A lot has happened in the life of Rob Edwards in the last 12 months. Achieving things that some managers go their whole careers without ever even experiencing. Three jobs and two promotions have seen the Hatters manager make the leap from League 2 to the Premier League in a little over a calendar year.
And while we won’t pass judgement on why he admits that he returned to pre-season training last year “grumpy” – the good news for Town fans is that this year Edwards welcomed back his squad and coaching staff on Thursday for the start of pre-season “re-energised, refreshed and ready to go” as preparations begin for the forthcoming season in the Premier League.
Spirits at The Brache were suitably high on the players’ first day back since that magical afternoon at Wembley in late May and, as he was reunited with his players, Edwards explained that morale and fitness are going to play a big part in the Hatters’ first season in the top-flight since 1991/92.
“It’s really exciting to get the group together, it’s the start of a really important time for fitness because we know how hard we’re going to have to work in each game this year season,” said the boss.
“We’ve got to be fit, strong, resilient, fast; because we’re not going to change much – we might have to tweak certain things in areas for certain opposition – but we want to be on the front foot, try and keep a lot of our qualities in the way we play, and play to our players’ strengths.
“It’s brilliant to see them all, they’re in great nick and have been really professional. I haven’t got to lie to them: they know what they’re going into, they’re going into the toughest league in the world. They’re ready for it and they know how hard they’re going to have to work during these next five-to-six weeks to be ready for Brighton.”
Following a short summer break that saw him celebrate the Hatters’ achievements, watch the play-off final win back with those closest to him and get away for a short holiday, Edwards returns not only smiling, but with determination – and excitement – in building a Luton Town team that everyone can be proud of in the Premier League.
“We know, and I think we all know, and it’s alright to talk about, that there’s going to be tough times this year, everyone accepts that,” said the manager.
“I think that any team that comes up and is promoted to the Premier League knows that there is going to be some difficult moments. But what we’ve got to guarantee is that we will give everything, every single minute. I want us to have a never-say-die attitude, I want us to be competitive in every game. Ultimately there is a goal, to stay in this league, but every day we’ve got to fight and work extremely hard; be better than we were last year, and continue to be better tactically, technically and physically. It’s going to be a big, big test for all of us and we can’t wait, we’re really looking forward to it.
“The joy we have given the fans at Wembley will live with me forever, now we want to make them proud in the Premier League and we will give them everything.”
In the full interview, which you can watch on our official YouTube channel, Edwards also welcomes the two newest faces to Kenilworth Road, Chiedozie Ogbene and Mads Andersen, and pays tribute to Tom Lockyer following news the defender put pen to paper on a new contract.