Appointing first-time boss Jack Wilshere as Luton Town manager may look like a risk, but his “maturity” and “knowledge” mirrored with the club’s track record in pairing with energetic, ambitious young coaches gave chief executive Gary Sweet confidence that the former Arsenal and England star is the right fit.
The 33-year-old has been named as the Hatters’ new boss, taking over from Matt Bloomfield who was sacked a week ago after a 2-0 League One defeat at Stevenage, where Wilshere was born.
The former midfielder was at Luton Town as a child before being snapped up by Arsenal, and he admitted he’s come “full circle” to take his first permanent managerial job at Kenilworth Road, having previously coached the Gunners’ under-18s and taken temporary charge of Norwich at the tail end of last term.
Sweet said the interview process was exhaustive but Wilshere’s passion for football and understanding of Luton’s values stood out. He also revealed the club considered a range of candidates before deciding Wilshere offered “a very safe pair of hands”.
“Jack raised the point that every managerial appointment is actually always a risk, whether there’s experience or not,” said Sweet, adding: “In this process we looked at several profiles of managers, including experienced ones, and we settled on Jack because, while risk is always attached, we feel it’s a very safe pair of hands.”
He added: “The process was rigorous, and Jack impressed greatly with his maturity and his knowledge of the game, and his passion came through. That was one of the things we want — our players, our staff and our supporters, particularly, to love the game. I think Jack’s love of the game really shone through.”
Sweet also revealed an interesting trend the club noted during its selection process, saying: “In the last five years, there are eight managers that have been appointed in League One with no management experience at all. Four of them got promoted. So in many ways that fresh energy and that fresh approach from somebody without experience can go in your favour.”
Wilshere’s appointment fits with Luton’s recent model of manager since the first arrival of Nathan Jones in 2016, and the chief exec said: “It’s a principle that we’ve often used, but particularly when that’s attached to somebody as experienced as Chris Powell, who can come in and help the club achieve, or Jack, particularly, to achieve what he wants to.”
The Hatters chief added that Wilshere’s arrival would bring fresh attention, after dropping from the Premier League to League One in successive seasons, but insisted the club welcomes the spotlight.
“We have our own pressures and we don’t mind if the spotlight’s on or off,” said Sweet, adding: “We welcome it when we have Jack here. But we’re always an interesting story. It’s always a rollercoaster ride over the annals of time for Luton Town Football Club, since time began. What we’ve got to make sure is that we’re right at the bottom and pointing in the right direction now.”
Sweet concluded that Luton’s identity has always been built around energy, togetherness and a willingness to back hungry managers, as Wilshere’s three predecessors have all been highly rated coaches either given their first permanent job in management – with Nathan Jones and Graeme Jones – or early on in their career, after Rob Edwards’ success with Forest Green Rovers and short spell with arch-rivals Watford.
“Energy is something I think needs to be a quality that the manager has here at Luton. We’re a unique football club in so many ways, and somebody with fresh ideas and a slightly different approach usually does fit,” Sweet said.
Be the first to comment