This weekend sees us head to Kenilworth Road to take on a Luton team who have demonstrated resilience in recent weeks – a narrow defeat to Manchester United, and draws with Liverpool and Forest.
What can Palace fans expect from the Hatters? To find out, I caught up with long time Luton fan and season ticket holder Simon M.
TEB – So, obviously a tough start to the season for you guys but you have looked resilient and improving. Are you optimistic in terms of staying up?
SL – Yes, it was always going to be a phenomenally tough start to life in the Premier League for us, but that baptism of fire has served us well in terms of getting up to the pace of the Premier League. We are notoriously slow starters in league football, this time last year, we were outside of the top ten of the championship before we pushed on to secure the historic play off final win to finally return to the top division after 30 years. We have to be optimistic about our chances of pulling off miracles to stay in the Premier League because our whole brand has become about overcoming the odds. If anyone can pull off this shock, it’s Luton Town!
TEB – You might think the odds have changed a bit with the Everton news, what’s your take on it?
SL – I have mixed feelings, as a Luton fan, we have a very deep and dark history with points deductions which are thankfully in the rear-view mirror. I don’t think Everton are endearing themselves with the overblown hyperbolic responses that the deduction is too harsh. Compared to many clubs over the years, this punishment is fairly lenient and fans of the lower divisions and those coming up won’t be sympathetic. When you have clubs like Luton, Coventry, Reading, Bury (I really could list clubs on and on), it’s difficult to feel sorry for Everton. However, if punishments for Manchester City and Chelsea are not a lot harsher than Everton, I think the whole of football will be in Everton’s corner.
TEB – On a more positive note, who is your star performer / unsung hero so far?
SL – Chiedozie Ogbene without a shadow of a doubt. A free signing from Rotherham, he has invigorated our front line and is a very direct threat. He will run at you, and he will occupy your defence. Manchester United feared him enough to double up in the tight loss before the international break. He is our biggest attacking threat and Palace will have to be very alert to stop him.
TEB – For any Palace fans who may not have seen much of Luton recently, how do you think you’ll line up/ style of play?
SL – We play defensively, which is not a secret and is necessary for us. We soak up pressure, let other teams dominate possession and hit on the counter-attack. It has been very successful for us over the last few years and really is the only way we can compete in the Premier League right now without being overwhelmed in the middle of the park. We are not afraid to go direct, and we look to make the most from set pieces. We are a very physical team and I expect a good battle on Saturday.
TEB – Who’s your current pantomime villain? We assume Watford, but anyone in the Premier League
SL – It has to be Liverpool right now. After we came away with a very hard-fought draw against them, we had the unfortunate news that a section of our fans had let themselves and the club down with tragedy chanting. After this, Liverpool fans have made a point to target anyone with the word Luton in their names despite the efforts of the fans to right this wrong by raising over £20,000 for the Hillsborough Survivors Charity in the direct aftermath of that game. We don’t condone this kind of chanting but this seems to matter very little to the fans still very much on the attack over it.
TEB – If you had a magic wand, which Palace player would you have in the Luton squad or line up?
SL – Marc Guehi. What a very promising player he is, and he would add even more grit to our defensive line. Palace have a quality centre back with him and his future is bright.
TEB – What are your views on Palace this season?
SL – I think the loss of Wilfried Zaha has affected morale and you can see it in your performances. I am sure nobody at Palace will be satisfied with being 13th right now and there have been some tough results, but the quality is there to make sure you finish well ahead of trouble this year.
TEB – Finally, what is your prediction for the game?
SL – Though nothing is ever given for free at this level, I am predicting a 2-1 Luton Town win. We will be very up for this game with a good battle against a respected club. Kenilworth Road is now becoming a tough place to come, as Liverpool found out and we will be targeting all three points from this game with your current form.
A lot will hinge on our ability to utilise our low block and make it difficult to break us down and by utilising Ogbene and Doughty to break at pace once players are committed forward. This will be an intense physical match for both squads and I am very much looking forward to it!
TEB – Thanks for your time Simon. If you’d like to hear more from him, on Luton’s ups and downs across the campaign, you can find him on X / Twitter
