We've sold out the 4,700 allocation that Blackburn gave us after their ticket offer of £14.60 extended to us too. My first away game of the season but I can't get excited for it at all - don't know what's happened to me since lockdown
No doubt that lockdowns and Covid in general have affected people's thinking but in you case it's probably the reality of post Wider setting in. Sheff Utd were a runaway train under Wilder, leaping up 2 divisions and then having an unbelievable first season in the Premier League. Second season all the 1 0 wins turned into 1 0 defeats and all of a sudden, players that were used to nothing but success were suddenly serial losers. That affects the players confidence and the supporters start to lose faith in the system and develop a more negative mindset. Wilder then leaves and the bubble has finally burst, the excitement is not the same anymore and matches lose their appeal. We had the same after Steve Evans was sacked, the exciting adventurous style was replaced by turgid managers like Stubbs, Redfearn and the coward Jackett who jumped ship after 6 games. Going to games was suddenly the polar opposite in terms of enjoyment. The good news is, you can move on. A last throw of the dice by our chairman in giving the job to our fitness coach paid off. Paul Warne surrounded himself with a trusted team and slowly built a squad that you want to go and watch and I look forward to match days again. Yes we get relegated every 2 years but that's because more than half the teams in the Championship are spending money they haven't got, while we continue to live within our means. No doubt we will lose some of our best players in January and eventually a bigger club will covet Warne, then sack him after 6 months when they realise he needs 2 years to actually build something. It's all cyclical, just hang in there for the good times to return, maybe this manager is not the answer, but he is in a no win situation following Wilder
Coventry away today. Play anything like we did against Brum and we'll get battered. Need to perform today or otherwise atmosphere's going to get tense in the away end. Nige not going to this one, unwell apparently, evidently been really unlucky with that this past year. Or he's "unwell". Hard to tell. Assuming he is, hope it's nothing too major, bloke's already had to fight off COVID twice
It's not much harder anywhere else mate They are in rubbish form tbf, would expect a win from your lot in that one.
You're right about the cycles and the excitement before the sudden drop since, it's undoubtedly been a factor on the pitch as we got used to the good times for a few years. From a personal point of view I think being unable to attend and having to watch games on TV in empty stadiums changed my outlook of the game to the point I refused to watch another game until fans could start going again. Now we're back, I just don't feel the same enthusiasm I had before. I was still going to pretty much every game home and away during our Adkins season in League One where we finished mid-table, and even though it was dreadful on the pitch I would still be buzzing for away days so us not doing as well as expected has never really been a factor for me. Maybe having kids and the pandemic preventing me from doing it has had more of an affect on me mentally than I realise. Hopefully once I go today I'll get that buzz back and I'll want to do it more.
Swansea at home, tough game to try bouncing back from our first defeat, they seem to have picked up some form lately. Hopefully we'll see a more balanced side than the slightly cobbled together team we used in midweek.
Will have to wait for the team, but we didn't rotate at all Saturday-Tuesday so there's every chance we make a few changes today. The last time we played three games a week we fell off a bit in that final game away to Birmingham. We've got probably our best player in Flynn Downes to come in, and there's a couple who can come in without weakening us (Cabango, Obafemi) but our depth isn't particularly good this season and largely reliant on youngsters. The main one that we just can't play the same going forward without is Ethan Laird, he's such a threat for us going forward but we've got no real natural cover for him. Joel Latibeaudiere would be his deputy, who's a centre-back but isn't good enough on the ball to play in that position under Russell Martin, and when he's started at wing-back we've looked pretty limited going forward.
Absolutely. I don't know whether it was him downing tools at yours, or whether it's him being suited to our style of play but he looks every bit like a Premier League player. His first touch and passing is so dependable, and he adds a lot in terms of physicality as well in midfield. It feels like we've finally found a successor to Leon Britton, and at his age as well it won't be long before there's interest in him from top level sides.
Been meaning to ask about Jamal Lowe actually, and what you thought of him? So far I've seen him play through the middle, wide left and wide right at various times and I can't work out what his best position is? I'd say he's done well in patches in all 3, but it is patchy. So at the moment he doesn't warrant a starting place for me, if only because I don't know where exactly he'd start. Off the bench to slot into any of those gaps as the game unfolds seems to be working ok so far. Talent and a goal or two in there, if we can just figure out how best to use it! Certainly read/heard good things about Downes when we were looking at him. Not surprised to hear he's doing well.
I've never seen us lose at home to Fulham in either Division 4 , Division 3 matches however with the news from our forum on Monday night that our last game of the season at home to one of our nemisis's Blackpool I've swapped today's match as a part of my 10 game Flexi Ticket for that one instead . May sound a bit stupid & sentimental but I've been watching Posh since 1974 & first stood on the London Road terrace in 1976 & IF we're safe from being relegated on the last day of the season as a Posh fan it'll be the last ever day that we'll be able to stand on the terrace before it gets demolished , a bit of out history lost bu hey , EFL deem you can't spend 3 seperate seasons in the Championship with a standing terrace In the same year they're advocating bringing back ' safe standing ' in football grounds & alcohol inside the ground . As for today , Fulham are bringing around 3,200 down , thought they'd have sold out their 3,900 with how they're playing pitching the highest scoring team in the division against the leakiest defence .
To be honest it was always a bit of a question in his time here. He came as a winger, but ended up playing entirely as a striker in his time here due to us not having a natural one. I'm not sure if he ever started on the wing for us. His finishing wasn't particularly natural as an out and out striker, and he wasn't able to hold the ball up particularly well and the thoughts were that he would do better as a winger but it never really happened. I've not seen enough of him in the position to be completely confident but I think his best position would be wide right. He seemed to get himself in enough goal scoring opportunities though over the course of the season up top, but I'm not sure he'll be trusted to played 90 minutes as a #9 in a Championship side over the course of the season and doubt he'll ever top the 14 goals he got last season at this level. Looking at the options you've got both up top and out wide, I'm not sure he's good enough to be a starting player for you but he's a very useful back up to have. Downes would have been brilliant in your side, but sounds like you've got plenty of talent in that role with Ben Pearson and Gavin Kilkenny.
Beaten Forest 4-0 Beaten WBA 3-0 Beaten Blackburn 7-0 Worried about Peterborough (No offence Peterborough fans but you see my point)
Don’t think there’s many Town fans who doubted his ability, although he was prone to the odd silly challenge and red mist. Probably something he can learn to deal with as he gets older. No-one can blame him for wanting to move up a level but it is a real shame that he didn’t stay with us for the Cook project, although if you ask me I’d take Morsy over Downes right now, as much for his presence and leadership as anything. Downes still has lots of time to get even better though, and I hope he does get to play at the top level one day. In fact that’s the only thing that would concern me in regards to Swansea, if he has his head turned and downs tools as he did with us if he doesn’t get his way. Hopefully he’s grown up a bit though and learnt from that whole thing, he’s definitely got the potential to be a really good player. And at the end of the day you should make some decent money on him at the least.
I’m hearing the Blues game is going to be called off, all the IT systems at the ground have gone down
Delayed KO till 3.30, letting fans in now. We still don’t have the safety certificate for the lower portion of the Kop & Tilton, won’t be till next year to be honest now all season ticket holders have been sorted. If I’m honest we don’t need it at the moment, can fit 20kish in now, we won’t top that very often, unless we have an unlikely tip at the play offs.
