Back in the top flight for the first time in more than 30 years having languished in the lower leagues for most of that time, Hatters fans are finding the Premier League tough going so far... read their thoughts in your latest edition of the OV.
"It could have been so different had VAR worked. Mads played so well. I was concerned with no Locks but we managed to kept Antonio so quiet, which is impressive considering the impact he made against Chelsea and Brighton. It does all seem a bit frantic with us. It’s almost like we soak up pressure, then so quickly want to go on the break we tend to waste the possession when we get it back. Appreciate we will press quite high at times but I do wonder if surviving in the Prem is about being more compact."
- Mapperley
"If last night had been the first game of the season, I think we would all be very encouraged. It does take time to find your best team and this week I think we have made good progress. Mads v Antonio worked well and he scored, so already his value has increased and he will be a lot more confident of his own ability to play in this league. Antonio destroyed Brighton last week, he was subbed off and mostly anonymous last night."
- Landlord
"Maybe I’m old fashioned, but for as long as I played football we had a man on the front post for corners who could have blocked Zouma’s header last night. I’m sure there’s a valid tactical reason that we didn’t, just disappointing that we both goals last night might have been prevented."
- Kettering Hatter
"We had every player in our own box for every corner so the second goal was very irritating, especially as Zouma only moved a yard or two to get there. Mixture of man to man and zonal from us should have dealt with it, but Ward-Prowse gives them pintpoint accuracy."
- RADSB
"Surely it’s VARs job to help the officials if they have all missed an incident, if it’s not then it should be! The thing that struck me was none of our players appeared to ask for a penalty other than a very muted appeal by one or two. When interviewed, Edwards didn’t even know what the interviewer was talking about which suggests none of the cast of thousands on the bench saw it either. Oh well, it’s done now and there will be many more to come."
- Harry Haslams honda
"Did Ward-Prowse deliberately handle the ball? Probably not. Did he make his body bigger? Yes, he did. Was his arm in an unnatural position? Who knows, what is a natural position. The handball law has become a mess by the law makers who are trying to clarify it."
- RM
"Morris’ shot came off the defender, but the referee gives a goal kick. They scored straight after. Then the non penalty! At least the ref has to look at it. How is this allowed to happen?"
- Bloke
"Gobby, fat, self entitled woman in F Block moaning about people not being in their correct seats. Fuck off. Gobby, ugly, self entitled woman screaming at someone for jumping the line. Fuck off. Some of our 'new' support are dicks. The chaos at the back of the KR stand before the game and at half time. Whose retarded idea was it to have some poor sods stand there with signs on a sticks telling people which way to walk? They just added to the problem. Ross Barkley is an ignorant fool and nothing special when it comes to playing football. Upside, atmosphere/support superb, a lot better performance, Brown looks a quality signing. Chong made things happen first half."
- Pembo
"It's a lot like when we came up from League One to the Championship, we have to learn to adapt to the pace of the game and realise every mistake is punished and that you have to take the few chances you get. Also, don’t forget there are a lot of new faces that are playing together for the first time so it will take time to gel, it is a steep learning curve for us for sure but from what I saw in patches last night - especially in the second half - we might just pull it off. We have played three sides now, one is in Europe this year, one should be winning cups and titles with their fiscal power and last night we played a team who have just won a European cup, so I am not too down or dejected. We will play worse sides than those we have played already and I expect us to pick up a more than a few points against them."
- Big D
"Last season we started poorly. Plenty of pundits started saying we'd do a 'Barnsley'. This season everyone wants to compare us with Derby. They were in a very different situation. Not well run and with little overall plan. Since then they've gambled and you could say they still haven't truly recovered from that 11 point season. We may well get relegated. But on the other hand we have consistently shown we have a coaching team who can get the absolute maximum out of the players we have. And if we go down we will have a squad ready for another promotion push, with one or two getting sold on for a substantial profit. We will be in a stronger place as a club in 12 months, whether we go down or not."
- Toab
"It’s simple. To stay in the Premier League, a club needs to match or better its opposition through player recruitment. If the spend isn’t commensurate with the competition, relegation is inevitable. Putting the romanticism to one side, this is our reality. Not unlike the 1991/92 season."
- E1
"Personally, I'm not sure about the penalty shout. However the issue is now. No one actually knows do they? What is hand ball and what isn't? They'll be one like that tomorrow somewhere and itll be given. No complaints about the result, Luton huffed and puffed but I thought West Ham were just a bit better and more fluid."
- m
"Morris’ shot came off the defender, but the referee gives a goal kick. They scored straight after. Then the non penalty! At least the ref has to look at it. How is this allowed to happen?"
- Bloke
"As a holy man, I don't do bitter and twisted. That blatant penalty not given has driven me to bitter."
- Man of the cloth
"West Ham didn't get out of second gear. We didn't stop them from doing anything. Before the second, they were knocking it about at will with little challenge. West Ham will sit back against better teams, yes, but they didn't need to tonight."
- Doctor Ince
"We just lost by one goal to an established Premier League team who won a European championship a few months ago. They are top of the table. The first goal was a howler from our goalie. The second should have been a corner to us before their corner and we should have had an obvious penalty. What’s hard to get about all of that?"
- Bloke
"More people engaged in a song berating the opposition player’s girlfriend than supporting songs for our own players. And he gave it back to us in the end."
- pingu
"I personally think the [Bowen] song is pointless and I know just because they do it doesn't make it right, but to be fair the West Ham fans have their own song of this nature, with even the manager and team being filmed live on the pitch singing and dancing to it as well after the Conference League final."
- hatters
"I was in the DP Stand and never heard any of the Bowen chants. The Zouma chant was sung at our end of the ground a couple of times, but that was quite amusing."
- Trigger
"Bowen had the last laugh. He scored a goal, ably assisted by Kaminski saving his header and then throwing the ball into his own net, and his team won. I'm sure the chants just spurred him on. Shame our fans stoop to such lows though. As for Zouma getting grief, no problem with that at all. People who abuse animals often go on to abuse other people both mentally and physically. Deserved all he got. But he also scored, so I don't suppose it phased him for a second either."
- Last laugh
"Where is the outcry about West Ham fans shouting up at the windows of Oak Road houses 'we can see you in the bath'? The disgusting perverts. I am horrified by their actions. No place for it at a football match."
- Hatter
* Comments originally published at Luton Outlaws.
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