Colchester United midfielder Harry Pell's weekly Gazette column

We have to take ownership for poor results

WE’VE had a disappointing few results but everyone needs to stick together.

It’s important that everyone understands that we’re a good team and we’ve dropped off.

The team needs to take responsibility for the results over the Christmas period, because they haven’t been good enough.

We have to take ownership of what’s happening and understand the values of the team.

We have to be honest with each other both as a whole and individually.

There’s an element of frustration that’s crept in but we know what a good squad we are.

We’ve proved that with the results we’ve recorded over the season and we’ve beaten the best teams in the league.

We have big characters in the squad and we all want to do well.

We apologise for the results over Christmas but there’s still a lot of football to be played.

It’s a big game for us against Notts County on Saturday and players need to take ownership of the results because we’re given all of the information and prepped right before games.

As I’ve said a few times in this column this season, I never get too high with the highs but at the same time, I don’t get too low with the lows.

It’s important to keep level headed and we need to get back to playing with a smile on our faces and that happens when you’re winning games.

There’s icebergs in every season and it’s whether you hit them or go around them – we need to make sure that we go around them.

Ardley a reunion

WE need the fans to get behind us, on Saturday.

It’s one of the biggest games of the season for the football club and we have to relish it.

It will be a tough game – I worked under their manager Neal Ardley at AFC Wimbledon and they will be dogged.

He’s been successful at this level before, so he knows what it takes.

I’m sure he’ll add a couple of players this month, perhaps even before Saturday.

It will be a game where we have to roll our sleeves up and it’s not a game that we can take for granted.

At the start of the season, Notts County were my favourites to win the league.

New Year frustration

IT goes without saying that it was a really disappointing result for us at Crawley Town, on New Year’s Day.

In the first half, we played some quite good stuff.

We had the advantage when they had a player sent off for his challenge on me.

I got to the ball first and when he got sent off, I’m not going to lie but it gave us an advantage and I thought we would kick on from there.

They were down to ten men for an hour but we couldn’t break them down and we lacked a bit of quality.

We knew it was a game that we needed to be winning and as time went on, we became a bit frustrated.

The goals we conceded were poor from our point of view and we know at the other end of the pitch, we’re not scoring enough goals and that’s not just down to the forwards.

A game to savour

THERE’S a huge match at the top of the Premier League tonight, with second-placed Manchester City hosting leaders Liverpool.

I think the team that wins tonight will go on and win the title, this season.

If Liverpool win, they will get plenty of daylight between themselves and City.

But City will be closer if they win and they will have momentum.

My team Chelsea don’t look like they’re going to win the title, this season.

But I’m really pleased with the signing they’ve made this week – Christian Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund for £58m.

I’m not so happy that they’ve agreed to loan him back to Dortmund for the rest of the season but he’ll be a great player for them, next season.

I sincerely hope though that it doesn’t mean that Eden Hazard is now on the way to Real Madrid.

I think the moment they do let Hazard go is the moment that Chelsea admit that they are no longer one of the best teams in the world.

Sharp shooter

FAIR play to Sheffield United striker Billy Sharp, who has become the leading scorer in English football this century.

I’m sure I’ve played against him in the past and his record speaks for itself.

It’s a great personal achievement, especially after everything he’s been through in his personal life.

Ring-ing in the New Year

IT was quite an eventful New Year’s Eve for us.

We went to my sister Hollie’s house and her fella proposed to her!

I saw the New Year in with my family and I’ve made a resolution or two – but I’m not going to reveal them here!