FA Cup 3rd Round: Luton Town 0-0 Bolton

Evatt's lads are up against Premier League outfit Luton Town at Kenilworth Road.

Exeter beat Luton at home in the EFL Trophy back in September 1-0.

Will Luton field a fully fit squad for this game or will they keep some of their lads for their next Premier league game in their survival battle?

What do you think the outcome will be?

Doesn't the Premier League now have a winter break, if so there's no reason why Luton shouldn't put out their strongest team if they are off to the Sun for the next few weeks.

However I would think their manager would still rest a few of their players and still wheel out a team capable of beating us.

Evatt seems to put out his strongest teams for cup matches although I suspect he will change keepers for to give the other one a game.

Tbh I've long given up being interested in cup games - everybody doesn't seem to take them seriously until they get to the cup final stage - so why should I be bothered either?

Personally I even think we'd be better off out of the cups (this one and the mickey mouse one we won last season) if we are deadly serious of getting automatic promotion - why play extra, tiring games, risk injuries, fatigue and suspensions when you don't have to do so - but I also kind of suspect FV would rather like the income from a good cup run...

Anyway Luton's boss is apparently Evatt's best mate so I suspect neither man will put out too weak a team and I suspect it wouldn't be a disaster for Luton if they didn't have the distraction of a cup run if they want to stay up in the PL for another season.

I guess a draw is what both teams would want to avoid, but do they just go to penalty's now rather than replays - I've lost track of the rules they have these days?

1-1 on the night and we will beat them in a replay (if there is one) or lose on penalty's if we go to that and extra time on the day.

EDIT - just checked, they go to replays

Like you Sluffy I think both would want to avoid replays for the obvious reasons you stated but a good FA Cup run could be a revenue stream if we can get through this and pull a good away day at one of the big boys, which would be sure to be televised too. Like you I consider the EFL Trophy one we should avoid but Evatt sees it as a trophy we can win so he’ll probably field a full team as normal. I’m unsure whether cup runs are a handicap to players because I’m sure they prefer playing than training and with the squad we have, plus hopefully a couple of additions this month, we can field a strong team whoever we choose to field. I think we’ll have a strong team tomorrow, maybe less strong on Tuesday then for me the important one on Saturday and back to our strongest. I suppose the question is will we still have all our best players for them all?

Yes of course players want to play rather than train - didn't we all - but my point which you seemed to have missed is why would the CLUB not want to keep them fresh by not being in the cups and thus not being injured and or additionally fatigued (over the coming weeks and months - it catches up to everybody - no matter how fit you are - in the end) playing in reality meaningless and unnecessary games when the big financial reward is not a good cup but promotion to the Championship (and I assume) an ultimate sale of the club at a large profit to the shareholders in it?

We the fans see football as winning something on the pitch but the owners may well see football as a financial means to an end for them - ie getting promoted is where the money is for them, as it increases the value of the club as a business.

Football Ventures have stated that the 'hurdle value' for the company is £39,000,000 which as far as I understand it means that they see that they have to reach that amount before they breakeven in running and growing the business they bought for approximately £30m.

The plan is clearly to reach Championship level and the original timescale for Sharon that she stated was three years.

She/FV are currently on their fourth year and within touching distance of automatic promotion.

Ideally we will be promoted and win both the cups but practically promotion is our one and only true objective.

I don't believe we will field ridiculously weakened teams out in any of our cup games, I think also the teams fielded will be competitive too but I don't think tears will be spilt by Evatt or FV if we get knocked out from either of competitions as early as possible and concentrate solely on getting promoted this time.

Who is the Lewis on our subs list or is it a mistake??

Whitesince63 wrote:Who is the Lewis on our subs list or is it a mistake??

Conor Lewis?

karlypants wrote:

Whitesince63 wrote:Who is the Lewis on our subs list or is it a mistake??

Conor Lewis?

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He's a kid aged about 16 or 17 I think, who must be in the squad squad today for the experience.

His dad is super proud of him as you would expect and has put some video clips of him on Twitter such as this one ...



Also mentions of him from the B Team and Academy Twitter Account -

Surprisingly none of our lads got booked today.

Match highlights -

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Hopefully the replay will be on the telly.

Didn't watch it or listen to it, just couldn't be arsed to be honest. Think i'm falling out of love with football at the moment.

Norpig wrote:Didn't watch it or listen to it, just couldn't be arsed to be honest. Think i'm falling out of love with football at the moment.

I don’t think you are Norpig, I was similar with today’s game as I will be for Accrington but it’ll be a completely different thing on Saturday against Cheltenham. I think we all see promotion as the only real game in town this year and much as I’d love to beat Luton and get a plum tie in the 4th round for the financial benefit, if it’s a poor draw we get I wouldn’t risk any of our key players in the replay.

Maybe 63 but just getting to the games is a pain in the arse at the moment so it is kind of putting me off now. 10-15 years ago i would have broken my neck to get to games and hated missing any but i don't feel the same these days.

Whitesince63 wrote:

Norpig wrote:Didn't watch it or listen to it, just couldn't be arsed to be honest. Think i'm falling out of love with football at the moment.

I don’t think you are Norpig, I was similar with today’s game as I will be for Accrington but it’ll be a completely different thing on Saturday against Cheltenham. I think we all see promotion as the only real game in town this year and much as I’d love to beat Luton and get a plum tie in the 4th round for the financial benefit, if it’s a poor draw we get I wouldn’t risk any of our key players in the replay.

I don't really follow football other than BWFC and even then I often don't tend to watch or listen to games, although I do always seek out our results.

I've never got immersed in the 'religion' of football as many have, it's always been a 'game', an 'entertainment', a 'hobby' for me although I feel a bit deflated when we lose and a little bit elated when we win - as it is a part of clinging on to my identity and my youth, going to games over many years with my dad, my nephews, my friends and - lets be honest - 'football' is often the 'currency' blokes talk to each other about - it's often the one thing we have in common when we meet someone - 'which team do you support' and everything flows on from there.

I can't understand why many people let it take over their life's - people somehow value that they go to every game, watch every match on telly, analyse players, managers, tactics, even players mentalities, to the n'th degree - it's a GAME ffs!!!

I saw a video clip the other day of a plane landing at Heathrow in the high winds and apparently there is a TV channel that 'geeks' watch about planes landing and taking off and people spending their days at the perimeter of Heathrow - in all weathers - filming live coverage???

Christ on a bike, is that all they have in their life, can't they find something better to do?

I think the same of people who (to me anyway) throw away their life's on football in the same way - enjoy the day by all means but don't waste your life on it.

I've never seen anything wrong in picking and choosing the games to watch and even not going at all if you aren't enjoying it for whatever reasons - why oh why did people go and watch the turgid stuff we played under Megson and Parkinson - why waste your time and money on that?

I've always seen the match as just part of my enjoyment, more importantly for me was spending time with my family and/or friends enjoying the time together.

When they aren't about and it stops being fun for you, or other things in your life become more important to you, then stop going, take a break from it, fill your time with something else - you can always return to footy another day.

That's my philosophy.

I'll always be a Bolton fan, I'll always want us to win and do well but it still is only a game to me and always will be.

Norpig wrote:Maybe 63 but just getting to the games is a pain in the arse at the moment so it is kind of putting me off now. 10-15 years ago i would have broken my neck to get to games and hated missing any but i don't feel the same these days.

Good for you Norpig.

You won't stop being a Bolton fan if you stop going, nor even if you turn away from them for some time, they will always be a part of you, like they are to me but it is stupid the obsessiveness many have to be a 'true' fan by attending every game, remembering every player who ever played for us, still going if you are not enjoying it.

I'm not out to piss on anyone's chips, I'm just saying that football is not a religion that you should lead your life by - and many seemingly do.

I've done my time, had a season ticket since 1995 and been going since the old Division 4 days, i think i've earned picking and choosing games now 

I don't go to Evening games now as getting home to Burnage is a pain and can be midnight by the time i'm home. Life gets in the way of football now, years ago it was the other way round!

Norpig wrote:I've done my time, had a season ticket since 1995 and been going since the old Division 4 days, i think i've earned picking and choosing games now 

I don't go to Evening games now as getting home to Burnage is a pain and can be midnight by the time i'm home. Life gets in the way of football now, years ago it was the other way round!

Pretty much agree. Night matches are out for me, mainly because getting to Leigh bus station in time for the last bus home was becoming a problem. Home matches, unless I get a lift, are a bit iffy because Tyrers cancelled the Leigh stadium bus, leaving me at the mercy of less reliable transport.
I've reached old bones now, and, like Norpig, I've done my time breaking my neck to get to games, from the sixties onwards. Travelled the country, home and away, and loved it.
I just can't do it any more. Like Norpig, I've somewhat fallen out of love with the game in general, and fallen back in love with rugby league.
Yet, although my love for the game in general has dimmed. My love for the Wanderers still burns bright.
I've become an old soldier, re-living old battles, and in my dreams it's always Burnden.
'Old men have dreams, young men have visions'.

I packed in going for good when I got threatened by a mentalist nut job away at Charlton.

I used to go on my own to the London games and been to Charlton several times before.

I'd booked a ticket via Charlton's ticket office and told them I was a Bolton fan, so I was hiding nothing from them.

I'd been to enough games before - even in the home fan ends to know enough to keep my mouth shut during the game - but I never jumped up and cheered a goal scored against us - as I've seen many Bolton fans do (even some of my own mates!) I'm not the type to sell anyone out simply for my own benefit.  Probably stupid of me - but that's the way I am.

Anyway we let in a goal, the stand erupted and this old bloke in front of me must have noticed I'd not celebrated and began to call me out.

Seems he was with his sons, so probably why he acted so big.

I told them I paid to see the match and wasn't looking for trouble.

He said I'd better move or he would move me himself so I told him his club sold me the seat I was sat in and to take it up with them if he didn't like it.

He started to get aggressive and his sons moved him away from me by swapping seats with him, then they started to give me the verbal's.

They were going to get the stewards to chuck me out - so I told them to go get them then.

They then said they'd see me outside, I told them I'd see them there and to watch the match till then because that was what I was going to do.

At the end of the game they filed out of their row and I filed out of mine but did so slowly - I rather have any trouble in front of me than behind me.

At the end of the day they got swept away in the crowd and so did I, so nothing actually happened.

Now I'm not the bravest bloke there's ever been but my dad always taught me to talk your way out of trouble but never to run from it - if you run they come after you, if you stand your ground they think twice because you clearly aren't afraid of them.

That advise had been helpfully in many ways to me over the years.

Thing was though at my age at that time I couldn't see much point in taking a beating just because I supported a different football team than someone else, so I've left it now to the morons who do like to go for the aggro and abusing the opposition players and fans.

I can't say I've missed it either although I've had some wonderful memories over the years through following BWFC.

I don't live in the past, I can't see the point really, it just means that you get left behind by everyone else if you do.  I don't try to fit in with the present either - you just become a laughing stock of the youngsters if you do - that's why I laugh at Wanderlust pretence that he plays football and is better than youngsters 50 years younger than him - yeah right, dream on you looney - no doubt he tries to hang out with them and act like they do too...

I follow BWFC how I choose to and under my own terms, I'm not a slave to it - as for football itself, it's just a business to part idiots from their money and give huge chunks of it to spoilt young boys who have been cocooned in a social bubble from their early years simply because they can kick a ball better than most - what a God to follow, yet many do.

We get what we deserve they say, well to paraphrase Marx, football seems to be the new 'opiate of the masses'.

(In simple terms, people focus on football rather than poverty, inequality and having a shit life - so it detracts from political agitation and maintains the existing status quo).

God help us, eh?