Joe Dunne Considering His Position

U's boss Joe Dunne has admitted that he will spend time this weekend to consider his position in charge of the U's, opening up thoughts that the Irishman could be set to resign in the next few days.

A 2-1 defeat at home to Scunthorpe was a club record-breaking ninth in a row, and with the U's dropping into the bottom four this evening, Dunne admits that it's time to reflect on his own position.

'I need to consider my position now,' he told BBC Essex in a frank and heart-felt interview after the defeat. 'I love this club too much to see it suffer the way it is at the moment, and if that means that I have to go... there are many solutions to problems, but one solution may be another voice; if I'm one of the problems then maybe I will need to be one of the solutions.'

Coincidentally, it was defeat away to Scunthorpe in September that proved to be John Ward's final game in charge at the Weston Homes Community Stadium and, following an initial boost in which the U's picked up five wins from six, there has been just four more points to follow from the thirty-nine that have since been available.

It would be a true shame if Joe was to step down now at this stage of his tenure, with so much potential for things to go right.

Joe is a young manager, learning his trade in the game and he will make mistakes. But he has inherited a side that is continually proving they aren't up to scratch for the problems that we face, and he is desperately trying to alter this.

We are, after all, only mid-way through his first transfer window; a window that is notoriously difficult to make significant changes due to players being tied down or unwilling to uproot half way through the campaign.

Dunne continued: 'I have always been a fighter, but I don't want to keep seeing us lose, I just don't want us to be where we are.

'I've been here for nearly seventeen years and I really believe that I can take us up, but we've lost a lot of games. I'm a man with so much respect for this club, and when you lose as many games as this I won't be flippant about anything, I tell it as I see it.

'I just need to speak to the chairman, speak to my family and see over the weekend. The chairman has been very supportive of me and he won't like me saying this over the radio, but I'm man enough and big enough to know that we're not in a good position right now.

'I talk to the chairman every day and he's right behind me, he can see what I'm trying to do and the type of player I've brought to the club. We've attracted the likes of Sanchez [Watt], [Craig] Eastmond and Billy Clifford which is a testament to what we're trying to do as a club.

'I know that I want to bring a passing game to the club full of energy, enthusiasm and to bring excitement. We had a very young side today and you could see in the first half the makings of what will become a great team, but we're trying to change the club's philosophy and we're not picking up points whilst doing it which is the hard bit.

'Sticking to our principles at the moment isn't getting results, but we'll fight. All I'm saying is that I think of a lot of things, and I'm not scared to say what I'm thinking.

'I'll have a chat with my family and see where we go from here. I've already got my week planned in terms of the games you want to watch and the targets you want to bring in, but we'll see.'


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