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Reply | A positive outlook
at 17:15 2 Sep 2025
Thanks for your response,I can certainly see why when looking at things on face value you feel the money spent doesn't line up with what we are watching on the pitch at the moment. The last few weeks have been disappointing and are certainly a cause for reflection, but I don’t think the situation is as bleak as some suggest. We've proven ourselves hard to beat even when playing poorly, and if we can start to find some chemistry in the team those draws will become wins and the losses will become draws. That would leave us on 10 points; the margins really are that fine.
As others have rightly said, the football club is more than just results. While performances are of course the ultimate measure, we are operating in a completely different environment to where we were under Evans. The infrastructure, ambition, and community engagement are on another level - the town is back in blue.
If poor form continues, then it becomes a genuine concern. But at the same time, there’s plenty of evidence that McKenna is a manager who gets the best out of players and that we have a squad with proven quality in this league and beyond. Most of those acquired in league 1 progressed further under him than they would have ever expected, and perhaps with time these will do the same - people were questioning Mckenna around Christmas in his first full season but with time the results came good - who is to say the same won't happen? It's far too early.
It’s easy to feel sentimental about the old squad, but the reality is they weren’t Premier League standard. Keeping them together would only have held us back. The rebuild was necessary. We now have a group with a higher ceiling, even if it takes time. Burnley are often cited as an example of an instant bounce-back, with early results, but their squad was already seasoned at prem/champ level. Our challenge is different: we’re trying to build a Premier League-ready side from a League One foundation. Yes, we can all agree the players bought in league 1 were not league 1 players and I'm not revising history on that fact, but they hardly had any top championship/prem suitors when we acquired them did they? They were players who could be punchy in the championship in the right system/under the right management - Mckenna's.
If this rebuild means it takes a little longer to come together, but the outcome is a squad capable of staying up when we get there, then that’s real progress. It’s far too early to write this group off. History shows that teams with significant overhaul often need time to settle. McKenna has done it before, and he has enough credit in the bank to be trusted again.
In addition to the overhaul, there's the issue of those who were here last season needing time to get back to their best. The importance of confidence really can’t be overstated. Take Davis as an example — he was outstanding in our promotion season but is clearly struggling to hit those same heights at the moment. If he’d just arrived for a big fee, would we immediately be labelling him a waste? We know what he’s capable of, and the same applies across the squad.
A lot of these players took a real battering mentally last year, and rebuilding that confidence is never instant. It takes time for belief to return and performances to follow. That’s exactly why getting on the back of the players or the ownership this early only makes the process harder. The more support and patience they get now, the quicker we’ll see them playing with freedom again. If the issue persists beyond 15-20 games with no sign of improvement then I think it's time to take stock and review the situation with a larger sample size, but now is just too early for all the reasons mentioned.
For me, the best course is to back the manager and the players, let them find their rhythm, and judge them over the longer term rather than a handful of early results.
Edit: I will concede the first paragraph does have shades of "if my grandmother had wheels she would have been a bike", but regardless I do feel the only way is up. [Post edited 2 Sep 17:19]
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Thread | A positive outlook
at 07:34 2 Sep 2025
I’ll start with a confession: I’m an optimist by nature, and tend to see the world through ever so slightly blue tinted goggles - and I’m happy with that. It may not be the prevailing mood on the forums right now, but a little positivity might not go amiss.
Yes, it’s painful to see the old guard dismantled. From a sentimental point of view, it feels like losing more than just players — it’s saying goodbye to the best Town side many of us (younger fans) have ever watched. And yet, as one poster rightly noted recently, modern football leaves little room for sentiment if you want to succeed. Looking at the squad, the only players I genuinely felt could have stayed on ability and ambition were Burgess, Woolf, Tuanzebe, and perhaps Morsy as a club captain. But very few remain, and like everyone else, I’ll miss them.
Still, I can’t help but reflect on where we’ve been. Rewind to League One under ME: a squad full of dysfunction, entirely unfit for purpose. A total rebuild, and McKenna inherited a disjointed side of individuals capable of not only escaping League One but being competitive from the Championship. What he/they went on to achieve was overachievement by any measure. The reality, however, is that group was never going to carry us to the ultimate goal — becoming a competitive Premier League club.
This is where the current rebuild draws a clear parallel. Once again, the slate has been wiped clean. But this time, with a much heavier heart and the loss of so many heroes. Now, the profile of player is different: these are top-end Championship footballers, designed to dominate the league we’re in now and set the foundations for making it to the Prem again. Last year’s signings were clearly pragmatic, made with one eye on survival. If we make it again I think we can be far more ambitious now, having a squad of good championship players already.
McKenna has already shown he can extract results from players who weren’t his. Now, with a squad built to his design, there’s every reason to believe he can not only take us back up but make us competitive at the next level. Progress might not come instantly — it didn’t last time — but there’s no need for panic. Yes we need to see progress, but even if we only start to click into gear by mid-season, we could easily ride that momentum into the play-offs and finish the campaign the way we stormed through League One.
I honestly believe if we give this group time to become a cohesive unit under McKenna, the rewards will follow.
UPPA.
[Post edited 2 Sep 7:35]
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Reply | that haaland's pretty good
at 18:10 31 Aug 2024
Don’t be silly, delap is clear. Build up play, pace, passing, can beat a man, takes it on the half turn, presses from the front. And he has a much better right foot… |
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Thread | TWTD FPL
at 18:21 16 Aug 2024
Anyone got the code? Haven’t seen it on here. |
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Reply | Why is Fabio Wardley on the bus ffs (n/t)
at 14:48 6 May 2024
Tbh I think if it was just today and the bus then it wouldn’t have bothered me and clearly others. It’s the fact it’s off the back of him being in the promotion photos in the goal which adds the context that rubs me up the wrong way. None of the players’ family members or friends were in there so why should he join the squad in it. All a bit John Terry in the champions league final for me but that’s just my opinion! |
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Reply | Powergen bucket hat
at 08:54 6 May 2024
Ahaha I’ve got a handful from the night but some are certainly not for public consumption. Later in the week I’ll find a way to post the SFW ones on here. |
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Reply | Powergen bucket hat
at 18:14 5 May 2024
Spotted. Seen on Clarke’s story and now reclaimed with signatures. UPPA TOWEN. |
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Thread | Powergen bucket hat
at 07:23 5 May 2024
Last night in molokos one of the team physios has borrowed a hat of mine and accidentally lost it. It’s made of a 2005/2006 shirt and has been absolutely everywhere with me over the last few years. Obviously means a lot so if anyone finds it or sees it about would mean the world to me to see it back on my dome! Uppa towen. P.s. We are premier league. |
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Reply | Apologies
at 20:40 7 Apr 2024
Not seen anything you’ve posted (or not noticed it being particularly bad) but I’m sure from this post that it’s unlikely to be half as bad as some of the stuff on here! Credit to you for having the awareness to realise and the humility to apologise. Sorry for your loss mate! |
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Reply | 12.30 KOs....
at 09:18 7 Apr 2024
Don’t think anyone’s making excuses, just an observation. |
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Reply | Looking for a lift from London Saturday
at 15:07 7 Feb 2024
Just moved here so didn't know about that. Would appreciate a dm if anyone could get me a seat at what sounds like a lucrative table. Cheers! |
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Thread | Looking for a lift from London Saturday
at 11:35 7 Feb 2024
Curse of the bus replacement. Anyone driving to and from London area that has a spare seat (maybe 2)? Would be much appreciated! |
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Reply | El Miz update
at 13:06 14 Jan 2024
To be fair I think it would take some turn around for El Miz to want to be involved here. Have a mate who plays for orient and he said that El Miz didn’t even train with first team when he came back in summer and he felt that was disrespectful. Not completely out the question though and maybe he won’t feel as strongly if he is asked back to train this summer. |
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