"Too long" - Luton Town mistake involving Rob Edwards raised as League One beckons | OneFootball

FLW's Luton Town fan pundit has given his verdict on whether the club waited too long to sack Rob Edwards

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…

Rob Edwards was in charge for the majority of the Championship season as Luton Town suffered a second relegation in a row.

The 42-year-old’s position was under pressure for several weeks prior to his dismissal in early January.

He had previously played a big role in the Hatters gaining Premier League promotion, as well as their respectable 18th place finish in the top flight.

But the risk of a second relegation in a row led to his departure, with Matt Bloomfield coming in as his replacement and overseeing a disappointing 22nd place finish.

Rob Edwards sacking claim

When asked whether the club waited too long to dismiss Edwards, FLW’s Luton fan pundit Simon Mills claimed that they did.

He believes a change should’ve been made after the team lost emphatically 5-1 to Middlesbrough in November, which left them 21st in the table and only outside the bottom three due to a superior goals scored record.

“Luton definitely did wait too long to sack Rob Edwards,” Mills told Football League World.

“He should have gone in November when we lost to Middlesbrough.

“The writing was on the wall, it’s one of my biggest gripes of the season about how long Rob Edwards did stay in position.

“It was clear there were numerous issues with him around the club, and with players.

“Numerous rumours about [personal issues], which allegedly is what took his eye off the ball, which Gary Sweet mentioned in his statement after Edwards left.

“Obviously, it’s going to be tough to get any details on those, but Rob Edwards was clearly distracted, whether it be from personal issues or the fallout from the Premier League, but yes, definitely [he should’ve been sacked sooner].”

Luton were ultimately relegated on the final day of the season following a 5-3 loss to West Brom.

Edwards situation was a tricky one for Luton

Edwards had earned the opportunity to turn things around at Luton given what he’d achieved up to that point.

That meant it was a very tricky situation for the club’s hierarchy, but perhaps the 5-1 in November did display a number of warning signs that should’ve been heeded.

It left the team on the brink of the relegation zone, and the manner of the defeat showcased just how bad things could get under Edwards.

If they had acted sooner, then there’s a very real chance they could’ve avoided relegation, but that’s now easy to say after the fact.