Rob Edwards says he’s “re-energised” ahead of his 100th game in charge of Luton Town and now has sights set on finding the solution to the team’s inconsistent results.
Last month’s second anniversary in charge of the club arrived during an international break that came with speculation about his future at the club in the wake of a 5-1 Championship defeat at Middlesbrough and post-match interviews where he confessed he didn’t want to be a “divisive figure” amid Town’s tough start to the season.
But Edwards remained in the hotseat and said ahead of the subsequent 1-0 victory at home to Hull City that he’d “refocused” on the things that he is able to control, alluding to “difficult” personal struggles.
Thursday’s Boxing Day trip to Bristol City will bring up his century of competitive games, which he admitted has “not been dull”.
For his tenure so far, Edwards’ steered Town to an historic Premier League promotion in his first half a campaign after taking over from Nathan Jones.
Unfortunately, Luton were relegated from the top flight after just one season, with 2024 being dogged be a litany of injuries, that persist. Plus, last Decemeber, club captain Tom Lockyer suffering a cardiac arrest on the pitch at Bournemouth where he was technically dead for two minutes and 40 seconds before being resuscitated.
Now, at the halfway stage of the current Championship season, things have not gone to plan with Luton spending the campaign so far flirting with the relegation places as opposed to the expected challenge for promotion.
But a last-gasp 2-1 victory at home to Derby on Friday night has left Luton in 15th place and seven points clear of the drop zone ahead of the trip to Ashton Gate.
“It’s been an incredible 100 games. Wow. That’s something I’m very proud of, to represent this club. Really, really proud of that,” said Edwards reflecting on his upcoming milestone.
“Yeah, the highs have been the highest. Unbelievable memories that we’ve got and we’ll always be able to remember and treasure. And the plan is obviously to have those memories again, those days again in the future.
“We’re building and working really hard towards trying to do that and deliver that again.
“I think hopefully most people can understand and see that, off the back of a relegation, it’s not always straightforward and it hasn’t been straightforward for us. There’s been a lot for us to have to cope with and deal with and learn from. And I know we’re all going to be better for it.
“I feel like I’m re-energised. And I feel like with this last, I don’t know, four, five, six weeks, I’ve worked really hard on that and making sure that that I’m being the best that I can be.
“Yeah, I’m really looking forward to being able to say that we were able to turn a really difficult situation around and look forward to the next 100 games.”
For now, the immediate task is stopping a seven-game losing streak on the road, which would also serve as a belated birthday present as he turns 42 on Christmas Day.
He said: “There’s been lots of challenges, as there is in management. We had been getting quite a lot of credit last year and then now there are questions and that’s understandable. But what becomes evident, you look outside this goldfish bowl, that I’m in sometimes and you say, ‘well, everyone’s going through it’.
“It’s just a tough job, management and football management. So it’s a tough challenge. And I feel like it’s really taken me close to the edge at times over this last 12 months, and asked more of me than I ever thought I’d have to deal with. It’s been really, really difficult.
“But I know when we come through it and at the other end and we get consistency again and we’re looking stronger again, I’ll be better for it.”
Be the first to comment