Hatters chief knows he must find a way to boost fragile confidence

Town boss Jack Wilshere knows he has to do everything in his power to somehow boost the players’ fragile confidence in a bid to reignite their fading hopes of securing a play-off place this term.

The Hatters had gone into trips to Cardiff City and Wigan Athletic last week with their spirits uplifted following back-to-back wins on home soil, delivering a terrific performance, which most agreed was their best so far, when defeating Bradford City 2-1 at Kenilworth Road. However, they once more returned pointless from matches against sides with very different ambitions this term, the Bluebirds destined for Championship football, while the Latics are just hoping to remain in League One for another campaign.

Luton’s aim, set out by the hierarchy from the start, has been to return to the second tier as well, with nothing else deemed acceptable, although a run of six straight losses outside of Bedfordshire has led to many expecting that now won’t be the case for the Hatters. Following each reverse, a number of players have spoken up about the post-mortems that have gone on when back at the Brache, led by members of the squad themselves, as they try and right the wrongs that continue happening on the road at least, Town now losing 26 from their last 39 games away from home.

It’s something that Wilshere welcomes too, as he said: “We’ve had lots of chats these last few days and straight after the game, I asked the players what they think and we had some honest chats. They speak up and I’ve never doubted that in this group, never doubted the leaders. We have to put it into action, I know that, I understand that. It’s easy at times to say the right things, but we have to go on the pitch and try to deliver that.

"At the minute away from home we’re not doing it and that’s really, really clear, but sometimes as well when it’s that clear, you know exactly what you have to do to go after it, to attack it. We’ve been trying to do that and it just shows you as well we’re clearly not there yet. We have to keep working, have to keep going with every single bit of detail we talk about, whether it’s in here, whether it’s on the training pitch and we have to keep trying to improve and that’s the only way we’re going to turn things around.”

Asked if he could shed any light regarding just what has been said between the players and management staff, Wilshere continued: “I think the conversations should remain private between coaches and players, but I think it’s also quite clear for everyone to see that when things get a little bit harder especially away from home then we don’t manage that well enough. We don’t cope with that and whether that will be with us on the ball, we stop playing, or we get a little bit deeper, our distances become bigger which makes it really hard.

"You think about the Wigan goal, it’s one duel and they’re in, that’s not us, that’s not who we are. There’s obviously something that happens when we face a little bit of adversity that we have to get better at. I have to make the players believe more, I have to give the players more confidence, I knew that coming here, that that was gone, and we’ve worked so hard to try and improve that which I think we have, but we have to be more consistent with it.

"We have to keep going with it as we’re not quite there with the work that we need to do and that is one of the hardest things. It doesn’t just turn around in football, you have to keep going. You have to keep working in a way that gives the players clarity, that the players get success with it and then they have to be more consistent with it. At the moment we’re not so we still have to keep working in that way.”

Meanwhile, on how he can look at his own career to help the squad in what is clearly their hour of need, going into a home game against Burton Albion this afternoon, with the atmosphere potentially turning toxic should Town see their 10-games unbeaten run at Kenilworth Road ended, he added: “I draw from loads of things, all my experience in football. The moments where I had loads of belief, where I didn’t believe, if that was in myself, whether it be in something the coach was trying to say, I’ve got loads of experience in that.

"Trying to give the players clarity I think is the best way and get them to understand their role and what’s required from it, individually but then try to bring that together collectively. Individually it probably is easier to give the players belief, but collectively is a little bit harder and something you have to keep working on.

"Keep going with showing the players what they did well, showing the players what we need to get better at and that’s something that I think we have to keep going with and keep trying to find something else. Find a little bit more belief, find a different way of working and we’re constantly looking at that to try and improve it as we need to improve things away from home for sure and I think belief is a big thing.”