Luton Town - The Path To Power

#Messi4Next5BallonD'or

2014-05-10 17:06#174223 AaronHJFT96 : #Messi4Next5BallonD'or

Hopefully some Luton players will challenge him!

Luton Town's manager Ryan Ferguson was quizzed on his team's season so far, and on what he had planned for the future. The most interesting topic was of the on-loan striker Euan Smith, who has found some good form recently.

Ryan Ferguson: "I don't think there's any doubt that Euan Smith is a player with a lot of ability and the potential to go places in football. He had a bit of a slow start this season but once he got firing, he has been unstoppable. No matter who he has played against, he has always performed really well.

I think that there are two types of strikers; those that are natural goalscorers, and those that think they are. Euan Smith is a natural goalscorer and he has proven that already, not even half way through the season. I reckon he could easily finish the season with thirty goals, because he is capable of producing that number. He's only young too, he has a very bright future ahead of him.

I think him working with other young attackers such as Cristian Montaño and James Spencer has really helped Euan. He's picked up a lot of tricks from them, especially Cristian who has a few Samba skills in his locker. The players here at Luton have been very welcoming to Euan and respect him a lot. We've all generated a positive atmosphere where young players like Euan can thrive in and really develop as players. If he were to stay here for another three or four years, we could probably turn him in to a Championship or Premiership quality striker, he has that in him.

Hanging on to Euan is certainly our intention. His contract with Hibernian does expire this summer, so we will be offering Euan the chance to stay on here at Luton past his loan before the summer arrives. He has been sensational for us on loan, when most players are only thinking about getting back to their real club but he has been different. He really loves playing for Luton and I can see it in him. Hopefully we can sort out a deal to sign him for longer than this year because we want him permanently."

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Yes, I know that the picture isn't actually Euan Smith, but I can't find a proper one, so this will do

Previous Post: World Player Awards 2014
Next Post: Season Two: January Update

Hopefully you'll get him, from what I've seen he's been an absolute monster in terms of goals!

I've heard there is a bet with the great lord Stam about this kid?

2014-05-10 21:52#174268 Justice :

2014-05-10 17:06#174223 AaronHJFT96 : #Messi4Next5BallonD'or

Hopefully some Luton players will challenge him!

Is Smith the player you'll be hoping to challenge him? XP

We were top of the league by the end of 2014, but we had a long way to go yet. We knew that the second half of the season would only be tougher, and that a lot of work was needed to stay in the promotion places. Could we do it?

Results

I am absolutely disgusted with our results this month. Four losses in seven games is absolutely terrible for a team of our quality. How could we even let this happen? Okay, losing to Southampton was to be expected, considering they are three divisions above us and have one of the finest teams in the country, but losing three league games was below standard. In our last game of the month against York, we were 3-0 up after twenty minutes. We somehow let that slip to 3-2, before we scored our fourth. Then the players got complacent and allowed York to score two more to equalise. I am so disappointed with my team. They got complacent and paid the price this month. For this reason, I don't have a Player of the Month.

Sky Bet League 2

Luckily, we have only slipped down to second place. We are now four points behind Bristol Rovers and just ahead of York by Goal Difference. Oxford, fourth, are just a point behind us. We need to start winning games fast so we don't slip further down the table. We can't let promotion slip away from us now, that's not an option!

February-March Fixtures

We play ten games over the course of the next two months, all in the league. I am expecting twenty points from these games, in order to make up for a disastrous January. If the players don't perform, some might be leaving the door this summer.

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Previous Post: We Want Him Permanently
Next Post: We Need To Improve

Oh dear...Well that didn't go according to plan.

2014-05-11 16:51#174351 AaronHJFT96 : Oh dear...Well that didn't go according to plan.

Not at all

Reporter: "January wasn't the best month for your team at all, was it?"

Ryan Ferguson: "No, it wasn't good at all. I think we all just got very complacent after ending 2014 at the top end of the table, and we just collapsed with complacency. It wasn't just the players who go complacent, it was all of the club that got complacent. We were all on cloud nine and we just came crashing down heavily. We paid the price for being cocky and now we face the harsh reality of needing to get out of a hole which we dug for ourselves."

Reporter: "What steps have you taken to ensure that your team doesn't slip further down the table?"

Ryan Ferguson: "Myself and the Football Analysis and Performance team have been looking at where it has all been going wrong for us. We have pinpointed why we are losing games, and we've taken that knowledge on to the training ground to ensure that we stop losing games due to that reason. There's no guarantee that we will never lose again from situations like before, but we will cut down on a lot of mistakes which we have been making. Another thing we have been doing is team events, such as nights out, team-building exercises, discussing what we all think the club needs to work on, and we've even got a sports psychologist in from America to help keep the players focused on their performances. So far, it has been great work."

Reporter: "Are your eyes set on a second promotion in two years? It seems like a possibility now."

Ryan Ferguson: "The only thing I'm concerned about is our next performance. We're taking this season one game at a time, we certain expectations. If we do get promoted, we will celebrate that at the end of the season. We won't let ourselves get carried away again, we as professionals shouldn't be letting that happen to us."

Reporter: "Good luck in your next game, Ryan. It's been a pleasure talking to you!"

Ryan Ferguson: "Likewise."

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Previous Post: Season Two: January Update
Next Post: The Rally Cry

Nice little update, lets hope you improve!

Ongoing team meeting....

Ryan Ferguson: "Lads, listen up. I don't think anybody needs to explain how poor we were over the last month. For a team like us to only pick up four points all month is shocking form. It isn't just you guys who have been poor, it is all of us. Every single member of this club takes responsibility for our drop in form. We need to sort this out fast, as a team.

A lot has been said about us recently, and none of it good. The media expects us to plummet out of the play-off places, but we are not going to let that happen. Just a month ago, we were topping the league. That is where we want to be again, am I right? We have the ability in this squad right here to make that happen. There is only so much us staff can do, the performances on the pitch come down to you guys. You all need to step up and prove that you deserve to be a Hatter.

Myself, the coaching team and our football analysis squad have been working hard recently to discover where it has all been going wrong for us. What has happened is that we've let our emotions get the better of us. When we score, we get too happy and become complacent. When we concede, we either get too down and don't create much or we get too angry and make foolish tackles. We need to cut this out. I'm not saying that we should play like robots, but we need to be calm and play with composure. If we let our concentration slip for as little as a minute, the other can score easily. We need to sort ourselves out mentally to be able to win physically and technically.

There are just over three months left in this season, guys. Do you want more glory or do you want to be the club which lost the plot midway through what should have been a fantastic season? This is your decision, guys. It is make or break, what is it going to be? It is time to step up and show why our fans idolise you. Are you men or are you kids? Are you professionals or not? This is it, guys. Do or die, we're all in this together. Let's finish this season like we started!"

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Previous Post: We Need To Improve
Next Post: Season Two: February-March Update

"Thirty-three players reacted well"

In all seriousness great update, I love a good team meeting and hopefully it pays dividends.

2014-05-12 20:40#174503 Walter : "Thirty-three players reacted well"

In all seriousness great update, I love a good team meeting and hopefully it pays dividends.

Forty-six, actually Thanks

All the best Justice, hope things pick up. Only a mini-crisis - top spot is still on!