Luton chief faces a big call over whether to take Naismith out of the firing line
Club captain struggled during Tuesday night’s 1-1 draw with Leyton Orient
Hatters boss Jack Wilshere faces a big call tomorrow over whether or not he decides to take skipper Kal Naismith out of the firing line for the home clash against bottom side Port Vale.
The 33-year-old, who returned to Kenilworth Road in the summer, has seen his relationship with Town supporters, which had been so strong during his first two spells in Bedfordshire, become slightly strained in recent weeks. It then really started to fracture during the 1-1 draw with Leyton Orient at the BetWright Stadium on Tuesday night when Naismith found himself being jeered after a number of long-range passes failed to locate their target in the first half, while when one did, it led to some sarcastic cheers heard from the near 1,300 travelling supporters.
The former Bristol City and Portsmouth player was at fault for the O’s goal, giving the ball away in a dangerous position early in the second period, which saw Dom Ballard get away and square for Theo Archibald to tap into the empty net, immediately taking responsibility for his error. When Naismith was eventually substituted on 77 minutes, he chose to walk straight past the away end and apologise for his performance on the evening, holding up his hand on more than one occasion.
His gesture was met with applause from the majority of those who had made the trip to east London, although there were still some more boos that greeted him, as asked if he might now consider leaving out a player who, until Tuesday night, had played every single minute of league football since he took over, Wilshere said: “I always face that decision with every player really and maybe there’s been a few players who have played the majority of the minutes since I’ve been here and Kal’s been one of them.
"I keep saying about Kal and of course, he was disappointed himself the other night, but if I’m a Luton fan and I look at my club captain, I want that type of character. I also think that the team’s in a place where we need him, we need that type of character, we need someone who will stand up. Yes, he needs to perform better and he knows that, but we also need his leadership qualities which have been outstanding.”
If he does take the option to drop Naismith, then on whether he thinks it would have an impact on the experienced defender, Wilshere continued: “I don’t think it would affect him that much because of the personality he is, the character he is. I’ve got a great relationship with him, so I would never do something without speaking to him first and seeing how that would land. As much as we were disappointed with him the other night, he’s been outstanding and players are allowed a bad game, it can happen.
"It’s a bit like, how do you respond then? And I quite like what he did to the fans after as well, walking off that way. He didn’t have to walk that way, that probably shows you the person he is, but one disappointing game doesn’t change our opinion on him. We want him to be consistent and he has been up until the other night, so let’s see what the decision is tomorrow, but we need people like him around it.”
Should he keep his place, then Wilshere hopes those who rock up at Kenilworth Road tomorrow will do their utmost to support the skipper throughout the 90 minutes, adding: “He cares so much about this club and probably like a lot of the fans, cares so much. They’re frustrated with how things have gone over the last few years and he’s one of them too.
"I know he came back to try and help the team stay in the Championship last year and my first conversation with him when I got the job I couldn’t believe how much he wanted to come back, how much he wanted to help. So he’s trying everything he can to try and help the team and of course if the fans are behind him that gives him a little bit more energy to try and give the players a little bit more energy around him.”