Talk:Colchester United F.C.

A note on British English
British English should be used for articles on Britain related topics. Likewise, American English should be used on articles pertaining to American topics. For a clearer example, please visit this sub-section on the differences between their usage. -- S iva1979 Talk to me  18:24, 1 November 2006 (UTC)
 * Agreed, but as a user of UK English, a football fan and a grammatical pedant, I am very aware of the conflict inherent in attributing plural pronouns and verb forms to a football (or other sports) club that is a singular entity: it does not even boast the feature of being a collective noun to mitigate the apparent error. (North American English is almost as contrary: phrases such as "St Louis [abbreviation for the plural verb, St Louis Cardinals] wins" abound.)  However, while I would be comfortable with "Colchester United are", or even "Colchester United F.C. are", I think that the example to which you have attached this insistence "Colchester United Football Club are an English football team" grates somewhat.  Kevin McE 21:07, 1 November 2006 (UTC)

Early history
This part of the article is currently very confused. Was Col Town subsumed into Col Utd, or did they exist side by side? Needs a thorough re-write by somebody with an authoritative source to hand. Kevin McE 18:34, 21 May 2007 (UTC)


 * Was going to say the same, the opening paragraph states that the 2 clubs groundshared for a short period, but the history section claims that United were set up "shortly after" Town ceased to exist! Grunners (talk) 18:26, 22 April 2008 (UTC)


 * Have done some research and fixed the article =) Grunners (talk) 18:30, 22 April 2008 (UTC)

previous kits. (archive)
Placed this kit box here till there is a decent bit of info to do a proper previous kits section on the article. Govvy (talk) 11:47, 9 April 2008 (UTC)

Teddy Sheringham
Please note that Teddy Sheringham didn't play enough games for Colchester to warrent inclusion on the former players of note list. So can you please stop adding him. Govvy (talk) 20:30, 14 July 2008 (UTC)

WHAT!!! Teddy was a fantastic signing for the U's. Of course he should be added. The lad served his time as coach to our stikers and I think hes still playing on the reserves side now and then. The man is a legend, I'm glad hes played a part for the team and he should be included in the past players list. DarthJoeyJoJo (talk) 07:52, 1 March 2009 (UTC)
 * If he'd first made his name at Colchester and then made a big money move then maybe, but he was a 40 year old bit part player, in a season where the club got relegated. Such sections are for players who had a significant impact on the club's history, which with the best will in the world Sheringham did not. Oldelpaso (talk) 08:06, 1 March 2009 (UTC)

Famous fans of the club
I stumbled upon Steve Lamacq's wiki the other day and noticed he's "arguably the most famous fan" of the club. It got me wondering want other celebrity's we have. I couldn't find another Deliah Smith, Elton John or even a Russell Brand but I did get a few names. It currently a page on my profile site. Any objections to adding it to the main page? DarthJoeyJoJo (talk) 09:47, 1 March 2009 (UTC)

Okay, I think this section is ready. If anyone has any comments about this section or where it should go, please let me know. I was thinking of putting it under the section called 'Rivalries'. I was going to add a few other names, mainly Michael Twiddle and 'Denim Phil' but I havent got much info on these two yet. I have to get out my 'Made in Colchester' DVD and get some info about Whiskey the Dog too (ColU's iconic mascot from the 50's). Any other ideas, let me know or feel free to add to my article (heres the link). I'll have it up by Friday. Up the U's DarthJoeyJoJo (talk) 07:21, 17 March 2009 (UTC)

I have a full text of fans thats ready to go on to the ColU page. A valid point has been made, however, by Kevin McE that the amount of text I've wrote is more than the entire history of the club!! (Put that down to over eagerness) I'm re-editing my text into short bullet points. I'm also going to readd the bands Absent Kid and Special Duties as I still feel that the members of these bands are strong fans of the club. Anyone who went to the last match at Layer Road a year ago will (I hope) know who Absent Kid are. And theres probally a few copies of "Wembley (Here we come)" knocking around Colchester from our 1997 cup final (I know its not the FA Cup but the Painty, Vanny thing or whatever its called now will do till we lift the real thing). Any comments? Thanks DarthJoeyJoJo (talk) 07:19, 22 March 2009 (UTC) Almost forgot, Im readding Les Oakes too. A recent forum discussion brought up the subject of Oakie and several fans do vividly remember him (not for the best reasons mind). I term famous fans as any media personalities or memorable characters who can be directly linked and researched by how they have supported Colchester United. Hope that clears up any confusion. Thanks again DarthJoeyJoJo (talk) 07:34, 22 March 2009 (UTC)
 * Those band members might have done something as fans that gained public attention: that does not make them famous fans. To take examples from my club, we used to have a bunch of dancing girls (G Force) at half-time: their exercised their talent in the centre circle with full enthusiasm and at least some of them said in the local paper that they had been long term fans of the club: that does not make them famous fans.  A local character, best known as Peter the Parka, celebrated 1000 Gills matches (home and away) without missing a game about 4 years ago and I think has maintained that record: he was the first person to marry (well, I suppose he tied for first with his wife) in the stadium, and he now is a match analyst with Radio Kent, but although he is well known for being a Gills fan, he is not regarded as a famous fan.  Another fan has written and recorded songs and variants of songs that are played at Priestfield every week, using his professional abilities and contacts: that might be a noteworthy act of a fan, but it does not make that fan famous. You suggest that you will re-add one Les Oakes: there is no article on Wikipedia of a Les Oakes, I have no idea what he is thought to be famous for, and I wonder how many people outside of Col U's fanbase would have heard of him: a google search of "Les Oakes" + "Colchester United" yields 11 hits, all of them specifically related to the club's site or message boards or to local papers: "Les Oakes" on its own suggests that the most famous holder of the name was a architectural reclamation specialist in Staffordshire.  Famous fans are people who have a wide and well established public recognition level, and a high media profile, who have publicly stated their support for the club; if fans have, because of their support for the club, done things that are noteworthy, that would come under fans' activities.  However, I will repeat what I said on your talk page, that those clubs whose articles have been raised to the status of Good article or Featured article do not dwell on such matters: they need to be written without the enthusiasm of a fellow fan if they are to reflect proper encyclopaedic style. Kevin McE (talk) 10:03, 22 March 2009 (UTC)

Music is relevant to Wiki. If an artist releases a song it would appear on the artists Wiki page. If that song related to another topic, the song is mentioned on the second topic as well. (eg Comic Relief has a list of songs released to raise funds for that charity). Absent Kid and Special Duties have both released songs supporting ColU AS FANS!!! Is it the word 'Famous' you object to cause I could change that. Fame is a fickle thing and personally I dont like using the term. DarthJoeyJoJo (talk) 10:21, 22 March 2009 (UTC)


 * For the third time in this dialogue, there is a distinction to be drawn between fans who are famous, and fans who do something worth mentioning because they are fans. If you don't like the term famous yourself, I can only comment on the irony that it is you who seems to be trying to defend their inclusion in a famous fans section, when I have suggested an alternative twice (and now three times).  And while I'm doing things for the third time, can I suggest that you look at the exemplary football club articles, so that your efforts on this one are appropriately directed at raising this article to the best standards of Wikipedia, rather than simply including things that you would like to see recorded.  Kevin McE (talk) 12:34, 22 March 2009 (UTC)
 * Additionally, I would draw your attention to this discussion on the talk page for club articles, which, although it didn't draw many contributors, was unanimous in opposition to such sections. If you think that was a bad call, debate it there or at WP:FOOTY talk.  Kevin McE (talk) 12:56, 22 March 2009 (UTC)

Okay, Ive decided to tone down the article to "Well-known Fans". The whole famous thing stems from a discussion on Steve Lamacq's wiki page about wether he was "arguably the most famous fan of Colchester United". I just ran with it and thought no one would object to the term famous. As for arguments against such a section, for every example against you can find an example for. Nexcastle United have a paragraph dedicated to their famous fans and West Ham United had a similar discussion (They're trivia section does list several famous fans). I even have the misses' vote on this one and she hates football (and the amount of time I spend on the computer discussing it). Her thought was "Without the fans there wouldn't be a football club". They are an essential part of a clubs history and provide the depth of character of the team they support. If I say Alf Garnett, Russel Brand and Barak Obama are fans of West Ham, you instantly get an idea of the teams character. DarthJoeyJoJo (talk) 07:02, 23 March 2009 (UTC)


 * Well I'm afraid consensus among Wikipedia editors carries more weight than consensus around your breakfast table. You undermine your argument rather with your West Ham examples: Alf Garnett is a fictional character, and I'm pretty confident that Barack Obama has never set foot in the Boleyn ground, or would be able to name many major figures from the club's history.  The change from famous to a synonym changes nothing, least of all how well known those individuals are/were.  The West Ham and Newcastle examples are only rated as B class (and will remain so as long as they have trivia sections and unsupported claims), and therefore cannot be claimed to be exemplary articles to cite as proof, see WP:OTHERSTUFFEXISTS.  The discussion at the WHU page didn't even attempt to discuss policy.  I repeat: if you think the relevant discussions reached untenable conclusions, raise the matter at the relevant forums for discussing policy and establishing consensus. Kevin McE (talk) 07:36, 23 March 2009 (UTC)

I know, I didnt believe the Barak thing either, so I verified it for myself. [|"Up the Irons - Barack Obama is a West Ham fan" - The Telegraph]. And I do agree with you that the way its done on the West Ham page (sticking it in the trivia section) is inappropiate, which is why I didn't want to follow their example and instead write an encyclopedic article consisting of structured paragraphs of prose. As for fictional characters, its not really an issue. I was refering the nature of the character (played by Warren Mitchell) acts as an easily recognizable, public persona of the supporters of West Ham. Since the WikiProject on Football recommends that club pages should have a section on the "Supporter culture of the club", I still feel that my research is very relevant to the club page. If you still disagree that I will do as you suggest and take it to the forums. Thanks DarthJoeyJoJo (talk) 11:39, 23 March 2009 (UTC)


 * Yes, I read the link, but it doesn't say that he's ever seen a game, and it looks very like a typical politician's answer, but the WHU thing is a red herring anyway. I have nothing against a well written section on supporter culture: that is a very different proposition from a famous/well known fans section in which the majority of those mentioned are neither famous nor well known.  Kevin McE (talk) 17:46, 23 March 2009 (UTC)


 * Excellent, I'll get to work on that right away. Thanks for your input on this article. Oh, and your right about the Barack thing. Still my mum is a West Ham fan and it puts a smile on her face to think the man in the White House is considering a Claret and Blue paint job.

I'm still trying to put this Flo Rida thing to bed. If he did draw ColU out of a hat, hes not a true fan. Im just waiting on offical confirmation of this. DarthJoeyJoJo (talk) 21:10, 23 March 2009 (UTC)

I've had official confirmation from the team at Soccer AM. When Flo Rida was on the show he picked Colchester United as the team he supports. However I doubt that this makes him a proper fan of the club. This would require him to go to matches, be seen in public wearing a replica shirt or in other ways support and praise the club. Until such evidence is presented, Flo Rida is not a fan of the club and any reference to this will be removed. Thank-you. DarthJoeyJoJo (talk) 11:56, 25 March 2009 (UTC)
 * I've trimmed back this section to the essentials. Full details of persons support for a team aren't real worth noting on a team's page. The section could do with some fleshing out with details of any supporters organisations, genuinely notable songs, etc. Dancarney (talk) 16:55, 26 March 2009 (UTC)


 * I know, agreed as much with Kev and am currently working on that (see debate above) DarthJoeyJoJo (talk) 23:40, 26 March 2009 (UTC)

IF YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE THE 7-1 WIN IN THE HISTORY OF COLCHESTER, THEN WHY DO YOU KEEP REMOVING THE 5-0? IT'S A FACT!!!!!!!!!!!!! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.23.19.64 (talk) 23:25, 18 March 2010 (UTC)

Unverifiable nationalities
The club's website gives no biographical details of the members of the U18 squad. Where, therefore, is the verification of the nationalities of these young men? According to WP:BLP, we cannot publish what is no more than an assumption. Kevin McE (talk) 07:15, 5 November 2010 (UTC)

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 * Colchester United FC.png

Missing club crest
Can anyone add the club crest back onto this article please? Michaeldble (talk) 22:42, 25 August 2023 (UTC)
 * This has been happening a lot recently, there are a lot of bad faith editors. I have requested an undelete and transfer here., but I am not that familiar with the process. Govvy (talk) 07:09, 26 August 2023 (UTC)
 * @Govvy Thank you! Michaeldble (talk) 12:35, 26 August 2023 (UTC)
 * Have no restored the club crest to the article. Govvy (talk) 14:42, 1 September 2023 (UTC)
 * @Govvy Thank you for doing that! Michaeldble (talk) 21:33, 1 September 2023 (UTC)
 * @Govvy@Michaeldble I have had to remove the crest you had uploaded as it was not the official club crest. If you look on the club’s website you will see that the official badge is a darker blue and with bolder fonts than the variant that had been uploaded to the article. Fully supportive of having the badge on the article but it must be authentic. Magpie069 (talk) 19:45, 6 September 2023 (UTC)

Current kit graphics outdated - how to update?
Does anyone know how to get the current kits graphic updated on the page? The home kit is up to date, however the away and third kits are wrong and need updating. Magpie069 (talk) 22:28, 26 September 2023 (UTC)