One of the best things about Luton Town’s incredible season is the amount of people we have proved wrong along the way.
Going into the campaign only the current bottom three were shorter odds to be relegated than the Hatters, and one of those had a six point deduction to start things off with.
Then as the season progressed, the #teamslikeluton hashtag has become a cult thing on Twitter, when cheesed off fans of clubs, who’ve been beaten by the boys, have thrown the online equivalent of Kiko Femenia’s Watford hissy fit when he was sent off at the Kenny last month!
I find all that quite funny. One day, those supporters will give their heads a wobble and see that we’ve finished in the top half of the table and above most of those who think we are not worth being on the same pitch as their team. I’ll leave the fact we’re doing it in a sustainable way for another column down the line!
What isn’t so funny though is when those in the game are disrespectful. I’m not really worried about manager talk after the game, because they all see the game through tinted spectacles.
What really doesn’t impress me is when we get disrespected by someone who was within our squad at one point. I’m not talking about Andre Gray’s reaction to scoring before seeing the offside flag up, that was just funny, no it is the comments made by Rhys Norrington-Davies when he departed for Stoke.
His quote was: “I want to become a Premier League player and I feel like this is a stepping stone from where I was.“
The mere fact he is using terms like ‘stepping stone’ about football clubs in the first place probably highlighted that we were well rid of him, but I’m delighted that we’ve finished above Stoke, which went some way to ramming those comments down his throat.
That isn’t how to conduct yourself, and while I understand why players might have loftier ambitions than playing for Luton, even though I’d personally give my right arm to do it, in an era where players are media trained beyond belief, to come out with that nonsense wasn’t really necessary.
As he will have found out in the second half of the season, you can have all the individuals you want, but a team spirit and togetherness counts for so much more, and that is exactly the foundation upon which us finishing above him and his Stoke team-mates were built.
Finishing ahead of Stoke is pretty satisfying, as is the karma that, despite his intention to play in the Premier League, he’ll be back in the same division as us again in August.
We’ll see you next season, Rhys!
You can’t expect the same degree of loyalty from players – particularly those on loan – as you get from supporters. Nor are they likely to be fully aware of the high points in the club’s history – the cup finals and the years spent in the old top division. Even our previous manager seemed to have little understanding of what had been achieved in the past, dismissing us as ‘little Luton’.
So, I have no quarrel with RND’s decision and the reasons offered – after all, you have to say something when the ubiquitous mike is stuck under your nose. Maybe it hasn’t quite worked out for him – yet. But I see no reason to crow. Let’s hope he can help the Blades to a more rewarding season – except, of course, when they’re playing us!
RND had to do what he thought was best for him and his family – like NJ did when he went to Stoke – we have forgiven NJ so we should RND – no doubt that the team was better off with him in it. Good luck to him in the future – I would sign him permanently tomorrow if we could.