Colchester United interim head coach Wayne Brown says on-loan Blues forward Armando Dobra still has a part to play with the U’s this season, despite not having featured in the first team for more than a month.

The 20-year-old joined the League Two side on loan in August but has made only 13 starts - seven in the league - and four sub appearances, scoring twice.

Dobra last featured in the Papa John’s Trophy defeat at Sutton United on January 4th with his last league appearance having come at Crawley Town on New Year’s Day, both prior to Brown taking over from sacked former boss Hayden Mullins on January 19th, and has only been on the bench once since then.

Following a busy January transfer window, Dobra is one of six loanees at the JobServe Community Stadium with only five permitted in a matchday squad.

However, Brown says the Albania U21 international, who played for Colchester’s U23s against the Blues last week, is still in his thoughts for inclusion during the remainder of the season.

“Armando definitely has a part to play,” the one-time Town centre-half told the Colchester Gazette.

“We’ve been active in the window, created a squad that’s good enough and big enough to give us a bit of strength in depth and everyone will be needed. Games come thick and fast but we’ve been very active in the window.

“We’ve tried to create an environment where there’s competition for places, good strength in depth and we’re going to need all of the players through not just through this month but the remainder of the season.”

Photo: Matchday Images

ringwoodblue added 09:44 - Feb 10 I was never in favour of loaning out Dobs. What's the point if he's not going to get any game time there? Hope he can come back and impress McKenna pre-season.
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dirtydingusmagee added 10:49 - Feb 10 he should have stayed at Town, .
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Blocker123 added 11:00 - Feb 10 No, I think it's correct that he went out on loan. But a very poor choice to send him there! Too comfortable and not going to learn much from same players he'd been playing with. What was the thinking behind that?!?!? Up The Towen!!!⚽️🚜⚽️🚜
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PhuketPete added 11:20 - Feb 10 Not sure how to read that Dobs wasn't recalled at NY given he's getting little game time at CU at bottom of L2. Surely if no alternative loan (than CU) was available, he'd have been best off back here working under KD, KmcK, MP so they can develop and assess him to see what he's made of. Or have they already decided to just let him go at EOS? Puzzling?
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Cakeman added 11:37 - Feb 10 I simply do not understand our policy with the younger players. Will no doubt create several down votes but I still have concerns about how our players progress or do not progress past our academy. From what I can only gauge from the outside looking in we have some very strong and good coaches that no doubt develop the youngsters. However we rarely see many players coming through to senior football and if they do it is for only a very brief period of games. They usually end up being sent out on loan such as happened with Dobra to lower league status clubs or often non league clubs. Very few actually return to us to make an impact in our Senior team. Although it has been reported as a contract issue I cannot understand for the life of me how bringing back Simpson from Swindon can benefit anyone? He was doing really well at a good standard in division Two and now looks to be stuck in our under 23's which must be disheartening and a set back to his progress. Our club has over recent years gone out to bring in other clubs youngsters on loan, why? Sorry this has been a negative post but Dobra's situation is not good for anyone and is just one example of what has been going on for years. I really hope our new owners can seriously look at the structure of our club and soon.

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d77sgw added 11:48 - Feb 10 Of all the young players that have come through in the last 5 years Dobs is one of two (the other being Flynn Downes) who you look at and think "you could play at the top level" - he has that ability to run at players and create a bit of space that means he can change a game. Arguably we have Celina (and Edwards) now in the squad that can do that, but if we lose Celina next season (God knows I'd love us to keep him) then I would really like to see him given a chance.

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runningout added 11:58 - Feb 10 I'm afraid Dobra not cutting it
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Jugsy added 12:16 - Feb 10 ringwoodblue - pretty sure we didn't plan on sending Dobra out on loan to not play (see Simpson's loan, i think that was more the plan!). At the end of the day, it's up to the player to make themselves 'pick-able', Col U have had an awful season and now made desperate player signings to not get relegated. Not ideal for Dobs, but pretty sure no-one thought they'd be struggling like this. Col U loans seem like a no brainer; opportunity to get some mens football, the players can still live at home rather than uprooting themselves, easy for mgmt to track and watch their progress. Why are fans anti our players going there rather, otherwise staying with us and playing U23s or sitting on the bench? What should we have done with Dobs? Definitely a player for the future, but everyone wants to get out of League One ASAP, which doesn't lend itself well to developing talent through the first team.

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SouperJim added 12:57 - Feb 10 Think he's possibly a bit of a victim of not being the right kind of player to get something out of in a struggling side. Dobs needs to get on the ball to show what he can do and does his best work when the team are on top of the opposition. He would be better off going to a side who like to play and are in a position to do so.
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multiplescoregasms added 13:26 - Feb 10 Totally agree with Blocker. Going out on loan was a good idea, but going to a club that has so many of the same players he was already playing with, seems an odd thing to do. I imagine Simpson has learnt more about himself during his time at Swindon than Dobs has at Colchester.
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Linkboy13 added 13:30 - Feb 10 Agree with you Cakeman one hundred percent. Our academy is not producing outstanding youngsters at the moment that can go straight into the first team squad. What's the point in recalling Dobbin he's not going to cut it here if he can't get into the Colchester side. We haven't produced any one since Wolfenden, Downes and Dozzell. Next stop for Dobo might have to be non league Needham very good club coached by Kevin Horlock.

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SouperJim added 14:21 - Feb 10 Linkboy that's a rather simplistic view and not factually accurate, he's played 17 times for Colchester this season as per the article. That's more than half their games, I don't know how big their squad is but as a young pro and a loanee where they have more than they can include in a matchday squad, that doesn't equal "can't get into the side". There's more to come from Dobra (notice how I managed to get his name right) if he is managed correctly and given the right support and opportunity.

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Northstandveteran added 15:31 - Feb 10 Apologies for the down vote Jim, completely accidental.
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Linkboy13 added 15:34 - Feb 10 Perhaps he's found his level at Colchester as a squad player. But with McKenna raising the bar at Ipswich with ambitions of playing in the championship cannot see any future for him at Ipswich unless we go down to league one. Too much of a one trick pony for me. If he proves me wrong then i will be the first to say well done. Simpson has done well at Swindon by working hard and not having an ego and i fear people will be saying in two or three years time what a prospect Dobs is.

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