points than last season and a better goal difference, despite once again finishing 5th. In the playoffs we managed to overturn a 2-0 loss at home with a 4-1 extra time win at Selhurst Park to secure a place in the final. Uche Ikpeazu, who has been with us since the start, played the super-sub role in the the final scoring a brace to take us to the Premier League.

Domestic Cups

Starting with an 11 goal thriller with Wimbledon, we had a nice run in the League Cup getting to the QF and losing to Man Utd at Old Trafford. In the FA Cup we were demolished by Chelsea, showing how far we are from being able to compete with the top PL sides.

Player Ratings

Once again Kamara was the star, scoring 40 goals beating his record of 39 back in League 1. He was the fan's player of the year and the Championship player of the year and rightly so. Andy Carroll formed a good partnership with Kamara, scoring off a lot of his crosses. Our full-backs struggled this season; something to look into.

Finances

Our finances don't look great at the moment but they should soon be good thanks to the PL money. The board have supported us in our debut PL season by giving us a hefty £27m transfer budget and a decent increase in wage budget too. This money cannot be wasted.

[tajj7]

Amazing thread, great read. Very interested to see that style in the PL.

 

[smp20]

The Premier League Promotion Squad

Goalkeepers

Federici is a good, experienced keeper who has been reliable in his 2 seasons with us. He's been offered a new contract for next season, but will likely be our 2nd choice as we will need to improve this area of the squad.

Pietro joined us last year as a backup keeper and has one more year on his contract. He has done well when called upon, so will be a good 3rd choice to have.

Right Backs

Shotton has struggled performance wise this season, but on paper he's still a decent all rounder with a beastly long throw. He will be a backup next season as we will need to bring in a top quality right back.

Lichaj has been with us for 2 and a half seasons now, but he will be leaving at the end of his contract. Physically he's not good enough to be part of our PL side.

Left Backs

Tyrone is a physically dominant full back and he's going to be joining us on a free after being on loan for the past season and a half. I hope we can get some better performances out of him, but attribute wise he's exactly what we're after.

Robinson is very happy being a backup and I will be offering him a new contract to be our cover-man next season. Tyler Blackett can also cover left back, so we will not need to improve the left side of our defence.

Centre Backs

Cooper is one of the best players in the air in football and I am pleased that we've got him here at Cambridge. He's a threat for our set pieces and does a great job dealing with anything pumped at our defence in the air.

Alongside the towering Cooper is pacey Williams. He's been on loan to us for two seasons now and I've got my fingers crossed we can secure him on a free. 

Tyler is a solid player who has done well for us at centre back, left back and defensive midfield. It's always good to have a few versatile players in the side, especially with Blackett's physicals.

Howkins has spent 4 seasons at the club, the first being on loan, but unfortunately he won't be able to cope in the PL so he's being released at the end of his contract.

Preston will also be leaving at the end of the season. He was good for us in league 1 and even in our first Championship season, but he's better suited to a lower level.

Defensive / Central Midfielders

I'll start with Charlie Adam. He's spent 2 and a half glorious seasons with the club and has been integral to our plans as a set piece specialist. He is now retiring after helping us get to the PL - shame he missed a penalty in his last ever game!

Gbamin, or JP as I like to call him, is a bit of a nutter but every team needs one. He gets stuck in and grafts hard for the team. He  has good physicals too, so he's a force to be reckoned with.

Murgia is the definition of all-rounder. He is pretty much good at everything and I am pleased that we've snapped him up for a bargain £1m.

Andre Castro is the ultimate back up player. He's earning £1.5k per week! He's getting on a bit now but he's a hard worker and still has decent physicals.

Luke Berry has been our bench home grown at club player - not sure if this rule continues in the PL but he's going to be a backup player nonetheless. Didn't really make much of an impact last season, no goals or assists.

Right Wingers

McMananaman is starting to lose a bit of pace and wants a big payrise. I can't see him having the impact needed in the PL so he will not be getting a new contract.

Mo Mara is a great crosser of the ball and has done well this season off the bench.

Left Wingers

Rolando will be given a chance to show what he's made of in the Premier League. His pace and movement in our system should do well.

Russell will be a good squad player to have around next season and will provide competition for Aarons if he doesn't perform.

Strikers

Kamara is a goalscoring machine, let's hope he can keep it up in the PL.

Andy Carroll's transfer was controversial; West Ham agreed to pay all his £90k wages just to get rid of him! He's signed a new deal with us on £5k a week, so he might need a lifestyle change...On the pitch big Andy has been producing the goods.

Tom Elliott has been offered a new contract to be a backup in the PL. He's got goals in him.

Uche was the man of the moment in the play-off final and thanks to that performance he's earned a place in our PL squad.

Gozie defied all critics by performing in the Championship; his previous good years had been at non-league level. Nevertheless the Cambridge cult-hero will have to find a new club for next season.

 

Transfer Targets:

1. A top class goalkeeper.
2. A pacey, physical right back.
3. Another centre back for depth alongside Cooper, Williams and Blackett
4. A right winger (either a pace demon or crossing master)
5. A top class Target Man
6. Maybe another centre mid - but only if a big improvement.

 

[smp20]

33 minutes ago, tajj7 said:

Amazing thread, great read. Very interested to see that style in the PL.

 

Cheers @tajj7 - will be interesting to see if it can work up there!

[smp20]

So the new stadium is happening . However for our first season in the PL we will be groundsharing with Watford...

[smp20]

[tajj7]

Weird you didn't ground share with MK dons as that is the next nearest and biggest stadium isn't it?