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Unity is the key to our success - by Steve Barlow - Filed: Monday, 31st August 2026 First things first. No, we weren’t great on Saturday and yes, we have big improvements to make. But the toxicity surrounding the draw at Vicarage Road is beginning to grate. Some of the overreaction is both bewildering and infuriating. "We’ve blown the league already". "The gap between us and our competitors is insurmountable". Three league games into the season. Seriously people, has the 21st century turned us into this?Balls of toxic energy with no sense of realism and perspective. Or in the age of social media, where too many opinions get aired. Have too many fallen into the type first, think later (or never) trap. Let’s look at the realities of where we are as a club. In the Championship. Yes, we retained some key players but out of Saturday’s team, only four of the players who appeared on the pitch made any real contributions last season. We have had a shift in personnel, even the youngsters emerging are a newer batch. As I’ve stated in previous articles, the demands of this year's campaign are different to anything we’ve had to contend with. That’s before we take into consideration the personnel shifts. We, with over 50,000 season tickets holders, in an iconic if flawed stadium, are the big guns in the division. Big crowds, big reputation. We are the team everybody wants to beat. Many teams have yet to visit the London Stadium. It’s a big day out for them. When we go away, we go In numbers. West Ham coming to town is a big deal. As a result, we face 46 cup finals this year. We are the targets for all to shoot down. Clubs will up their work rate and want to put one over the big boys. But compared to a previous stints in the second tier, we don’t have a fortress of fear to fall back on. We have an icon, not enjoyed or loved by our own support. The Boleyn Ground was worth a few points. In comparison we’re not only paying 46 cup finals, but 46 away games. That’s the size of the task. A different reality. We’re dealing with that. With boardroom shenanigans that rumble on creating uncertainty. A brand new squad. Dining at a different table from what we’ve been used to for the past 15 seasons. Sadly it’s brought a different mentality amongst our support. In years gone by we would have united, stuck together and developed a siege mentality. Now we’ve began to develop into large swathes of Sky era, modern, over-entitled, want-it-all-now wannabes. Three league games. We clamour for our kids to get opportunities, yet are making poor Ollie Scarles a scapegoat. We crave new signings, then dismiss them as not good enough at the briefest of ensures in the squad. I’ve heard the likes of Tomas Soucek, James Ward-Prowse, Vladimir Coufal labelled the worst players ever in recent seasons. The reality of slagging these kind of players off is lazy, knee jerk, reactionary nonsense. We’ve not started the season well, but we didn’t in 1980/81 either and still romped the league. Aided in no part by a lack of entitlement and social media causing of a vortex of negativity. We’re unbeaten away and should have got a point against Charlton. But because we haven’t demolished every side in sight, the vultures are out looking for a carcass to pick over. I love this club. I love what it’s given to me in life. A sense of family, a thousand laughs, the gallows humour, the resilience, the celebration of triumph over adversity. But we seem to be losing sight of the real world. The squad is in transition and growing. I can completely understand the frustrations. 62% possession and only one shot on target against Watford wasn’t great, but we’ve still not got out of first gear at this level yet. We’re sowing the seeds of development. Arne Engels looks promising, Joel Piroe shows signs of being the striker we need to bring composure. The emergence of Airdias Golambackus is highly impressive and we've just signed another exciting young player in Norwegian winger Edvin Austbo. What we need as a support is to see sense. Allow things to evolve. The demand for constant change is not conducive to real growth. Nuno can be frustrating, but we’ve spent much of the GSB era not only ripping the heart out of the club but searching for instant gratification by throwing darts like Stevie Wonder, hoping something sticks. Continuity may be a ghost of football past, but there’s a reason it brings joy and comfort. There’s a need to take stock. I’ve said the team need needs to accept a change in approach, but so do our fans. Turning on the manager so early, players unfairly and each other is not the standard to set. Unity is key, both on and off the pitch. * Like to share your thoughts on this article? Please visit the KUMB Forum to leave a comment. * Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the highlighted author/s and do not necessarily represent or reflect the official policy or position of KUMB.com.