Luton chief executive Gary Sweet has admitted he and the club have made errors this season, but has called on fans to put aside “(justified) concerns and criticisms” and help the Hatters haul themselves out of the relegation mire, starting against Portsmouth today.
As criticism grows from some sections of the fanbase – over a campaign that promised much but sees them rooted to the foot of the Championship – the Town supremo has also admitted that communication with supporters needs to improve, while further calling on them to revive “that never-say-die spirit”.
Town take on Pompey this afternoon having lost 2-0 at arch-rivals Watford on Sunday to stretch their winless run to 12 games, leaving them six points from safety with 12 games to go.
With sports data company Opta this week predicting, via their ‘supercomputer’, that Town will only win 13 more points (a total of 41) and fall through the trap door as the bottom team in the division.
If that prediction proves true it would be Luton’s second successive relegation and after the heights of the Premier League last term, and pre-season predictions of challenging for promotion back to the top-flight, it would be a big blow.
In his programme notes, Sweet wrote: “Make no bones about it, this has been a particularly tough week or two for us all at the Club. Very tough indeed. I feel the need to air the fact that everyone running our Club is hurting like you and feels deeply responsible, but also ever-more determined and desperate to do everything we possibly can to steer this ship back on course.
“Defeat at Watford was a bitter pill to swallow, especially resulting from such unforgiving decision-making which rocked our well-prepared game-plan and handed momentum to our rivals. A decision, I hasten to add, which has been backed up unanimously by the PGMOL panel upon review, as being incorrect.
“I don’t wish to sugar the pill in any way. Our under-par response took the game away from us unfortunately. I would, however, love to restart that game from the 10th minute with the correct decision made, to see what our well-versed game-plan would have achieved. However, our response was simply not good enough. We have no choice but to react more quickly and resolutely to in-game setbacks. That has to change.
“As we find ourselves anchoring the league table as we enter today’s fixture, we have all, beginning with myself, undergone a great deal of soul-seeking, self-analysis and self-examination over the last few weeks as to how we have landed in this position. A position which, bluntly, is simply not acceptable with the resources we have this season. Unacceptable, of course, to you and most certainly unacceptable to me and the board.
“Nobody here has ever taken this lightly and, right now, we cannot be more serious, committed and determined to navigate these waters safely and securely.
“I can fully appreciate and understand that many feel they will know the reasons for our current plight. When we have reflected, it is not beyond our comprehension to be able to piece together a series of events which have either gone against us or where we have failed to respond appropriately enough. It is certainly not beyond my pride to admit where I or we have made errors either – and I and we indeed have.
“Deep reflection into every corner of the business by everyone, including some independent analysis, would suggest that we have had a year where some events that have triggered a negative reaction have been impossible to predict, or they have been unique first-time life experiences which have deeply challenged everyone. However, we all feel the responsibility regardless.
“Ultimately, as the CEO, I am accountable, of course. Obviously, not everything is within my or our control, but football is a results-only business and whilst so many positive things are happening in every corner of the business otherwise, we will be ultimately judged on where we end up in the league table at the end of this season.”
The chief executive outlined positive parts of the club, away from their form in the Championship, saying Luton are financially “sound and stable”. He also wrote about the ongoing work at Power Court, plus a “root and branch overhaul” of the club’s Community Trust and, at The Brache, “on pitch improvements, new changing rooms, medical facilities and even more fitness and rehab kit, which will all contribute to a better environment for all and reduce our injury count.”
But returning to Town’s plight on the pitch, Sweet adds: “We are clearly in a hole we have no choice but to dig ourselves out of. There is no other option! My vehement focus right now, with everyone, has constantly been to recognise where we may have lost our way so we can help navigate this team to safety and so we can continue the rebuild this summer upon the firm base of the Championship.
“We’ve learned where improvements need to be made to the way we operate more quickly in periods of transition, and we’ve reacted by implementing changes, acknowledging that change usually takes varying degrees of time to yield results.
“During this process, we’ve certainly learned that things – and maybe even some people – aren’t always what they were on the way up, when the chips are down.
“One other important thing we have learned is that we recognise that our communication to you needs to improve. Whilst it was never the intention to neglect this area, we are nothing without your support and our togetherness and we want you to feel more engaged.
“Though we have our disagreements and disappointments, the board are totally united – and we need, we implore, you to be too.
“Right now, for the good of our Club, we need every ounce of energy from everyone connected, whether player, staff, supporter or neighbour, focused on positively pulling together for 12 games over nine weeks to get this job done.
“We’ve done it before, and we can do it again. We need everyone – from every player to every fan – to believe. Only a collective positive mindset will succeed. Confidence flows from results and results flow from confidence. Let’s put our (justified) concerns and criticisms to one side and get right behind Matt and the boys, reviving that never-say-die spirit we’ve shown over the years and helping the team believe – know – that they can do it. Because we’re Luton. And always will be!”
Be the first to comment