Luton v Burnley.Your verdict.

[Devils_Advocate]

Only played 2 matches against teams who finished outside the top 8 last season. Both those matches were away and we've picked up 4 pts in them.

Long way to go and there's a lot of improvement to come but so far so good and reckon there's 4 teams already looking worse than us and by January I think we'll look better than a couple more

[JohnMac]

Luton are the new (old) Burnley. Strong, direct and resolute.

Our football just about survived their physical onslaught.

[houseboy]

We managed a narrow win against the team that is likely to finish bottom (or certainly second bottom) of the league
They dominated our midfield in the second half when they upped the pace
We were put under heavy pressure from their set pieces yet produced very little from our own thanks to poor delivery from Brownhill
In game management from VK was indecisive - central midfield needed strengthening sooner with the addition of Cork. Instead he brought on another lightweight in Ramsey who he then had to take off when it clearly wasn't working
Koleosho is being played in the wrong position on the right and it is obviously negating his contribution
Tonight showed too many wide men make up the squad at the expense of central midfield and striker options
When all are fit we have a 30 man squad and so I doubt there will be much room for manoeuvre this Jan
If people think that win against Luton was a great result we are in for a hard winter
Sorry, but just telling it as I see it from last nights performance

I think this a slightly pessimistic way of looking at things. Our season will not be defined by games against City or Spurs etc...it will be defined by games like Forest and Luton. A draw which should have been a win after a terrific display at Forest and a win at Luton...both away games...are what will show where we are. Even the game against United where we should have been out of site by half time is a decent omen. 5 of out seven games so far have been against last years top seven. Other than those we have done rather well.

[quoonbeatz]

It's a very pessimistic way of looking at things but they're one of the most joyless people who post on here so worth ignoring.

[Anthonini]

Weird team Luton but they had some big players out injured and I that Chong dude is very good. Almost looked like Zidane as they were unable to even get near him to take the ball away. Guy had complete control over the ball.

Lokonga and Barkley aren't that bad either. They might be better or become better then what we saw yesterday. Wasn't that impressed by Nottingham Forest either to say Luton would definitely go down. They do have qualities that might help them out throughout the season. At the moment Larsen scored it felt like we would get a beating to be honest.

[nil_desperandum]

Not sure it's been mentioned, but this was Luton's first defeat in 16 matches at home in a midweek night fixture.

Ok, the previous 15 were in a lower division, but I think it shows us that Kenilworth Rd is a very hostile place to go, particularly under the floodlights.
We stood up pretty well defensively, and played some decent football at times.
We still give the ball away too frequently and in bad areas, but Luton played this as though it was a Cup Final, which it was in many respects.
We still managed to win.

[Socrates]

thought we looked decent first half, shocking second half, we cant deal with that direct style.

Except last night when we dealt with it?

[burnleymik]

A very good 3 points.

First half we should have been away and clear. Played some good football and created some good chances.

Second half they came at us and to be honest if they had managed to get a few of those headers on target or Cullen hadn't managed that incredible clearance, it might have been a very different story.

As it was our defence, especially Beyer, Cullen and Taylor stood up the to barrage very well. I did feel we could have used some fresh legs a little earlier than he finally did and then I didn't understand the Ramsey substitution at all. That said Bruun Larsen looked a class act again and that finish was incredible.

It does seem that Trafford is struggling under the pressure of trying to play it out from the back and so far he has gotten away with it for the most part, but it is causing us problems we could do without right now.

I would like to see Bruun Larsen starting, I think he has earned a spot with his recent displays off the bench. Berge is really growing into his role and looks a cut above when he gets on the ball and drives into space. Beyer looked back to his best and Cullen's workrate and commitment was back to last season's levels.

Absolutely love the excitement that Koleosho brings and that's another full back he has created nightmares for.

Most important thing was the result and hopefully that will give our season the kick start it needed. Get past the Chelsea game and then hopefully there will be more points for the taking.

Onwards and upwards.

[Uwe Noble]

Here's what happened in the summer: VK stuck with him, believed in him and has then played him from the beginning in every game he has been available. That's in stark contrast to the many BOZOS on this board (and others) who rubbished him and wrote him off. We were talking about a young man who came in half-way through the season and is living far away from home. Some of us were prepared to reserve judgement and give him a chance. I have complete faith in VK's judgement.

[GetIntoEm]

Except last night when we dealt with it?

yes, in a very panicked manner but was a great outcome i agree. something to work on

[ecc]

Didn't see it and haven't seen any of our PL matches.

I'm sorry but only one thing matters for me and that's the scoreline.

It's going to be very tough staying up. We all know about the disparity between clubs but it seems to be getting harder and harder to come up and compete.

The list of potential relegation candidates is not long and we've got four points from six against two of the clubs on that list and both from away games what's more.

Afterwards, the manager and his team will be working on shaping the team/squad. But they won't have the "When will Burnley get their first win?" question to deal with.

[ArmchairDetective]

Glad to see us have to dig in to win. We'll take a hell of a lot of confidence from that going forward. I think those wins are just as important as the games you win 3 or 4-0. The belief that you can win despite being under pressure is huge.

Foster makes a huge difference, he's starting to show he has all the attributes to become a very good striker at a high level. Hoping he's back for Saturday as he was subbed after going down seemingly injured.

Amdouni was able to find more space and show himself more because of Foster, albeit Amdouni lacked a final product yesterday. Still finding his feet but I think Amdouni looks a real player.

Though Taylor was fantastic. Got forward more yesterday. Going to be hard to drop soon is Charlie.

I do think we still look shaky from corners and could easily have conceded from a couple in that second half. Trafford looks lost from corners - not blaming him, I don't think he's being helped by the way we seem to set up as a team for corners. I think it was Morris who had a couple of free headers and should have done more with them. I'd be reluctant to drop any of Taylor, Berge or Foster for that reason, we need their height.

Going forward we do need to sort out defending set pieces but I don't want to let that overshadow what was a great win in a difficult match.

[CrosspoolClarets]

Preserved our record, better than City or anyone else, of never losing a Premier League away game after leading at half time. 28 times now I think.

Showed battling qualities. Pace and power up front was too hot for Lockyer to handle. Could have got 3 or 4 really. We are now guaranteed not to be adrift at the end of our horrendous fixture list, which I always took to be after Chelsea.

Only concern was sluggish distribution from the back and the dominance opponents have in our box from set pieces. It felt like every time one came in, they won the header.

But we are likely to have enough to comfortably stay up, not least because we have options when injuries or suspensions occur. I simply don’t see our rivals coping in that way.

[Rick_Muller]

Except last night when we dealt with it?

Except when they scored from it?

[Socrates]

Except when they scored from it?

You do know that happens sometimes, right?

Conceding one goal isn’t a disaster. Particularly when faced with the bombardment and onslaught they faced last night.

[Hipper]

We managed a narrow win against the team that is likely to finish bottom (or certainly second bottom) of the league
They dominated our midfield in the second half when they upped the pace
We were put under heavy pressure from their set pieces yet produced very little from our own thanks to poor delivery from Brownhill
In game management from VK was indecisive - central midfield needed strengthening sooner with the addition of Cork. Instead he brought on another lightweight in Ramsey who he then had to take off when it clearly wasn't working
Koleosho is being played in the wrong position on the right and it is obviously negating his contribution
Tonight showed too many wide men make up the squad at the expense of central midfield and striker options
When all are fit we have a 30 man squad and so I doubt there will be much room for manoeuvre this Jan
If people think that win against Luton was a great result we are in for a hard winter
Sorry, but just telling it as I see it from last nights performance

Last night was about the result. We've had some OK performances but not much in the way of results. If we had a good performance yesterday and no points it would tell us we have little chance of staying up, certainly with the current way we are playing. As it is this win, against a team that if we are to stay up we should be beating (especially, as someone pointed out, we have spent so much more money then Luton have) has given us a small hope that we can at least make a fight of not being relegated.

Of course we shouldn't get carried away, but with three similarly winnable games coming up after Chelsea things may look a bit brighter in a month's time. And they may not!

We are almost expected to stay up because of last season and the investment in players and so far it has been a bit disappointing, understandably so of course given the fixtures. For Luton their fans should try and enjoy the ride. They've had an incredible last few seasons and it looks like they are giving this season a good go.

[Elizabeth]

Delighted with the win , the first half performance, two good goals and 2-3 impressive individual performances.
Left wondering why we couldn't stem the amount of possession they had in that middle part of the second half. We need to work on that and I would have liked to have seen substitutions made earlier in an attempt to break up their play.
I felt very nervous every time they got a corner in that second half and relieved every time they won the header it went wide.
Other than our goals the highlight of the match was Cullen's header off the line.
It was not a comfortable watch in that second half up to our winner

[Hedontplayforyou]

Firstly we got the three points which is massive for the confidence of the young squad that we have.

Add to that the grittiness of the second half, and to score immediately after their equaliser and then hold on when clearly nerves took over, that can only be a good thing for the confidence of the young lads. Almost a reminder that they have to work as hard as ever to gain points in this league.

Amdouni again showed real creativity, he should have scored and with a little more composure he will start hitting the net regularly.

Foster is looking very confident at the moment and his finish was great.

Berge was impressive and his assist for Foster showed us what he’s capable of, I’d like to see his defensive game improve to solidify us a bit but he’s not been brought in for that.

Larsen is looking like a good find , the finish was sublime but he also makes good runs in behind and definitely has something about him.

A win in the road in the prem , wether it be against Luton or not will boost confidence and hopefully kick start our season now. No doubt we have a lot to improve on , it’s a young group and they need our encouragement from the stands to give them that extra push.

On to the next UTC

[warksclaret]

Delighted with the win , the first half performance, two good goals and 2-3 impressive individual performances.
Left wondering why we couldn't stem the amount of possession they had in that middle part of the second half. We need to work on that and I would have liked to have seen substitutions made earlier in an attempt to break up their play.
I felt very nervous every time they got a corner in that second half and relieved every time they won the header it went wide.
Other than our goals the highlight of the match was Cullen's header off the line.
It was not a comfortable watch in that second half up to our winner

Luton managed subs throughout the game, two of which were a result of injuries. THe pressure on us started to show when Amdouni in particular started to tire, and this was followed by Foster tiring too (understandable following his work rate), at that point we came under real pressure. We simply have no options in central strikers when these two go off. Jay going on was a sad reminder that sadly he has no longer anything to offer. He looked tame, not willing to put his foot in, or challenge aerially. He also had a huge opportunity when he could not even get it on target. We have missed Foster immensely as it takes two to defend him and as we saw with his running it gave Berge the chance to slip a great trough pass for him to score. A new young central striker in Jan is a must as we already lose Foster for the Africa Cup, plus injuries/suspensions can further deprive us

[Tinribs]

We managed a narrow win against the team that is likely to finish bottom (or certainly second bottom) of the league
They dominated our midfield in the second half when they upped the pace
We were put under heavy pressure from their set pieces yet produced very little from our own thanks to poor delivery from Brownhill
In game management from VK was indecisive - central midfield needed strengthening sooner with the addition of Cork. Instead he brought on another lightweight in Ramsey who he then had to take off when it clearly wasn't working
Koleosho is being played in the wrong position on the right and it is obviously negating his contribution
Tonight showed too many wide men make up the squad at the expense of central midfield and striker options
When all are fit we have a 30 man squad and so I doubt there will be much room for manoeuvre this Jan
If people think that win against Luton was a great result we are in for a hard winter
Sorry, but just telling it as I see it from last nights performance

Dominated first half under the cosh second half from long throws and corners second half,but we dealt with it really well.Doesn’t matter who you are playing 3 points away from home in the premier league is a great result.

[Goalposts]

Having had 24 hours to reflect on this, it feels similar to about the same time last year when we weren’t clinical enough in finishing teams of and let them back in , we where having to adapt turnover of players and getting them to adapt them into our playing style. October and early nov will be more a measure of how far we have come.

It will be tough and just staying up playing the way we are will be massive , but would be a solid base to then build on again

[TPClaret]

A draw and a win away from home. Seem to remember previous premier league seasons when we first got promoted picking up very little on the road.

[Jamesy]

That style of football Luton played last night would trouble a lot of teams, horrible to watch launched into the box from everywhere. Our midfield were by passed but when we got the ball they bludgeoned into us and forced errors. Need more composure,more height and better game management. Great result though in our mini survival league plus lots for the manager and coaches to work on.

You summed Luton up in just three words. “Horrible to Watch”. Couldn’t agree more.

[Anonymous Claret]

A great hard earned win. We are getting better with each game that we have played. Look how much some of the players have developed in the last few games, especially Berge and Cullen. I think a settled back 5 is also helping along with Brownhill in midfield. When our central midfield was Cullen, Berge and Amdouni it was very weak defensively but it looks a lot more solid now.

[Iloveyoubrady]

A great win against the type of side we might well enjoy playing least. Luton are like a quicker and more skilful version of what we used to be.
The fact we didn’t concede a set piece is incredible given our young defenders and is a huge positive to take forward. Foster again excellent, Cullens first really good performance of the season, Berge really coming into it, Beyer outstanding. Saying that, I do think 4 or 5 of our lads had a pretty poor night last night. The overall performance was well down on what we’ve produced this season.
I’m yet to be convinced we’ll be good to stay up, and I question our starting line up at times after what some players did last season (particularly benson who looked set to tear this league up (Utd away, Bournemouth)) who aren’t getting a look in.

[RVclaret]

I’m yet to be convinced we’ll be good to stay up, and I question our starting line up at times after what some players did last season (particularly benson who looked set to tear this league up (Utd away, Bournemouth)) who aren’t getting a look in.

Benson had no pre season. Started against Villa. Came on against a few others. Started against Salford. Is now injured again.

[Elizabeth]

A great win against the type of side we might well enjoy playing least. Luton are like a quicker and more skilful version of what we used to be.
The fact we didn’t concede a set piece is incredible given our young defenders and is a huge positive to take forward. Foster again excellent, Cullens first really good performance of the season, Berge really coming into it, Beyer outstanding. Saying that, I do think 4 or 5 of our lads had a pretty poor night last night. The overall performance was well down on what we’ve produced this season.
I’m yet to be convinced we’ll be good to stay up, and I question our starting line up at times after what some players did last season (particularly benson who looked set to tear this league up (Utd away, Bournemouth)) who aren’t getting a look in.

We will get better once Kompany instils the football intelligence needed for the highest level. We are already showing good signs of improvement and once the players digest his teaching they will become more natural in what positions to take up on the pitch at various different stages of the game. I think that will go a long way towards relieving the long uncomfortable period we had before they scored.

[Superjohnnyfrancis]

Very welcome three points

[Woodleyclaret]

A great game against a team of spoilers in the Sheffield United mould who were beaten by our class and endeavour .
a great night out and the naan with mixed kebab wasn't half bad either. A nice easy trip round the M25 and home by 11

[vinrogue]

I posted somewhere on here I was going to wear my lucky socks for the first time this season. They clearly worked. So too did every player, some better than others but as a team got a tough job done. All that really matters is 3 points on the road is a great result for us.

[Bullabill]

......... we need to replace him with a real enforcer to compliment Cullen.

" Oh Josh, your hair is so neat and your boots so clean"

[jedi_master]

All that mattered was the win really last night. We’ve played well this season and got naff all at times, we just needed to ensure we won and we did.

Could we play better? Yes, first half we were very dominant and should have been a couple up really if Amdouni had sorted his feet out better a couple of times. Second half we dealt with the onslaught for the most part but were rocking for 10 min or so leading up to their goal. Fantastic character shown to go and nick it after that setback.

[gandhisflipflop]

We won which was the main thing. I think that the likes of Luton and Sheffield United are playing at maximum potential already, especially Luton who I believe won’t improve much more than what they are currently showing. We have much more scope for improvement as the season goes on and I think we can improve a few levels more.

[ElectroClaret]

I posted somewhere on here I was going to wear my lucky socks for the first time this season. They clearly worked.

Can you get a pair for every member of the squad?
We're obviously sorted if you can mate.

[Wile E Coyote]

I know officiating and VAR has dominated the football news this week, but whilst there was nothing comparable against luton, the ref disregarding wrestling our players around throughout the match was bad.
holding, pulling our players back all went unpunished. one or two unsighted incidents, fair enough, but it became a constant.

[Bosscat]

I posted somewhere on here I was going to wear my lucky socks for the first time this season. They clearly worked. So too did every player, some better than others but as a team got a tough job done. All that really matters is 3 points on the road is a great result for us.

Funnily enough ... I forgot to wear mine when we beat Salford ... so last night I did the same, so lucky socks are out now for me