How Gary Sweet must replace Matt Bloomfield at Luton Town - It's glaringly obvious | OneFootball

Gary Sweet must learn from the mistake he made by appointing Matt Bloomfield to ensure he gets the next managerial appointment right.

Luton Town chief executive Gary Sweet must avoid making the same mistake as he did by appointing Matt Bloomfield when looking for the next Hatters boss.

The Bedfordshire side thought they'd won the race for one of the most exciting up-and-coming young managers in the EFL in January, when they head-hunted Bloomfield from high-flying Wycombe Wanderers.

However, that wouldn't be the case, as after nine months, the 41-year-old was relieved of his duties, leaving the former Premier League side 11th in League One after as many games, and sending the club's hierarchy back to square one.

Despite his success at Wycombe, it was clear from the get-go that Bloomfield was in over his head at Luton, as he went from what was a well-oiled machine at Adams Park, to total chaos at Kenilworth Road, which an inexperienced manager would struggle to solve.

With the problems that the former Hatters boss inherited still at large, it's key that Sweet learns from the mistake of appointing a young 'project manager', and instead goes for a wise head who can bring instant stability.

Matt Bloomfield's rollercoaster nine months at Luton Town

When Bloomfield arrived at Kenilworth Road, it seemed that Hatters had pulled off a real coup by winning the race for his services, and managing to coax him out of his beloved Wycombe in the middle of a promotion battle.

There was reportedly interest in the 41-year-old from both Millwall and Coventry City before Luton appointed him, so to get the deal over the line before another club seemed to be a statement of intent from Sweet and his fellow board members.

The new manager was heavily backed in January as well, ensuring he had all the tools at his disposal to hit the ground running and steer the Hatters away from the drop zone. This wouldn't be the case though, as it took him nine attempts to get his first win.

Whilst things did begin to finally start working after that, with Bloomfield winning six of his final 12 matches in the league to put his side in touching distance of survival, all that work would be undone on the final day, with a humiliating 5-3 defeat to West Bromwich Albion, which condemned Luton to back-to-back relegations.

This day was really the beginning of the end for Bloomfield, as questions over his team selection were raised that day, which would be a common theme of his tenure, as he was often described as 'putting square pegs in round holes' by concerned supporters.

For the second transfer window running, Sweet and co backed their man heavily, ensuring he had a squad capable of getting out of League One at the first attempt, but things didn't click into place, which would ultimately cost the former Wycombe boss his job.

Similar criticisms were made of Bloomfield in League One, with his team selections and lack of confidence when settling on a formation saw supporters become quickly frustrated. That anger reached boiling point with a 2-0 defeat to Stevenage on Saturday.

By that time, it was glaringly obvious Bloomfield had lost the supporters, and with the issues on and off the pitch piling up at his door, his position became untenable, which would see him relieved of his duties on the Monday after the Stevenage game.

Gary Sweet must learn from Matt Bloomfield mistake ahead of his next managerial appointment

To end what promised to be an exciting new era so abruptly and poorly is a massive disappointment for all connected with the club, but it seemed like Bloomfield wasn't what Luton needed in a manager at the time he was appointed.

Despite success at Wycombe, Bloomfield was still an inexperienced manager when he arrived at Kenilworth Road, and the expectation was for him to grow alongside the club, hence calling him a 'project manager'.

Whilst this is a popular type of appointment in modern football, with the likes of Kieran McKenna and Thomas Frank some of the most prominent examples of the success this model can bring in recent years.

However, at Luton, their need for instant stability outweighed any idea of a project needing to be built. They needed someone to come in and hit the ground running, whilst being able to address some of the pressing issues within the squad, which Bloomfield couldn't.

The campaign was already a write-off when you consider that the goal of the club was to bounce straight back to the Premier League, so bringing in someone in the short-term to steady the ship and set up a strong platform for a project manager to come in was what was required.

If the Hatters had opted for a more experienced disciplinarian option over Bloomfield on an 18-month contract, it would've likely seen them stand a better chance of maintaining their Championship status, then stabilizing in the season after, before handing over the reins to someone like Bloomfield to start a project from the platform of stability they built.

This is certainly easier said than done, and is a thesis filled with if, buts, and maybes, but it just feels like Bloomfield was the right man for what Luton wanted in the long-term, but appointed at the wrong time, when the club didn't really have a project, instead needing hard reset, and stability.

With that in mind, Sweet must ensure that he doesn't make the same mistake that he did by appointing Bloomfield, and go with another young project manager, instead of someone who can deliver instant results, and help the club get back to the Championship in the short term.

Whilst the bigger picture at Luton is the aim of sustaining in the Premier League, Sweet needs to stop looking too far ahead, and focus on the now, which involves turning the club's poor start to the League One season around, and getting themselves in the promotion frame.

Interestingly, Jack Wilshere is a popular name being mentioned, but this would feel like a sideways step from Bloomfield, as he's another inexperienced young project manager still learning his trade, so the outcome would likely be the same, and this proves to Luton supporters even more that Sweet doesn't learn from his mistake.

The Hatters chief executive needs to get this next appointment right, and he must learn from the failure of Bloomfield that, right now, his side must go down the route of an experienced manager, rather than a long-term project who will look to grow with the club.