Ben Garner: Colchester boss urges fans to back team despite 'losing culture'

Ben Garner has won six out of 26 games since becoming Colchester boss in March, losing 13 times

Colchester United head coach Ben Garner has urged fans not to turn on his team as he tries to end a long-standing "losing culture" at the club.

The U's were beaten 5-0 at Forest Green on Saturday, and were booed off at half-time when they were only 1-0 down.

They are 22nd in League Two, only above the bottom two on goal difference.

"If players aren't going to take information on (board) or do their roles within a structure, then we're all in a tough place," said Garner.

"We got booed off last week, rightly so, no problem. But we got booed off (at Forest Green) at half-time, our players are getting slaughtered by their own fans, I'm getting verbally abused walking off the pitch at half-time when we're 1-0 down and in with a chance of getting back in the game, it doesn't help anyone.

"I share their frustrations, even more so because of the amount of work we put in in the week. But there's no point turning on the players - we're having players cheered when they're taken off, it makes things harder. We need to turn it around but we need the supporters as well," he told BBC Essex.

The former Bristol Rovers, Swindon and Charlton boss was appointed in March following Matt Bloomfield's departure to Wycombe Wanderers.

Colchester finished 20th last season but have won only three of their 12 league games in the new campaign - and have lost their past three following a thrilling 5-4 victory over Notts County on 30 September.

They subsided against Forest Green following Jay Mingi's sending off soon after the interval following a second yellow card.

"My last words to the two players on yellow cards at half-time were 'be really sensible, don't do anything reckless' and within three or four minutes of the start of the second half, we're down to 10 men and gave ourselves a mountain to climb," said Garner.

"There's no hiding place here. I'm not making excuses. We have to take it full on the chin and show we have the work ethic and character to come through this."

He continued: "There's a losing culture at the club, and there has been for a long, long time now. We keep changing players, changing head coaches and we've got to try and turn that round.

"That's been a lot harder than I expected it to be, but I still want to do it, I'm still going to put the work in and I still believe we can turn this season around.

"There's still lots of games. This isn't disastrous by any stretch but we're not achieving what we should be achieving at the moment."

Colchester are away to Cambridge United in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday before resuming their League Two campaign at home to Harrogate Town on Saturday.