Season Review 00-01                          Review of the 2000-01 Campaign

A PERSONAL OPINION

What began with brave optimism finished with great disappointment as Luton were relegated to the basement division with a miserly total of 40 points, just 13 years after winning the Littlewoods cup at Wembley. 

Ricky Hill.

The euphoria surrounding the return of Hatters legend Ricky Hill started to disappear in the August sunshine at Kenilworth Road following a 0-1 reverse against Notts County on the opening day of the season. We thought it was an early glitch and that things would improve but alas it was not to be. Dreadful home form coupled with poor signings resulted in the season long struggle to avoid the drop, a task which looked impossible until a relatively short resurgence of form in February gave us some hope. 

If the truth be known, most of us suspected by November that we were doomed. Not just through the appalling results but also in the way we were playing. Over the years I have seen Luton get beaten more times than I care to recall but even so, they generally looked good on the pitch, even in times of defeat. This season we were not only getting beaten, but also playing dreadfully - the football at times was so bad to watch. 

No out & out goal scorer, a leaky defence, an unbalanced side playing without any natural wide men. In my opinion, all this contributed to our downfall. We had money to spend but seemed to go for quantity of players, not quality.

"Sadly, Ricky was given his cards in November" 

Lil Fuccillo.

Sadly, Ricky was given his cards in November. His replacement, Lil Fuccillo, started his time as manager on a hiding to nothing at home to Rushden & Diamonds in the FA Cup. A 1-0 win under the new boss did not lead to an improvement in league fortunes and in February, Joe Kinnear was appointed manager.

Joe Kinnear during his first match in charge.

Four wins from his first five games in charge gave us optimism that we may have turned the corner and, for a while, I believed that we would escape the drop. However, no wins in the last thirteen games of the season saw us finish third bottom of Division Two, despite the new manager signing a target man on transfer deadline day (Steve Howard, Northampton, £50,000). Consequently, it came as no surprise when Joe decided to release 12 or 13 players during the closing part of the season. 

It amounts to a season of almost total dissatisfaction, coupled with the reality of next season’s forthcoming trips to such places as Halifax, Exeter and Macclesfield. 

Lee Mansell scores against Swansea.

Highlights? Not many, save for the emergence of Lee Mansell, Emmerson Boyce, Matthew Taylor & Jude Stirling. The away wins at Northampton, Notts County & Swindon during the February ‘revival’. The away support was marvellous too, with up to 2,500 Luton supporters making trips despite the poor form shown on the pitch.  Maybe there are more, but for sure I can’t think of any at the moment. 

Lowlights? The home form, the sadness in Ricky not making it happen, the efforts (lack of) shown by some players, the poor transfer signings, the awful football, 3-4 against Wrexham (after leading 3-0), it goes on & on, which I won’t. The chances are that if you have taken the time to read this you will have seen for yourself.

"We need to attract good new players to the club, not the easiest of tasks when you’re playing in the Third Division"

Joe Kinnear realises the task ahead.

So, to next season. In my humble opinion, Joe Kinnear is the right man for the job. We need to attract good new players to the club, not the easiest of tasks when you’re playing in the Third Division. That’s where a high-profile manager like Kinnear could possibly be worth his weight in gold in selling the club to prospective signings. Let’s face it, we don’t have a lot else going for us in the immediate future, although hopefully we shall soon be hearing about the new ground. 

Anyway, hope springs eternal as they say. You only have one team & Luton Town are mine. Naturally my season ticket will be renewed and come August the optimism will have returned. But will I still have my £20:00 e/w bet on us going up like I did this year? Most probably yes, as I’ve said before a fool & his money etc! 

Lets hope Joe can turn it around & the 5-year plan to get us back to Division One takes shape. If we can’t get out of the bottom division at the first attempt then we have got problems! 

Dave (the gaffer)