The Luton thread

Caitlyn

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Probably no bad thing for us as you’ll probably beat us but surprised the Derby game on April 1st isn’t on Sky .

Particularly given the Rob Edwards connection and league table !
Yes very strange. Thought that would be peak viewing but then Preston vs Blackpool is also kicking off at the same time, are they closer or worse rivals?
 

Super_horns

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Yes very strange. Thought that would be peak viewing but then Preston vs Blackpool is also kicking off at the same time, are they closer or worse rivals?
Maybe closer but seems to be more riding on our game potentially?

And as I say the Edwards connection.

Sure Sky wouldn’t mind pointing out how a manager we dumped after 11 games has gone on to do well at a rival club whilst we flounder a bit .

Some of our fans certainly do!

Quite often question why has Bilic been given so long when RE got no time at all.
 
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SF_

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Sky haven't picked games for that weekend yet have they?
 

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‘A gargantuan task’: Sweet reveals cost of Premier League, Power Court and when it will be built​

April 11, 2023 Sportsdesk 1
Luton chief executive Gary Sweet
Luton chief executive Gary Sweet. Photo by Liam Smith
Luton Town winning promotion to the Premier League would mean a huge cost and effort to upgrade Kenilworth Road over the summer, according to chief executive Gary Sweet, who has also revealed how many seasons the old stadium could have left before their new Power Court home will be built.
The Hatters are now third in the Championship, with a nine-point buffer in the play-offs and a five-point gap between the remaining automatic promotion spot, with five games to go and fans dreaming of the top flight.
However, if the Hatters win promotion to the Premier League this season, they will have to fork out for major changes to their 119-year-old stadium, in order to meet the requirements of television – and the cost is quite steep.
“There’s rather a lot of work to do,” Sweet to BBC Radio 4, adding of the famous old ground: “It hasn’t changed an awful lot over that time (119 years), so we’ve got around £8million, maybe £10million of improvements to do, which is pretty much rebuilding one stand in about less than three months, which is some task that we’ve got on our hands.
“It’s just really to comply with the Premier League’s broadcasting requirements and some facility requirements that are needed.”
If promotion is achieved, and for however long Luton could remain in the top flight, an upgrade to Kenilworth Road would only be temporary, with work soon to start on building a long-awaited new stadium for the club.
Planning consent for a new home at Power Court in the centre of Luton was granted in 2019, but the Covid pandemic is just one of the factors which has meant the original plans have had to be rethought.
However, plans were submitted in February to relocate an electricity substation, and that is one of the most significant projects that need to be completed so that construction can start on an initial 17,500-seater stadium, which Sweet has said could be relatively soon.
And the Hatters supremo confirmed that it could be up to the 2026/27 season that the club finally move into their new home, which will require a “heavy investment” that could ultimately reach a nine-figure sum.
Sweet said: “Our budget for our new stadium, which we hope to be putting a spade into the ground at the end of this year, or early next, would be approaching £100million, so it’s quite a heavy investment for football at that level for us, for around about a 20,000-seater stadium.
“That will put us into the Premier League bracket. But just to be able to get Kenilworth Road ready now, just for a couple of years, maybe two or three years, is maybe more of a gargantuan task than building a new stadium, actually.”
While there is an outside hope of joining Burnley in getting automatically promoted to the Premier League which Luton helped found but never got to play in – after they got relegated from the top-flight the season before it began in 1992 – they could be as little as two victories away from securing a play-off place for the second campaign running.
Last term, the squad was decimated by injuries for the run-in, but this time around they’re stronger, have fewer major injury concerns and are in good form and a higher league position.
If it is to be a play-off test once again, Sweet said: “I think our experience last year will certainly be a huge help to us. In fact, if our team of this year played our team of last year, it’s quite interesting what would turn out. I think this year would certainly win, so yes, I think we’re feeling a bit more confident.”
If Luton achieve success this season, they will become the only team ever to rise from the non-league to the Premier League, a feat which, if achieved this term or next, will be done in a decade.
Sweet said: “We’re actually really good at keeping our feet planted to the ground, but inside we’re feeling very excited about it.
“We’ve now been spending about 24 months in this position in the top six of the Championship so we’re kind of getting used to this a little bit now. But it is a very exciting feeling that we could actually be in the Premier League next season.”
 

That Fat Centre Half

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I see a few people saying elsewhere the Exec Boxes are the stand he's referring too but i think its far more likely to be the Main Stand he's talking of and its not full on new stand, but a massive retrofit of the stand to make it work.

I'd imagine the press facilities wouldn't be up to standard at all and probably need a load of changes to have VAR in there and the dressing room area would probably need a load of changes too.

Be amazing to be promoted, incredible we are even having the discussion really let alone 2 seasons running at this being a genuine possibility. The story would be just incredible of the last 10 or so years - you could probably make a sickly sweet hollywood film out of it and still be close to the reality. Honestly wouldn't give a toss if we didnt win a game or didnt buy a player, because the money would be so big for us getting Power Court to be a reality which would make us sustainable long term, as much as we love it its just not viable to be at Kenilworth Road much longer. Having said that, there is no way id want to go up if it meant playing games somewhere other than Kenilworth Road. I couldnt imagine it.
 

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What you don't want to do is spend too much that should relegation happen there is all this extra cost to maintain.
 

BelizeHatter

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IF it happens........spend the minimum. Upgrades rock bottom bare min for sure. Go with what we have, pay em a chunk, sign some Champ promising players who want a shot, pickup some experience but no expectations to stay and contracts revert to mid Champ when we go down.

Take the hundred odd milly rather than do a Forest and piss it all up the wall. Put it into the Stadium and housing development to be a sustainable decent Championship side. Then have a proper crack at getting there again and staying.

But tbh At best we are Championship sized right? ........ Im cool with that.
 

codaplenty

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Wishing you all the best Oaky as you look to achieve a fantastic promotion. Tremendous season with great credit to your manager, just remember as you scale these heights that Fleetwood once beat you at Kenilworth Road, think it was Steve McNulty who scored and then became a top player for you. Enjoy mate
 

oakroader

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Thank you my fisherman friend…
Also good to see your boys exceeding pre season expectations too…you must be delighted with the progress
Keep well captain birdseye
 

Caitlyn

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IF it happens........spend the minimum. Upgrades rock bottom bare min for sure. Go with what we have, pay em a chunk, sign some Champ promising players who want a shot, pickup some experience but no expectations to stay and contracts revert to mid Champ when we go down.

Take the hundred odd milly rather than do a Forest and piss it all up the wall. Put it into the Stadium and housing development to be a sustainable decent Championship side. Then have a proper crack at getting there again and staying.

But tbh At best we are Championship sized right? ........ Im cool with that.
Have always agreed to this as a plan, so many clubs try and spend their way to stay up and fail badly. We need to develop our infrastructure first in order to build and then push forwards. Only with the new stadium and other key assets can we then compete on a more consistent basis (meaning keeping our current form for longer as a bench mark through a season). We will never go back to being a club that just buys for the sake of buying and wasting key revenue. Those days should stay in the past for us.
 

Caitlyn

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Wishing you all the best Oaky as you look to achieve a fantastic promotion. Tremendous season with great credit to your manager, just remember as you scale these heights that Fleetwood once beat you at Kenilworth Road, think it was Steve McNulty who scored and then became a top player for you. Enjoy mate
I think McNulty will be forever in our hearts.
 

BelizeHatter

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That was the start of it all. He was an important early step.

Look at the state of the pitch. We really have taken massive, progressive, smart strides forward in less than ten years.

Love my Club
 

oakroader

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Another update…

Luton Town: Club reveals new stadium pictures and plans​

    • Published
      16 minutes ago
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Luton Town's proposed new stadium at Power Court
IMAGE SOURCE, 2020 DEVELOPMENTS
Image caption,
New images show the Power Court stadium in its first phase of development at a capacity of 19,500, which will include around a third as safe-standing
By Katy Lewis
BBC News, Bedfordshire

As Luton Town bid for a Premier League place, the club has released pictures of its planned new stadium.
The images show the proposed Power Court ground ahead of a detailed planning application being submitted during the close-season.
The club said its design aimed to "capture the core characteristics" of current home Kenilworth Road.
The target for completion was 2026 "regardless of league position" or victory in Saturday's play-off final.
Luton Town's proposed new stadium at Power Court
IMAGE SOURCE, 2020 DEVELOPMENTS
Image caption,
The stadium is due to be the centrepiece of a regeneration of a 20-acre site next to Luton Railway Station
The Hatters play Coventry City in the Championship play-off final at Wembley, with the winners moving up to football's top flight.
During the build up there has been speculation as to whether Luton's 10,356-capacity Kenilworth Road was fit to host Premier League football.
The club has had outline planning permission since 2019 for a 23,000-seat stadium at Power Court.
Its development arm, 2020 Developments, said subject to a "consented detailed planning application" the stadium would be the centrepiece of a regeneration of a 20-acre site next to Luton railway station which will include homes, leisure and retail space.
The images show the stadium in its first phase of development at a capacity of 19,500, which would include around a third as safe-standing.
A second phase would see another 4,000 seats or "standing seats" added, according to demand.
It is thought groundworks would begin by the end of the year with construction estimated to take about 24-30 months.
Chief executive, Gary Sweet, said the club was developing the design detail and "in particular, work hard to capture the core characteristics that makes Kenilworth Road so atmospheric, so intimate and so special to us".
"This season, perhaps more than any other, has demonstrated the incredible relationship we all have with 'The Kenny' and that has been the driving force behind our design work," he said.
"It's clearly a hugely complicated project but the main aim has always been to maintain the architectural quality and to deliver a stadium that replicates an essential, unique character we are all so familiar with but also fit and ready to grace the Premier League stage."
The club said the next stage was to talk to Luton Council and key stakeholders such as the Environment Agency and Historic England through the design process.
Chief operating officer, Michael Moran, said: "We are also engaging with contractors as we finalise certain construction features, but our target for completion is 2026, regardless of the club's league position."
 

BelizeHatter

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Retained released list out. Massive thanks to Capt Sonny. He stepped his game up each level required. Sometimes he looked done and always would come back and perform. Glad he can leave on a high. While never an exceptional talent he was exceptional for us. 'Kicks who wants' Henri and an unlucky Harry Istead who i think could be the better of the three keepers we had. Good luck too all

Lot of young talent moved on as always and expected with promotion, but some of those names in Lawless Pettit Jones etc were highly thought of for a long while and had games recently here and there between them.

Think most of our returning loans will go too. Hope all of the 'in negotiations' can agree a deal.

Look forward to see the individuals, type and style we bring in. I know it will be smart and non disruptive
 

That Fat Centre Half

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Extremely surprised at us taking up an option on Thorpe and as much as a love him us negotiating to keep Berry. Same with Potts really. Bit of sentimentality creeping in perhaps with Potts and Berry?

Bell, Lockyer and Pelly all still in negotiations too, all 3 massive players so fingers crossed but not sure how often you have 3 out of contract players re-signing
 

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Keylor Navas. Yes please. Hed be a cult legend and love playing at The Kenny. Go get him Mick.
 

BelizeHatter

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Luton have said that their next aim is the Premier League, but my goodness they’re going to have to go some to get there. Project 2025 perhaps?

The way money is going, it seems as if the PL is almost only available for about 30-40 teams realistically.
A while back
 

oakroader

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Just sticking my head in lads..
Curious to know if there was any of our players that impressed you enough to put on your wish list of signings??
 

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Look after Calos in the Prem, He was always destined to be a top class player for you
 

That Fat Centre Half

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Been a really great year for the town since the Playoff final culminating in this which was a fantastic and positive event. The town has had such a positive buzz about it that I can’t really recall in my lifetime anyway. It’s not perfect, very far from it but there’s good things and good people here and that’s really come to the fore in the last year.

Really hope we see more such events here, it’s a perfect location for big events with the airport, M1 and train station all becoming more connected and the park in the middle of it.

Really shows how the football club can have a net positive impact on the town it represents. Really hope we can get this stadium built, the whole scheme outside of the stadium with the cultural quarter as well will be so so positive for the town as a whole
 

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