Former England international Carlton Palmer believes Luton Town manager Rob Edwards should not be under pressure, despite his side’s poor start to the season.
The 41-year-old emerged as one of the brightest young managers in English football when he guided the Hatters to the Premier League, the first time they had been in the top tier since 1992. Although their stay in the division was brief, the Bedfordshire-based side earned many plaudits for how they played with their energetic and gutsy performances.
Having largely kept their squad together throughout the summer, Luton began the season as one of the favourites to secure instant promotion. However, a 4-1 defeat on the opening day against Burnley set the tone.
Further losses against Preston North End and Queens Park Rangers compounded the matter, although they finally got their tally off the mark when they recorded a narrow victory at Millwall. Edwards’ team followed this with another three points against Sheffield Wednesday, but a disappointing 3-1 reverse at Plymouth Argyle on Friday night brought the newly found optimism crashing back down to Earth with a bang.
There have been gentle murmurings that Edwards may now be under pressure. Despite dominating against Plymouth, they looked devoid of ideas and there have been some criticisms that the manager may struggle with a plan B.
Luton currently sit 19th in the table ahead of tonight’s visit of Oxford United. They are just two points outside of the relegation places, although three points tonight could see them surge up the table and move level on points with tonight’s opponents in 11th.
Due to the tight nature of the Championship and the heroics Edwards has performed at Kenilworth Road since taking over in 2022, Carlton Palmer believes any talk of the sack is premature. Speaking to Football League World, he said:
“It’s fair to say that it’s not the start that Rob Edwards and Luton would’ve wanted this season, but there is a long way to go.
“Luton sit in 19th-place on seven points, only six or seven points off a play-off place. Things can change pretty quickly, all you have to do is rack up two or three wins and the league can look completely different.
“Should Edwards come under pressure? Absolutely not.
“After getting Luton promoted, he nearly kept them in the Premier League. There’s always this little hangover when you get relegated from the Premier League because you have to sell players, you have to balance the books.
“It’s not been the greatest start for Edwards but for what he’s done at the club, he’s got a free pass for me this season and I fully expect Luton to be there or thereabouts come the end of the season.
“Something’s not quite right at the moment, maybe still a hangover from getting relegated from the Premier League, Edwards will get it right and I’m sure we will see Luton at the other end of the table vying for the automatic slots come the end of the season.
“100 per cent, Edwards should not come under pressure given what he’s done at the club.”
Writer’s View
We all know the cut-throat nature of football and how quickly things can change. Rob Edwards is a hero at Luton but criticism amongst supporters is starting to creep in. He has a talented bunch of players plus money to spend at his disposal with their Premier League parachute payments. However, losing touch with the promotion-chasing group may mean he may not get another chance to utilise those funds.
Coupled with results from other games, losing tonight against a team in which they were two divisions above last season could have consequences and see the pressure ramp up. Defeat is unlikely to see him be given the boot, but it’s tough to regain the support of the fans once doubt has set in. Given that a trip to the undefeated Sheffield United is on the horizon, it’s fair to say tonight is a must win game, even at this early stage of the season.
