Cambridge United

Not only can you listen to commentary of Cambridge United matches online, you can now get BBC Radio Cambridgeshire's interviews with the manager and players.

Brabin on his new role as manager of the U's

Full-length interview with Gary Brabin, talking to BBC Radio Cambridgeshire's Alex Harris.

Phil Law on the new management team

The U's chairman talks to BBC Radio Cambridgeshire's Alex Harris about the appointments of Brabin and Carden.

Monday 23rd June - Brabin is new manager for the U's

3.30pm: Ahead of the official announcement, BBC Radio Cambridgeshire Sport can reveal exclusively that former Southport boss Gary Brabin is the new Cambridge United Manager. Midfielder Paul Carden returns to the Abbey as player-assistant manager. Both men have signed two-year contracts.

4pm: U's press conference - new manager officially announced

Listen to the official announcement of the U's new manager, Brabin, plus BBC Cambridgeshire sports reporter Alex Harris grabs the very first interview with him! You'll always hear it here first, folks!

EXCLUSIVE - QUINN SPEAKS ABOUT LEAVING THE U'S

Friday 20th June - In an exclusive interview given to BBC Radio Cambridgeshire's sports editor, Tom Williams, Jimmy Quinn speaks publicly about his departure from the U's, admitting that the decision was taken out of his hands...

Open Letter from Cambridge United Chairman - released 4.45pm, 20th June

Open Letter to Fans from CUFC Chairman, Philip Law, on behalf of the Board

This has been a difficult few days for Cambridge United following the departure of Jimmy Quinn. I owe the fans an explanation for the way the announcement was handled and fully accept that some mistakes were made. I also hope people understand that they were made with the best of intentions.

The statement was released on Sunday evening for one simple reason. I wanted to tell the fans as soon as the decision had been reached after my conversation with Jimmy.

He asked that we afford him the opportunity to explain the reasoning firsthand and I agreed to this request, out of respect for him. However the gap between Sunday night and today when Jimmy returned to the UK allowed an information vacuum to develop that has been filled with rumour and speculation. The fans became frustrated and understandably took their frustration out on myself and the Board. In hindsight it would have been better to have waited and made the announcement and given the explanation for it at the same time.

Second, I am acutely aware that trust between past administrations of this Club and the fans has been in short supply in recent years. This Board is part of a new start. Trust between us is vital to the future of this Club. It has to be earned by the Board. It does not come by right.

As Directors of the Club we recognise that we are custodians of something very special for the city and the fans of Cambridge United. It is a responsibility we don't take lightly. We are first and foremost fans of the Club too.

Every decision that we have taken in recent weeks has been guided by one principle and one principle alone - whether we believe it is in the long term interests of Cambridge United Football Club. There is and never will be any other agenda as long as I am Chairman of the Club, and I know my fellow Directors feel the same way. We are very ambitious for Cambridge United. Sometimes in positions of responsibility it does mean making difficult decisions, and they can be unpopular. However much they might sometimes disagree with them, fans should always be assured that our decisions are made with good intentions.

Last season the Board decided to invest heavily to try and secure promotion in the second half of the season. We almost made it, but it would be unsustainable to continue with that level of financial commitment indefinitely. It will not be lost on people that at United we start each season £200,000 behind most other clubs due to our onerous rent burden.

Finally, this has been a challenging period. We now have to put it behind us and move on. I believe that we can do so with confidence for three reasons.

First, I believe we will recruit a manager worthy of this great football club who can take us to the next level.

Second, we have the nucleus of a great team and will add players to it before the start of the season to make it stronger still.

Finally, we are privileged to have the best fans in the league by a mile. That matters more than anything else.

Philip Law
Chairman
20 January 2008

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20th June: Interview - U's chairman on choosing a new manager

17th June: Interview - Boylan on Quinn's exit

EXCLUSIVE U's interview - Phil Law

U's chairman Phil Law granted BBC Radio Cambridgeshire's sports editor, Tom Williams, an exclusive interview following the news of Quinn's departure from the club. Listen to the full interview by clicking on the link below:

Press statement from Cambridge United, 11.45am on Monday 16th June

Quinn Leaves By Mutual Consent

Further to Sunday's brief statement, Cambridge United Football Club can confirm that Jimmy Quinn is leaving his post as manager of Cambridge United with immediate effect.

He and Chairman Philip Law had a lengthy discussion on Sunday, during which it was agreed that Quinn will leave the club by mutual consent. Quinn is currently on holiday abroad with his family and there will be a further extended statement from the board of directors and Quinn on Friday 20th June.

The Board wish to appoint a new manager as soon as possible and the process of recruiting a new man is underway immediately.

The players were all spoken to by the Board on Sunday evening before the news was announced and the directors will stay in close contact with them and keep them appraised of the situation. The squad returns for pre-season training on 4th July.

Quinn was appointed manager of Cambridge United on 15th September 2006, taking over from Rob Newman, and guided the U's to the safety of 17th place that season. After rebuilding the squad last summer he took United to a FA Cup third round tie at Wolverhampton Wanderers and secured second place on the final day of a season that ended in the disappointment of a 1-0 Play-off Final defeat to Exeter City at Wembley.

Ends

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You can get in touch with our sports team for a chance to air your views:

• By text: 07786 201960
• By email: cambs.sport@bbc.co.uk
• Phone-in (every Saturday, 5pm-6pm for post-match reaction, views and comments): 08459 25 2000