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Reply | ITFC ‘Unpopular Opinions’
at 10:15 4 Jul 2025
We would have been promoted back to the Premier League in 04/05 if Royle had any tactical savvy and a more mobile defender than De Vos - who had the turning circle of a bus. |
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Reply | Where were Town on your birthday?
at 02:30 17 Jun 2025
Fourth in Division 1 (top league) having just played our last game of the season. Just behind Derby but a long way back from Leeds and Liverpool in 1st and 2nd.
Still a couple of games left to play for some of the mid-table teams (no same time kick-offs back in the day), but no one can overtake us.
Delightfully, the bottom two were Norwich (bottom) and Man Utd, who were both relegated alongside Southampton.
Carlisle are about to be promoted to Div One, Wrexham just missed out on promotion to Div Two, Bournemouth and Brighton are in Div Three and Brentford in Div Four. |
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Reply | He is not going to Brentford
at 07:30 13 Jun 2025
Because he's already said where he sees his future next season:  McKenna: My Full Focus is on Town 24th Apr 2025 16:18Town boss Kieran McKenna has reaffirmed his intention to remain with the Blues despite relegation from the Premier League appearing certain to be confirmed this weekend at Newcastle.  19
He even said he's not going to comment on it every week. Despite how the season panned out he is going to be linked with every mid-lower table opportunity - we can't reasonably expect him to comment on every link in the media or every time he's installed as bookie's favourite. No other manager/coach in sport does this and he would make himself a laughing stock if he formally denied every rumour.
The other thing to remember is he is under a very large contract, and we would need to give him permission to speak to another club (like we did with Delap) - so how about we just save our hand wringing for the day if/when it's announced by Ashton that we've given McKenna permission to speak to another club. |
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Reply | Air India 171
at 05:19 13 Jun 2025
Quite.
For example the British (Euro) Airways crash in Staines in 1972 - whilst a different era and far older engineering, the same physics apply and in that case it was a crash into a field with no surivors. Crashing at take-off speed with a plane full of fuel isn't good and rarely are there survivors.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_European_Airways_Flight_548
Accidents on landing are a far different scenario, much lighter planes, carrying much less fuel, and at far lower speeds - often sees multiple survivors. [Post edited 13 Jun 5:31]
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Reply | Air India 171
at 02:01 13 Jun 2025
There is a vast difference though between the 737 Max and the 787.
The grounding of the 737 Max only happened after a second accident in the space of a few months for exactly the same reason in an aircraft that had only been launched in the last 18 months.
Whereas the 787 is one of the most popular aircraft that has been flying for over ten years with a flawless accident history* (I'm not a fan of Boeings generally but I love the 787).
There's rarely an example where an aircraft model is grounded after a single accident - the only one I can think of was Concorde, but that was a unique case in an aircraft where only a handful were ever built (the graphic photos of the Concorde on fire didn't help).
We will no doubt discover the Air India accident was either pilot error (the majority of accidents are) or an unprecedented issue with the plane that will be identified and then if necessary safety advice sent to all operators of 787s.
A good comparison would be the British Airways 777 that crashed at Heathrow back in 2008 - at that time the 777 model had been flying for over 10 years without a single accident, but it was discovered that in an exceptional circumstance (in this case flying within the Arctic circle) small ice cubes could form in the fuel tank and block the fuel intake to the engine. The BA plane crashed with the same force as the Air India yesterday, but because it landed in a field and was at the end of the flight there wasn't a large amount of fuel to cause an explosion and everyone somehow walked away. There wasn't an immediate grounding of all 777s and once the cause was identified remedial measures were made to all 777s in service (in this case I think a small heater was installed before the fuel gets to the engine to melt any ice cubes).
As it stands, the 777 has now been in service for over 20 years and the only major incidents with significant fatalities are the two Malaysian 777s back in 2014/15 that were shot down by Russia and then went missing respectively. I'm not a fan of the 777 because it was never designed to fit nine seats in a row (it was initially configured 2-4-2) but most airlines now have 3-3-3 as standard and it's just not enough room for long flights; but I wouldn't not get on a 777 because I was worried about its safety record.
Most modern aircraft are exceptionally safe, remarkably so. As discussed on this thread though, the 737 Max is the one that I worry about because Boeing cut R&D costs and time by using a very old frame as the basis for the design. That said, the longer we go without anymore 737 Max accidents, the less concern we should all have about its safety (mind you that won't stop me trying to book airlines and routes to avoid flying it - but that's mainly because the A320/321neos are far far nicer planes).
RIP to all of those on board yesterday and on the ground who were killed.
* The 787 had some issues with a handful of battery fires in its first year of service but thankfully they were all on the ground and there were no fatalities - and then Boeing switched to a new battery type. |
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Reply | We are favourites for the title next season
at 05:14 26 May 2025
We should be - our recruitment strategy always had an eye on bouncing straight back. Assuming we sell Delap, Davis and Hutchinson, plus lose Burgess and Tuanzebe - then this is our starting XI before we even sign someone:
Palmer/Walton
Johnson/Clarke - O'Shea/Woolfie - Greaves - Townsend
Morsy - Taylor
Philogene/Ogbene - Szmodics/Chaplin - Clarke/Broadhead
Hirst
It all comes down to who we sign to play central midfield and to battle with Hirst for the #9 shirt - because the rest of that team is filthy good for the Championship.
We should have plenty of money from player sales and parachute payments to potentially upgrade the full backs as well - although I would have no issue if we started the season with Johnson and Townsend.
The issue is that very few from this team have shown they can perform at Premier League level - so ultimately we need at least 9-10 new players if our goal is to bounce back and then stay up. |
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Reply | I have 2 cats called Mick and Terry
at 01:46 23 May 2025
Our current twin cats are Alfie and Bobby. I jokingly suggested to the wife and kids when we got the twins that we call them that and they all said yes. |
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Reply | Is it just me or does anyone else feel like they need a break from football?
at 06:18 19 May 2025
I fell out of love with football about 15-20 years ago, which is sad because I devoted my childhood and early adult years to it as a fan and as a pretty decent player. As soon as it effectively became a non-contact sport and player's wages started spiralling (I'm thinking early-mid 2000s) I couldn't give two hoots about it.
But, I still and will always love Town, even in the darkest of times under Evans I would do anything I could to watch/follow games - and having moved to Australia in 2012 that involves some ludicrously early mornings/late nights (even last night I watched past midnight despite knowing I had to be up at 4:30).
What this season has proven to me beyond all doubt is that football as a form of entertainment is dead. I hadn't watched a single minute of Premier League football since about 2008 and if that's the pinnacle of club football then I'm glad I checked out of the game years ago. It is so tedious to watch; just this constant rinse repeat of falling over, blowing whistles, faking injury and VAR. The second halves are awful, with the ongoing stream of substitutions disrupting the flow. I'm sure it's amazing in the ground, but as a TV spectacle it's mind numbing.
All that said, when are the fixtures released? |
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Reply | Life can really hurt sometimes can’t it
at 01:15 15 May 2025
I'm going to make some assumptions here that: (a) You were not actively trying to start a family; (b) The miscarriage would have happened relatively early in the pregnancy for you not to be aware that she was pregnant (although the fact she went to hospital might suggest it was more developed than I'm assuming).
What's important to remember is that a miscarriage is a result of something biological that means the pregnancy was not viable, whether that's due to the development of the foetus or something to do with the mother's ability to sustain the pregnancy. So, there is no other world where you would have been a Dad to a 1 year old - the miscarriage was inevitable. Far better than being in a situation where the miscarriage happened when you were trying to start a family.
I have been saying this to myself for 32 years ever since I was 18 and in my first long term relationship - and my then girlfriend had a miscarriage at what we assume was about 6 weeks. We could remember the condom failing and she had been worried about being late for her period. The reality of the situation was we were both very young, in our first year at uni, and split up about 11 months later. To be honest the idea of having had a kid at that age (and with that particular partner) horrifies me and it's far easier to not even think of it as having ever been a viable chance of becoming a baby.
I hope this next bit doesn't come off as blunt, but rarely does adding a child into a challenging relationship ever bring collective happiness. Maybe your on/off partner will be the one and you're both working through what you want and whether that involves each other - but adding a child into that uncertainty is probably not the best for you or the child. You might be destined to be the best Dad in the world, but as a child of divorce, there is nothing worse than having parents who clearly don't like each other.
But - you're in shock and it will always take some time to work through the various implications. I think it's good that you have a platform like this where you can share.
And if nothing else, at least you know the old fella down below is firing live ammunition. |
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Reply | 28 years ago today
at 18:54 10 May 2025
I travelled down from Lancaster with a mate I was doing a postgrad with who was a Blades fan. I made the mistake of wearing my town top as we walked back to my car and was briefly set upon by 3-4 Sheffield fans. Thankfully my mate was wearing a Sheff U top and managed to persuade them to leave me be. Had a few bruises on the shins from being kicked but thankfully no punches were thrown. Was not a fun experience. My mates said a few seconds later … ‘for f*** sake will you zip up your hoodie!! |
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Reply | Anyone got that sort of feeling that we won't go up next season yet?
at 07:07 9 May 2025
The way I look at it is that we beat Coventry 3-0 in the FA Cup with our reserve team starting and hardly breaking a sweat - and they've gone on to finish fifth in the league.
Even if we lose Delap, O'Shea, Davis, Axel, Phillips and Cajuste from our squad our starting XI next season will be stronger than the team we put out against Coventry that day - and that's before we invest some of the parachute money and money from player sales.
So by any measure we should go up - it all really depends whether the second half of this season has got into the heads of the team and we've developed a losing habit. |
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Reply | One positive next season
at 05:54 6 May 2025
I know right - it's almost as if spending almost the last quarter of a century going to grounds in Morecambe, Accrington, Forest Green and Yeovil wasn't good enough for some fans - especially those under the age of 35 - bloody kids, should be happy to be pi$$ed upon sitting in a temporary stand at Gillingham. |
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Reply | Just been listening to BM Podcast
at 01:54 29 Apr 2025
I think that's a completely reasonable position for BBC to take. We might think we're a big club and arguably we've been a sleeping giant - but the stats don't back that up.
Let's say the journo who wrote that article on BBC Sport is 40 years old (and chances are they are younger than that) - then in their adult life (last 22 years) Town have been in the Premier League for one season. During that same period, the following Championship teams (that Wrexham will be joining next year) will have been in the Premier League as follows:
- West Brom: 13 seasons
- Sunderland: 12 seasons
- Middlesboro: 8 seasons
- Blackburn/Watford/Norwich: 7 seasons
To that journo we are literally no different to Luton last year, or Huddersfield a couple of years ago - a team that won some stuff before the journo was born but who have never been a top division side since they became an adult.
Hell - I've just turned 50 and all of those teams listed above have had more seasons in the top flight since I turned 30 than we have since I turned 10 years old.
To most people under 40 we are probably placed lower in the pecking order than those above, plus Derby, Stoke, Portsmouth, Hull, Bolton, Birmingham and Charlton.
It's on us to change that perception but it will take another 3-4 seasons in the Premier League for that to happen. |
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Reply | Billy Sanders RIP
at 12:49 23 Apr 2025
Exactly the same - had been going to Foxhall for a couple of years with my Dad (I was 9-10 years old). Loved Sanders, John Cook, Jeremy Doncaster and Richard Knight.
I remember the Radio Orwell news so vividly that I can even remember the first song they played after the news was Black Man Ray by China Crisis and I could never not think of Sanders every time I then heard it again. |
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Reply | McIlroy v Rose Masters Play off
at 01:02 16 Apr 2025
I have to be fair and say it was a bit wind assisted.
I played a lot as a teen but then life just got in the way. I restarted again a couple of years ago and have just turned 50. I can consistently hit my driver 240 yards with no wind and my 3 Hybrid about 190-200 yards. A normal round sits in that 88-92 range in stroke play - but more often or not that includes at least 4-5 three putts. My best is an 82 and that was on the very very rare day my putter was on fire. |
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Reply | McIlroy v Rose Masters Play off
at 01:27 15 Apr 2025
Grrr…putting is the bane of my golf game.
I play off a 17 handicap, with:
- the driving game of a 6-7 handicapper
- the mid iron game of about an 16-18 handicapper
- the short game of a 10-12 handicapper
- and the putting of a 28-36 handicapper
At the weekend,I hit my second into a 540 yard Par 5 about 50 yards short, chipped to about 8 feet and three putted for a bogey. Does my head in.
And yes I’ve had putting lessons, tried different putters and different grips. None of it makes the slightest difference. |
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Reply | If you had the choice...?
at 08:26 9 Apr 2025
It goes without saying I want us to establish ourselves as a sustainable premier league club; but the reason for putting forward just those options is I was fed up with the revisionist 'Premier League is c**p' comments all the time on here.
I get it's some form of copium in light of the likely relegation, but as you and others have proven in your response - most/all would still rather be a yo yo club than than just eek out an existence in the Championship. |
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Thread | If you had the choice...?
at 02:03 9 Apr 2025
Lots of posts throughout the season about not enjoying the Premier League, looking forward to going back to the Championship - and echoes what fans of clubs like Norwich, Saints, Leeds, Sheff Utd etc say about their experience.
Now that we have experienced what a lot of these have been telling us - if you had a choice for the next six seasons what would you want:
- 3 lots of yo-yo (promoted and then relegated)
- 6 seasons of top half Championship finishes (maybe even a couple of failed play-offs)
Obviously all of us would prefer to bounce back and then with three seasons of EPL/Parachute/EPL money to establish ourselves as the next Brighton/Brentford - but if that was off the table and the choice was the two outlined above - what would you choose.
I know it's easy to salve the wound of a now inevitable relegation with the whole 'Championship is the most fun league in the world' (which appears to be a common refrain on the forum) - but on balance I'm happy to choose the yo yo option.
At the end of the day, this season has been really frustrating and dispiriting, but still nowhere near enough of a downer to counter the exaltation of last season. Maybe it won't feel quite as special the next time we get promoted - but despite how I feel about the last nine months I still wouldn't swap it for anything.
The only caveats to that are: (i) I might feel different if 1-2 of those future relegations were similar to Saints this year; (ii) I would definitely feel different if we were promoted playing the type of football Burnley are playing this year. [Post edited 9 Apr 2:04]
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Reply | House negotiation.
at 02:32 4 Apr 2025
I've always worked on the basis that an offer more than 10% below asking price is taking the pi$$ and I would never sell to them on principle; between 7%-10% under I'm not going to agree to but will willingly negotiate in good faith; 6% or less then my aim is to try and meet halfway. Unless the market is super hot then no one should reasonably expect the asking price. An offer of 375 when it's on at 389 is a very very reasonable offer.
We just agreed to sell for $2.45m (Aussie dollars) when it was at an asking price of $2.6m. It was a protracted negotiation but they can settle in 4 weeks and we're in a hurry so it worked for us. The other people interested offered $2.2m and we told them to do one.
Worth clarifying that cost of living and wages in Australia is much higher than UK - which is why the numbers are a lot higher. |
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Reply | As good as away performance you’ll get
at 09:35 3 Apr 2025
The defence was terrific, but the other thing that stood out for me was that our front four tried to work more as a unit. Both goals involved Ensciso and Delap - who have become increasingly selfish over the last few games - actually passing the ball to a team mate in a better position. Broadhead and Johnson both hit sublime cross field passes to a team mate in space as well. |
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