Luton Town away match day thread

[Ron W]

Gave it a good go. The sort of game you lose when you're a lower mid-table team, sadly.

Couldn't argue with the effort, could definitely argue with the end product. Really poor in both boxes. Thought Pring, Kalas, Massengo, Weimann and Martin were decent. Dasilva not bad either. Not much else though.

[Baba Yaga]

A lot of the games this season have the same pattern, City start really well but only one goal up or still level and the other team comes back into the game and scores. Quite a few times this has happened. Shame the weak defending at set pieces cost the team because it was a good away performance for most of the evening.

[Waconda]

5 hours ago, Davefevs said:

Also need to consider putting a blocker in front of Adebayoand giving him no room.

Need to be better organised defending and attacking set pieces.

Just seems random currently and lacking detail.

As a basic mitigation we are suffering height wise also.

[sh1t_ref_again]

10 hours ago, steviestevieneville said:

Ok slightly harsh on max maybe but the picture below is the initial ball in. It comes in forty yards out . Admittedly he’s unchallenged by our defence . Could max have come & cleared him out though . He has no bodies to go through here. 
 

Agree we’re all the wrong side defensively 

That 2nd picture set up looks awful, we have 2 players in a wall (do we need them that far out?) 3 players at the front in the box marking no one who get left stranded when the ball goes over their heads, then the smallest bloke on the pitch in the middle. No sure who is bent over, or what he is doing, but doing your laces as the ball is coming in is not good.

[Davefevs]

3 hours ago, billywedlock said:

Scott and Dasilva defending  on the back post for goal one was hardly a good move either, but then Max should have come. He went forward then moved back. He could have punched that one. Bit like Millwall. Though Bentley has had  similar moments , such as WBA from the long throw goal. Keepers do not come off their line as they used to. Main issue is lack of height and command at the back , we go into panic. Luton targeted our far post , with some big units it has to be said. We just looked too small for an air borne attack ! Cundy is miles off, Towler not ready, Baker out for season (maybe more) and no idea what is going on with Atkinson.  So we really only have one CB right now, Vyner or Pring or not CBs .  Signing a fit and ready to go replacement will be far from easy. 

Last season, one of the things I highlighted about Max was that he needs to improve his “back pedalling”.  I’d noticed that he can be slow to move towards his back post.  I’d not noticed it so far during his return, and I e not studied last night’s game either.  So interesting you pick that up.

@VT05763yep we are lacking height, we’ve lost 6’3” Baker and 6’4” Atkinson.  Atkinson is a pretty good “magnet” in both boxes.  Hoping he’s not out long.

Luton are one the most direct teams in the Champ, they are happy to hit lots of low percentage passes, in the hope of picking up “bits and pieces”.  Few teams will expose us like last night.  It’s a shame because in open play they really weren’t a threat (like they were at our place).  We didn’t deserve to lose on “balance of play”, Weimann unlucky with 2 chances, should’ve got his header on target (great pass from Williams).

We will continue to pick up enough wins, I don’t think we look like going 6/7 winless.  Our home form has turned around.  Just need to keep ticking over in the points column.

In many respects this season is exactly what the first season of a rebuild looks like.  There will be some players who Nige will think differently about now he’s seen them this season, some will be positive affirmation, some won’t.  It will solidify his thinking for the summer.

[exAtyeoMax]

The camera angles on Robins TV were abstract to say the least. Was making me dizzy trying to watch. Fair play to the camera person

[Hxj]

Strange I was at the game last and got a different view from many on here.  I enjoyed it thoroughly.  We were in it to the end and could have taken one or three points.  

Luton are good at what they do, but they are not going anywhere with it.  If you go up against a big and brutal Luton side missing your 2nd and 3rd choice central defenders, with no recognised central midfielder and no real on field 'leader' a 2:1 defeat is not a bad result.  At the beginning of the season anyone vote for a midfield of Dasilva, Scott, Massengo and O'Dowda?  Small squad, difficult decisions.  Like it or lump it, there isn't a choice.

City look like they have a consistent plan, still very dangerous on the attack, and still too many mistakes.  But when it works its great to watch.

In particular it was good to see Wells appearing to be trying to get on the bus and Williams' cameo performance showed what he can do, more for the yelling, pointing and organising than anything else.

Oh and I would not drop O'Leary.  His ability to dink the ball 20 yards over the press to the feet of a City player consistently changes the game plan for us.

[Midred]

4 hours ago, exAtyeoMax said:

The camera angles on Robins TV were abstract to say the least. Was making me dizzy trying to watch. Fair play to the camera person

Watching on Sky where you looked right down on top of the players heads on the near touchline. Never seen that at any other ground.

[Davefevs]

1 hour ago, Midred said:

Watching on Sky where you looked right down on top of the players heads on the near touchline. Never seen that at any other ground.

The iFollow cameraman (which Robinstv used) did my head in last night, zooming into the player taking the throw, and then taking an age to catch up the play.  Every single throw on that side of the ground.

[RedRock]

Personally, thought Williams was brilliant when he came on. 

Got to the speed of the game straight away and some of his passes were Tinmanesque. Was it his cross to Andi? If so, that was sublime and should have been buried. 

Wells came on like a man possessed and within seconds nearly grabbed an equaliser. Shame he lost his way a bit but not bad be any means. 
 

Can’t recall ever being so upbeat after a defeat.
 

Pearson looked gutted in his post match, but hopefully he’ll reflect and see what strides we have made. Cut out the (recurring) stupid goals and we’ve now a platform on which to build. 

[exAtyeoMax]

3 hours ago, Midred said:

Watching on Sky where you looked right down on top of the players heads on the near touchline. Never seen that at any other ground.

yes, it was like that on Robins TV, pretty awful

[Midred]

1 hour ago, Davefevs said:

The iFollow cameraman (which Robinstv used) did my head in last night, zooming into the player taking the throw, and then taking an age to catch up the play.  Every single throw on that side of the ground.

Was he stood on the roof?

[Mr Popodopolous]

Watched the highlights back just now, we were really quite unlucky to lose that game- thought there was a collective failure for the 2nd goal and the 1st Vyner could have done better- but on the flipside, Vyner played his part in our equaliser.

Chances though, I'd forgotten about it but quite early we had a corner headed off the line- that goes in, different game. As well as hitting the post late on, Pring and Weimann's efforts were also just over. Despite the defeat we can take a fair few positives really.

[steviestevieneville]

11 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

Watched the highlights back just now, we were really quite unlucky to lose that game- thought there was a collective failure for the 2nd goal and the 1st Vyner could have done better- but on the flipside, Vyner played his part in our equaliser.

Chances though, I'd forgotten about it but quite early we had a corner headed off the line- that goes in, different game. As well as hitting the post late on, Pring and Weimann's efforts were also just over. Despite the defeat we can take a fair few positives really.

Vyner wasn’t on the pitch for the first . So yeah he could of done much better

[Mr Popodopolous]

1 minute ago, steviestevieneville said:

Vyner wasn’t on the pitch for the first . So yeah he could of done much better

Ah yes injured wasn't he? May need to watch it back again...haha.

[steviestevieneville]

Just now, Mr Popodopolous said:

Ah yes injured wasn't he? May need to watch it back again...haha.

Still think it’s a stupid rule now. I know it was implemented because of time wasting but there has to be a better way 

[Mr Popodopolous]

2 minutes ago, steviestevieneville said:

Still think it’s a stupid rule now. I know it was implemented because of time wasting but there has to be a better way 

Okay maybe I'm getting my phases of play mixed up slightly- in the build up to the corner that led to the goal, could Vyner have been stronger vs Adebayo.

0:18-0:38 or so- although Adebayo did prettywell. Hindsight etc but had he bundled him down or booted it for a throw in say...

[nickolas]

5 hours ago, Midred said:

Watching on Sky where you looked right down on top of the players heads on the near touchline. Never seen that at any other ground.

Thats what the old sh1tholes give you! Dreadful ground. 

[The Swan and Cemetery]

3 hours ago, RedRock said:

Got to the speed of the game straight away and some of his passes were Tinmanesque.

A couple of times he just leathered it… inch perfectly, 40/50 yards across the pitch… don’t feel we’ve seen that for a long time. Tinmanesque as you say. 

[steviestevieneville]

15 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

Okay maybe I'm getting my phases of play mixed up slightly- in the build up to the corner that led to the goal, could Vyner have been stronger vs Adebayo.

0:18-0:38 or so- although Adebayo did prettywell. Hindsight etc but had he bundled him down or booted it for a throw in say...

That wasn’t it. In the lead up to the corner for the goal Zak got injured in midfield around the half way line . 

[Mr Popodopolous]

11 minutes ago, steviestevieneville said:

That wasn’t it. In the lead up to the corner for the goal Zak got injured in midfield around the half way line . 

You are in fact right of course now you mention it, now I think about it...still that phase of play I know now that it didn't lead to the goal, he could have done better on- something for the future perhaps.

[AppyDAZE]

5 hours ago, Midred said:

Watching on Sky where you looked right down on top of the players heads on the near touchline. Never seen that at any other ground.

QPR

[steviestevieneville]

17 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

You are in fact right of course now you mention it, now I think about it...still that phase of play I know now that it didn't lead to the goal, he could have done better on- something for the future perhaps.

I don’t think  the phrase . Zak should have done better there . Is the last time we hear it