FORMER Colchester United coach Adrian Webster believes the club have signed too many loan players in recent years to achieve continuity or consistency.

Their current play-off charge appears to have hit the buffers after failing to win in their last four League Two matches.

They have only won two of their last 14 fixtures - a run that has left them 13th in the table and now nine points adrift of seventh-placed Coventry City.

“I feel for the fans and can understand their frustrations,” said Webster, who played for Colchester and later undertook several coaching roles, including being Centre of Excellence manager and working within the youth set-up at Layer Road.

“The club have obviously got a gameplan but whether it’s working at the moment is up for debate.

“For me, it’s difficult to see where they’re going.

“The infrastructure is there in terms of their stadium, training ground and youth set-up, but how you’re judged is on your wins and losses columns.

“The last few seasons haven’t been good enough and I can’t help thinking there have been too many loan players in the last five or six years.

“That makes it hard to achieve the levels of consistency and continuity you need.

“There’s been a lot of chopping and changing, trying to find a magic formula, but I’m not really sure where the leaders are coming from.”

Given his coaching background, Webster is all for blooding young players but says they have to be blended with more experienced, senior professionals.

“The infrastructure is there, in terms of the academy, but the only local players to have come through are Sammie Szmodics, Drey Wright, Tom Lapslie and Alex Gilbey,” he said.

“When I was there, we had a lot of talented youngsters coming through – the likes of Lomana Tresor Lua Lua, Greg Halford, Dean Gerken, John White, Medy Elito and Dean Morgan.

“But they were brought in alongside senior pros like Jamie Cureton, Bobby Bowry, Chris Iwelumo and Micky Stockwell.

“It’s like anything in life – there needs to be a balance.

“I always think about the spine of the team – your goalkeeper, centre-halves, central midfielders and strikers.

“You can then slot the younger players in around them.”

Webster, 66, was part of the famous United States soccer revolution of the 1970s.

The star-studded North American Soccer League was in its pomp at this time and he rubbed shoulders with the likes of Pele, George Best and Bobby Moore.

After moving to the famous Seattle Sounders in 1974, Webster captained them in the Soccer Bowl three years later before going on to play in the Major Indoor Soccer League and coach in Arizona.

After nearly 20 years in the States, he returned to Essex in 1991 and linked up with former club Colchester, with whom he had first signed professional terms in 1968.

“I take my hat off to (chairman) Robbie Cowling, in terms of the amount of money he’s putting into the system, and hoped they’d kick on when they moved to the Weston Homes Community Stadium,” he added.

“Instead, it’s been a bit of a battle in the last few years – first fighting relegation and now trying to make the play-offs. They don’t appear to have moved on.”

Webster has just released his third book, reminiscing about his time in America. Circle of Life looks back on his 50-year career, including his time with the Seattle Sounders, from 1974 to 1979. Last week it was confirmed that Webster was joining the management team at FC Clacton.