I just don’t think we’ll rotate or use the bench much. Everything to date (I appreciate it’s a small sample) suggests that Le Bris is reluctant to do so. It’s working thus far though so who are we to criticise.
According to the Luton fans on What the Falk podcast, they seem to have a few injuries - especailly in defense. Here's hoping we can get at them. Still expecting a very hard game and I'll take a point now.
I'm wary and respectful of Luton, you know what they'll give you, which is a headache of crosses and set pieces and two big capable strikers. This will be our biggest test. Thought Chris Bedia actually looked very positive for Hull on Sunday, however it never fell for him barring one occasion where he hit the bar I think? Also, O'Nien and Mepham harassed him well. Having to play up against two lads like that might become a bridge too far. However, the last time we played here, I'm sure we had an average defensive height of about 4ft7. Roberts' was lively vs Hull but didn't make the right decisions, if that changes vs Luton, we will have a chance straight away of getting something. On the other side, Mundle was rather anonymous by his lofty, early season standards. If he can turn up and catch this lot on the counter, we will be fine. Gotta counteract their press, play through their lines, get it out wide and over the top, even if just to stretch Luton. They won't be the same wounded beast as I watched vs QPR, but they looked very open on the counter that day, lads like Karamoko Dembele and their Japanese winger looked good. Huge for our wide lads. Bit more physicality and experience in the middle too, if we put Browne in for Rigg. Rigg never looks out of place, but Browne can offer something else I hope. Quick, decisive and direct, that's what we need from the lads and we will win well. Just gotta start strong at the back. The kind of game for Connolly, but you can't really drop anyone for him, so if we need goals he can come on later.
Thanks again for a top thread RTB , I think your team is close to Reggies starting 11 , however I would like to see a front 3 of Mundle / Connolly / Isidor start the game and leave Roberts on the bench for this one alongside Rigg . We need height to stifle the arial bombardment that is bound to come and pace up front to play effectively on the break. I see Roberts tipped to score again , his record over the last 2 years does no fill me with optimism but we live in hope.
Unfortunate timing as Luton appear to be playing like the old Luton again. Happy with a point, delighted if we win.
Be a great test of character for the lads.Glad we have Mepham at the centre of defence to cope with their physicality. Maybe rest the Rigster for this one and play Brown. I'm not really confident and predicting a 2 0 victory to the hatters and a booking for Hume. Luckily my predictions have been generally ****e this season. HTFL Always used to drink in the now gone Bedfordshire Yeoman when going to Luton. One of the few pubs where I have witnessed bother inside involving SAFC fans. Luton fans started it.I can still see this well built Luton fan walking down pub and punching an SAFC fan off his seat.Why I don't know,unless something had been said at bar.Luckily it didn't develop into a full scale fracas
probably going to be physical as it always is with them. No doubt target our midfield 3 for some special treatment.
Fabulous post as usual RTB. Thank You! Think this will be our most difficult game to date. We need to battle like f*ck, but not get drawn into a kicking match. They'll launch everything into our box time and time again, which is why it will be important for our front 3 to break and get us up the pitch. If we get hemmed in we'll lose. Our ball retention has got to be spot on. Get the ball down and have them chasing us. We can't defend with 2 banks of four and try to play our way out like we normally do, they'll press us and push us back and back. We need to look for the ball over the top or down the flanks to relieve the pressure and build our own attacks, which is why the front 3 and the midfield 3 will be so important. Games like this are the reason why we brought Browne in. His experience will be very important, so, like others, I'd give Riggy a break. Ask Mundle and Roberts to run themselves daft for 60 minutes, then look to freshen it up with Watson and Connolly. A point here and 3 against Oxford at the weekend would give us a good return from this weeks 3 games and keep us right on track for 92 points (2 points per game). We will score, we always score. Stop them from scoring and we'll win this game, but a draw would be a good result imo.
Personally I'd bring Browne in for Rigg but my expectation is it will be the same eleven again on Wednesday and then the rotation will happen at home vs Oxford on Saturday. I also predict Hume gets booked tomorrow night and so the team for Saturday will be the same as Sunday but with Browne in for Rigg and Ballard in for Hume with O'Nien right back. As for the results of both games - I'd take 4 points from the 6. A draw tomorrow night is a good result.
If he has a Browne for Rigg switch on his radar/agenda then I'd say he'd be far more sensible making it for the Luton game with Rigg being reintroduced on Saturday. Horses for courses and all that. The two games we've lost were both against relatively big, physical sides getting in our faces. That's almost Luton's mission statement (or has been during their success, not so much this season before Saturday) so we perhaps need to make sure we're a bit more robust.
Tough game this one like we all know what an awful place Kenilworth road is. Narrow pitch doesn’t suit how we play at all. A win definitely isn’t out of the window but I’d take a point all day to go into the Oxford game fully expecting a win and 7 points from the 3 games back after intentional break.
Very tight ground like you say, and with the fans almost on top of the players, not losing our heads will be very important. I thought the home crowd got to Amad in the 2nd leg play off and he faded as an influence - like they wanted.
Hard game this. Could make the argument that it's our biggest challenge of the season so far because despite Luton starting poorly. On Saturday, they reverted back to the style of play that made them so successful and I fully expect them to shoot up the table if they continue to play like that. We have to stop Doughty crossing the ball, that means Roberts has to up his game defensively because if not we will be under serious pressure. Nobody crosses the ball more than him in the division, nobody has created more chances than he has, he has the highest xA in the division and already has 3 assists. Set pieces will be huge. They scored 2 from them on Saturday and we all remember the playoff semi final. Huge game for Patterson, he needs to take charge and come claim or at least make contact on any crosses inside the 6 yard box. Morris and Adebayo are two of the best forwards in the division and will cause us problems tomorrow. I expect them to target O'Nien with long balls. They can definitely be got at though. They concede the 8th most shots per game and the joint 4th most shots on target per game. Our wide players will be crucial, particularly looking at Mundle to have a good game in the space behind Victor Moses. They had 4 players go off injured on Saturday so I'm interested to see how their lineup looks tomorrow. Hopefully it's weak. 1-1. Cirkin.
Cheers RTB love the match day thread tough game as everyone is say it’ll be a good learning curve for our young team,I’d defo start Brown give Rigg a rest played a lot this season, gona go 2-1 for the lads would like to see Roberts get one and I think Cirkin is over due COME ON
