Luton chief knows he won't be able to keep all of his players happy

Hatters boss Jack Wilshere has accepted the fact that he won’t be able to keep all of his squad happy when carrying out his wish to send out an increasingly settled team on to the pitch this season.

The Town chief had named an unchanged side for three successive matches before being forced into one change at the weekend for the 2-1 victory over Leicester City, Hakeem Odoffin only missing out with an injury, with Izzy Jones earning a recall. Going into the game, Wilshere had hinted at making more alterations to his starting XI, with Jake Richards, Callum Marshall and Emilio Lawrence all pushing for starts, having come off the bench in previous fixtures, before opting to stay with the majority of the side who had taken nine points from a possible 12.

Asked about his desire to go with the same team once more, Wilshere said: “That’s football, it’s consistency, it’s players building relationships, players being disappointed. Someone once told me, the best leaders understand that they’re not going to be able to keep everyone happy, and not everyone’s going to like them. I think that’s quite powerful as I’ve got a great relationship with all the players and it’s not easy.

"I say it all the time, the hardest part of my job is leaving players out, but then they’ve got a decision to make, how do they respond? When they come on the pitch, what are they going to do? We definitely got a really good response from all three (Richards, Marshall and Lawrence) who came on and there’ll be players who are really happy with the result, but also a little bit disappointed that they didn’t play. You can see what it takes to get into the team now, what we’re building and the fight and the desire.

“Jake Richards for example, he probably felt in the week that there’s a chance he was going to play and there definitely was. He was in my mind, we were thinking about it over the last few days, do we keep a little bit of consistency? So we try to build that relationship. Haks comes out of the team, do we want to change the whole right side?

"These things come into my mind, and ultimately I’m the guy who has to look Jake in the eyes and give him a reason, but then Jake gets the opportunity to come on the pitch and respond, the same with Emilio, the same with Marshy and that’s how they get in the team, with consistent performances from the bench. This league, this schedule, we have to make changes, and they have to be ready for that.”

Having opted to stay more or less with the same side that defeated Barnsley 2-1 in midweek, Wilshere was hugely encouraged by the impact of his substitutes, as Richards once more caught the eye when introduced with an hour gone, taking over from Tudor Mendel on the right flank, and forcing experienced keeper Alex McCarthy into a decent save.

The other played a huge part in the winner, Lawrence escaping on the left, and having been picked out by Kal Naismith’s pass, saw his cross-shot deflected over the line from close range by a lurking Marshall. The Town chief felt it further demonstrated the kind of togetherness he is trying to create, continuing: “I’m really happy for all the players that came on the pitch, because I had some decisions to make this week about the team.

"Of course we wanted some freshness, but we also wanted and what we’re trying to do is build consistency and consistency of results, and consistency of results is at the top of your list. What then comes under that, performances, processes, everything like that and relationships on the pitch are really important. I’ve been there as a player when you’ve been in that position. Maybe a few players had a feeling they’re going to play and then the team comes out yesterday and they’re not, then you’ve got a decision to make.

"What we’re trying to create here is players who come on the pitch like that in a game where we do need them and really understand what type of game it is. It was a fight, it was a tactical game where we have to stay focused defensively and help the team. Then you get the opportunity to show your quality, like Emilio did, Marshall was doing what he does best in the box and Jake made a difference as well.”

Another aspect that pleased Wilshere was the way that those who started the fixture, implemented the gameplan he had crafted before kick-off to a tee, particularly in the first goal, when Jordan Clark pressed Caleb Okoli into a mistake, finding Nahki Wells to sweep home his eighth of the campaign. He added: “Our high press was outstanding, I said that I lean on Tim (Corcoran) and Powelly (Chris Powell) for that, and Foles (Kevin Foley), as he was a defender.

"We came up with that gameplan together, so really pleased that the players bought into it, they understood it. You always have that thought going into the game, we have that process of how we build up going into a game, and as a coach you always have that feeling, did we get it right? Don't get me wrong, there's been some games where we didn’t get it right, but it is nice when you get it right and the players believe in it, they execute it, and then they get their rewards with the first goal which we thoroughly deserved.

“We know the importance of the first goal in this league, we know the importance of taking momentum and imposing the game that we want to try and do, whether it be with the ball or without the ball. We were outstanding without the ball. We have to do that from the start as it builds belief, it builds belief in the stadium, builds belief in the players and it helps everyone, so really pleased with the start.”