A look at the various unofficial GTFC websites and forums will invariably provide a daily handful of postings that are critical of the way the club is run.  From comments about the quality of matchday pies, to dietary guidance for playing staff and advice on club communications, as fans we’re experts on anything and everything. 

Whilst I’m not claiming that everything GTFC does is perfect, when you look at the trials and tribulations that Hatters supporters have endured since October 2006, these criticisms start to look a little trivial.

Two years ago, things looked rosy for Luton Town.  With a promising young manager in Mike Newell at the helm, the team well positioned near the top of the Championship and funds from the sale of two keys players re-invested in the squad, the supporters were looking forward to a successful season.  Trust in Luton (TiL), formed in 2003 when the club first suffered financial hardship, had board representation and a hard earned 10% shareholding in the club. But a run of poor results combined with sales of other key players saw the club slipping towards the dreaded relegation places by February 2007. 

If that wasn’t depressing enough, worse was to come.  Following public criticism of the board (including suggestions of transfer irregularities), Mike Newell was sacked in March 2007.  The undemocratic manner of the dismissal led to the resignation of two board members, including the TiL representative.  Arguably supporter representation was more important than ever given the looming crisis, but TiL rightly felt it was inappropriate to be closely linked to the club given the nature of the allegations.  A financial report published in April 2007 allayed no-one’s fears about the state of LTFC’s finances and an FA investigation sparked the resignation of the chairman and admissions of illegal payments to agents.  The season ended in relegation, albeit with another promising young manager at the helm. 

The 2007/8 season failed to live up to supporters’ expectations, with matchday attendances down by 25%.  An extended League Cup run brought some respite, but it was too little too late and in November 2007 the administrators were called in.  I’m sure we all recall the plight of the unpaid Luton players and management, but have probably forgotten that this situation remained for three months.  Eventually something had to give. Two more key players were sold for a combined fee of just over £1m and the management team departed. 

At around the same time the LTFC2020 consortium, made up of lifelong Hatters fans including two TiL board members (who subsequently resigned from the TiL board to avoid a conflict of interests) and headed by local celebrity Nick Owen, were awarded ‘preferred bidder’ status.  What’s that they say about silver linings?

LTFC2020 completed its takeover of the club this April, and duly gifted a 1% shareholding to TiL, their previous 10% shareholding having been lost to administration.  A 1% shareholding may seem like a step backwards, but TiL’s level of influence remains much the same as before.  For this reason, they have opted to invest funds in other areas such as Football in the Community and sponsorship of the Girls’ Centre of Excellence and player kit rather than purchase more shares.

Sadly, the LTFC2020 takeover didn’t herald a turnaround in fortunes.  The eventual consequence of administration was a second successive relegation (not a pleasant experience, as we know).  Those connected with the Bedfordshire club were resigned to a 15 point penalty, as was handed out to Rotherham and Bournemouth for exiting administration without fulfilling certain conditions. However the reality was a far more severe double-whammy.  In June 2008, the FA handed Luton a 10 point penalty and a £50,000 fine relating to 15 misconduct charges between 2004 and 2007.  Shortly after, the Football League handed out a 20 point penalty and an order to pay back £500,000 to creditors. Luton unsuccessfully appealed the latter and had to accept the penalty in order to receive back the ‘golden share’ that would allow them to compete in the league.  It’s an unprecedented situation - never before has a club started the season with such a huge points gap to bridge.

So to summarise, in the last 24 months, Hatters fans have witnessed 1 administration, 2 owners, 3 managers and 40 deducted points. As a supporter of another lower league team, it doesn’t bear thinking about and it’s easy to see why some fans might find other Saturday pursuits more appealing. 

TiL played an instrumental role throughout proceedings, both in providing regular and insightful updates via their website (www.trustinluton.co.uk) and in rallying support when the club needed it most.  The average attendance this season is only 300 lower than last season, which maybe shows that the fans are responding to TiL and sticking with their team in these difficult times.

Grimsby fans may not always like the way their club does things, but perhaps we should be thankful that we have a football club to be critical of.  I’m sure the Luton fans are.

Emma Blackbourn – GTST Board Member