Luton town in the big time

[That Fat Centre Half]

We are going to the Luton thing of failing in the most heart breaking way possible aren’t we by going down at the last possible moment.

But fuck it, what a group of players, really embody never say die attitude. Great win today, Berry and Onyedinma coming on and changing the game typifies what we are all about. The group over individuals.

 

[oakroader]

Having lived through the derby county and Man City last day relegation
Deciders and still needing psychiatric treatment…
I would take another similar route at beating the drop in such a stressful season…if the outcome was the same

 

[Super_horns]

There is hope..

Need to win all 3 home games I feel.

 

[oakroader]

Big fat Joe Kinnear sadly passed away…
Great memories
RIP gaffer

 

[Super_horns]

Big fat Joe Kinnear sadly passed away…
Great memories
RIP gaffer

RIP Joe.

A good manager and footballing man.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

Big fat Joe Kinnear sadly passed away…
Great memories
RIP gaffer

A great character and a true “football man”. Be remembered unfortunately today for his latter roles at Newcastle where I think he was beginning to show some signs of the dementia he battled for many years at the end.

Did a great job at Wimbledon and remember being very surprised a former premier league manager was willing to take the job here when were headed toward a certain relegation. Built a great side, the nucleus of which went to the championship a few years later under Newell.

Was when I was really getting into following things with us much more closely and there was always a story or a rumour going on under him of some player he was looking at on trial or other intriguing going on. Famously brought in Valois, arguably up until this season with Barkley the most surprising transfer weve had.

RIP BFJ!

 

[oakroader]

Everton deducted another 2 points

 

[Super_horns]

Everton deducted another 2 points

Yes saw that.

No doubt they will still appeal the decision.

 

[SF_]

Luton are getting absolutely shafted. Everton and Forest's points deduction should be at least double. Their chairman talks a lot of sense on the BBC.

The system is a joke. Did Bournemouth ever get punished for their cheating years ago?

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

Yep it’s pretty egregious, really lost a bit of interest in the season as a result to be quite honest which is a shame as I’ve enjoyed it for the most part.

Whole thing has been handled terribly, I’ll be quite ok with going down to be honest, the league and the supporters of teams within it are ridiculously entitled and just seem to want their clubs to spend and spend far beyond their means to get the latest shiny thing. It’s an arms race and I’ll be quite pleased to not be a part of it.

Kind of summed up by us playing City tomorrow, the most egregious rule breakers of them all owned by a literal oil state with zero chance of getting anything from the game. And they will probably be lauded for smashing us too. Just not really football is it.

 

[Super_horns]

Luton are getting absolutely shafted. Everton and Forest's points deduction should be at least double. Their chairman talks a lot of sense on the BBC.

The system is a joke. Did Bournemouth ever get punished for their cheating years ago?

Certainly not cut if they have done it twice like Everton did !

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

How much have City spent on defenders? 1 billion or something ridiculous I think and we still scored one with 14 players unavailable. Embarrassing that imo

Half empty stadium by the end, hollowed out husk of a league ruined by money. Still had a great time supporting the underdog hatters against evil incarnate.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

Massive game tomorrow, win and it really looks on. Somehow only Mengi might be back for the game, some of these injuries must have been absolutely horrendous - cant believe how long some of them have been out for. Feels like we saw pictures of Lokonga training a month ago but still doesnt seem close. I guess its getting to the point where they will be so rusty will it be worth them coming back?

Got the feeling Brentford will have too much for us, especially as Toney seems to be fit.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

Really poor today. Went into it with a bit of a jump in our step with the surprise of a few players being back but we were never in the game. Brentford were excellent and we had probably our worst game of the season.

In retrospect we’ve never been able to transition those plucky performances against the top sides to the more winnable games.

First time this season where the heads clearly dropped. Not going to dig them out as they’ve given it everything this season but it’s all over bar the shouting now

 

[Super_horns]

You seem to blow it in winnable looking games unfortunately.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

The last week really underlining that I’m entirely not fussed about relegation, all feels decidedly distasteful to be rubbing shoulders with some of these clubs to be quite honest.

Absolutely totally and utterly shameless and classless from Forest this week essentially tantamount to pressuring the PGMOL for the rest of the games this season, City moaning at the temerity of the footballing scheduling not being specifically built around them and the whole FA Cup replay stab in the back.

Sooner some sort of super league is formed and the “big club” do one the better I think. Games been ruined by money at the top level.

 

[Super_horns]

I thought only one of those incidents was a certain penalty tbh.

Other 2 maybe but not obviously ones .

We all know the handball rule is a lottery as proven over the weekend .

If all the clubs hate VAR that much they should all come out together and decry it.

Not just when it goes against them like Arsenal also did a few months ago.'

It's been poor for everyone but some act like they have been the only ones affected.

 

[oakroader]

---

36 years ago...today
if you know...you know!!!!

 

[oakroader]

 

[Super_horns]

I see they tried to say Wood was one of the best strikers too !

Actually probably is at Championship level but doesn’t get enough goals as proven yesterday.

Another close game but defeat again unfortunately.

Seems to be the way recently for you .

 

[oakroader]

Jeez… don’t know if my nerves will hold out at this rate…
Alfie didn’t look like he was at the races today
Our defence has got to stop holding onto shirts and opposition body parts before we get VAR’d and punished…
But hey…we’re still in the mix and I hope the pharmacy doesn’t run out of diazepam…

Will we ever learn…
Our kamikaze approach to defending is going to relegate us…

 

[Super_horns]

Another if only or hard luck story in a way.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

That and the injuries. I know it’s an oft used excuse especially by us this season but Adebayo made a massive difference last night and Lokonga looked wjth a game under his belt a lot less rusty. If we had had those 2 for a consistent period (they only played 8 times together including last night), then I think we have at least a few more points, even if you factor in the other injuries we have had we could have coped imo if we had those 2.

As it is, after last night it’s certainly over (and in reality has been since the Bournemouth second half debacle really)

 

[oakroader]

RIP ex Luton striker Viv Busby

 

[oakroader]

 

[oakroader]

Well… we need forest to lose 6-0 in their final game
And us to win 6-0 in our final game…,
Simples…..

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

The usual story of the season of quite a spirited performance but ultimately in defeat. First half I thought we played really well, limited them to very few openings of note but you could tell it was never going to last, especially after Barkley injury we lost any control of the midfield.

Second half we just got blown away, they switched things about with Paqueta going more central and Kudus given a bit more licence to float between the lines, players of immense quality that we had no answer for. Is what it is, we can be proud really think every player has got the maximum out of their ability but it can only take you so far.

Weird place to watch football, miles away from the pitch, dead atmosphere and was almost like being at the cricket where there’s always a general milling around of people going back and forth to the bars. In general the day was like the season itself, The match experience for the fan willing to spend on food and drink top notch but all just a bit souless.

Really hope Barkley injury doesn’t keep him out of next week, deserves a decent send off next week, a quality player and it’s been incredible to watch him play for us.

 

[Enchantress]

Unlucky Luton, hope to see you back soon.

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

Edwards has confirmed Barkley is out for tomorrow which is a big shame. Likely seen the last of him in a Town shirt and he deserves a bit of a reception. Was pretty sceptical when we signed him that he’d be a big time Charlie here to pick up a wage, stroll around and have a bit of an attitude which might disrupt a tight knit group.

He has been nothing of the sort, fully bought in and has been loved by the fans for it. Helps he has been absolute quality.

Can’t see him staying but next move will be interesting. Think he is a far far more complex personality than has been portrayed of him in the media where I think he’s been seen as having an attitude problem, I think he’s quite a quiet almost shy who needs to feel like he belongs to get the best of him

 

[That Fat Centre Half]

Honestly, found it really funny Mengi going off in the first half of the last game in a weird - if you didn’t laugh you’d cry kind of way. Absolutely encapsulating the whole second half of the season for us really and ending it with a back line of one semi fit centre half and 2 wingbacks, one of whom is a youth player was very fitting.

We started very shaky and without Barkley it we struggled to find solutions to progressing the ball as the usual answer to that is just give it him under any circumstances whatsoever and he’ll work out the rest!

After 10 mins of being hemmed in we started to work it out and actually had the better of the chances but as ever just as we were getting on top a bit of an error on kicking from Kaminski and within a flash Traore is lashing in. Even relative minor errors are punished at this level as we have seen time and again this season and that another example. The quick fire return to 2-1 after the penalty another such example.

The game sort of ended at 3-1 really. Disappointing from the ref to give that free kick when Osho should have had one instead a split second before but we defended it poorly. It then became a true end of season affair. Nice that Shea got on for a Premier League appearance, he’s had a long career since leaving Arsenal as a kid so really nice he got that moment and a good save to go with it.

Think there will always be that small tinge of disappointment that we never really got our best team on the pitch, certainly not for the second half of the season. Don’t think we ever saw a midfield 3 of Nakamba, Lokonga, Barkley either. Who knows how that might have turned out but ultimately the quality jump was much too high for us to bridge with effort and hard work alone.