 |
Cambridge |
Wasn't
Atkins there once? |
| Yes.
There's no escaping the past for Ian Atkins as he prepares the Gas
for their third League game in a row against a team he has previously
managed. And while the reception he gets is unlikely to be as hot
as the one last week, he's still likely to cop some flak from some
of the older generation of Cambridge fans.
It
won't come as any surprise that Atkins' appointment in December
1992 following the first John Beck era was controversial. You
see, he replaced the "fans' choice", the first team
coach who had taken temporary charge following Beck's departure
- a certain Gary Johnson. Atkins' initial lack of popularity
was not helped by a string of poor results, with just seven wins
and ten draws in 29 games. He was sacked in July 1993 when he
failed to stop the U's getting relegated to Division 2 and was
replaced by Johnson. By all accounts there's still a large degree
of friction between Atkins and Johnson, which should add some
extra spice to events at the Mem on October 19th. |
Are
they any good? |
| Cambridge
have had a terrible start to the season and are currently sat second
bottom of the League. They've won only one game (against Shrewsbury),
drawn six and lost four. Their solitary victory ranks as the lowest
number in Division 3, with even bottom club Kidderminster having
2 wins under their belts. Mind you, that's no reason to be complacent
- when Rovers visited the Abbey Stadium in February of last season
the U's had only won two of their home games and they still stormed
to a 3-1 victory on a bitterly cold day.
They've also been severely hampered by injuries. Captain Luke Guttridge, who had been attracting the attention of the likes of Charlton, Cardiff, QPR and Watford, has been missing since the end of August with a serious viral infection and there is, as yet, no date for his return. And, is if that wasn't bad enough, midfielder Justin Walker is facing a lengthy lay-off after fracturing a cheekbone at Kidderminster last week. |
But
I thought they had a top international coach? |
| We're
not sure really (and perhaps neither are they). When, like us, they
were staring the Conference in face last Spring they claimed the
managerial coup of the century by announcing the signing of Claude
Le Roy, that very odd-looking Frenchman (a sort of cross between
Timothy Spall and the little bloke with the specs from It Ain't Half
Hot Mum) who has a superb track record coaching African national
sides.
Not surprisingly many were surprised to hear about a lowly Division Three club appointing a man who had managed the likes of PSG and Cameroon amongst others - and it soon appeared that Le Roy was among them. Reports emerged that he knew little about the deal and while he was eventually appointed it was fellow Frenchman Herve Renard who acted as the full time coach with LeRoy continuing with his duties at Canal+ alongside what appeared to be a nominal role at CUFC. However, it worked a treat. Cambridge were in a similar position to Rovers who appointed Broadhurst and Osman at around the same time. In Cambridge's last 8 games a run of 4 wins, 3 draws and only one defeat led them to 56 points and 13th spot while Rovers' record of 4-2-2 helped us reach 55 points and 15th place. At the end of the season, Renard was appointed
Manager - the job he had seemed to be doing anyway - and Le Roy
as a non-contract Director of Football, which appears little
more than an advisory / honorary role. Le Roy has since taken
up a role coaching the Democratic Republic of Congo and leading
them to an unlikely win over South Africa in a World Cup Qualifier
last month but has vowed to maintain his contacts with both CUFC
and Renard… |
It's
a bit of an early start isn't it? |
| Yes.
While it'll mean an early start from Bristol, the good news for Gasheads
is that with a 1pm kick-off we'll all be able to see both this game
and the England v. Wales match - even if the Common behind the away
end is likely to see a comedy cavalry charge after the game as everyone
will have about five minutes to get in front of the big screen in
The Greyhound.
Thankfully sense has prevailed after the debacle that was Rovers' game at Carlisle back in October 2001 when we were the only League game to kick off at 3pm on the day the rest of the nation was watching Beckham almost single-handedly get us to the Japan/Korea World Cup. Having said that, it almost didn't judging by the statement which appeared on the official Rovers site immediately after the revised kick-off time was confirmed: "The Football League have told Rovers that their League Two fixture with Cambridge United on Saturday 9th October must go ahead at 1:00pm. The game's original kick-off time of 3:00pm clashed with England's Old Trafford World Cup qualifier against Wales on the same date. A number of matches that weekend have already been moved to different kick-off times, with many others either being played on the Friday evening before, or the Sunday afternoon after. The Football League told both clubs that the game would move from 3:00pm to 1:00pm last week, and now, having listened to and rebuked Rovers' appeals, have ratified that decision. The early start will now mean extra expense for Rovers, with the likelihood of an additional overnight stop ahead of the game". |
You
mentioned The Greyhound. Surely there are better pubs than that? |
| True,
The Greyhound (on Coldham's Lane if you haven't been there before)
is a bit basic but the options are a bit curtailed when the kick-off's
at 1pm and the England game starts straight after the final whistle…and
at least it has at least got a big screen.
Having said that, Cambridge is full of decent pubs, even if none of them seem to be anywhere near the football ground. Our favourites tend to be in the area between the ground and the railway station. The Locomotive (44 Mill Road) is good for watching televised sport while the The Cambridge Blue on Gwydir Street (off Mill Lane) and the Live and Let Live on Mawson Road (off Mill Lane) are good for real ales if that's your thing, though we can't vouch that they have TVs if you want to do drink your way through the CAMRA good beer guide and watch the match. If you want to try elsewhere, then make sure you
take a look at the Cambridge
Pubs Website, which is one of the best online pub guides
we've ever seen. |
Anything
else worth knowing? |
| If
it's anything like last year, take some earplugs as the side of the
ground next to the away end will be occupied by some f**ker with
a bloody great drum surrounded by a load of shrieking schoolkids
who presumably have taken it on themselves to "enhance" the
atmosphere at the Abbey Stadium?
According to their website, we will once again be allocated the South Stand, which represents a massive improvement on the old away end in terms of facilities and view (even if the wind does rattle in) as well as the South Habbin Terrace, the area normally given to away fans. Having said that, it might be worth checking that we are still in the stand as on Sky's Football League Review the other week it looked as though they had home fans in there. Either that or Grimsby have the most miserable fans in the world and don't move one inch when their team scores in front of them. Judging by the newspaper reports we've read, watch out for it kicking off all over the place if they get a win. No, not the fans, the players! Click here for more. It only ever happens when they don't lose it seems. It'll be worth getting a programme just for the back page. They've got some great names in their squad: Stevland Angus, Abdou El Kholti, Igor Latte-Yedo, Franco Nacca, Mbome Kingsley and - last but certainly not least - Sully Seychelles. Finally, check out their official site for some of the most surreal match reports ever. Here's an extract from last week's visit to Kiddie: "Mbome Kingsley inflated a life-raft of quality on an ocean of garbage as his brilliant goal salvaged a point from a dire bottom-of-the-sea encounter at Aggborough. Remember the strike, forget the rest, and pray that United re-learn basic ball control and passing by next Saturday". We can only presume that a lot of magic mushrooms get ingested on their Supporters' Club coaches. Are you watching Ian Cole? See the Official
Cambidge United website for more match reports and information. |
Any
ex-Sh*theads to have a shout at? |
| No real ones, though Abdelhalim El Kholti played for the green s**theads last season and scored against us at Huish Park (who didn't we hear you say). |
And
what about the Wayne Carlisle Factor? Any ex-Gas likely to return
to haunt us? |
Fortunately no after the experiences of Orient and Northampton |