Hatter boss vows to work on mental well-being after admitting Luton's poor run has affected him

Town boss Rob Edwards has vowed to keep working on his mental well-being after admitting Luton’s poor run of form has been affecting him personally.

For a good few weeks now, it has looked like the 41-year-old has been carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, even unable to fully celebrate the superb 3-0 victory over old foes Watford due to the punishing nature of the Championship tier schedule, Hatters having another match against Sunderland, that they lost 2-1, a few days later.

That has been exacerbated by a run of eight defeats from 15 in the second tier, including four successive losses on the road, with Edwards coming in for criticism from travelling fans at Plymouth Argyle, Sheffield United, Coventry City and Middlesbrough, the 5-1 hammering at the Riverside looking like it had signalled the end of his tenure.

Having been backed by those upstairs though since, the Town chief conceded it has been causing him some problems, as he is taking steps to improve dealing with the stresses and strains of being a football manager, saying: “It’s been tough for quite a long time now. There’s been a lot of challenges on and off the pitch and I’m working on that. I’d rather not talk too much personal stuff if that’s all right, it’s just an area that I’ve felt a lot of weight and maybe I’ve got to work at that.

"Look, I know that ultimately it’s my responsibility, but I’m not in control of everything and maybe I’ve been beating myself up too much as well. I’m desperate to do well for this club and for everyone connected to the club and maybe I’ve just let it affect me, hurt me, too much. Because we’ve built such a close connection (with supporters), I felt like a fan as well as being in the privileged position to be the manager, so it’s an area that I’m trying to work on at the moment and improve on that.”

One thing that Edwards has done after every Town defeat this term is take full responsibility for the outcome, even when the Hatters have been beaten due to individual errors, of which there have been plenty. It’s another aspect of his managerial style that he is addressing too, continuing: “It’s really difficult for me to take any kind of praise or credit, it’s just my nature. I just feel the right thing to do when you’re in this position is to take responsibility if things aren’t going great and that is an area that I’m working on.

"As I realise, when things go well I know it’s not me, it’s all of us, and if things aren’t, it’s still all of us but when I have to front up and speak to you guys, I want to take responsibility. Sometimes that is tough as I don't tell people to go out and make mistakes, but we’re human beings and ultimately I pick the team.

"I just feel that’s in my nature, it’s going to be difficult to change, but it’s an area I’m working on and I have allowed for probably the last year now, a lot of things that have been happened on and off the pitch to wear me down. My focus now is on energising myself, making sure I do and being the best me I can be and that’s my focus.”

Recognising that football isn’t the be-all and end-all either is something that Edwards knows he needs to improve on as well, adding: “Yes, I think so. Without going too deep, football is so, so important to all of us. Look how it’s made me feel at times over the last year, it’s really serious business and it can make a lot of our weekends, our weeks, but there’s also life as well isn’t there?

"I can’t really allow that then to affect every aspect of my life, which maybe it’s been doing and I’m trying to focus on that. It is (help available) and that is always ongoing, especially for people doing this job. When you’re at the front, you’re there to be shot at I suppose. There is a lot of support for us, it’s been something that we’ve spoken about more and making sure that people do talk to people.”