I WONDER how many of us were disappointed with our Christmas presents this year.

More socks to add to the already bulging underwear drawer, or perhaps another tie to add to your collection of unfashionable neck apparel?

Some of us looked to the U’s to lessen the pain but sadly they could only present us with a couple of festive failures at home.

Another loss to the niggly Stevenage and a frustrating goal-less game against Morecambe.

In terms of the table positions, little harm was done other than seeing Lincoln City steam ahead and watching the teams us below snuggle closer together.

Off the pitch was potentially the most harmful because a good number of fans came along to both games to cheer on the U’s.

If they were festive first-timers and I am sure many were, then I sincerely hope that they believe in the marathon v sprint concept. We will need these supporters again this season.

After what happened at Crawley Town on New Year's Day, the U's will be looking to wow the home fans against bottom dwellers Notts County this Saturday.

To achieve this they will have needed to identify and address some problem areas which the world of social media has helped to point out this week.

We all have our different solutions because we all see different things from the stands.

Clearly the U’s are struggling to find the back of the net at the moment so have we got the right players/formation to unlock what has become a heavily padlocked door in recent months.

Luke Norris was a frustrated figure against Morecambe. Was that from a lack of decent service or does he need someone “properly” with him up front?

Who else can John McGreal look to for the creativity key? I wonder if Kane (not Harry) fancies shedding his typecast full-back role with a more advanced position.

He beats players easier than anyone else in our team so maybe those talents are better served elsewhere on the pitch. I’ve seen little of him but is Ryan Gondoh due a chance to impress from the off?

One other observation is that I wonder if the players are putting too much pressure on themselves at the moment.

The relaxed style of play that we saw earlier in the season seems to have made way for more frowns from players that still have those in house qualities to be better than any opposition I’ve seen this season.

I always tag January and February as the key months of the season.

Given their present league position, the importance of this period is even greater for the U’s.

Can they rise from the pack and push on to promotion? Let’s hope so. Happy New Year U’s fans.

Jon Burns, Colchester United Supporters Association chairman