Good afternoon and welcome back to Kenilworth Road after what we all know has been a tough few days on the road for the 1,200 Hatters who have travelled to Plymouth and Huddersfield and given the team their full support.
We thank every one of you for that, and there can be no hiding from the fact that successive defeats, especially playing for 70 minutes against 10 men in the latter, were hugely disappointing. Jack was clear in his post-match interview that in those circumstances, going on to win that midweek game in Yorkshire was what everyone should expect, with not losing it being the minimum requirement.
Jack was hurting after the match, as we all were, and that came across to everyone who watched or listened. As a young manager he is experiencing these feelings possibly for the first time, and the players will have been left in little doubt that he expects much better over the next 18 games.
On the subject of frustration, we are aware of supporter opinion on individuals’ performances, both on and off the pitch. We read it and hear it. We might agree with a lot of it. However, there is also a lot of unsavoury opinion, especially online, which crosses the line. We have thick skins and have been there before, but I would ask you to bear this in mind when getting abusive and personal about our players and staff, especially young ones who need support at this stage of their careers.
Today’s home game against Blackpool is an important opportunity to get back on track. We met them back in September and came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 at their place – a reminder of the resilience and character this squad can show when it’s at its best.
The Seasiders have been regular visitors to Kenilworth Road over the years, from the days of Sir Stanley Matthews in 1959 when a record 30,069 crammed in for an FA Cup quarter-final replay on a week day afternoon because the great man didn’t want to play under our floodlights, to most recently when Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu scored his final two goals for us in a 3-1 win as we closed in on Championship promotion.
We welcome everyone who has travelled from Bloomfield Road this afternoon and wish them good luck for the remainder of the campaign.
The season so far has been a period of significant transition, both on and off the pitch. The summer transfer window was one of the busiest in the club’s history: 14 players in, 21 out, including loans – and now it’s the winter window – where at the time of writing we had welcomed Emilio Lawrence and Kasey Palmer to Bedfordshire.
We have seen flashes of Emilio’s quality in his appearances so far, in what is his first loan away from Manchester City. At this point I would stress that it is not part of the deal that he HAS to play. Indeed, there appears to be an awful lot of similar rumours issued as apparent fact, especially on values of fees and wages, and I’m not sure there’s one I’ve read that is correct.
Blackpool’s visit does remind me that one of our most successful loanees, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, gained his first experience of senior football with them in the second half of the 2019/20 League One season before he came to us for the following campaign in the Championship. We all want Emilio, City and most importantly, our team to benefit in the same way.
Kasey, on the other hand, is an experienced campaigner at the level above, who has dropped down to League One with the stated aim of a swift return. We saw with that 25-yard shot that was heading for the top corner at Plymouth what threat he can possess, and he will only get better with every game he plays.
We have two full days left of the window after today, and while we may have already seen, or will see more movement before 7pm on Monday, there are a few important things that supporters need to bear in mind.
It is, of course, Jack’s first window and he is involved in every part of the process, along with the recruitment committee and other members of the coaching staff, especially Chris. Since the summer window, we’ve changed manager, and with that, there has been a transition in style of play, which Jack naturally wants to recruit players for.
Every manager is going to have his own views on how players fit into their system, and while there have been undoubted successes in players who were recruited to play under the two previous managers, some are just not suited to how Jack wants his team to play and it is better for their development to move elsewhere to play regular football, even if it is temporarily. That doesn’t make them bad players, or poor signings, and their time may come again with us, or build their value resulting in that re-investment into the squad.
Milli Alli has started well at Portsmouth, and Ethon Archer and Zack Nelson have chosen to join fellow League One clubs where they could hurt some of the teams around us, because we know their quality.
Lasse Nordås is gaining great experience in the Dutch top-flight, while Joe Gbodé could only move to a National League club domestically because he’d already played in the EFL for Gillingham and ourselves this season – a move he wanted to play more football. Joe could end up playing at Wembley twice if he impacts Woking’s season positively, and we wish all of our boys well out on their loans.
We all know how historically difficult the January window is. Generally, Clubs hold on to make their moves very late in the day, and often other clubs make signings as knee-jerk reactions.
As a board of directors, we have a principal responsibility for budgeting. We meet in June to agree a budget for the season ahead, and give the executive that amount to work with. It is not the recruitment committee who are making the decision on how much we spend.
What we also must consider are the new, more stringent financial rules that are being voted on next month that come into effect for next season as the Independent Football Regulator becomes more influential. League One clubs will be restricted to a lower percentage of our turnover to spend on players as part of SCMP (Salary Cost Management Protocol), which is the Financial Fair Play Protocol for Leagues One and Two, than is currently the case. Different rules will also be introduced into the Championship.
We are having to plan for that now, and if we sign a player in this window for three years, for example, we are then committed to those wages for that period of time. Broadly, it’s irrelevant what cash a club has rather than the player budget being attached to turnover.
We have always said since we became custodians of the Club, that we will not spend beyond our means, and with parachute payments ending this summer, we must adhere to that policy as we can’t forecast which league we will be in.
What is clear is that on the way up, recruitment was a much more pleasant process as you could persuade players to join the journey. The damage our visit to the Premier League has done to us on recruitment is enormous, and I don’t think anyone fully appreciates the gulf in wages, even now between League One and the Championship, which is only going to widen.
On a much lighter note, one of the best free transfers in football history is still very much with us, and still playing his part in our own history. Congratulations to Jordan Clark on becoming the 73rd player to make 200 appearances for the Club. We all remember him finding the net twice at Wembley, but the enthusiasm, commitment and composure, not to mention skill he brings to any position he is asked to play is admirable, and we have been privileged to enjoy watching him wear a Luton shirt for the past six years.
Off the pitch, you may have seen last week our newly launched Fan Engagement Strategy. It sets out how we listen, involve and communicate with you. It reflects a simple truth: that our supporters are central to everything we do. The insight and feedback we receive is helping us shape matchday experience, communications, and community programmes in ways that are meaningful and sustainable.
Today is also our EFL Community Weekend fixture, where you will see QR codes on the screens and posters around the ground, which you can scan with your phone to watch a video of how participants benefit from the work of our Community Trust in local schools. The campaign is called ‘Scan to Smile’, and we all hope we can buy into that by the end of today’s 90 minutes.
Jack, Chris and the players have all said how good the atmosphere was for the Stevenage and Lincoln games recently, and recognised the part you all played in those come-from-behind results. They will need you once again today as we start a run of 18 matches that all Hatters want to end in one way. Give them everything you’ve got.
“Tough times don’t last. Tough people do” – Unknown.
Come on you Hatters!
David
