Luton

I thought it was interesting to note that they currently find themselves 3rd in the Championship. Evidently, we’re poles apart in terms of league position right now, but I’ve always seen a lot of similarities between us and Luton.

Both unfashionable clubs situated in maligned towns, with old, small, not fit for purpose grounds that they’ve been fighting to move away from for decades. Since I started watching Town in 1992, we’ve spent a lot of time in the same division, both clubs punching above and below their respective weights on occasion.

We both found ourselves grossly mismanaged out of the football league. Both clubs struggled to get back into it over several years, despite large and passionate followings for that level. Historically, we have relatively similar crowds, and I’ve often felt that Luton and Town fans are made of similar stuff, albeit with different accents.

Shortly before Luton’s relegation to non-league in 2009, they were bought out by a consortium of successful fans, and have slowly but surely gone from strength-to-strength since. There has been no massive injection of cash or investment in infrastructure, though a new ground does genuinely seem to be on the horizon for them now. Just good management and steady incremental improvement.

I just thought it was a good example of what a club of similar size, stature and history to us can achieve with the right stewardship. Of course there will be differences between the two clubs too - Luton’s proximity to London is something we will never have. But it’s an interesting barometer of what’s possible.

Premier League football in Luton next season, three decades after just missing out on featuring in its inaugural season? It’s quite possible.  

Quoted from Poojah

I thought it was interesting to note that they currently find themselves 3rd in the Championship. Evidently, we’re poles apart in terms of league position right now, but I’ve always seen a lot of similarities between us and Luton.

Both unfashionable clubs situated in maligned towns, with old, small, not fit for purpose grounds that they’ve been fighting to move away from for decades. Since I started watching Town in 1992, we’ve spent a lot of time in the same division, both clubs punching above and below their respective weights on occasion.

We both found ourselves grossly mismanaged out of the football league. Both clubs struggled to get back into it over several years, despite large and passionate followings for that level. Historically, we have relatively similar crowds, and I’ve often felt that Luton and Town fans are made of similar stuff, albeit with different accents.

Shortly before Luton’s relegation to non-league in 2009, they were bought out by a consortium of successful fans, and have slowly but surely gone from strength-to-strength since. There has been no massive injection of cash or investment in infrastructure, though a new ground does genuinely seem to be on the horizon for them now. Just good management and steady incremental improvement.

I just thought it was a good example of what a club of similar size, stature and history to us can achieve with the right stewardship. Of course there will be differences between the two clubs too - Luton’s proximity to London is something we will never have. But it’s an interesting barometer of what’s possible.

Premier League football in Luton next season, three decades after just missing out on featuring in its inaugural season? It’s quite possible.  

interesting to note that they where in the same Division as us up until 2014 and proper leadership by people who care and appear to want to do things for the betterment of their club and it’s stakeholders has moved them forward.

I have confidence that 1878 will move us forward by attracting more investment from people with the right motives.

Where this takes in footballing terms? I think that it’s unrealistic to think we’d be at Luton’s current level but I’m confident ultimately we’ll be back in the EFL within a reasonable time.

We've received about £1m in transfer income over the last 12 months but unfortunately we've not been able to spend it. It's hard to say when we will come across that level of income again but reinvesting is key to sustained success. Fantastic for clubs like us to see those similar to us doing well as it gives us hope.

My medium to long-term expectation is that we establish ourselves in League One with occasional stints in The Championship. I wouldn't turn down being where Luton are right now!

Quoted from Poojah

I thought it was interesting to note that they currently find themselves 3rd in the Championship. Evidently, we’re poles apart in terms of league position right now, but I’ve always seen a lot of similarities between us and Luton.

Both unfashionable clubs situated in maligned towns, with old, small, not fit for purpose grounds that they’ve been fighting to move away from for decades. Since I started watching Town in 1992, we’ve spent a lot of time in the same division, both clubs punching above and below their respective weights on occasion.

We both found ourselves grossly mismanaged out of the football league. Both clubs struggled to get back into it over several years, despite large and passionate followings for that level. Historically, we have relatively similar crowds, and I’ve often felt that Luton and Town fans are made of similar stuff, albeit with different accents.

Shortly before Luton’s relegation to non-league in 2009, they were bought out by a consortium of successful fans, and have slowly but surely gone from strength-to-strength since. There has been no massive injection of cash or investment in infrastructure, though a new ground does genuinely seem to be on the horizon for them now. Just good management and steady incremental improvement.

I just thought it was a good example of what a club of similar size, stature and history to us can achieve with the right stewardship. Of course there will be differences between the two clubs too - Luton’s proximity to London is something we will never have. But it’s an interesting barometer of what’s possible.

Premier League football in Luton next season, three decades after just missing out on featuring in its inaugural season? It’s quite possible.  

I know the MD there (our eldest kids were in the same class at school), so I've watched with interest what they do. He's a smart guy, very switched on, and obviously appointing Nathan Jones was a masterstroke and, a bit like Eddie Howe's brief tenure at Burnley, Jones returned after not doing particularly well at Stoke. I know that Fenty used to call Gary asking for advice (the MD's mrs is from Louth, so he knows GY area well) and was very interested in finding out how they'd got hold of Nathan (I think that appointing Michael Jolley was an attempt to emulate that).

Quoted from Poojah

I thought it was interesting to note that they currently find themselves 3rd in the Championship. Evidently, we’re poles apart in terms of league position right now, but I’ve always seen a lot of similarities between us and Luton.

Both unfashionable clubs situated in maligned towns, with old, small, not fit for purpose grounds that they’ve been fighting to move away from for decades. Since I started watching Town in 1992, we’ve spent a lot of time in the same division, both clubs punching above and below their respective weights on occasion.

We both found ourselves grossly mismanaged out of the football league. Both clubs struggled to get back into it over several years, despite large and passionate followings for that level. Historically, we have relatively similar crowds, and I’ve often felt that Luton and Town fans are made of similar stuff, albeit with different accents.

Shortly before Luton’s relegation to non-league in 2009, they were bought out by a consortium of successful fans, and have slowly but surely gone from strength-to-strength since. There has been no massive injection of cash or investment in infrastructure, though a new ground does genuinely seem to be on the horizon for them now. Just good management and steady incremental improvement.

I just thought it was a good example of what a club of similar size, stature and history to us can achieve with the right stewardship. Of course there will be differences between the two clubs too - Luton’s proximity to London is something we will never have. But it’s an interesting barometer of what’s possible.

Premier League football in Luton next season, three decades after just missing out on featuring in its inaugural season? It’s quite possible.  

A very interesting post and another thing to remember is that so many of the clubs who were on a par with us over the decades often had very similar or worse attendances to ours, despite any perceived advantages of location, population or anything else.  

We are actually in a very good place if we are starting out with 5-6000 gates in the 5th tier with hardly any away fans and we would surely hope to fill BP if we were on an upward trajectory. Very few of the now successful clubs would have started off their journey to success with our gates in the lower divisions.

I am excited for the journey ahead if we could get on a roll which was never going to possible under Fenty.  

Luton, like us, had many good years in the Championship equivalent.  They were known for attacking football, scoring lots of goals.  Ricky Hill, Stein (maybe 2 of them) and others.

David Pleat was their manager. He said that Kevin Drinkell had the most potential of any striker in the lower divisions.  He was probably right.  

Quoted from HertsGTFC

interesting to note that they where in the same Division as us up until 2014 and proper leadership by people who care and appear to want to do things for the betterment of their club and it’s stakeholders has moved them forward.

I have confidence that 1878 will move us forward by attracting more investment from people with the right motives.

Where this takes in footballing terms? I think that it’s unrealistic to think we’d be at Luton’s current level but I’m confident ultimately we’ll be back in the EFL within a reasonable time.

They were in the same division as us 4 years ago (2017-18 season) when they got promoted out of League 2.

Quoted from GollyGTFC

They were in the same division as us 4 years ago (2017-18 season) when they got promoted out of League 2.

Aye, and we even beat them quite comfortably at their place. How times change.

Quoted from GollyGTFC

They were in the same division as us 4 years ago (2017-18 season) when they got promoted out of League 2.

Yeah I know that my point which I didn’t make very well was that at the time we where both non league.

One point to note for the “Hurst Out” brigade is when we went there and won In 2016 that was an excellent tactical win and we outplayed them.

The next season under Slade they returned the compliment and we looked what we where, p1ss poor!

Thanks again John!  

Quoted from Poojah

Aye, and we even beat them quite comfortably at their place. How times change.

We lost 2-0 at Luton that season, just before Christmas.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/42375636

Quoted from Les Brechin

We lost 2-0 at Luton that season, just before Christmas.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/42375636

You are correct. I’d forgotten we spent two seasons with them in League Two.

I was thinking of the game early in the 16/17 season where Bogle got a Kayden Jackson assisted brace.

That game I’m 2016 was the first time I’d heard the Omar Bogle chant to that Blur tune. Sounded great in the covered end at Luton.

Quoted from Poojah

You are correct. I’d forgotten we spent two seasons with them in League Two.

I was thinking of the game early in the 16/17 season where Bogle got a Kayden Jackson assisted brace.

The first was actually a Shaun Pearson Cryuff shot as such that fell into Bogles path  

Just think. Next season Luton could be in a higher Division than Everton.

Who'd have thought that not so long ago!

Quoted from Les Brechin

Just think. Next season Luton could be in a higher Division than Everton.

Who'd have thought that not so long ago!

Mental. I’m now almost as certain that Everton will drop this season as I am Scunny. Weapons grade levels of ineptitude to pull that off.

Speaking of the Championship, also slightly mental is the fact that Aleksander Mitrovic scored his 38th league goal of the season last night, in just 37 appearances. 7 assists to boot; not too shabby.

Quoted from Les Brechin

Just think. Next season Luton could be in a higher Division than Everton.

Who'd have thought that not so long ago!

You have to worry for Everton if they drop too. Lost £373m over the last 3 years which is far in excess of FFP. They've claimed Covid cost them £121m even though matchday income is typically something like £800k per home game.

Quoted from TownSNAFU5

He said that Kevin Drinkell had the most potential of any striker in the lower divisions.  He was probably right.  

I read Drink's autobiography. It was amazing how many times GTFC blocked moves to big clubs, before the club lost out on a lot of money when his sale went to a tribunal and the club only received £105k for him. He explains everything from his perspective. Very enlightening indeed.

As I recall they had several unsuccessful play off attempts in the NL but then had a lucrative cup run which brought in a million which enabled them to invest in players who got them promoted the following season.

We also have had a windfall of around a million recently from transfers but of course our previous owner cares more about getting his loans paid off early and so it all goes to him.

Quoted from WayneBurnettsJockstrap

I read Drink's autobiography. It was amazing how many times GTFC blocked moves to big clubs, before the club lost out on a lot of money when his sale went to a tribunal and the club only received £105k for him. He explains everything from his perspective. Very enlightening indeed.

This still irritates me, especially as we then invested all of that money in Jimmy Gilligan.

Quoted from RonMariner

As I recall they had several unsuccessful play off attempts in the NL but then had a lucrative cup run which brought in a million which enabled them to invest in players who got them promoted the following season.

We also have had a windfall of around a million recently from transfers but of course our previous owner cares more about getting his loans paid off early and so it all goes to him.

‘Loans’…