When James Shea stood in front of the cameras after Luton’s 3-1 defeat at Cambridge United in the last round of the Vertu Trophy, he didn’t sugar-coat a thing. “It’s like we’re up against 13 men in every game,” he said, cutting through the usual post-match clichés with the kind of raw honesty that only a player truly embedded in a club for the best part of a decade can get away with.
A new manager, three weeks and two consecutive victories later, the mood around Kenilworth Road has begun to shift. Luton have rediscovered their fight under new boss Jack Wilshere, and the man who voiced his frustrations is now part of the spirit lifting the dressing room.
Wilshere, 33, came through Arsenal’s academy alongside Shea, where they won the FA Youth Cup together in 2009 alongside another former Hatters favourite Henri Lansbury. Though, at the time his former team-mate was teling some home truths, the Town boss was under a week away from being officially appointed as Luton’s second youngest manager — he was watching.
Wilshere said he fully understood both the emotion and the honesty behind that interview — and values Shea’s voice as one of the most important in the squad.
“You have to ask him,” said Wilshere when asked if the goalkeeper was feeling better about life at Luton now. “I think one thing I love about James is he’ll always say it how it is and he’ll say it to your face.
“I obviously watched that interview at the time. We were going through the interview process for the job and I think there’s only certain people within clubs that can say things like that and still have the respect of the players and the staff — and he definitely can.
“The way he works, the demands he sets on the players, he definitely has that respect. And yeah, I spoke to him in depth about that, and that was genuinely from the heart — that’s how they [players] felt.
“I think it’s changed a little bit. I think we’ve given the players a little bit more, maybe a few more solutions. We moved someone down next to Sav [George Saville], I think that’s helped a lot. And the other thing is just giving them belief.
“When I did my first interview I said I’m here so we can get promotion. And I wouldn’t have said that if I didn’t believe in the players. The players are the ones who are going to do that for us, and yeah, we’ve tried to give them that little bit more belief and hopefully their confidence has lifted.”
That belief will be tested again tomorrow night when Wilshere’s side face National League promotion hopefuls Forest Green Rovers in the FA Cup first round. Though Josh Keeley has played in all of Luton’s League One games this term, Shea started in Tuesday’s 3-1 win over Brighton’s kids in the EFL Trophy, wearing the captain’s armband, and could be handed another chance in goal.
“I think we’re in a really good position with the goalkeepers,” Wilshere said. “You only have to look over the years — and speaking to Pilk’s [Kevin Pilkington] the goalie coach and Kevin Dearden, who’s obviously been here for years — there’s always been a stage in the season where James has had to step in and perform, so we’re completely comfortable with that.
“We have to make a decision on tomorrow. I thought James was really good the other night. We obviously made him skipper — I felt like he deserved it. I didn’t know he’d never been skipper before here, but I feel like someone with that presence and leadership skills, and how the players look at him, he is a real leader. He might play tomorrow, we’ll have to make that decision.”
Wilshere’s connection to Shea runs far deeper than most manager-player relationships. The pair came through the Arsenal academy together as teenagers, taking very different paths to end up reunited in Bedfordshire two decades later, with the midfielder now the manager despite being seven months the junior of the goalie.
“Yeah, he’s been really, really good,” Wilshere said. “He’s someone who I’ve leaned on a lot regarding certain things in the environment and what he felt before I came here. Even before I got the job, I was speaking with him. So yeah, someone who I respect so much.
“We came through the same [Arsenal] youth team together, but we had a completely different journey. When people go on that journey, when you drop down the leagues after being at Arsenal, you have to have a real love for the game. I’ve seen players who’ve gone to non-league teams and never come back from that — they end up retiring at 22 or 23.
“But for him to have the spirit just to keep going, it’s because he loves the game. And he’s also then been at a place where he’s learned to love the club. So we have a real good leader there that can help us for sure.”
It’s a relationship that began with teenage promise in north London but has evolved into mutual respect forged through very different footballing experiences. Wilshere’s path took him to the Premier League and England; Shea’s to non-league Needham Market, and then back up again to become part of Luton’s rise from League Two to the top flight.
“I’ll tell you, the night before I got announced [as Luton manager], I rang James,” Wilshere recalled prior to his first game in charge of the Hatters. “The first thing he said when he answered was, ‘Is that my Gaffer?’ and it was really weird. But listen, I’ve known James for years and I’ve told the story about his twin brother — his son plays for my son’s team.
“I remember when I first got there, I was looking at this guy, his identical twin, and I was thinking, I know this guy, I really know this guy. And then I heard him talk. So I had to talk to him and he said, ‘yeah, I’m James’ [brother]. And then James’ mum and dad came and it was like seeing my auntie and uncle after ten years. So yeah, James is a top guy.”
That bond, Wilshere said, makes Shea’s leadership even more valuable now that he’s one of the few remaining links to Luton’s extraordinary climb from League Two to the Premier League and back down to League One.
“The message that he sent out after the [Cambridge] game — that’s not easy for a player to stand up and do that,” Wilshere said, adding: “That shows the level of respect people have for him and the level of love he has for this club. People like that are so important, culturally. The fans know what it means.
“Another guy who’s been on that journey to the Premier League. I love James and hopefully he can help us as well. I think the fans appreciate it, because not many players come out and say things. He’s had such a great career and the fans really respect him.
“One thing about James is he’s so emotionally intelligent, he knows the right thing to say at the right time — and not everyone has that. Some people would look at that moment and think, well, that’s a bit strong, but if you know the club and you know James’ journey, it was absolutely fine.”
Whether Shea starts or not against Forest Green tomorrow night, either way, Wilshere sees him as a vital figure in Luton’s revival — a voice that bridges the club’s journey from rags to riches and now, a new era under a familiar face from Arsenal’s past.
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