Jack Wilshere absolved of blame for current 'car crash' Luton Town situation - "I've lost faith" | OneFootball

FLW’s Hatters fan pundit has weighed in on Wilshere’s tenure so far

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Jack Wilshere is 10 league matches into his first full-time managerial reign with Luton Town, the early optimism that greeted his appointment is beginning to give way to unease.

Thursday night’s 3-2 defeat away at Reading - a game in which Luton dominated possession, carved out promising moments and still found a way to lose - felt like a tipping point for sections of the Hatters’ support, particularly those who made the trip to the Select Car Leasing Stadium.

The nature of the loss was as damaging as the result itself. Luton controlled large spells, recovered from a two-goal deficit through strikes from Jordan Clark and Nigel Lonwijk, only to concede again just minutes later in a familiar collapse.

It was another example of what Wilshere himself has labelled “cheap goals”, and another afternoon where the underlying performance offered encouragement, but the scoreboard told a harsher story.

Wilshere was thrown into the job following Matt Bloomfield’s departure with little time to prepare, inheriting a squad that had already begun to show signs of fatigue after consecutive relegations from the Premier League to League One.

An initial uptick - including four wins in quick succession - briefly steadied the ship, but that momentum has since stalled. In the nine matches that followed, Luton managed just two victories, alongside four draws and three defeats, leaving them hovering uncomfortably between the play-off picture and the wrong end of the table.

That inconsistency has fuelled increasingly vocal debate among supporters. While some argue Wilshere needs time, backing and a transfer window to shape the squad in his image, others have begun to question his team selections, tactical decisions and ability to halt a worrying defensive slide.

Social media reaction following the Reading defeat ranged from calls for patience to outright demands for change.

Yet beneath the surface-level frustration sits a deeper question: how much responsibility can realistically be placed at Wilshere’s door so early into his first permanent managerial role?

Recruitment issues, squad imbalance and lingering hangovers from previous regimes all continue to loom large in the background.

Jack Wilshere’s Luton Town management assessed after unpopular Reading FC defeat

With a more meaningful sample size now available, Football League World spoke with in house Hatters fan pundit Simon Mills for his thoughts on Wilshere’s first two months in charge - and whether or not he had any reservations that he may not be the right man for Luton.

And whilst Wilshere has been somewhat backed as head coach by Mills, it is those in charge of recruitment that have been slated for the current goings on at Kenilworth Road.

“I really can't blame Jack Wilshere for the current state of the squad and above, to be honest,” Mills told FLW.

“He's come in and he's working with what he's inherited, which is now ongoing failure from the recruitment department to bring in the right type of player.

“Shandon Baptiste in particular, is one of the most mind-boggling signings I've ever seen as a Luton Town fan. More risk than reward, every single day in a week.

“I personally don't think that our current Head of Recruitment deserves another window. How do we know he's going to provide Wilshere with the players that he's requesting?

“I've lost faith in that side of Luton Town Football Club, but Jack Wilshere can't be held responsible. It's not three managers's fault that the squad are this demoralised, really.

“We still need to move on to several players. Jacob Brown needs to go. Marvelous Nakamba really should go. We really need to get rid - although they’re players that we liked personally, they haven't done their business for us.

“The reset at Luton Town and the car crash is ongoing.”

Positive signs for Jack Wilshere at Luton Town - but January transfer window will be important

The challenge for Jack Wilshere is turning a promising process into more tangible progress.

Performances like at Reading have offered glimpses of a Luton side beginning to understand what their head coach is asking of them, particularly in possession and during controlled phases of the game.

But those moments continue to be undermined by defensive fragility, lapses in concentration and an inability to manage key phases - especially immediately after scoring.

There is also a broader question of identity. Wilshere has spoken about building a clear style that functions both in and out of possession, but implementing that vision with a group assembled under different philosophies is rarely straightforward.

Several players are being asked to adapt roles, while others appear to be playing their way through extended spells of poor form without obvious alternatives pushing them from behind. That lack of internal competition has only heightened scrutiny on selection decisions.

Context, however, remains important. Wilshere took charge midway through a turbulent period, inheriting a squad shaped by consecutive relegations and the psychological toll that accompanies them.

Expectations have not always recalibrated accordingly. Luton may sit just outside the play-off places, but the margins are fine, and the league table remains tightly packed.

One positive run of results could quickly shift the narrative - just as another sequence of dropped points would deepen the unease.

January looms for the Hatters: recruitment will not only determine how competitive Luton can be in the second half of the season, but also signal how firmly the club is prepared to back its young head coach.

Addressing defensive depth and injecting renewed competition into the squad could prove decisive in stabilising performances.

The task is clear but unforgiving. League One offers little time for long-term projects to breathe, yet the evidence so far suggests a manager attempting to impose structure rather than simply firefight.