Swindon Town vs Luton Town Official Matchday Thread

[Saxondale]

That didn't bother me.....all I wanted was the ref to book the fella that tried to take out Woolery pissing it down the wing... Obvious booking that and would of been my only sour grapes consolation.

That was another thing.  He should have pulled the guy up for that but couldnt be bothered.

[Batch]

and another thing. he blew up 20 seconds early in the first half. toilet emergency?

[Don Rogers Sock]

This.  Fundamentally there was no real issue until the 4 match ban.  Can't help but think Flitcroft has actually created the issue by not giving him his place back when tbe ban was completed.

I am not sure he has performed any better than cook though has he?

[Peter Venkman]

I think given the shit served up for the last 3 seasons at home the fans have been far better than the club should expect. I've not heard it get really bitter. It's more of a few songs that fizzle out into a collective shrug of the shoulders. If players can't take that then they have no future as professionals. I think generally the fans have been good.

I think you are right, can you imagine one of the bigger clubs in downfall having fans stay as patient as ours have since Di Canio left? I can't.

Its like a lot of the fans passion has left them and are in a state of regrouping until we get someone in at the top who can galvanize players and fans again so we are a club again all wanting to improve and feeling that it will.

Unfortunately Power came in at a very bad time and was always on a hiding to nothing, he wasn't as "minted" as Black or most other owners of league clubs, he stated from the off he was only interested in improving previously rejected players to sell for money and not to further the club as a club, no interest in developing the CG, not integrating the club more with the community, no positive PR coming out of the club, basically he wanted and still wants just to make money from this club however he can.

That won't ever change with Power in charge.

The fans want players who give 100% or at worst 90% every game, want to play for the club, want to play for the fans and respect them as their main wage payers, a manager than can galvanise fans and players, put some positive mental attitude into the fans and club as a whole.

At the start I thought Flitcroft could be that, but it appears that he is doing nothing more than pissing in the wind.

[ronnie21]

Boxing Day we got the inevitable chants of "WE WANT POWER OUT"!  Now that's what I call pissing in the wind!!  As owner he is in the favoured position of totally ignoring it - which he did during last season's shambles.  If fans want to make themselves heard they should vent their anger on the current managment, regardless of what he claims this is Flitcrofts team and his signings and, based on recent home performances, it is total crap.  I believe he is on borrowed time.

[Reg Smeeton]

I think you are right, can you imagine one of the bigger clubs in downfall having fans stay as patient as ours have since Di Canio left? I can't.

Its like a lot of the fans passion has left them and are in a state of regrouping until we get someone in at the top who can galvanize players and fans again so we are a club again all wanting to improve and feeling that it will.

Unfortunately Power came in at a very bad time and was always on a hiding to nothing, he wasn't as "minted" as Black or most other owners of league clubs, he stated from the off he was only interested in improving previously rejected players to sell for money and not to further the club as a club, no interest in developing the CG, not integrating the club more with the community, no positive PR coming out of the club, basically he wanted and still wants just to make money from this club however he can.

That won't ever change with Power in charge.

The fans want players who give 100% or at worst 90% every game, want to play for the club, want to play for the fans and respect them as their main wage payers, a manager than can galvanise fans and players, put some positive mental attitude into the fans and club as a whole.

At the start I thought Flitcroft could be that, but it appears that he is doing nothing more than pissing in the wind.

All very true....but to repair an essentially broken club is difficult and will take time.  The key, is during that time not to fall further.  After that you never know in Div 4 as it's a different set up to the others with 7th being a Po slot, and only 2 down.

Take last season Blackpool, who make us look positively well run, had the look of a club heading out of league football, but Bowyer managed to stabilise them. Got to Boxing Day, happily mid table, but then went on a run of 1 win 10, quite a few draws though so ticked along, had a good spell in March of 5 wins in 6, enough to scrape them into 7th with 70 points, they then won the PO's.   They won 18 games in regular season.

[Peter Venkman]

All very true....but to repair an essentially broken club is difficult and will take time.  The key, is during that time not to fall further.  After that you never know in Div 4 as it's a different set up to the others with 7th being a Po slot, and only 2 down.

Take last season Blackpool, who make us look positively well run, had the look of a club heading out of league football, but Bowyer managed to stabilise them. Got to Boxing Day, happily mid table, but then went on a run of 1 win 10, quite a few draws though so ticked along, had a good spell in March of 5 wins in 6, enough to scrape them into 7th with 70 points, they then won the PO's.   They won 18 games in regular season.

Blackpool are possibly the worst run club ever in the football league but yes this is the turning point in the season.

If we can get a couple of signings in and go on a run of unbeaten games then yes we will go up, easily, as this league is utter dross. If we go on a run of defeats then we will drop, not out of the league I don't think but we could feasibly have our worst ever finish if things don't change.

What I and most fans can't get our heads around is how the players can look so good one game then the next its like they have never played with each other before.

The Crewe game on Saturday...at times we looked like we would be champions, lots of passes, good finishing, the midfield playing as a unit and breaking with speed, Linganzi playing brilliantly all game.....

Then a few days later in a home fixture we couldn't string 2 passes together, Linganzi looked like he had never seen a football before and confidence so low we wouldn't even tackle, we didn't shoot, most players looked like they have no future in football.

1st Half we matched Luton, they looked no better than us, but 2nd half, I have never seen a side crumble so easily.

[Reg Smeeton]

Blackpool are possibly the worst run club ever in the football league but yes this is the turning point in the season.

If we can get a couple of signings in and go on a run of unbeaten games then yes we will go up, easily, as this league is utter dross. If we go on a run of defeats then we will drop, not out of the league I don't think but we could feasibly have our worst ever finish if things don't change.

What I and most fans can't get our heads around is how the players can look so good one game then the next its like they have never played with each other before.

The Crewe game on Saturday...at times we looked like we would be champions, lots of passes, good finishing, the midfield playing as a unit and breaking with speed, Linganzi playing brilliantly all game.....

Then a few days later in a home fixture we couldn't string 2 passes together, Linganzi looked like he had never seen a football before and confidence so low we wouldn't even tackle, we didn't shoot, most players looked like they have no future in football.

1st Half we matched Luton, they looked no better than us, but 2nd half, I have never seen a side crumble so easily.

Crewe, have stuck to their traditional football, it may take them to the non league... Luton are clearly half decent.  Notts, will probably have too much for us, but Barnet ought to represent a chance of getting something, other than it being an even shorter turn around than the Sat/Tuesday, which we can't do.

Then a our traditional mid season break, just a bit later this year... and FGR at home.  It will be very difficult for Flitters to survive if we lose that.

[Peter Venkman]

Then a our traditional mid season break, just a bit later this year... and FGR at home.  It will be very difficult for Flitters to survive if we lose that.

I think if we don't win 1 of the next 2 matches then it will be difficult for Flitcroft to continue, if we don't win any of the next 3 the same applies.

I think we will play better but lose by a single goal to County and then go and outplay Barnet and grab a win.

Meaning Flitcroft will still be with us into the New Year.

[Reg Smeeton]

I think if we don't win 1 of the next 2 matches then it will be difficult for Flitcroft to continue, if we don't win any of the next 3 the same applies.

I think we will play better but lose by a single goal to County and then go and outplay Barnet and grab a win.

Meaning Flitcroft will still be with us into the New Year.

We've already lost this season to our next 3 opponents, so it is going to be difficult to get much... not impossible mind, but will need improvement on current form.

[johnritsons toupe]

Powers comments are presumably made during a post-match chat.

He's not going to say what he really thinks, obviously, and definitely not off the back of a humiliating home defeat. I should think he's fuming in the background though, as we all are.

Look, football is subjective; everyone has an opinion.

The main problem I have with Flitcroft is this bullshit about players not wanting to play at home, or at least being afraid / worried / tentative or whatever.

It goes with the territory. End of.

Whether your the manager of West Ham, Everton, Crystal Palace, Swindon or Birmingham, if your team are struggling at the bottom, you're going to get heat. If on the other hand you're putting out a team that can't perform at home but are OK on the road, then that's a different kind of heat and, depending on how you handle it, it's something you should be able to correct, even if it takes a bit of time, and most supporters will cut you some slack.

Blaming the fans - which is what he's doing by implication - is fucking suicidal, and unless he turns it around convincingly starting tomorrow, he's effectively signed his own dismissal. Any credibility created since he arrived has been undone by this debacle and he's shown that he has a low threshold in terms of managerial ability and intelect.

At the very least he's alienated the home crowd in one go, which makes it very difficult for everyone involved.

As we've seen before, decent managers don't make excuses. They explain when things are not going according to plan and they generally have the majority of the fan base onside when they need time, which is vital.

He's now taking the dwindling number of supporters that are left attending games for complete mugs, his team is disjointed at best, his style of play is shit boring and by his own admission his players are now scared to play at the county ground.

As I said, football is subjective. We all have opinions. It's my opinion that all indications are that Flitcroft is not a decent football manager.

Seriously, we should get rid while we still have a chance of rescuing this season.

[The Artist Formerly Known as Audrey]

Yep. He’s cooked his own goose now. Most everyone agrees he’s a cunt.

[chalkies_shorts]

But despite that we're 3 points off the play offs and 5 off autos with a game in hand. At home we've played shit and lost. Away we've played shit and won.
If we got rid of flitcroft does anyone think we'd appoint anyone decent or attract any decent players in January. I for one, don't. Despite this season being total shite, for all the wrong reasons, I think we're better off sticking with flitcroft. I think he's a twat, the midfield is a joke, and he's tactically naive.
As for stay aways. I know several who all want to fall in love again. They hate the football both last season and this. They would like to come back but it's so predictably shite.
I think things could be even worse and with power in charge I dare say they probably will be.

[Private Fraser]

Powers comments are presumably made during a post-match chat.

He's not going to say what he really thinks, obviously, and definitely not off the back of a humiliating home defeat. I should think he's fuming in the background though, as we all are.

If you mean Power's comments in today's Adver article, I also thought at first they were made sometime after the Boxing Day debacle but I then found they were made ahead of the game!  Here it is: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05s3fzq

[Pax Romana]

As for stay aways. I know several who all want to fall in love again.

Spot on.