Luton Town, in the 2023/24 season, were every Premier League fan's second-favourite team as they looked to excite against the odds under the watchful eye of Rob Edwards – and many hoped that Jack Wilshere would inject the third-tier outfit with some inspiration. But the former midfielder has struggled thus far and the Kenilworth Road faithful have made their feelings known following their recent loss to Reading.
Following Matt Bloomfield's departure, Wilshere was thrown straight into the deep end, and he had very little time to build connections with his collection of players ahead of his first game in charge – a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Mansfield Town. A couple of months on, Wilshere has accrued a points-per-match rate of 1.57 in his 14-match tenure at the helm of Luton. But what do the fans make of Wilshere's start to life at the club?
Jack Wilshere Verdict Given Following Luton Loss to Reading
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Wilshere's aforementioned loss to Mansfield was followed up with four wins on the bounce as things looked to be turning around for Luton, who have suffered back-to-back demotions from the Premier League to League One. In the following nine matches, though, the Bedfordshire outfit have picked up just two victories. In that time, they've drawn four times and lost three matches.
Their most recent outing – a 3-2 loss to mid-table dwellers Reading – is one of the toughest to swallow, though, and fans have made their feelings known after what seemed to be an easy win ended in defeat.
Leam Richardson's Reading forged a two-goal lead after 52 minutes before Luton's Jordan Clark halved the deficit with his strike just shy of the hour mark. Proceedings were levelled 17 minutes following the away side's equaliser, but it was to no avail as Reading substitute Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan bagged the match-winner with 12 minutes left of regulation time at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.
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It was always going to be a tough assignment for Wilshere, who is widely regarded as one of the players with the most potential wasted in football history, given that he made his first foray into management but many Luton supporters are of the belief that he's out of his depth. "How is [Mads Juel] Andersen getting in ahead of [Christ] Makosso? Starting to lose faith with Wilshere’s decision-making."
"I’m going to say it, I’m not sold on Wilshere. We’re playing c*** football and playing players who keep underperforming. That’s on him. Can only hope he can sort it out with a transfer window, but not holding by breath given our hoof ball to short strikers…"
"Jack Wilshere has destroyed the team's confidence. Why has there not been cover for Adebayo? Gary Sweet, you're left with no choice. SACK JACK," another said before a fourth fan added: "Let’s be honest, Wilshere deserves a chance to make his mark in the January transfer window (if the club are serious about backing him). But, some of these selections ring alarm bells for me."
"Nine points off the relegation zone. NINE. And it could be six by the end of the weekend. Sack Wilshere. Bring in someone who actually knows what they’re doing," another wrote on X (formerly Twitter) in response to Luton's latest defeat.
At the time of writing, Luton – who have won the Championship once (1981/82) in their history – are just outside the play-off spots after 14 matches, but they are just seven points adrift of the relegation zone. Between now and the end of the campaign, significant improvements are to be expected under Wilshere or the powers that be at Kenilworth Road could part ways with the midfielder-turned-boss, who played for Arsenal between 2008 and 2018.
Wilshere Claims His Luton Side Needs to Stop Conceding 'Cheap Goals'
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Following Luton's chaotic 3-2 loss to relegation-threatened Reading, Wilshere urged his side to stop conceding 'cheap goals' if they are to finish in a play-off spot come the end of the 2025/26 League One campaign. At the time of writing, the Kenilworth Road outfit have shipped a total of 28 goals in 21 matches – which is more than the six teams above them in the English third division this season.
“It’s frustrating because, when you play like that and dominate the game, and when you ask the players to do something, and they execute it almost perfectly, it’s the same old thing," Wilshere said as his team have now gone six League One matches without a clean sheet.
“We just keep conceding cheap goals… we have to start to understand that those can be the moments that really matter. I’ve been there as a player that, when you come back into a game, there is a natural sigh of relief. But we have to manage that and we have to recognise that."
Wilshere continued: "We were the only team that was going to win this game. But we miss a header, there’s a ball in behind us, and we concede again. We just have to stop conceding those cheap goals. It’s so frustrating. We have to become a team where that doesn’t happen and we can become a team where that doesn’t happen." Up next for Wilshere's Luton, they face Wycombe Wanderers at home.