I have been having a break from posting while bedding down in a new job, but I have still been watching games and, I admit, getting more worried about the prospect of another year in the BSP.
It is saddening to see some of the personal comments denigrating the custodians of the club and the managerial team, which is unnecessary and lacking in dignity. It is possible to to be frustrated and disappointed about the current status of the club, in disagreement with management strategy and unhappy with the performance of the manager and team without resorting to abuse and in some cases libellous character assassination. None of those things ameliorate the situation and can be downright counter productive. Most of the time such commentary criticises and abuses with no productive answers to the problems we are currently facing.
For what it is worth, my opinion is freely given, is unofficial and has no motive or agenda relating to personnel within the club. As many know I have supported the club through thick and thin since 1957 and have experienced all the ups and downs over the years but still remained a supporter. Nothing will change that so long as we have a club to support and until I have shuffled off this mortal coil.
I have always supported whoever may be in the roles of Chairman, Manager or MD etc. (Give or take a Gurney) and will cheer on whichever players pull on the hallowed shirt and step out on the field in the name of Luton Town. However, as with most supporters I am always arrogant enough to have my preferred players in a squad, to think I know better than the manager and to express disappointment when I feel certain players should be playing when they are not. Often it transpires that this has occurred because slight training injuries or illness has rendered a player unfit at the time and then one can see that there was a good reason. At other times the manager has his own ideas and I may disagree with them, but as many have stated in message boards, in answer to some people's critical comments over the years, I do not hold coaching badges etc so what do I know? Well, for a start, when I was first playing the game, and then managing teams at grass roots level, there were no coaching badges, every team played a keeper, 2 full backs, 1 centre half and two half backs, 1 centre forward, 2 inside forwards and 2 wingers. (That's 2-3-5 if you want modern jargon).The job of the full backs was to mark the wingers and the half backs to stop the centre and inside forwards and the roles of the forwards were to get the better of their markers. It was a simple game, but the emphasis was on attacking and winning games. Today teams are set up with all manner of agenda e.g to not allow a good team to score against them and go for a 0-0, but Luton Town, along with a few other teams notably West Ham United, have always been associated with playing the sort of football that fans like to watch. Like West Ham it has not always brought the success it deserves to the Hatters, but we still like to be entertained.
Currently we are not seeing the type of football we are used to seeing and love to watch, on a regular basis, which is harder to take when neither are we getting consistent results. Personally, I'd take boring football from now to the end of the season if it resulted in every match being a 1-0 win to the Hatters and getting back into the Football League! Then we could start building a side to progress and entertain.
So why are we where we are at the the present time, with the play-offs not even a formality yet? (In fact I am beginning to worry that we might not even make the play-offs and that is a great shift in my usual optimistic way of looking at things.)
It seems to me that all the best and most successful Luton teams over the years have had two basic themes. Firstly, regardless of squad size, they had a team which was built around a spine. By that I mean strong physical players at Keeper, Centre half and Centre Forward - No nonsense players who commanded their territory and almost dared their opponents to come near them. Secondly, 11 starting players who when fit and well virtually selected themselves, and when a player was missing you knew straight away he was either injured or sick or suspended. The introduction of substitutes to the game added an extra dimension that if a player had to go off you could replace him and that was probably the only way a sub would get on. Even with their bankrolling benefactors, the common denominator between last year's champions and this year's champions elect was that regardless of squad size, they have both played a regular starting elevens as dis Wimbledon last year and Wrexham this year.
Having given him the benefit of the doubt for a year, as I have done with previous managers, I believe that Gary Brabin has a large number of players who are similar in quality and can be interchanged without losing quality and he rotates them seemingly at random sometimes, and I don't think he knows even now what his best eleven is. The benefit of a team bonding by playing every week with the same players around each other and knowing where their colleagues are going to be just never happens. Players are played out of position just to get them in the side sometimes and lose confidence when the crowd gets on their back. I have noticed several times recently where a player is through on goal and should be shooting, but has shirked the responsibility by passing which puts another step in the move - the pass has to be a good one the receiving player has to either time his run onto the ball or has to control it and then look to get a shot away, all of which gives defending players a chance to get back - when the player with the ball should have buried it. Is this a lack of confidence brought on by the mood of the expectant Luton crowd?
It is my belief that Gary Brabin is genuinely trying to do his best, but with the resources at the best supported club in the BSP we should be at least in touch with top spot. It is unfortunate that in the last two seasons a club with no support has found a benefactor who threw money at getting promoted which was successful last year for Crawley and looks like being so this season for Fleetwood. I also believe that Gary Brabin's position as manager was in great danger just before the team went on the unbeaten run, but he bought himself some time with that run of results, and it may be that by the time they had reverted to being inconsistent it may have been too late to change managers. This is the very point in the season last year when Richard Money parted company with the club, just after losing a two-legged semi-final in the Trophy, and in a similar League position and that proved to be unsuccessful. Have we progressed in the year since then? I don't believe we have. It may be that Gary Brabin does not have long left at the club as manager, but let us preserve some dignity and not resort to abuse.
Similarly, I have known Gary Sweet for a few years now and I will be forever in his debt for the work he did in rescuing the club from some very dodgy hands and to see and hear him being abused and vilified makes me very sad indeed. I am mainly saddened by the fact that shit stirring by ex-employees and people who act for those who really stand to make a lot of money if they can get the club's backing for certain projects is beginning to be believed and supported by normal fans. Ask yourself this, if some of these people have much to gain by a Gary Sweet out campaign, could that possibly be because their propositions are not beneficial for the club and that Gary is protecting the club's interests and won't give his support to their projects? I don't know the answer to that myself but....."just sayin'".
If Gary and the board believe it is in the best interests for Gary Brabin to leave then that will happen. If they believe to the contrary then it won't, but don't attribute personal gain motives to what Gary does at the club. Gary is a supporter like we all are and I doubt even he realised just how much of a poisoned chalice it would be when he took on the role. I did tell him but after the event!
Here's hoping.... but not expecting..... we can get to and win in the play-offs.
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