It wouldn’t be Luton Town FC if we didn’t have to suffer the occasional blip, would it?
Before the fixture against Derby County last night, Nathan Jones correctly warned that, although the opposition were bottom, we should not treat them as a struggling team.
Watching that first half an hour of the game, I’m not sure the majority of those wearing the Hatters shirts had listened.
To sum it up in one word, it was appalling.
It came as no surprise that after going a goal down, courtesy of a strike from Tom Lawrence in the 20th minute, that Nathan Jones decided to mix things up and bring on Fred Onyedimna and Admiral Muskwe in place of Kal Naismith and Jordan Clark, but did the gaffer hook the right players?
In my view Glen Rea and Pelly Ruddock-Mpanzu were found to be far more wanting.
During his post-match interview, as reported by The BBC, Nathan summed it up perfectly, remarking:
“The performance levels were nowhere near and we looked energy-less for lots of the first half.”
But why are poor first-half performances continuing to blight our season?
Although Luton came back to take a share of the spoils, with Elijah Adebayo making it 2-2, in the 83rd minute, these poor starts need eliminating.
Strangely enough, Nathan chose the same starting XI he had gone with for the win at Millwall just 3 days earlier, were Luton fatigued, should he have shuffled the pack?
I would certainly be interested to hear your views on the subject matter.
The draw may have extended our unbeaten run but, for some reason, the Hatters made it a lot harder for themselves than it should have been!
COYH’s
Luton Town v Hull City?
Luton Town to Win!
Hull City to Win!
A Draw!
Previous article by Mad Hatter
Luton – Fans Fear For Keepers Future
Made my point in earlier post mh. There has to be a reason why we rarely put 2 good performances together especially in the first half. Is it certain untouchables or just a team problem I can’t work out which. All I know is that osho an Berry get dropped when they have played with consistency. An others come in an performance drops.
one word – favourtism – springs to mind!
Thats bollocks. Grossly unfair.
which bit / comment?
I was referring specifically to the accusation of favouritism.
okay, point taken!
So Chris what is your reasoning why players out of form are being played yet others who are playing well are dropped in favour of those two did you go last night? Or making observations from TV.
See my comment back to MH, in which I explained I was referring to his favouritism remark to yourself.
FWIW I’m puzzled by the unchanged team last night., as Jones has led us to expect rotation in his “3 game weeks”. I know there’s an old adage don’t change a winning team. Perhaps Jones believes that too and didn’t expect to win at Millwall !
I don’t regard last night as appalling. (I was there), it just wasn’t too good especially first 45. But even then the first goal came from a mistake, and despite having much the better of the play Derby were largely kept at arms length.
There’s a lot I could say about the factors going into team selection . But this post is already too long. Having said though I’m puzzled let me repeat I think it’s complete bollocks to suggest Jones is biased in favour/against certain players
what is ruddock doing in this team. he is being carried by the rest. i don’t understand his role. please enlighten me .COYH.
Sorry guys but 4 points from two tough away games in 4 days is as much as we can expect.
We have a great manager who has put together a good Championship side.
The world is full of would be managers and it’s great to have a point of view but no team in any league plays great every game.
It was a below par compared to Saturday but also Derby played well. Back our manager, he won’t get everything right but we won’t get a better one that’s for sure.
not knocking Nathan, just can’t understand why, on so many occasions this season, we’ve been dire in the first 30 mins, I applaud Nathan for his Mourinho-esque gesture in trying to change things so early on when it clearly was going pear shaped.
Sorry but a little critisim is needed when a manager continues to play 2 players who for a large part of last season an so far this have been lacking on the whole. An currently don’t deserve a place in the team. Yet others who have done there jobs get dropped. Blinkered thinking by nj has not been a success. Yes we have done well but the manager has to play a team that can perform consistently an not because of loyalty. He says he has to make hard choices as that’s what he’s paid to do. We’ll then don’t play players who aren’t performing an letting down the rest!!!
Hi all , NJ has to drop two 0layers for Saturday and I don’t need to say who , both were crap last night and that’s being kind to them . But can anyone tell me why when in the second half we kept passing the ball back to ss when the pitch was so wet and 1henthey were pressing so high up as both goals came with them pressing us . This passing along the back line drives me mad . Coyh
Why is pellet still playing, and why does NJ talk about Hilton as a first team player. Get some keen youngsters in. Kiosk scored again fo MK, what did he do wrong?.Berry looks really good, subs given cg, crazy. When I saw last nights team I couldn’t believe it. Thought it was a typo from Saturday. Agh! At least we got a point.
I ask anyone to look at Derbys second goal. Pelly once again allows the space for their #11 to create the opening. It can’t be denied that Pelly gifts space to opposition players allowing them to play around us. It doesn’t help that Pelly makes himself smaller with his strange crouching/turning side ways unto the opposition player and rarely actually puts a foot in. Just look back to the 3-3 draw with Swansea and see their 3rd. Pelly allows the Swansea winger all the time/space in the world to pick out the striker to score. Unfortunately Pelly has his support from those who are unable to accept his short comings at this level and prefer to highlight his obvious talent when going forwards. I for one think away from home and/or against teams that play a passing game Pelly should not start. Nathan should by now understand that Pelly is always going to’ point’ at free opposition players rather than go close them down and so possession will be given to the opposition and when this is close to our box then goals will be conceded (Against this he has only 1 goal this season = goal conversation rate of 20% (note only 5 shots in 10 games) i would argue he has cost us 4 goals this season with loose touches and not closing down opposition players. Rant over 😛
Give up on this site,,,as soon as we fail to win the bullshit starts…many on here think we should push to go up and get the cash by getting relegated…trouble is imagine the crap being spouted on here when we are getting battered by the big boys week in week out…..we have only lost 3 games, 2 of those to 2 of the favourites in this league and a strange result to brum….anyone would think we were bottom the way some are going on….
The fact that we have lost so few games shows the progress being made, I’ve said before that promotion this year, next year, or the year after would be a disaster, we need Power Court up and running to build that financial platform that will give us a chance in the Premier League, I don’t want us to be a yo-yo club, it is not the way forward. I’d rather follow the Brentford model than the Norwich/Watford version!
Why be so critical then ?
just disappointed that after a great performance at Millwall we were so lacklustre in the first half, I guess being kept awake half the night by the rain and wind didn’t help! I’ll get another slice of humble pie ready.
This was a point made in general, not directed at any one person. Just seems many think we have a right to win and run over every team we come up against. By the way I DID go last nite and got soaked….
Hi Alan, I thought we were trying to discuss the reason why we keep starting so poorly. I haven’t seen anything except what is causing it so far. In people’s opinion. An boy was it wet up there.
That’s not how many posts are suggesting though…as I said some seem to think we have a divine right to beat everyone…we were up against to very experienced central defenders last nite and Derby are fighting for their lives…Still what do I know…
That’s exactly what I said before the game about the defense they have an said a draw was likely. But for me the point remains why so many poor starts there has to be a reason.
It’s called football chris. If we knew the reason it would be a very boring game….
Wise move by NJ taking Kal off in case he got a red card. Interesting that someone recently questioned why Fred got such a high rating when he’d played only two games. I think he proved why last night.
There is always character assassination after every failure to win a game of football. The manager is accused of having favourites. The critics are doing exactly what they are whingeing about. No player is at the top of their game all the time. No manager makes perfect decisions all the time and no supporter is totally right in their opinion even in hindsight. Every nuance of every game has an impact and there is no way of knowing in hindsight how the game might have panned out with a different change of personnel. There are 1365 different permutations of 11 from a squad of 15. That rises to literally millions from 25. No one is getting that correct for every game. Pelly is Pelly. He was arguably MOTM on Saturday. There was no obvious reason to leave him out on Tuesdaybany more than anyone else. I’m sorry to have to deliver bad news but…We’re not going to win every match and team selection and rotation is best left to the people who are getting paid to do it and who so far have us in 8th place.
Well said.
The reactions on here including the OP have been well OTT.
Scotty, 100 % in agreement. Well said that man…..
someone needs a trip to specsavers,and quick?COYH.