With thanks to @OakRoadHatter, a view of Saturday from the hosts Luton Town…
What’s the mood like around the club being back in League One? After such an extraordinary few seasons, being back in L1 must sting?
To say it was unexpected would be an understatement. Even after failing to stay in the Premier League (which was always going to be a tough ask) not in a million years did any Luton fan expect back-to-back relegations and finding ourselves in League One. The immediate feeling was pure disappointment with a touch of anger, but I think a lot of that has transformed into genuine optimism now. It’s been a couple of years since we’ve really been competing at the top end of any table, so the prospect of getting back to that feeling, even if it’s in League One, would be absolutely brilliant.
What’s the confidence like in manager Matt Bloomfield? I imagine most would have hoped he’d keep you up from when he arrived.
He’s a manager who definitely splits opinion across the fanbase, but I’d say the majority still have confidence and trust in him. Of course, the hope was always to stay up, but one Luton fan (shoutout to Matt Aquino) did an analysis of his record when taking over new jobs, and it showed he tends to be a slow starter – and that trend continued with us.
That said, he really did turn us around. In fact, there’s a strong belief that if Edwards had been sacked earlier, and Bloomfield had just three or four more games, we probably would have stayed up.
This season has been a bit of a mixed bag, but the recent form has built some confidence – four wins and two losses in the league is decent. But, if that swings to four wins and three losses after Saturday, then I think the questions about Bloomfield will start to pop up again.
What’s your thoughts on the summer business, in and out?
It’s certainly been the busiest transfer window I can remember, but that was always to be expected. We had, and still have, players who featured for us in the Premier League and they were always likely to move on – though we managed to keep hold of some as well.
I honestly think we’d have struggled in any season to top the window we’ve just had. Some of the signings we pulled off this summer are ridiculous for League One. The likes of Keeley, Saville, Wells, Yates, and Al-Hamadi could all comfortably slot into Championship sides.
We even made a deadline-day signing in Shayden Morris, who made his debut against Barnet in the cup – and my word, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a player as quick as him in my life.
Overall, it was a hugely positive window. Yes, we’ve lost some big players like Doughty, Morris, and Aasgaard, but the quality of the new additions, especially at this level, more than balances it out.
What are your strongest and weakest areas of the team?
This could easily come back and bite me on the backside at five o’clock on Saturday, but honestly, I think we’re strong all over the pitch. Barring Cardiff, if you did a combined XI most weeks between Luton and whoever we’re playing, nine – if not ten – of those players would be Luton’s.
If I had to pick out a weaker area, it’d probably be left wing-back. Millenic Alli is naturally more of a winger than a wing-back, but he’s shown that he’s more than capable there – both in League One and the Championship. Then, if we want to go more defensive there we can bring on Cohen Bramall who is a more natural LB/LWB.
What’s your perception of Argyle as an outsider?
I’ve got to be honest, I don’t know too much about Argyle which feels a bit strange given how many times we’ve played each other over the years. You’ve always been a team I’ve never really had strong feelings about, not especially liked or disliked. Although, I’ll admit they did drop in my estimations after hiring Cleverley, for obvious reasons…
One thing I’ve always respected is the Plymouth following. The atmosphere from the away end is always decent and the numbers making that long trip every week are a joke.
Which Argyle player would you most like at Luton?
I’d go with Bali Mumba. He’s a player who’s always impressed me whenever I’ve watched Plymouth, and like I mentioned earlier, that’s a bit of a weak spot in our current side. I have to give respect to Tolaj as well – he’s a top striker – but I’m sticking with Mumba.
Finally your predictions for both Saturday and the rest of the season?
Anything other than three points at home, especially against a side that’s struggled on the road like Plymouth would be a massive disappointment. We’ve made some brilliant additions and with seven goals scored and just one conceded in the last two games, everything’s looking up. For my prediction, I’m going 3-1 to Luton (sorry to copy your prediction guys!).
Looking ahead to the rest of the season is tricky, as it’s been an up-and-down start and it’s still hard to truly gauge just how good we are. That said, I genuinely believe we’ve got the best squad in the league, and when we hit those tough winter months – December through to February – our depth will really start to pay off. I’m confident in Bloomfield; just look at what he did last year with Wycombe and how well he had them playing. This time, he’s got a better group to work with, so there’s absolutely no reason why we can’t go up automatically.