From Man Utd to Mansfield… where it all went wrong for Luton as they're relegated twice and end up in League One
Etienne Fermie, Sports reporter in London
Published: Invalid Date,
LUTON TOWN have been relegated AGAIN just 12 months on from their Premier League survival fight.
The Hatters finished just six points behind Nottingham Forest last season, with the Tricky Trees now chasing Champions League football under Nuno Espirito Santo.
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Unfortunately for the Kenilworth Road faithful, Luton just could not shake off the habit of losing.
Under former boss Rob Edwards, who guided Town to the Premier League, Luton collected just six points from their last 16 matches of the 2023-24 campaign.
If fans had the impression that the Championship would be easier, they were plunged back down to earth with a cruel bump when they lost 4-1 at home to Burnley on the opening day last August.
The Clarets would bounce back to the top flight at the first time of asking, the Hatters would not.
While their 5-1 battering at Middlesbrough prompted boss Edwards to admit that he felt "numb" to the situation.
Luton tried to stay faithful to the man that got them up to the Premier League, but finally pulled the trigger in January when their desperate situation became impossible to ignore.
In came Matt Bloomfield, ditching a League One promotion charge with Wycombe Wanderers for a relegation dogfight at Luton.
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Bloomfield won just four of his first 15 games in charge of Wycombe, so a slow start at Luton may not have been totally unpredictable.
But the 41-year-old taking nine matches to secure his first Hatters win left his side with an awful lot to do.
Rob Edwards reflects on Luton Town's loss to Queens Park Rangers
A late charge did see Luton briefly climb out of the relegation zone.
But a 5-3 collapse at West Brom on the final day sealed their fate, condemning the Hatters to relegation.
Last summer, Luton lost the likes of Ross Barkley, Chiedozie Ogbene and Andros Townsend, while club stalwart Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu was allowed to go out on loan.
Then there was inspirational skipper Tom Lockyer, the centre-back who suffered a second cardiac arrest on the pitch last season.
The Wales international has since recovered and been cleared to return, but a slew of injuries have kept him off the pitch this season.
His future at Kenilworth Road remains in doubt.
Speaking of Luton's traditional home, so embedded in the community, the Hatters recently announced plans to move into a new 25,000-seater stadium.
Despite their relegation, CEO Gary Sweet remains bullish on the prospect.
'THAT'S WHO WE ARE'
Speaking to The Athletic, Sweet said: "That is what the Premier League has done for us.
"What I've been saying this week when we've announced the contractor to build Power Court (the location of the new ground) is that during the course of this lifetime we're going to be playing football in that stadium in the Premier League, the Championship, in League One and, most probably, League Two because that's Luton Town.
'That's who we are, they are the journeys we take, as our history has absolutely proven.
"So whether we are League One or Championship next season, it makes really no difference to the specification of that programme, the timeline or delivery of Power Court.
"All we do is regroup as a football club and a football team."
In a club statement, chairman David Wilkinson bullishly added: "The in-depth analysis started before relegation was confirmed, as individuals and as a Club, as we set about working harder and more effectively to build on the run of form that, before Saturday's defeat, had put us in with such a chance of survival.
"All we can promise, at this moment, is that we will review, regroup and rebuild. Indeed, this has started.
"We must recover the spirit that was so familiar to us on our rise, and we will use this now as a catalyst for a renewed determination and focus to achieve one objective.
"Lengthy discussions have already taken place with Matt [Bloomfield] and his staff regarding next season designed to reshape our squad into a proper Luton team we can all be proud to watch next season.
"No stone will go unturned as we review and prepare for the 2025/26 season, hopefully, with fresh optimism and renewed vigour."
From duelling with the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool last season, Luton will have to overcome Mansfield and Burton next term.
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