What An Enormous Squad?

There seems to be a lot of complaints among fans that we have too big a squad. Is there no pleasing some fans? During the close season there were rumblings that we hadn’t made any signings, the squad was too small and were going to get left behind. Now we have too many? Now we have the biggest squad in the league and the highest wage bill? In my opinion Gary Brabin has done a pretty decent job on the building of a squad and I don’t believe for a minute that his building has finished. Firstly, we have had incredibly bad luck with injuries and we could have stuck with the squad we had and try to weather the injury crisis, but instead Brabin was allowed to bring in replacements. He only brought in players who he felt would improve us overall, or who he wanted to have a look at on short term contracts. This has meant that some of the players brought in after the season began have been superseded in the pecking order. Players like Will Antwi and Dean Beckwith, first choice when injuries were rife in that defence, now cannot get a look in with Pilks back and Kovacs staying on. Perhaps some of these players will go along the same route as Collin Samuel and be released, or perhaps they will get their contracts extended to the end of the season. Who knows at this stage?

Even with all the changes in personnel, the budget this season is lower than at any time in our non-league history. The transfer dealings have been very canny and despite rumours to the contrary, players still want to play for Luton Town and as such we are able to bring them in within a tight budget. This does not allow for paying some of the silly fees clubs ask us for because we are Luton Town, and this is why although some decent bids were made, some clubs wanted more than Luton’s valuation of the player. That is not being tight with money; it is not being short of money; it is common sense.

Our squad, after the deregistration of Freddie Murray but after the signing of Taylor and Brunt, including the development players but not the Youth players, and including loan players in, but not out is:  29 of which 7 are forwards. Using similar criteria there would seem to be at least 5 clubs with a larger squad than ours. Whilst I acknowledge that things such as squad size are constantly fluid, and it is virtually impossible to be 100% correct, the following League table, give or take the odd one here and there is not far out. The brackets are players listed as forwards.

Lincoln 33 (11)

Kettering 33 (8)

Fleetwood 33 (7)

Darlington 30 (8)

Telford 29 (11)

Luton 29 (7)

Mansfield 28 (9)

Hayes 28 (8)

Newport 28 (7)

Grimsby 27 (8)

Stockport 27 (8)

Cambridge 27 (6)

Tamworth 27 (6)

Wrexham 26 (6)

Kidderminster 25 (6)

Forest Green 25 (5)

Alfreton 25 (5)

Gateshead 25 (5)

York 24 (6)

Barrow 24 (5)

Southport 24 (5)

Ebbsfleet 24 (5)

Braintree 23 (5)

Bath 22 (5)

Last year, I’m given to understand that Crawley Town had a squad of over 30 and had 12 registered forwards.

In the overall scheme of things, then, it would appear that we are not particularly over-endowed with players or indeed forwards compared to everyone else.

Some Hatters fans will never be happy whatever happens relating to the club, but let us not criticise management based on conjecture and made up facts put about by some individuals to suit an agenda. There is too much negativity among the fans, much of it deliberately fuelled on websites by people with ulterior motives and I’m convinced it rubs off on everyone associated with the running of the club and worse than that, the players.