Blackwell A Disgrace in Town Demise

[Neko Bazu]

www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/2008/01/14/blackwell-a-disgrace-in-town-demise-89520-20285411/

VIEW FROM THE BOTTOM - THE DIARY OF A NON-LEAGUE PLAYER
Andy Burgess 14/01/2008

[...] Newspaper reports suggest that my former Rushden team-mate David Bell will be leaving Luton Town this week and joining West Brom for around £750,000. Belly will be joining an ever-growing list of players the club's administrator has decided we need to cash in on to stay alive.

I say we, because Luton Town is my club, my family's club. I find Kevin Blackwell a disgrace, and proof that there is little loyalty left in the game.

'It's not often you get to manage your hometown club - I'm a Luton boy'. What a load of garbage.

I would play, manage, wash the kit, make the tea, cut the pitch and clean the toilets for free if it meant helping my club. I will be sat in the stand at Anfield tomorrow night, knowing that we have a manager who thinks he is being 'helpful' for giving a month's notice. I'd rather he'd have walked straight away and never shown his face again in the town.

Don't get me wrong, it must be difficult being promised things, for example a new ground, and having all your best players sold without your say-so or agreement.

But Kevin, if you're the Luton Town supporter you said you were, you would have had those promises made to you for the past 20 years, and always had your favourite players sold.

Absolutely fantastic article - fair play to the man!

[derekhappyhatter]

I must admit, I think there's something to this.
What else is Blackwell and his staff going to do for the rest of the season?
If they don't get a job, they'll not be paid and be doing nothing.
They might as well have been managing Luton.
If Luton then stayed up, they'd be heroes.
If Luton go down, everyone would say it was inevitable, it was the administrator's fault not Blackwell's or his staff's.

[CHOPPER READ]

Has he not given some of his own money to the younger players?

Did he do all those dodgy deals?

Maybe jumping but who could blame him really?

[Neko Bazu]

markbrandonread said:

Has he not given some of his own money to the younger players?

Did he do all those dodgy deals?

Maybe jumping but who could blame him really?

Credit where due, he did loan the players some money, and I have previously applauded him for that in the past.

Obviously, then, he can't be that hard-up himself, and it's not like he's going completely without pay, especially now that we've sold players. The thing that grates on fans is that he's spent so much time here banging on about how he's a lifetime fan, he's one of us, he wants what's best for the club and so forth - and now he's proving that to be utter bull.

When players are being sold off left and right, the manager is the one constant that can remain - they have to anchor the club during the storm. Instead, he's just bailing out, right when he's most needed. I'd always gathered that a true fan was there for better or worse - but instead, the going gets tough, and Blackwell gets going.

As the article says, players being sold off and lies being told are nothing new to Luton - and frankly, if he were a halfway decent fan he'd have some idea of what thousands of the rest of us knew when he came in - that Jayten were filthy crooks and our finances were fucked. Instead, he lashed out, saying he knew best, they were nice guys really etc. This was after the FA charges.

Blackwell apparently knew nothing about the club, and has only himself to blame for that. We warned him months ago. He also said himself that we should expect players to be sold off while in admin. It all comes to fruition, and what does he do?

He cuts and runs.

Thanks for the service, Blackwell, but instead of making yourself a legend just by sticking round and doing your best, you've lost the respect of every Luton fan.

[CHOPPER READ]

Warnock banged on about being a Blades fan then went as soon as they were relegated. Tried to get prem work again and ended up at Palace.

Sounds like Holloway at Plymouth too. Manager goes,fans round on him.