Colchester United midfielder Harry Pell's weekly Gazette column

Signings are a boost

THE new signings we’ve made this week will give all of the boys a lift on the training ground.

I’m sure both Abo Eisa and Ben Stevenson will do really well for us and it’s nice to get a couple of new faces in, to add to what is already a great group.

I can’t wait to meet them.

A lot of the lads here already know Ben from his time on loan here last season and they all hold him in high regard, so I’m looking forward to welcoming him here.

I already know of Abo too, as I was really close to his older brother Mo when we were at Cheltenham Town together.

I spoke to Mo about Abo – he asked me about Colchester and he knows all about my personality, so I can’t wait to welcome him here.

I can say now that if Abo turns out to be anything near as good as Mo, he’ll be some player.

Abo is an exciting talent who gets bums off seats and it’s great to have him here with us.

They’ll certainly both be having the usual initiation – Ben won’t get away with not singing just because he’s been here before!

We’re back in league action on Saturday with a trip to play Northampton Town.

We know that they’re are a good team.

They’ve been a bit inconsistent this season but it’s a surprise that they are where they are in the table.

I remember the gaffer saying what a good team they are before we played them earlier in the season and we have a lot of respect for them.

They have some great individuals and it’s another tough game for us.

We were angry after the Crewe game because we were so desperate to put things right, after what happened against Mansfield.

As players, you have to be honest with yourself and you have to take responsibility.

We’ve not taken on the instructions properly when we’ve crossed the white line and let ourselves down.

We’ve analysed the Crewe game in depth and you can only try and work on your weaknesses.

We’ve given a lot of time this week addressing the situation with our second half performances.

We know that as players, we’re not quite seeing games out like we should be at the moment and that’s something we’re determined to change.

Chaos theory!

I LOVE transfer deadline day.

I can’t wait for later, as I for one will be sat in front of the TV watching all of the drama unfold.

The last couple of hours before the 11pm deadline could be chaos and it all adds to the excitement for me!

As a Chelsea fan, I hope they’ll get someone in before the window closes.

This is the sort of time in the Premier League when the teams in and around it get new players in.

There are usually a few late ones and it makes it all very interesting.

Manchester City losing at Newcastle United was a big surprise and I think it’s Liverpool’s title now.

You can’t write Manchester City off and there will be more twists and turns.

It’s never over until it’s over but I think the Newcastle result is a massive turning point in the season.

Personally, I’d like to see Liverpool win it – I think Jurgen Klopp is brilliant and a great manager.

Womble magic

IT was great to see my old club AFC Wimbledon cause a big cup upset after they beat West Ham United, last Saturday.

That’s what the magic of the FA Cup is all about.

West Ham probably turned up thinking that they could go through easily and turn them over and I thought Vinny Jones’ post-match analysis was brilliant when he was talking about their players turning up in gloves.

To be honest, the Crazy Gang element had gone when I was there but I did hear a lot of stories about the old Wimbledon days from board members and the like – I used to love pulling up a chair with a cup of tea listening to those for an hour and a half!

Wimbledon aren’t doing so well in the league at the moment but the cup run will be a big boost for them and their cup-tie against Millwall is certainly one to look forward to.

It’ll be a great atmosphere - I’m not sure where we are that day but I’ll be looking to get a ticket for that one!

A shock to the system

IT was interesting listening to Andros Townsend this week talking about the various loan moves he had earlier in his career.

I’ve had a few myself, the majority of which came when I was younger.

When I was on loan at Hereford United, I was 18 years old and living on my own.

It was a bit of a shock to the system – mainly as I couldn’t cook!

I had a rented flat and when I turned up there with my mum for the first time, the Hereford gaffer was there waiting for us with the key to let us in!

He was in my living room when my mum was there trying to clean the place!

I think it looked a bit strange to the gaffer with me being there with my mum, all 6ft 5in of me!

My cooking skills definitely improved after that loan spell!