Mick Harford

Team Manager

Harford's Transfer Dealings

For all of Mick Harford's transfer dealings as Luton manager, click HERE.

Former Luton Town favourite Mick Harford returned to Kenilworth Road for a third spell since retiring as a player - only this time his return in January 2008 was as Hatters manager.

It had always been an ambition of Mick's to manage Luton Town - where he has legendary status and was voted the Hatters' greatest-ever player - and his return was greeted with delight by Luton Town fans.

He took the job under very difficult circumstances, with the Hatters in administration and fighting relegation from League One.  He came to Kenilworth Road after spells as Caretaker Manager at Nottingham Forest and Queen's Park Rangers and as a permanent manager of Rotherham United.

The move was Mick's third spell on the coaching staff at Kenilworth Road.  He had first joined the Hatters as Joe Kinnear's first-team coach in 2001. Harford left First Division Wimbledon to return to the Hatters.  After two years under Kinnear, he was dismissed by controversial new owner John Gurney, but then reinstated as Director Of Football and First-Team Coach to new manager Mike Newell following Gurney's departure.

As a player, Harford joined Luton in December 1984 for £250,000 from Birmingham City, scoring 81 goals in 186 appearances, before joining Derby County for £450,000 in January 1990.

Harford during his first spell as a player.

He rejoined Luton from Derby in September 1991, scoring 12 goals in 31 appearances as Luton were relegated from the old First Division. He then moved to Chelsea.

He also represented Lincoln City, Newcastle United, Birmingham City, Bristol City, Chelsea, Sunderland, Coventry City and Wimbledon in a career that saw him make a total of 707 appearances and score 233 goals, as well as being capped for England.

As a player, Mick was a strong, aggressive, no-nonsense and powerful centre forward, and he joined Luton from Birmingham City for £250,000 in mid-December 1984 – just a week after boss David Pleat had signed David Preece!  Before he joined the Brum, he had played for Lincoln City, Newcastle United and Bristol City. 

Mick made his Luton debut just 2 days after joining in a match at Leicester City – and he scored in a 2-2 draw to earn the Hatters a point.  On signing Mick, manager David Pleat had said he was worried about the fee he spent to secure Mick, the £250,000 being a lot of money to the club.  But after his debut strike, Pleat then said that he knew it was money well spent.  However, few people realised just what a Luton legend he would become – he made the number 9 shirt his own for the next few seasons and would also return to Luton for a second spell as a player.  He went on to score an astonishing 15 League goals in just 22 matches that season, while he also helped Luton to an FA Cup semi-final against Everton at Villa Park, the run including a 1-0 5^th Round win over rivals Watford. 

The following season Mick bagged 25 goals in all competitions for Luton, and he netted two hat-tricks during the campaign in a 3-1 win over Leicester City and a 3-2 victory over local rivals Watford at Kenilworth Road.  A further 39 goals in all competitions followed over the next 4 seasons, and his form as a dominant centre-forward who put fear into the oppositions defence had earned him international recognition with England as he earned 2 caps for his country, making his debut as a substitute against Israel in 1988 and earning his second cap against Denmark in 1989. 

During his first spell at Kenilworth Road, Mick also helped the Hatters to an FA Cup semi-final against Wimbledon (who went on to lift the cup with a win over Liverpool in the final) and to their greatest-ever moment, a 3-2 Littlewoods Cup final win over Arsenal at Wembley in 1988. 

However, in mid-January 1990, the Luton legend Mick was sold to Derby County for £450,000, one of the reasons given that the artificial pitch that Luton were playing on was ‘doing his ankles in’.  His departure was, though, still a cruel blow for the Hatters supporters.  He still remained a Luton hero and in fact still helped the Hatters to escape relegation on the final day of the 1990-91 season as he headed an own goal to give Luton the lead in a 2-0 win over Derby. 

With Luton struggling once more during the following season at the bottom of the Old Division One, Mick answered an SOS call for a striker and returned home, joining Luton for his second spell as a player for £325,000 in mid-September 1991.  David Pleat had also returned to Luton for his second spell as a manager, and it was the second time that he had brought Mick to Kenilworth Road.  Unfortunately, Luton couldn’t perform their annual relegation ‘great escape’ and the Hatters were relegated to the Old Division Two (now the Championship) after a 1-2 loss at Notts County on the final day of the 1991-92 season. 

The highlight of Mick's second spell as a player with the Hatters was 2 goals on his ‘second debut’ as he bagged two late goals that saw Luton come from behind to beat Oldham Athletic 2-1 at Kenilworth Road, Mick's second coming with a fantastic overhead kick.  The chants of “One Micky Harford” were then heard once again from the Kenilworth Road end, and the great man had truly returned – and how it brought joy to so many Luton faces!  He also had another memorable moment with a Boxing Day winner in a 1-0 home victory over Arsenal in front of just under 11,000 fans. 

Mick netted 12 League goals in 29 matches during that season, but with Luton failing to win a single away League match during the entire campaign, it was always going to be difficult to win at Meadow Lane on the final day of the season.  And so it proved as the home side came from behind to score two late goals through Rob Matthews (who later went on to play for Luton) after the Hatters had led through a Julian James goal. 

At the end of the campaign, it was always going to be difficult for Luton to hold on to Mick, and it was ultimately a task too great for David Pleat as Harford joined Chelsea for £300,000 in mid-August 1992, the second time that the Hatters’ fans hearts were broken by the departure of their hero. 

Mick had scored 69 League goals in 168 matches during his two spells at Kenilworth Road, and he is truly a Luton legend.  He did fairly well at Stamford Bridge, too, netting 9 League goals in 28 matches for a club that were rising in status and he helped them continue their climb up the ladder and edge towards being one of the biggest clubs in England.  In March 1993, he joined his hometown club Sunderland for £250,000, but after 2 goals in 11 matches and just 4 months with the Black Cats, he was on the move again, this time to Coventry City for £200,000 in mid-July 1993.  He had an injury-plagued season at Highfield Road, though, and he only made one substitute appearance for the Sky Blues (but of course scored!) before he was sold once more, his next destination being Wimbledon in a £50,000 transfer in August 1994. 

Now deemed a ‘veteran’, Mick was still striking fear into the opposition’s defence, and he netted 9 League goals in 60 matches for The Dons during his 4 years as a player.  However, in 1998, Mick retired from professional football and joined Wimbledon’s coaching staff, working alongside manager Joe Kinnear, and this was to have a significant impact on his future.   

Kinnear went on to say, "The good thing about Mick Harford is that he’s got experience of working with me, so he knows what’s required. He knows the standards that we’ve got to set and that they have to run right throughout every single player at this Club. It’s difficult trying to get that across to everyone and at the same time trying to juggle so many other balls up in the air and wear so many different hats. Mick can come in and he knows how I work. He knows what I require and he’s a good coach in his own right."

Mick joined Luton following the Hatters' relegation to Division Three (now known as League Two), and he joined up with Joe Kinnear prior to the start of the 2001-02 season.  The duo performed wonders at Kenilworth Road and the Hatters were promoted back to Division Two (now League One) at the first attempt - the club's first promotion-winning campaign for 20 years.

Back in Division Two, Mick helped Luton to a season of consolidation, the Hatters finishing 9th in the table in the 2002-03 campaign.  However, Luton were close at one stage to making the play-offs, but an injury-hit squad eventually ran out of steam and fell short at the final hurdle.  Mick and Joe Kinnear did, however, also mastermind a victory over old rivals Watford in the First Round of the League Cup, Matthew Spring and Steve Howard bagging the goals in a 2-1 win at Vicarage Road in mid-September 2002.

However, at the end of the season, chairman Mike Watson-Challis retired and struck a deal that brought a new, unnamed consortium to Kenilworth Road.  Just 2 days after taking control of the club, the new consortium amazingly sacked both Mick and manager Joe Kinnear - much to the utter bemusement and disgust of the Hatters supporters.  Mick is undoubtedly the most popular player to ever represent Luton Town, and for him to be treated in the manner that he was disgusted the supporters.  Not only were Mick and Joe Kinnear only informed of the decision to relieve them of their duties by post, they were then escorted off the premises when they returned to the club to collect their possessions and say their goodbyes.

Speaking of his dismissal, Mick said, "I think its a very sad day.  I think in fairness its the worst decision in the clubs history.  I had no inkling this was going to happen.  There was a total lack of compassion from the football club.  I woke up and there was a letter on my doorstep this morning.  What I did to deserve being dismissed in such a cold and callous manner I don't knot.  It was disgraceful really.  My heart and soul was always at Luton.  It was totally out of the blue.  We've had players and other managers ringing up saying 'We can't believe it'.

Harford celebrates scoring in his second spell.

"I turned up at the club today to clear my desk and take my personal belongings. I said goodbye to the staff.  It was a sad day basically.  I don't know who the directors are and who the board are down there to be honest.  How they can make a decision based on football without even talking to us is beyond me.

"We were told to leave the building today believe it or not, which is a sad thing.  My heart and soul is in Luton, and when that happened today I was totally devastated.  I personally believe we had a fantastic chance of getting into the First Division next year.  And the fans - its been nothing more than sensational the response we've had from the fans over the last 2 years.

"I've always had a tremendous relationship with the fans.  I can't thank them enough.  They're fantastic.  I spoke to Joe half an hour ago and he said, 'Please tell them thanks for singing Big Fat Joe and stuff like that'."

You can hear the full interview with Mick Harford on BBC Three Counties Radio in audio format by clicking HERE.

Mick was then amazingly offered his job back by John Gurney, the man heading the new consortium in charge of the club.  Offered the chance to return as assistant manager to a new (and at the time unnamed boss), Mick decided to decline the offer, stating that he felt he couldn't work under the new owners.  You can hear this full interview with Mick Harford on BBC Three Counties Radio in audio format by clicking HERE.

The Luton Town supporters also sent stacks of thank you messages to Lutonfc.com for both Mick and Joe Kinnear - and they were given to both Joe Kinnear and Mick Harford - and were greatly appreciated by the pair.  In fact, Kinnear even displayed them on a TV interview on Anglia News and Mick was, at the time, quoted as saying, "They were the only thing keeping him going" as he was deeply saddened by his treatment.  You can read the fans' appreciation messages by clicking HERE.

Always worshipped by the Luton fans, who adored Mick as a player, there wasn't a single supporter who wasn't praying that Mick would return to the club in some capacity one day - and they didn't have to wait long for his return!

On Wednesday, August 6th 2003 Mick Harford returned to Luton Town Football Club as Director of Football and First-Team Coach - just over two months after he had been dismissed.

Delighted to be back, Mick conducted several interviews at a press conference and you can hear the full interview with Mick Harford on BBC Three Counties Radio in audio format by clicking HERE.

Working alongside Team Manager Mike Newell, Harford returned once more to a hero's reception and the management duo hoped to bring back the good times to Kenilworth Road.

The new management duo gelled extremely well and, under very difficult circumstances, with the club in administrative receivership, by mid-February 2004, they had led Luton Town to within a point of the play-off places (and with two games in hand) and to the Fourth Round of the FA Cup.  At this point, Mick was offered the chance to leave the club and go to Nottingham Forest.  However, he once again showed his phenomenal loyalty to the club, by turning down the chance to join former boss Joe Kinnear at The City Ground.

Luton Town fans had been worrying since the end of the previous week when Kinnear was appointed as the new manager at The City Ground, with Hatters supporters certain he would try to persuade his good friend Mick – who worked alongside him at both Wimbledon and, of course, Luton – to become his number two again. Hatters boss Mike Newell confirmed shortly afterwards that Kinnear had asked Mick to join him at Nottingham Forest – and it left the Hatters faithful agonisingly waiting for Mick to make an announcement. That announcement came late on Monday, February 16th 2004 – and he once again proved his loyalty to the club.

Harford said, “Joe is a very personal friend of mine and I've known him for a long time. He gave me a good chance in football and put me on the ladder in a managerial set-up.

“So I had to give him the courtesy to consider it but in all honesty when he first rang me I always believed I was going to stay at Luton. I’ve been at the club now for two-and-a-half-years and I’ve been involved in the set-up and the restructuring of the club along with Joe and with Mike and other people. It was a fantastic offer and it gave me a bit of security and it gave me the chance to work with Joe and at a fantastic football club, but it was the pull of Luton Town and I have a burning desire to succeed at Luton and my desire is to take Luton into the First Division.

“I just think this club needs a bit of stability and what happened in the summer when Joe and I were sacked, but now me and Mike work well together and we both want this club to progress and it is something we both feel in our hearts that we want to do well here.

“When I first came here, it was a great opportunity to come back to Luton, but no disrespect, the club was in a bit of a mess, when they were in the Third Division and going nowhere, but we got them into the Second Division and stabilised them, but now we’ve got ourselves in a position to push for a place in the play-offs and gain promotion. But now I believe there is a great nucleus of a set of players down here which we can add to when we come out of administration and that can take us forward and I’ve enjoyed putting the team together.

“I can’t say enough about the fans and on Saturday when I came out for the Rushden game they brought a tear to my eye and they are a very big part of my decision to be honest with you.”

You can hear the full interview with Mick Harford on BBC Three Counties Radio in full audio by clicking HERE.

Mick and manager Mike Newell led the club to a 10th placed finish in Division Two (now known as League One) in his first season in charge of the club - an excellent achievement considering the club spent the entire campaign in administrative receivership, as well as to the FA Cup Fourth Round.

They were doing even better during the 2004-05 season as the club led the League One table by 6 points by the beginning of November 2004 - but Mick then delivered a bombshell by announcing he was to join Kinnear as assistant manager at Nottingham Forest - a job he had turned down just months earlier.

His decision to leave shocked both the fans and staff alike and left some supporters unsure as to whether he was still a 'Luton legend' anymore.  He was always revered as a Luton legend and, evidently, had a job for life at Kenilworth Road, where he was held in the highest esteem.

Luton Town chairman Bill Tomlins had held a lengthy meeting with Mick and manager Mike Newell in a bid to persuade him to stay with the club – and he even offered Mick a new contract in a desperate bid to keep him with the club.

On his decision to join Nottingham Forest, Mick said, "I'm going to join Joe at Nottingham Forest as assistant manager. 

"It's been a very traumatic day but I feel it's a good career move for me.  I was offered this job a few months ago but it wasn't the right time to further my career.  We're six points clear at the top of the League now, we're doing very well and the club's in great hands.

"It's a massive, massive wrench for me to leave the club and I'll be very sad. But I'd like to progress in my career and I feel that Nottingham Forest at this present moment is a good move for me.

"It's been a difficult decision. My heart is at this club. I love this club but the time is right.

"But it's not about me, it's about Luton Town this weekend - and I'm absolutely certain that Luton will be in the shake up at the end, if not the Champions."

You can hear the full interview with Mick Harford on BBC Three Counties Radio in full audio by clicking HERE.

However, Mick's time at The City Ground was short lived as Joe Kinnear resigned under intense pressure from the supporters just a few weeks after taking Mick to Nottingham Forest.  Placed in temporary charge of the club in mid-December 2004, Mick managed the club for 6 matches, winning 2 of those games, losing 3 and drawing 1 before being replaced as manager by Gary Megson and departing the club - his last match in charge being a 3-0 win at Queen's Park Rangers in the FA Cup Third Round.

Having left the Hatters - where he had been offered a five-year deal to stay at the club - Mick found himself unemployed within just two months of departing Kenilworth Road and it certainly seemed a strange decision to have joined a club where the manager was already under great pressure to leave.  However, a great coach with a good reputation, Mick returned to football in February 2005 when he joined Swindon Town as assistant manager to ex-Hatter and close friend Andy King until the end of the 2004-05 season.

He didn't actually make it until the end of the season at Swindon, however - he was appointed as the new manager of Rotherham United on a two-year contract in early April 2005 - his first full manager's job in his career.  Unfortunately for Mick, the move to Millmoor didn't work out and in December 2005, following a 1-2 home loss to Yeovil Town, which left the Millers 22nd in League One and on a run of 17 League and Cup games without a win, Mick was relieved of his duties as manager.  He had suffered tremendous financial difficulties at Millmoor however, and can point strongly to this fact as to why the side was unsuccessful.

He went on to become assistant manager to Geraint Williams at Colchester United, but left in the summer of 2007 to become John Gregory's right-hand man at Queen's Park Rangers after helping the U's consolidate their place in the Championship.  After Gregory's dismissal, Mick endured a brief period as Caretaker Manager at Loftus Road, and he did very well, the supporters liking his approach.  It was therefore a big disappointment to Mick when new billionaire owners took over QPR and appointed an Italian, Luigi De Canio, as their new manager.  Mick departed West London with a big thank you from all concerned with QPR and their loss was to be Luton's gain as Mick returned to his spiritual home on January 16th 2008 as the new Luton Town manager.

Initially joining until the end of the 2007-08 season, Mick said upon his return, "It is absolutely great to be back. This is my home club. I have got a lot of affection for the club, for the fans, for the area, for the players and for the staff. There is a lot of sentiment involved, but I am here to do a job and I am looking forward to the challenge. It is going to be a difficult challenge, but I feel I am ready for the job.

"I have brought in Warren Neill, he played at QPR and Portsmouth. He brings with him a lot of experience and coaching. He has been at QPR looking after their youth team for five years. When I was Caretaker Manager at QPR, Warren was my Caretaker Assistant Manager. We have a good relationship and he is a fantastic coach. He knows what it takes to win football matches.

"I don't care what people say, Kenilworth Road is still a great stadium and I am glad it hasn't changed. There was a shiver down my spine when I walked into the Club. It is great to be back and it is a great place to be."

You can hear a full interview with Mick Harford on BBC Three Counties Radio in full audio by clicking HERE.

Unfortunately, without a recognised central defender in the squad, Mick was forced to play veteran midfielder Don Hutchison in the centre of defence, as well as handing first-team debuts to several youth team players.  With the Hatters deducted 10 points, key players sold, and a transfer embargo placed on the club as a result of administration (the lengthy process of coming out of administration would take until the end of the season, despite the LTFC2020 consortium taking over the running of the club), Mick faced an impossible task.

He inherited a poor side, lacking a decent goal scoring threat, and so vulnerable in defence, and just two points were all Mick had to show for his first 12 games in charge of Luton Town.  All-but-relegated from League One in 2007-08 upon Mick's arrival, the ageing side, coupled with a lack of defenders, meant that Luton Town finished bottom of League One, winning just two of the 22 matches from Mick's arrival until the end of the season.

Preparing for life in League Two, hopes were high for the 2008-09 season, but in June 2008, Luton Town were hit by a bombshell by the Football Association.  The club were fined £50,000 and deducted 10 League points for the start of the 2008-09 season by the FA for financial irregularities at the club under the former owners Jayten Stadium Ltd.

The investigation, which began in March 2007, found that payments made to the six agents, totalling about £160,000, by the club's holding company 'Jayten (also known as 'J10') Stadium Limited' were not disclosed to the FA on the required forms.  In addition, it was also alleged that services for the benefit of a Luton player, totalling approximately £7,000, were paid for directly by 'Jayten' but were not disclosed on the player's contract.

When it looked as though Luton Town had hit rock bottom, things then went from bad to worse.  In July 2008, Luton Town were handed a further 20-point deduction by the Football League for failing to exit administration in the correct manner via a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) with its creditors.

Coupled with the previous 10-point deduction imposed by the FA in June 2008 for financial irregularities, it meant the Hatters would start the 2008-09 season in League Two on an unprecedented -30 points.

Members of the Hatters' prospective new owners, Stephen Browne and Gary Sweet, stated that they had looked into the possibility of being demoted directly to the Blue Square Premier (previously more famously known as the Vauxhall Conference), but the Blue Square Premier did not accept clubs in administration and this was therefore not an option.

They were consequently left in the position of having no option but to agree to the terms set out by the Football League, in order to make sure that professional football could remain at Kenilworth Road.

With a squad of players rumoured to be on very high wages - certainly for League Two level - Mick was forced to make drastic changes to the playing squad, transfer-listing the entire playing staff in a bid to reduce the wage bill.  Young striker Calvin Andrew was sold to Crystal Palace for a fee believed to be around £80,000, midfielder David Bell joined Norwich City for £600,000 and veterans Paul Furlong, Chris Perry, Don Hutchison, Paul Peschisolido and Darren Currie - all signed by former manager Kevin Blackwell - all departed Kenilworth Road after just one season with the club.  Alan Goodall, another of former manager Kevin Blackwell's signings, joined Chesterfield and key midfielder Matthew Spring joined former boss Kevin Blackwell at Sheffield United, signing a one-year loan deal after making it known he wanted to leave Kenilworth Road.  Finally, the deals for goalkeepers Marlon Beresford and Zac Barrett, defender Richard Jackson and midfielder Steve Robinson were all terminated by mutual consent.  Out-of-contract midfielders Richard Langley, Stephen O'Leary and Robert Sinclair departed, leaving the Hatters with a wafer thin squad and the drastic squad changes Mick had promised.  Finally, winger Dean Morgan joined Leyton Orient on a five-month loan deal.  All in all, seventeen senior players left the club during the summer of 2008 as the total rebuilding of the playing staff began.

Finally, on July 28th 2008, some eight months after the Hatters had initially gone into administration, it was announced that the Football League had approved LTFC2020's application to become the new custodians of Luton Town Football Club. After LTFC2020 accepted the Football League’s conditions of entry (a 30-point deduction), the transfer of the share in the Football League has taken place and LTFC2020 officially became the new custodians of the club.

Then, in August 2008, Luton Town fans finally got some good news.  After a summer full of “will he return, won’t he return” speculation, Hatters got the news they’d been waiting for former club captain and fans' favourite Kevin Nicholls signed a three-year deal on the Kenilworth Road pitch during the half-time interval of a pre-season clash with Brighton & Hove Albion.

Nicholls had been sold to Leeds United two years previously for £700,000 and his departure was one of the many sales that had led to the Hatters' freefall from the Championship to League Two in successive seasons.  Within a few months, Nicholls was asking to leave Leeds United and return to Luton Town, but the move never materialised and, after another unsuccessful move, this time to Preston North End, he returned to Bedfordshire on a free transfer.

Just days before the season kicked-off with the visit of Port Vale, the Hatters' new owners, LTFC2020, were finally given permission from the Football League to sign new players and Mick signed no less than eleven new faces (including Kevin Nicholls) within the space of two days.  Full-back Claude Gnakpa arrived from Peterborough United, central defenders Ian Roper and George Pilkington joined from Walsall and Port Vale respectively and midfielders Kevin Watson, Asa Hall and Rossi Jarvis came in from Colchester United, Birmingham City and Norwich City respectively.  The four other new faces were all loan arrivals - the Norwich City duo of defender Michael Spillane and forward Chris Martin arriving on season-long loans and initial month-long deals agreed for Bristol City winger Tristan Plummer and Bristol Rovers striker Josh Klein-Davies.  In addition, youngsters George Beavan, Ryan Charles and Edward Asafu-Adjaye all signed new professional contracts, and first-team regulars Lewis Emanuel and Keith Keane penned new deals to stay with the Hatters.  Just a fortnight later, goalkeeper Conrad Logan arrived on loan from Leicester City to make it twelve new faces in the playing squad to join during the August 2008 transfer window.

It gave Mick the squad he had spent months trying to put together, carefully scouting players and watching many matches and meant he had a group of players that he felt was capable of performing "The Great Escape" and maintaining Luton Town's League status.

A true Luton Town legend in every sense of the word, Mick is a hugely popular appointment and everyone at Luton Town is hoping he'll be a huge success as manager.

Profile By:  James Garley