Luton Town manager Jack Wilshere believes a renewed connection between the club, players and supporters has helped create a feel-good factor ahead of the new season as the Hatters prepare to kick off their campaign at Gillingham in the Carabao Cup on Saturday.
After guiding Luton to an unbeaten 11-game finish to last season that narrowly missed out on the League One play-offs, Wilshere has overseen an encouraging summer, with new deals for key players Jordan Clark and Liam Walsh, plus the permanent signing of Kasey Palmer, alongside new arrivals George Johnston and Callum Marshall from Bolton and West Ham respectively, as well as a loan swoop for the Hammers’ full back Harrison Ashby.
Reflecting on pre-season, Wilshere said rebuilding and strengthening the bond with supporters – their pre-season camp in Spain saw the manager and CEO Gary Sweet pulling pints for the travelling Town fans – has been just as important as preparing his squad on the training pitch.
“Really good. We need that connection,” the boss said of the Hatters’ summer, which has most fans anticipating a promising campaign.
“I sat down with the club and we spoke about that. We spoke about everyone being aligned, everyone being together, bringing the fans in to see, so we can take energy from them, but they can see how we’re working, how committed the players are.
“I understand at times it was difficult last year. But we needed to improve that. And I think a big thing that helped that is how the team performed towards the end of last season, but then the club showing the ambition to go and sign Jordan Clark, Liam Walsh, Kasey Palmer, again, who were really big parts of that.
“We wanted to take the next step as a team, and to do that, they were really important because if it wasn’t them, we were going to have to go back and create an identity again, probably.
“We worked really hard with that and we still have to improve that. As a coach and coaches and players, we always have to look for ways to evolve and improve and different ways of playing.
“But I think the connection and the spirit of in the group, but with the fans as well, and I think the fans can see that how committed the club have been to trying to keep that together, what we created last year and now try and add to it with [Callum] Marshall, with George [Johnston].
“We’re not done yet [in the transfer market]. We’re still working really hard, like we have been all summer, but we’re still working really hard with that to try and improve. Because we want to be ambitious.”
Wilshere also explained why the club delayed their traditional pre-season training camp, this year in Spain, saying it was designed to strengthen both the squad’s togetherness and allow more time for recruitment.
“Spain was probably a week, 10 days later than it normally would have been,” he said. “But we wanted the boys to be together. We wanted to spend some time at the Brache. We made some changes at the Brache as well, to the environment, and we wanted the boys to spend some time there and create something there, but also give time for recruitment and players to come in.
“So we did that and then it’s important a week away with each other and doing different things. You’re just seeing we did go karting, we’ve done boxing, and just trying to create a spirit and improve the spirit that we already created, probably.
“I must say as well, with all the planning that goes on and medical and performance and how good it has been. Ultimately, we need the players on that as well to buy into it, to deliver, to, do everything we ask of them, and they have.
“So, yeah, it’s been a really good pre-season, but my message to the players is it’s not now the time to rest. My message is still the same for everyone. We have to keep improving and keep trying to find ways to improve, and that’s in recruitment as well.”
With three-and-a-half weeks of the transfer window remaining, Wilshere said: “We’re not finished. We’re still active and we’re still looking, trying to improve the squad, improve the team.
“I don’t know if we’re close to anything out. We’re not close to anything coming in at the moment. However, we’re looking, we know what we want. We feel like we need to try and improve the team, and we’re working.”
Luton’s competitive campaign begins with a first-round Carabao Cup tie at Gillingham on Saturday before they open their League One season away to Reading the following weekend.
Wilshere said: “It’s a game and we prepared pre-season with that in mind.
“I think our results – and I know pre-season is not about results – but you ask any player, you ask me, as soon as that whistle goes, we want to win.
“We want to be competitive in that cup. It’s another step towards the start of the [league] season.”
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