Luton Town being better against Bradford City than they were against Stevenage is a desperately low bar for judging progress, and fans deserve more from Jack Wilshere and his expensively assembled squad.
As a lifelong Luton fan, I’ve seen some highs and lows, from the 1988 Littlewoods Cup to our promotion to the Premier League; the highs are life-affirming, but the relegations and misery temper everything. We’ve risen from the depths of hell (well, the Blue Square Premier) to the pristine pitches of Anfield, but right now, the trajectory feels like a one-way ticket back to Boreham Wood.
There were brighter passages against Bradford, more purposeful passing and changes designed to chase the game, but another defeat left us 16th and heading into the international break with questions that cannot simply be dismissed as impatience.
Jack Wilshere has earned some credit. The trophy success and lengthy unbeaten run were real achievements, and a difficult month does not erase them. Equally, those achievements should have raised expectations for this season, rather than become the answer whenever the current team falls short.
The Bradford defeat exposed problems that go beyond one goalkeeper making one mistake. Luton (I’ll be professional now) conceded cheaply, struggled to turn promising positions into decisive chances and became increasingly ineffective against opponents who knew exactly how to protect their advantage. Those are familiar enough failings to make criticism entirely reasonable.
Changing the goalkeeper was a decision Wilshere had every right to make, but the timing deserves scrutiny. Josh Keeley had given him reasons to consider an alternative, yet James Shea was coming into a major league fixture without recent league football behind him. With trophy matches approaching, there was an opportunity to assess that change under different circumstances.
Instead, Shea’s poor distribution helped start the move for Bradford’s goal, before Bobby Pointon’s header beat him. The change failed to bring the immediate security Luton needed and left another selection question hanging over the break. Wilshere now has to restore confidence and establish some clarity in a position where uncertainty rarely helps. However, concentrating entirely on Shea would let too many others escape examination. The move also involved a defender being beaten and Pointon finding space at the far post. Changing the goalkeeper cannot repair a defensive structure that gives opponents opportunities so readily.
Bradford deserve credit for what followed, but their ability to defend should not become an excuse for Luton’s inability to respond. Good teams will protect leads, block shots and interrupt momentum. Finding ways through that is part of the job for a side with ambitions of moving up the division.
The corners were perhaps the clearest example of Luton making life too comfortable for their opponents. Fourteen opportunities brought precious little reward, with repeated deliveries allowing Bradford’s goalkeeper to dominate. At some stage, somebody needed to recognise that repetition was helping the defending team.
A short option, a different starting position or a changed angle would at least have asked another question. These are adjustments players and coaches should be capable of making during a match. An international break should not be required to establish that an unsuccessful routine might benefit from some variation.
There were tactical changes in open play, including a move to two forwards, and that should be acknowledged. It makes criticism more credible to recognise what Wilshere tried. But the second half still produced only one shot on target, a late effort that hardly suggested Bradford were being overwhelmed.
The wider defence of the manager needs a tougher examination. Running figures can correct an inaccurate claim about effort, but they cannot establish that a team used its energy effectively. Likewise, an unbeaten sequence across competitions does not explain why this side is currently struggling to impose itself in League One.
Comparisons with Matt Bloomfield offer limited reassurance. Being an improvement on a disappointing predecessor should be a starting point for judging Wilshere, while the relevant question is whether Luton are progressing quickly enough under him now.
Jordan Clark’s return offers genuine encouragement, but the team’s difficulties without him also raise questions about its dependence on one midfielder. A summer intended to strengthen the squad should have made it better equipped to cope.
Wilshere does not need to be sacked for these concerns to be valid. He does need to produce a team that defends more reliably, adapts sooner and makes sustained pressure count. Supporters should be able to expect that without being told to revisit last season’s statistics, and the next league performances need to provide much stronger evidence that it is coming.
The truth is, for someone who makes a living writing about football, this is a busman’s holiday for me. I watch on from the Kenny End, looking to move away from the analysis and dissection, instead wanting to see the successful football club we were promised at the start of 2023. Right now, we seem as far away from that Hatters side as we did in 2009.