Eddie Howe's Stumbling Sausages visit [checks notes] Rob Edwards' Harried Hatters

[Monkeys Fist 42459]

18 minutes ago, PaddockLad said:

14 days before we play the mackems there’s only one cunt who turned up wearing a red and white hat

 

 

Judging by the look on AP’s face, one of these lads has gone past the first knuckle. 

[Holden McGroin 6587]

1 hour ago, thebrokendoll said:

fucking pathetic. 

cricket score at anfield.

knocked out the cup by the mackems.

 

nailed on. 

I called this a little while back and was shot down. Mackems defeat wouldn’t be good news.

[Gemmill 44900]

5 minutes ago, Dr Gloom said:

We should have finished 6th last season. Then we wouldn’t be gutted for not finishing 4th again this season, which, let’s by honest, was always going to tough to achieve two seasons on the bounce when we’re less than three years into the project. 
 

We still could finish 4th. But if we end up 6th or 7th it isn’t the end of the world. 

 

Aye. We all said at the end of last season that getting into the CL was class but it was likely to fuck our chances of doing it again this season. We literally had the season we had last year because we had a game a week for most of the season.

 

If knobs on twitter think Howe should be sacked for not getting CL next season, they can fuck off.

 

 

[Dr Gloom 21924]

7 minutes ago, Renton said:

 

 

Hold on, are you saying we didn't deserve 4th last year (which is insane) or you didn't want us to finished 4th (which is insaner)? 

no, I’m saying we over achieved last season. We’re not under-achieving this season. We’re just where we ought to be at this stage of the process. I’m obviously glad we finished 4th last season but it’s also annoying that it’s elevated everyone’s expectations so much. Repeating last season’s triumph was always going to be a big ask. That’s before we get into the ridiculously bad luck with injuries. 

[Monkeys Fist 42459]

6 minutes ago, MrBass said:

Any naked arses in Fenwicks window?

Nah, only reflections. 
 

 

Tbh, it really was shite. 
Not a single slighlty creepy animatronic figure in the entire thing. 
 

I blame Hamas. 

[Holden McGroin 6587]

I don’t even know where to start in dissecting that. I suspect several players are carrying injuries with several others not being fully fit.  
 

i think we need to upgrade a few players pretty quickly but our pulling power (without CL) and  FFP might be a hinderance. I can’t see our away form getting any better this season.  

[Dougle 3337]

28 minutes ago, PaddockLad said:

14 days before we play the mackems there’s only one cunt who turned up wearing a red and white hat

 

 

 

Truly can’t tell if that is Darren Eales or Adam Pearson.

[PaddockLad 17281]

3 minutes ago, Dougle said:

 

Truly can’t tell if that is Darren Eales or Adam Pearson.

 

It’s actually Gemmill. Looking rather butch for him 🤗

[Renton 21627]

16 minutes ago, Monkeys Fist said:

Missed this entirely as we went out for steaks this afternoon on a whim. 
 

Wandered round the Christmas market (shite), looked at Fenwicks window ( shite) , came home and saw the result (shite). 
 

Very nice steak though- Bar+Block on St. Andrew’s St. 

 

8 had the best steak I've ever had at Dobson and Parnell a couple of weeks back. Better than anything in France. Didn't know steak could taste that good. Highly recommend it 

[wykikitoon 20156]

38 minutes ago, PaddockLad said:

14 days before we play the mackems there’s only one cunt who turned up wearing a red and white hat

 

 

Should have smashed the cunt in 

[wykikitoon 20156]

12 minutes ago, Holden McGroin said:

I don’t even know where to start in dissecting that. I suspect several players are carrying injuries with several others not being fully fit.  
 

i think we need to upgrade a few players pretty quickly but our pulling power (without CL) and  FFP might be a hinderance. I can’t see our away form getting any better this season.  

Pretty much where I am. 

[Chaser 1207]

1 hour ago, Gemmill said:

There's 20 PL games and the FA Cup to play yet. Plus a transfer window and 4 or 5 players to come back from injury.

 

Calling the season a "write-off" is ridiculously defeatist.

If we had written 2021/22 off at this stage in the season, we would have been playing the unwashed more often. 

[Dr Gloom 21924]

57 minutes ago, Holden McGroin said:

I don’t even know where to start in dissecting that. I suspect several players are carrying injuries with several others not being fully fit.  
 

i think we need to upgrade a few players pretty quickly but our pulling power (without CL) and  FFP might be a hinderance. I can’t see our away form getting any better this season.  

it can’t get any worse can it? Course it’ll get

better once we get injured players back and sign a couple more 

[PaddockLad 17281]

6 minutes ago, Dr Gloom said:

it can’t get any worse can it? Course it’ll get

better once we get injured players back and sign a couple more 

That team that finished only requires Joelinton and Joe Willock and Maybe Tino at LB to be full strength. Gordon coming off the bench and playing like that adds fuck all.  But that’s away from home. At home we’re very good. It’s so different , we’re second to every ball but the players are plainly putting effort in. Fatigue isn’t an issue at home though 🤷🏻‍♂️

Edited December 23, 2023 by PaddockLad

[Isegrim 9780]

2 hours ago, Dr Gloom said:

We should have finished 6th last season. Then we wouldn’t be gutted for not finishing 4th again this season, which, let’s by honest, was always going to tough to achieve two seasons on the bounce when we’re less than three years into the project. 
 

We still could finish 4th. But if we end up 6th or 7th it isn’t the end of the world. 

It was brilliant to finish 4th to get this year’s experience with playing in a group of death and just go out mainly because of the dodgiest decision I have seen for a long time.

 

Not finishing in the top 6 won’t be a disaster and this is what I mean with “writing this season off” already. There is still a lot to play for obviously.

January will really be difficult and you need luck to win the FA cup with draws and who you play. The mackems will be very motivated against us do this won’t be easy as well.

 

This doesn’t mean that we can’t have a very good second half of the season once injured players are back and maybe with one or two shrewd additions. If we have a second half of the season like Villa did last season or we had ourselves two seasons ago then there is still a lot possible. But I do not expect it and as long as we keep playing like we have done this season for most games then this is fine with me.

[sammynb 3357]

How(e) do we put this?

Eddie is rightly the man for the job but he needs to sort out a plan B and C, if he wants to move both the club and himself into that next level. Yes the players look like they are running on empty but it appears he knows no other way than intensity is our identity.

With someone like Rafa, you always knew the team could switch from an initial plan to an alternative, Eddie just hasn't shown this and it is obvious in the way he uses or more precisely, doesn't use, his substitutes. Yes injuries are a huge factor and limiting what he can do but there is no use having players on the bench if they cannot do a job - the Fulham game being an example of playing 10 men, comfortably one nil up and he still waits until the 75 minute to rotate players.

Here is hoping he can turn things around but at the moment the wheels have fallen off and no one has the strength to push things home - the lack of shithousery this season is also worrying.

 

[toonotl 2980]

In my opinion, the new rules against time wasting have really impacted our ability to shithouse. It's definitely something that's been brought in with us in mind. Same as the new rule about one coach in the technical area.

 

It hasn't been made into a big deal because we've had bigger problems but the rule changes have certainly had an impact, perhaps even contributing to the injury crisis in part.

 

It's another problem too between the rule changes and the injury crisis which means we really can't afford to pick up bookings and suspensions.

 

I think if this season can be described as simply as possible, it's a product of over-achieving, rule changes, bad luck with injuries and fixture draws and not having the money and squad resources to handle it all and to pursue our high intensity gameplan across multiple competitions.

 

I don't agree necessarily that Howe lacks a Plan B. We have seen him tweak things. And I think our away performances have been more subdued in order to preserve energy. (Granted that subdued style has not worked.) But perhaps it would've worked with more players and better players to call upon. Add to that that we have a lot of new players and perhaps multiple gameplans would be difficult to teach and implement with players who are getting used to each other, Howe's methods and gameplan, and (for many of them) playing in Europe is also something new.

 

There'll be progress followed by growing pains through this process. Especially with the establishment kicking and screaming and establishing stumbling blocks for us every time we outperform the expectations they have for us. I know everyone here is onboard with Howe. And I think most sensible journalists and the wider community too are with Howe.

 

(Not to be super conspiratorial but there'd a good chance that any serious chat about Howe's position is the product of those who wish to see us derailed by making the mistake of offloading perhaps the best young manager in the English game.)

 

Last night's result and performance was frustrating and a thorough disappointment in a season where we've seen a few. But we'll get there. The team is together. It has a core of good professionals and a core of immensely talented players. It's just a process we have to go through with a few ups and downs along the way.

Edited December 24, 2023 by toonotl

[wykikitoon 20156]

We must not forget that a lot of clubs have gone to that shit hole of a ground and really struggled. Plus they had the added impetus because of Lockeyr. 

[PaddockLad 17281]

Luton..  a town so rough they keep the Sally Army band behind bars 😬

 

 

The whole place has a pleasing 1970s feel to it….

 

 

[PaddockLad 17281]

[PaddockLad 17281]

If you look above the YouTubers twathat you’ll see the case for the dartboard, unfortunately locked up for our visit. This was obviously an old clerb room tucked away under the stand 😊

 

 

[PaddockLad 17281]

Your Luton bar steward team 👍

 

 

[Dr Gloom 21924]

8 minutes ago, PaddockLad said:

Your Luton bar steward team 👍

 

 

[PaddockLad 17281]

This was the view in the second half  

The zinc pipe is the floodlight pedestal 

The other is the 20th century roof support and rainwater pipe 👍

 

Probably hasn’t come out great but the sky has a really nice hue to it here  

 

 

[wykikitoon 20156]

You could see on the camera the sky was a beautiful colour. Most enjoyable part of the match tbh