Last Post!

It with sadness that I write this last post for Sky Blue Sport, for with the appointment of the bigot David Jeffrey, as manager of our beloved Sky Blues, I feel I can longer go along to our games, secretly hoping that our manager falls flat on his face. You see I can never forgive FDJ, of accusing our fans wrongly of sectarian abuse of his players.

The IFA, for a change, found in our favour, but FDJ, has never apologised for that outburst. Of course the faceless men on our board, don't really care about this, after all it wasn't them that were accused, it was the rank and file fans and their feelings don't matter. After following the Sky Blues for 60 plus years, the penny has finally dropped for me.

As I've said many times, the money men, Norman McBurney and Davy Blair, wield the real power in our boardroom and Norman's preferred manager to succeed Spike, was FDJ. I realise that honesty in football has gone, but I respect a man that says he has made a mistake, but FDJ thinks he is infallible and was justified in making false accusations about our fans.

I don't care if Kevin Kelbie, had anything to do with his marriage break-up, that is a matter for speculation and I think our fans carried on with these rumours for too long, but it was their only recourse as FDJ, never apologised for his lies about our fans. Maybe I'm a bitter and twisted old man, but I feel I can hold my head and say I have my principles.

I would like to wish the club all the best, but in all honesty I can't find in my heart to do that. Suffice to say it has been a roller-coaster ride, following the Sky Blues through thick and thin, mostly thin, but I don't think I will miss it. I definitely won't miss the near 60 miles round trip for midweek home games.

I won't miss the heartless displays like I sat through 10 days ago, when the Swifts beat us 4-2, my last game as a Sky Blue fan. I won't miss the Coleraine scum beating us on four occasions this season and the alleged trouble after these games. The say its only a rat, that deserts a sinking ship, maybe I am that rat, good night friends or friend, as the case may be!

Also Rans!

So sorry to use a horse racing term for my title, but I think it sums United's season and puts pressure on our manager to deliver what we pay him to do. There's a lot of talk on the forums and elsewhere about how our manager is restricted financially. I've no doubt there's some truth in that, but my response is he knew what he was taking on when he applied for the job and still he took it on.

This last season we started off like a whirlwind, winning 10 points from our first 4 league games and a league cup victory over Newington Y C. We then had a reality check when we lost at Glenavon (2-1), a scoreline which flattered the home team, with the ref awarding them a corner that never was and Cush missing at least two sitters.

We managed to get back on song when we won at home to Stute, before losing to the Ducks at their ground (3-0), which should rung alarm bells but it didn't. But we managed to pick ourself up, despite Donegal Celtic taking us to extra-time in the County Antrim Shield first round. But when we lost Linfield at the conclusion of the first round of games, we went into free-fall.

Despite making  the the Shield semi-final where lost to eventual winners Chickenville and the league cup final, where we lost to the same opponents, our season has be an unmitigated disaster, not the picture painted by our manger back in August, before this season started. Our manager will no doubt point to our injury list which was long, but that's life in footballing terms.

We played Chickenville at least six times (7 if you count the charity shield) and recorded, 1 win, 2 draws and four defeats including a 7-0 trouncing, which I had the good fortune to miss. Chickenville lost their way somewhat this season, as evidenced by their position in the league table, but they never looked vulnerable when we played them.

No doubt the same excuses will be trotted out at the AGM, like top six teams are paying out loads of money and we just cannot compete. Well that's all well and good, but a lot of clubs manage to make the top six on less finances that we have at our disposal and unlike our youth set-up, they seem to get players coming through.

No doubt I will be slated for that last remark, but when oh when are we going to unearth a vein of talent that will make us a force to reckoned with. What's the use of paying money into a youth set-up which doesn't deliver, we might as well pinch them from other clubs, while only going through the motions, which we seem to be doing at the present anyway.

For a man so steeped in the tradition of winning, when he was at Linfield especially, our manager Spike, seems to have lost that intensity of purpose, we need him to get it back and pronto. Otherwise we are going to be the nearly men, getting to finals or semi-finals and never getting over the finishing line, come on Spike, get all your fingers out, COSB!

Topsy Turvy!

I think my headline  sums up United's season so far, we started off at a phenomenal rate in the first round of matches and then went into free-fall in the 2nd round of games. We still have two games to play yet, at home to Crues tomorrow and away to 'Stute next  Saturday, but two draws is the best we can hope for in those fixtures, given our penchant for conceding soft goals. Fergie reacted to our seven goal hammering at Solitude by dropping Dwayne as he did when we lost 8-0 to the same opposition back in 2012. I wasn't at the Solitude game, but those who were, were adamant that without Dwayne's saves, it couldn't have been a real hiding.

Spike, in my opinion, needs to change his tactics, he's still playing the Linfield way, but hasn't got the players to do it. We desperately need all round players in midfield, who can be ball-winners/tacklers as well as setting up attacks and incisive passers. Our players are too one dimensional. Captain Jenks is a great player going forward, but rarely tackles. He threatens to close men down but all too often he stands off them and lets them cross or pass at will. Thommo is another player who amazes me, his only asset is running with the ball, but he is too slow for the nippy midfielders in almost every team in the league.

I noticed him on Saturday and he was giving Linfield men acres of space, at least 15 yards, instead of closing them down and he can't tackle worth a damn. Our two wide men, Gawley and Ally, were found wanting on Saturday not giving our fullbacks, Tony and Steeky, any back-up. It reminds me on what Marko Carlisle said about Dessie Loughrey, he only seen him when the game started, he never gave him any back-up, but unlike Gawley and Ally, Dessie had other strings to his bow. He wasn't afraid to take a man on and he could score goals, we have nobody like him except for the injured Cush, in our team squad now.

But I digress, I'm sorry to say the future looks bleak for United, Fergie said in the Ballymena Guardian, that he had a plan for the Crues game on this Saturday. I hope and pray its not his 4,5,1, formation with only one tackler in midfield, either Tony or Sparky (Surgenor), or he could play both of them, but Sparky is only another  one-dimensional player, he can tackle, but he can't pass for love or money, mores the pity. But if Sparky was the complete midfielder that we crave, we couldn't hold on to him, the big money spending clubs, would have taken him away long ago.

A few weeks ago, Bill Wray, the editor of the Sky Blue Review, the United programme, published in his 'Memorable Match' series, my (Omar's), most memorable match, the Irish cup first round game between, the high flying Glentoran and the lowly Sky Blues. The legend that was Alex McRae, had taken over in his second spell at the Showgrounds and he devised a plan where United won against the odds. But we had five defensive stalwarts in out team and three midfielders who would stand no nonsense and one midfielder, who could place a ball on a sixpence and a lethal striker, methinks the present United line-up, is short on all these positions.

But as they say, 'hope spring eternal' and we have a league cup semi-final to look forward to next Tuesday. The only thing I see wrong with it, is the venue, it's at Ballinmallard's  home ground Ferney Park and United haven't even scored a goal down there, never mind won. With all the will in the world, I can't honestly see us win the tie, unless we take it to penalties and Stuarty Addis is in goal for us, Stuarty usually saves one or two, that would be the one occasion I would rest Dwayne, 'horses for courses' as they say. If Fergie does indeed have a plan and he gets it right this Saturday, it could give us a boost for the rest of December, but I have my doubts, like any pessimistic United fan.

To sum up, our team and management, need to get their collective fingers out. With 20 matches gone, top six is still a possibility and Glenavon, our conquerors in the Irish cup final are going through a bit of a slump recently  and the Coleraine scum remain in our sights, but we need to start accumulating points, or by the time January comes along we'll have blown our chance. But all is not lost yet, but its definitely squeaky bums time at the Showgrounds, at Ferney Park and at 'Stute. Two wins and a draw will set us up nicely for a victory on Boxing Day, over the Coleraine scum and we will have a league cup final to look forward to, I hope, Merry Christmas, COSB

Moving On!

As a new season dawns, just nine days to go until we entertain Warrenpoint Town, hereafter known as the 'Point', on Saturday 9 August, but before that we have a charity shield match against Chickenville at Solitude this Saturday 2 August. I was told (not officially), that Glenavon as the cup winners had pulled out of the tie because Chickenville won the toss and it was to be played at their ground. In stepped Ballymena, but for the life of me, I cannot see why. There's no financial inducement, as all monies minus expenses go to charity, so we get nothing out. Its a horrible ground to watch a game as visiting supporters are stuck behind one goal in a small stand with little or no elevation.

But our board agreed to us taking part, by a stroke of luck we haven't to play on a Sunday, but that's the only thing going for us. Chickenville, will be out to impress, they'll not want to lose in front of their own supporters and I'm expecting a hard bruising battle and its the last thing we need with seven days to go before the real action starts. Sky Blue Sport will not be there, we will be in Dublin for the weekend, a last hurrah before getting down to the real thing. There's been a lot of talk about us signing, Kyle McVey, ex-Coleraine/Linfield central defender. As far as I know, he would be our second signing, having signed Tipton, but I saw him at the Welders and he is a slow as a carthorse and we have enough slow defenders, we definitely don't need anymore.

On another point I was amazed to see we didn't ask for Saturdays match against the Point to be brought forward, as it clashes with the Apprentice Boys parade in Derry. Maybe the United board, in its wisdom, thinks the attraction of a parade through the madden city, will not detract from it's 'gate' against the Point. Or maybe the NIFL, doesn't allow games to brought forward at such short notice. It just seems strange to me, if we want the most spectators to witness the start of the season, why would we not cater for the fans, who are duty bound to follow their culture and will not be at the Showgrounds next Saturday, but would surely come on the Friday night.

But I think logically and that would never do with the powers that be, that run our club, as a case in point I refer to us changing our kit suppliers from last season. We, (the club), had known about this change of suppliers at least six weeks before last season ended, so there was ample time to get new kits organised. Alas and alack, we haven't any new kits for the start of season, due to circumstances out of our control. Whether its a problem with the suppliers, or somebody in our organisation has thrown a spanner in the works, I don't honestly know, but the upshot is we will not have a new kit for the start of season and will have to wait until September, at least we hope its September.

My headline entitled 'moving on', was meant to be an optimistic view of our club and I've just crucified the board for agreeing to the charity shield game (I assume Spike was asked for his opinion) and in some way responsible for the lack of new kits for the start of the season. I'm putting on a brave face and saying we will move on and get better. We have two strikers who will find the net if they get the service, our defence looks solid enough, but we really need McVey, if we sign him, to be the goods. It's the midfield we have not strengthened and if we are intent of playing 4,4,2, we haven't got the players to play four across the middle, we need new blood, but time is running short, COSB!

Marking Time!

Here I am refreshed and raring to go after my spring break to sunny Spain and as promised here is my review of the season. My headline to this post, 'marking time', I think sums it up very nicely, we have not really progressed. The Sky Blue Sport team were thinking, our manager, Spike, was aiming to win the Irish cup and that is commendable, but had we no contingency plan if we didn't win and therefore we find ourselves in the bottom six (despite playing crap we managed to consolidate 7th place). But if we had gone out to win or try to win, at least three of our last five games in the league, who knows where would have finished points wise.

Admittedly we would have finished in seventh place anyway, but finishing with more points than Glenavon, would have given us a slight advantage, only slight I know, but belief is a powerful weapon to have on your side. But as it was we played out three draws and two defeats and in the cup final we played as if we had no belief, there was no get up and go about us. Thommo, who was sent-off, said he was disappointed as he still felt he had loads in the tank! Why had he loads in the tank, why was he not going 'hell for leather' like the Glenavon players, it's game of skill and effort, 10% skill and 90% effort.

Fergie was enthusing on how we got to two semi-finals and a final and that's to be commended, but in one of the semi-finals, the County Antrim Shield semi against Crues, we gave an insipid performance, much as we did against Glenavon in the first half in the Irish cup final. We were robbed in the league cup semi, ironically against Crues again, by an incompetent referee, but if had we taken our chances, we could have stole the show, despite Dwayne Nelson's howler, which gifted the Crues the winner. But the quest for a top six place in the league table eluded us and we were in pole position, but we collapsed within sight of the winning post.

Spike has not filled me with confidence, as he re-signed Gavin, Gawley, Alan D and Cookie for another season, I agree with Cookie's signing, but not the other three. He's has also signed Matthew Tipton, who in my opinion fouled Dwayne when giving Linfield the lead in September last year and for that reason alone I wouldn't want him anywhere near the place, but memories are short in football. United fans in the close season last year, were up in arms about the possibility of us signing Coleraine's Darren Boyce and just 5 months later they welcomed him with open arms, me included, as I said, memories are short.

After his initial burst, scoring goals for fun, the chances have dried up for him and he was a virtual passenger  in the Irish cup final. But he's not getting the service and I fancy the same could be said for Tipton, he'll not score by himself, we'll have to deliver the ball to him. That means Fergie must sign a midfielder who has the ability unlock the opposition and deliver his pass to either Darboy or Tipper and for that to happen we'll have to unload a few more players and change our style of play. Spike says he has two more years to whip us into a team, I say he had better get on with it and stop marking time!

Big One!

We've had the dress rehearsal, we had all the trimmings, like meaningless matches against the also rans, but now this Saturday at Windsor Park, its time for the' big one' against Glenavon in the Irish cup final. Our management team have ensured their charges are rested fully, but yet match fit and they should be raring to go come 14-30 on Saturday. I'm not going to hazard a guess about what players our manager, Spike, will select to start. He's proved that he is his own man and will pick the side that he has the confidence in, to get the job done. It may not be everybody's idea of our best starting line-up, but he knows what his players are capable of and he's not afraid to take a chance.

Last Saturday's game against Ards was our last league game in this season and I was one of many imploring Fergie, to pick a strong side. But he didn't, he only picked 5 recognisable players, but he was there coaching them from the sidelines and that summed up the man for me, he is a real pro. When we win the Irish cup on Saturday, he'll be playing down his part in our victory, just as he's done throughout this season and indeed throughout all his time at the Showgrounds. He'll have analysed our opponents, Glenavon and identified their strengths and weaknesses and he'll have devised a plan for coping with them, that gives our team the edge. He'll be reluctant to go and greet the fans, but hopefully he will relent.

There's been a lot hype on the internet with this match but BBC teletext has been bereft of any stories all week and you could be forgiven for thinking they're playing down this game as if it was unimportant. This is the biggest game in our football calendar and deserves to get the headlines, but the BBC is not promoting it at all. Maybe I'm just paranoid, but I think if one of Belfast four teams were involved, they'd be articles promoting the game shown all week and if two of them were involved, Joel Taggart, would be annoyingly smug. But ticket sales are going very well, without teletext and in spite of the horlicks that the IFA cooked up, which meant we got our allocation of tickets only last Thursday.

This you'll be glad to hear, is my penultimate column, but as I'm on off on my holidays next Tuesday, you'll to have to wait at least a fortnight for my last diatribe this season. It was refreshing last Saturday to hear an appreciative crowd getting behind our youngsters and encouraging them, instead of deriding them. United will need the same support this Saturday and this could be the last match played at Windsor Park before it gets redeveloped, so lets raise the roof (not literally) and give the IFA something to think about. That if they had promoted the match and ensured our tickets got to us on  time ,we could maybe have filled a few more seats and rocked this stadium on its death throes. So come on Sky Blues, lets go shagging for the cup!!!!

Not Entertainment!

While watching United week in and week out, as I do, I have grown accustomed to lacklustre performances but in the last two games United have really plumbed the depths of mediocrity. The game at the Mallards was a bad example of a game with nothing at stake, but two days ago at Warrenpoint, when United had a target in mind, consolidating 7th place, they played like a team of individuals who had just met before the kick-off. I don't care what anybody says, there's no excuse for this 'devil may care' attitude, we deserve to be entertained but we have been short-changed by the Sky Blues.

If our manager, Spike, had picked a weakened team on Tuesday last at Milltown, I could have forgiven him, but that line-up, minus our keeper Shan, could be our Irish cup final selection and they didn't inspire confidence, if anyone has been undecided about the final and witnessed that gutless performance, I'd lay money, on them giving the final a miss. A few are talking about Captain Jenks for 'Footballer of the year' in our club and if we win the Irish cup, it'll be hard to curb their enthusiasm for the Scottish native. But in our last two games, when we were looking for somebody to give us inspiration, Alan, was as mediocre as the rest, if not worse.

One man has stood head and shoulders above everyone else in the last month or two and indeed all season, David 'Cookie' Munster. David will never see 35 again, but he plays like a man half his age and his never-say-die attitude is an example to his younger and fitter team-mates. Rumour has it that he's thinking of packing football in after this season, but I hope that the United management team will try to change his mind and if all else fails, sign him on a 'match to match' basis. But maybe David has seen enough of this United panel and their big heads, I certainly have. With only two games to go, at home to Ards on Saturday and then the big one on 3 May against Glenavon, in ten days, soon it will be a memory, I for one can't wait!

SCUM Explained!

There's been a lot of complaints from some irate Coleraine fans about United fans calling them scum and I thought it would be nice in the interest of forming good relations with our neighbours (whom we love to hate), to try to explain what it means to us. In the mists of time, way back in the 1950's, I first heard the fans of other teams call us 'sheep shaggers'. Now I'm not saying that scum fans (Coleraine), started that disgraceful name calling, but they took it up and I for one can't blame them, it's only common nature after all.

But Coleraine fans sang it with great gusto and United fans were at a loss as how to answer this. We used to call Coleraine fans gypsies but then the gypsies were annoyed and you don't want to get on the wrong end of  gypsies, we know that from experience. We had come up with the gypsies chant because the majority of Coleraine fans live in mobile homes, therefore the chant 'go home to your caravans' is especially pertinent when the game is drawing to a close. We also like to chant this at Linfield fans,Glentoran fans, Cliftonville fans, indeed any fans of the teams we are playing on any given day, biased, we are not.

Then we came up with the word scum, but it actually should be the scuam for it is an acronym and it means and I quote: S. sleek-it C. cowardly,U. unwashed, A. and M. mingeing, so you see the word SCUM fits Coleraine fans perfectly or SCUAM if you want to be exact. I hope this clears up once for all why we call Coleraine and other teams, scum. Glenavon and their players will be addressed as scum I've no doubt when we beat them in the Irish cup final, but that's only to expected. Hows does that song go: We hate Ballinmallard, we hate Warrenpoint too, we hate Glenavon (they're s--t), but United we love you!

League Points!

After the euphoria of a Irish cup semi-final win it's back to the bread and butter of league points this Saturday as United travel to Coleraine to take on the scum. Its fair to say we haven't been stamping our authority on the derby fixtures between us for a number of seasons, but we have the chance to right that wrong this Saturday, if we avoid defeat against the scum. The IFA aren't helping our cause, as we have two players suspended for this fixture, Jimer and Tony, both will be sadly missed.

If that's not enough to curb your enthusiasm, Archie, JT and Thommo are all injured and Darboy is unavailable due to the ridiculous agreement that was negotiated by the 'diving bird', Kearney before he would let Darboy's registration go through. The United first team panel will take a bit of wallop, that's six players missing and I fully expect our keeper Shan, to get rested as he was against Dungannon. Will Fergie be as bold as he was against the Swifts and drop all of his starting line-up of last Saturday's semi-final? I sincerely hope not, this game means almost as much to 'dyed in wool' supporters, as did last Saturday's triumph over Queens.

So I for one will be hoping for the minimum disruption to the team as is possible, bearing in mind that we can't afford to risk anyone who's not 100% fit. For last Saturday's encounter with Queens, we had a surprise hero in Alan D and its performances like that we expect from him, but it only happens occasionally. This Saturday we will need somebody else to step up to the plate and I fervently hope its my favourite player, Cush, who has been strangely withdrawn of late. But Cush knows what is expected of him when we play the scum and I expect him to deliver the goods this Saturday.

Last Saturday Mark Kelly, came on as a sub with 3 mins to go and got his first senior goal for the Sky Blues and I fully expect him to get the nod from the start this week. Two other fringe players could get a start in Sparky and Gavin, Sparky in defence and Gavin in midfield. Could Cookie Munster play his 100th game in a United jersey against the scum, or will Glenn make him wait for that milestone for another day. We need to be up for this one as the scum are not immune to the dogfight for the play-off place, but a win for them could make them virtually safe, but we have got to stop them achieving that safety net COSB

Forty Hours!

With forty hours to go to the long awaited Irish cup semi-final against Queens, I admit I'm getting a wee tad nervous. Our manager Spike sprung a total surprise on me and the rest of the Sky Blue Sport's team, with his team selection for last Saturday game against Dungannon Swifts. Only two men of his starting eleven of the previous Saturday were in the panel of 16 and they didn't get a game. In the end I suppose we played quite well considering and if we triumph on Saturday our manager will be hailed as a genius. But I'm of the old school of thought and I believe in order to keep players sharp, you have got to play them every week.

Glenn was at pains to point out that Shan is his only recognised keeper and I could see his point in giving him a rest, but the other ten players, who will make up the bones of our starting eleven, I think needed to play. Letting them have a day off is not going to do their confidence any good, for its a well known fact that you are only as good as your last match and in our last match we suffered defeat. Much better to have rested three of four regulars and tried to win the game and took a chance about injuries, than to virtually hand the Swifts the three points as we did.

The theory is that we will come back rested and rejuvenated and raring to go, but we also will have lost that sharpness that comes from playing every seven days as we normally do. That said we should have too much firepower for Queens, but you only have to cast your mind back to a couple of games this season, against, Ballymoney Utd and the Welders, to see how we struggled against so called inferior teams. Queens are in the semi-final on merit, that they will make life hard for us, I've no doubt, but we need to be prepared to fight tooth and nail for every ball.

If we treat them with respect and don't in for 'show-boating', as we tend to do sometimes, I think we will win the game but its going to be a hard task. Glenn is away getting his pro licences in order this week and his two lieutenants are left to pick up the strain and get the team ready for the game. Glenn admits its not ideal preparation, but he needs his coaching badge and he's only following orders so to speak. But that's why we have an assistant-manager and first team coach to step into the breech when necessary. I know it's not going to be easy, but if we're all United, we can pull it off, so come on Sky Blues, lets shag those Lambs!