Luton Town’s Story (and play) Make them my New Favorite Team

It’s official. I am in love with Luton Town.

This weekend I read about the English League One team’s money issues and their scrappy FA Cup game with Liverpool. Last night I saw the game replay with my own eyes.

This team is sitting something like sixty places down from Liverpool, but they dominated. They were amazing. I am in love. (Okay, granted, my heart is a bit fickle when it comes to English teams. But they are definitely my team of the moment.)

The news from the weekend about Liverpool turning down Luton Town’s request for Liverpool’s half of the gate proceeds to help them stay afloat left me curious about the team its story. Fortunately ESPNSoccernet has come through with a great article, appropriately titled “Living in Hope.”

The gist of it? If Luton Town survives their current financial woes (and this is looking likelier by the day,) it will be almost wholly due to the hard work of manager Kevin Blackwell (pictured.)

Until Monday night, the Hatters were teetering on the brink of oblivion, haemorrhaging £400,000 every month on top of estimated debts of around £8 million. The club’s players have not been paid in full since October and Blackwell, himself without a contract, has been paying the club’s trainees out of his own pocket. …

But despite the considerable financial and political problems that besiege Luton (time’s too short to go into the failed planning permission for a new ground and the unscrupulous behaviour of a depressingly long line of former owners) 50-year-old Blackwell has somehow managed to galvanise his squad into something rather special, and thanks to a remarkable string of results and performances as many as four potential consortiums are offering salvation and a future for the club.

Since being docked 10 points in late November, Luton have lost just once in the league, taking 17 points from a possible 24 and should be flirting with the play-offs. There has also been a crucial FA Cup run; a 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest set up the vital, money-spinning third round meeting with Liverpool.

The end result of that 1-1 draw with Liverpool? Half of the proceeds from a nationally televised rematch at the much larger Anfield, which will probably result in a payout of £650,000. This would bring the total take from the two Liverpool games to close to £1,000,000, even without help from the stingy SOBs at Liverpool.

And the attention has brought in offers from several parties to buy the club, including at least a couple that seem to be interested in keeping the team going.

The downside is that the current financial difficulties are forcing the team to sell some of their best players. And they’re not being allowed to stay for the Liverpool rematch. But these players probably would have been sold anyway, and with luck the stellar performances against Liverpool are at least allowing them to command a higher price, and a higher salary as well.

Best news of all, though? The players have finally been paid, and by someone other than the manager.

In case you’re interested, the rematch between Liverpool and Luton Town will be next Tuesday, January 15th at 8:00 p.m. local time.

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Category: England, Europe, World Football