2015/16 Prediction League; Game 18 v Cambridge Utd (away)

Div3North · 20-11-2015, 00:33

Cambridge United

V

Accrington Stanley

2015/16 Prediction League; Game 18 v Cambridge (away)

This week’s starter for ten; there are two ex Premier League managers who were the “previous” (ie the last one before the current office holder) manager of two current Premiership clubs each ………who are they?

One, believe it or not, is David Moyes

, who was in charge of Everton prior to Roberto Martinez being appointed in June 2013, and also in charge of Man U before Louis van Goal

pinched his chair in May 2014; the other is Tim Sherwood

(Aston Villa before Remi Garde was appointed two weeks back, and also the last manager of Spurs before Mauricio Poccetino in May 2014) …….Moyes, of course, is now the previous manager at Real Sociedad as well; not, perhaps, what you’d want your cv to look like …….(“I’ve been sacked by loads of better teams than this!”

) ………..and – Arsenal Winger apart – who is the longest-serving manager of any of the present Premier League sides, with a tenure of slightly over three years?

Bournemouth’s Eddie Howe

, that’s who ……..or how! (anyone remember the old Abbott and Costello routine, “Who’s on First”?)

They were founded, it seems, (Cambridge Utd, not Abbott and Costello

) in 1912; then they were Abbey United .......they moved, conveniently

, to play at the Abbey Stadium in 1932, opening their tenure there with a game (which they won) against the Cambridge United Press – although there is a rumour that they lost the reverse fixture – “Reading Out Loud”

(think about it!). They became Cambridge United in 1951, joined the Football League in 1970, replacing Bradford Park Avenue (good grief, is that really 45 years ago?

), BPA having averaged 0.5 points and slightly under a goal a game (their GD was -55, which ain’t healthy), were relegated back to the Conference in 2005 and took 9 years to get back

.............The only Cambridge player ever to be inducted (posthumously

) into the Football League Hall of Fame was England International Wilfred Mannion, part of the Glorious 1950 World Cup side

, who played for them between 1956 and 1958 ........Ex managers include Roy McFarland, Gary Johnson (twice – 1992 to 1995, and 2015, between which he managed Latvia, giving that up to take the job at Yeovil – which may or may not be promotion!

), Ron Atkinson, ex Chelsea FB Ken Shellito (anyone?

who played once for England against Czechoslovakia, and Herve Renard (Harry Fox to you and me

), who is probably the only person to manage Cambridge and a Vietnamese side (Song Da Nam Dinh) in the same year

, and also to manage Ghana!

............Heaviest League defeat is 6-0, which they’ve managed three times, once each in Division 2 (Chelsea, 1983), Division 3 (Aldershot, 1974) and Division 4 (Darlington, also 1974 – which obviously wasn’t the U’s best year ever

.......) .............Youngest player ever was Andy Sinton (16 years 228 days v Wolves – I believe he was marked by one of the Beverley Sisters ); highest transfer fee ever paid out was £190,000 for Steve Claridge

, and highest ever received was £1.5million for Trevor Benjamin, from Leicester. Kit man? Not a clue!

Out, in the summer, went quite a few; five went to the Conference or lower, one-time Man U protégé Luke Chadwick went into oblivion

, CF Ryan Bird went to Yeovil, striker Tom Elliott joined the Wombles, CMF Mitch Austin went Aussie-wards, and signed for Central Coast Mariners, and CM Tom Champion and CB Michael Nelson went to Barnet, seemingly on a “BOGOF”

.

In, in their stead, came loads; ex Leeds, Owls, Swindon, Exeter and Southend striker Barry Corr – now 30, and Irish, although he was born in Newcastle (the one in County Wicklow); CMF Keith Keane (28), who followed 9 years at Luton with three more at Preston; 27-year old Sam Beasant, GK son of Dave Beasant of Wombles fame, who’s played at various non-league sides and Stevenage (which is much the same thing, currently); Larne, Lincoln, Brizzle R, Palace and Notts Co MF Jeff Hughes (30) arrived from downtown Fleetwood

; so did Mark Roberts (32), a CB about whom we know much, Leon Legge (def, 30) from Gillingham, having once played for Tonbridge Angels (“Come on you Angels!”

), Luke Berry (CMF, 23) who prodigal-son’d (it’s a new verb – “to prodigal-son”, meaning to return to your original home and hearth ‘cos you’re skint, or you’re a crap cook, or both

) after a season at Barnsley (which would make most people go home, I’d think

), 21 year-old CF Daniel Carr from Huddersfield, and MF Luke Berry from the aforementioned Barnsley .........RB Elliott Omozusi (26) arrived from Leyton Orient, where he played from 2010 to 2011, and again from 2013 – 2015; for his career from 2011 to 2013 you’ll need to goggle him ...................... or is that google him?

Four loan signings; CF Jacob Blyth and RB Alie Sesay from the Foxes, LB George Taft from Burton (wasn’t he wonderful in all those gangster movies in the 1930s and 40s?

), and Shrewsbury’s LB Mickey Demetriou ........who signs three full backs on loan at the same time, I ask myself

? Oh, and a new Manager; Shaun Derry (37) signed on the dotted just a week ago, after a playing career of 649 games (in total, not each) for Notts Co, Sheff Utd, Pompey, Palace (twice), Forest, Leeds and QPR and a stint managing Motts Co, who didn’t go down when they should have by rights in 13/14, but did in 14/15 when they shouldn’t have, not helped by 3 wins in 24 ..........His record at Cambridge is 100% failure – lost every game since he took over, and not scored a single goal ....and long may it continue!

Their performance in the Cups is mediocre; out of the Carling 1-0 at Rotherham, out of the PaintyThingy 2-0 at home to the Daggers, and through the First Round of the FA Cup with a slightly unconvincing 1-0 win over Conference South side Basingstoke (which gives them Donnie in Rd 2 .......) In the League, it’s P17 W5 D5 L7 GF21 GA 25 for 20 points, and 17th place (by goal difference over Barnet (-5) and Hartlepool (-7), all of whom are 5 points above Stevenage in 20th

) ............Home record is 3 wins (Newport 3-0, Stevenage 1-0 and Northampton 2-1), one draw (Leyton Orient 1-1) and four losses (Brizzle 2-1, Pompey 3-1, Luton 3-1 and Crawley 3-0) ........10 points from 8 games ...........they’ve scored four once, three twice, two thrice, one six times and zero eight times ........they’ve kept five clean sheets in 20 games

(Newport, Stevenage, two x goalless draws against Barnet and Hartlepool (away), and Basingstoke ..............leading scorers are Luke Berry, Leon Legge, Rory Gaffney, Robbie Simpson and Harrison Dunk (I know his brother, Slam! – oh come on, do keep up!), each with 2; meanwhile, Big Bad Barry Corr has eight, so he does! ..............I think we’ve got the makings of a game plan there!

Last season we beat them 2-1 at home (two from Piero

), and drew 2-2 away (Piero again, and a 90th minute equaliser by Conneely

). Bragging rights to us, then! By the way, does anybody know how many of our games in the past 12 months have finished with a Desmond? According to the list, it’s six

................and four of those were between 17th March and 18th April (Wycombe, York, Cambridge and Stevenage)!

Deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick-off time, which is 3.00pm (or 15.00 hours if you’re posh) on Saturday 21st November ..............Paul Cook says that the run-in to Christmas will be vital, by which time he appears to think that Plymouth will be out of sight; remind me again who he manages?

Or has he had a bet on Plymouth for the League? (of course he hasn't!)

Good luck to everyone!

................. Keep the Faith!

.................. And thanks for playing!