They say there are two certainties in life – death and taxes. Well you can add a third one to that – football fans chatting nonsense after their team loses.
That was certainly no different where Luton were concerned last weekend. It was not the best result against Nottingham Forest by any means, but it was a match that swung on a couple of tiny margins so the outcry after the match, particularly on social media, was a little extreme, as was the reaction to the comments of Graeme Jones afterwards.
The Town boss made a couple of statements in particular which got a negative reaction, but I have to say I didn’t see anything wrong with them. In fact, I would go as far as to say that they were just what was needed.
Jones stated that Izzy Brown has to play if we are to remain in the Championship. I have no problem with this. I said similar in my last column, and the timing of such a statement, with Brown surely a doubt for the game at Reading, to my mind was a challenge to whoever replaces him to show their worth and deliver the goods. After all, our attacking output diminished quickly after the 22-year-old went off injured last week.
The other comment he made was that we are in a relegation battle. I couldn’t believe the feedback this one got. Let’s be honest, we were in a relegation battle the second Portsmouth were beaten towards the end of last season to guarantee us promotion.
We are at a massive disadvantage budget-wise in this league, and you only have to look at how the promoted sides did last season to see how much of an achievement remaining in this division will be.
Last term, Blackburn Rovers finished 15th in their first season back at this level, while Wigan Athletic were 18th and Rotherham United got relegated. All three of those had played Championship football two campaigns earlier whereas we’ve not played it for a dozen seasons. We are 21st at the minute and rest assured if that is where we finish we will have done brilliantly.
They say things come in threes so just for the icing on the cake, Jones’ tactics were seemingly being questioned too. I find that incredible as I’d go as far as to say he is the best tactician I can remember for a while at our club.
In just four months or so he has got us playing at least two different shapes. The way we can switch between four at the back and three with the defensive midfielder slotting in depending on who has the ball, the way we look to keep the opposing holding player quiet and getting our key players one-on-one with the opposition is a credit to the work done behind the scenes.
Losing matches shouldn’t be confused with tactical ineptness. I can’t think of many losses where individual errors haven’t been our downfall and no manager, whether it is Graeme Jones, Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho or Sir Alex Ferguson can legislate and plan for them.
Hopefully the Town pick up the three points at Reading to keep everyone happy. If they don’t, I might have to engage in an enforced social media exile to avoid another bout of such a negative overreaction!
Strange comments from mr harper. I agree with others comments, jones bought in 8 players this year and lets be honrst arecthey any better than what we have. Izzy isn’t really the answer, pretty sometimes, but we need to play ugly at the moment to get results. Jones moans he hasn’t got a big striker to bring on if or when needed, hello, you spent 1.2 mil on a so called quality keeper who isnt good enough or was needed.money could have been spent on a striker to partner collins. As for tactics, swapping bree and bolton nearly every game is not game changing. Results count now not stats.
And why was Pelly on the bench today? He should be one of the first names on the team-sheet.
Astonishing arrogance on the part of Mr Harper to dismiss fans’ reaction to what’s going on at KR as ‘nonsense’. The manager appears to believe that the club is such a poor relation in the Championship and the players, including those he signed himself, so inadequate that relegation is a virtual certainty. One begins to wonder why he took the job in the first place. As for the manager’s tactical nous, he has a great deal to say, but it’s difficult to see much evidence of it where it matters – on the field. Being a good tactician doesn’t count for much if you can’t convert theory into practice. And Mr Harper’s blaming the players’ shortcomings – their ‘individual errors’ – is too easy.
i think you we all know what side of the fence your on
and are looking through rose tinted glasses
i personally think some of his statements are totally out of order
and he should think before he speaks not before long before he loses the dressing room
you cant tell me yhat one minute he is full of praise for Shinnie plus others then they either dont get in the squad or lft to rot on the bench while we keep getting beat and if he is the best tactician you have seen at Luton how bad were the others because his tactics are not bringing us the best of results COYH