Jack Wilshere has urged Luton Town supporters to “stay with us” after admitting he understood the frustration that greeted Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Bradford City.
The Hatters were unable to find a way through despite dominating large parts of the first half before Bradford’s game management increasingly frustrated the home side after the interval.
After Bobby Pointon’s fourth minute goal, the Bantams’ shut Town out to secure their seventh clean sheet in all competitions so far this term, which sent them to the top of League One.
Second half groans around Kenilworth Road eventually turned into boos at the final whistle, after the Hatters’ second loss on the spin and third of the campaign so far saw them slip to 16th ahead of a three-week international break from league action.
Wilshere said he shared the supporters’ frustration but insisted his players must remain committed to the process that helped them recover from difficult moments last season and saw them go on a 12-game unbeaten run to end the last campaign, narrowly missing out on the play-offs on the final day.
Asked for his message to fans, Wilshere, who served his one-match touchline ban, said: “Stay with us.
“I get it. I’m stood up in the [Bobbers’] gantry. From a different perspective, a different way of seeing the game. And yeah, I’m frustrated as well. I’m frustrated that we didn’t quite find something in the first half and then we didn’t do enough in the second half and it’s frustrating.
“I know. I understand, but I’ve got a big belief in this group of players, big belief in their ability. But probably, more importantly, in their courage.”
Wilshere pointed to the difficulties Luton faced last season and the way the squad responded by sticking to its methods.
“We worked really hard last year, coming through moments like this, like when it’s tough and it’s not quite going our way,” he said.
“And how we done that was by sticking to a process and we have to keep going like that.”
Wilshere also addressed the reaction of players to criticism from supporters, with Kasey Palmer ushered down the tunnel after the whistle by Hakeem Odoffin, when he appeared to calmly question a comment made from the stands, though it was nothing more than that from the Jamaican international.
“I don’t necessarily always think that’s a bad thing,” the manager said. “I think about Leyton Orient last year, where I had a discussion with the fans.
“And listen, fans’ opinions are important because they pay the money. They come and support the boys, they come and watch the boys and they want to see us be successful. We understand that.
“I think players are different. Players react different.
“We have some players that are quite emotional. Kasey’s not. Kasey’s really calm.”
Harrison Ashby wasn’t quite so level-headed when he was sent off late on for kicking out at at Corey O’Keeffe after the two tangled and following some rough treatment aimed at the full-back.
“He’ll know, he’ll have to react better than that,” Wilshere said of the Newcastle loan defender who will now serve his one-match ban for the trip to Wycombe Wanderers on October 10.
Wilshere acknowledged there may have been an additional emotional element because Ashby had played for Bradford last season.
“Probably a little bit of emotion added for Ashby as well because he was at Bradford last season,” he said.
Though Town host Ipswich Under-21s in the Vertu Trophy tomorrow, Wilshere believes Luton must now use the extended period before their next league fixture to work on the problems exposed by the defeat.
“We have to flip that and use this time to work, to train, to build connections,” he said. “And I actually like the fact that there are a couple of games in there because, from the players’ perspective, they don’t just want to train, train, train. They want games as well.
“Yes. It’s a long time until the next league game and it gives us time to work.”
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