Wilshere reveals being Luton manager has 'taken over my life'
Town boss reflects on first five weeks in charge
Luton boss Jack Wilshere conceded that taking his first steps into management at Kenilworth Road has ‘taken over my life’, albeit in a good way.
After a stellar playing career that saw the talented midfielder, declared by many as one of the best players of his generation, spend almost two decades at Arsenal where he won two FA Cups, also earning 34 caps for England, injuries meant he opted to retire at the age of 30 following spells with West Ham and AFC Bournemouth. He quickly began his coaching journey when taking charge of the Gunners’ U18s, leading them to the FA Youth Cup Final in 2023, beaten 5-1 by the Hammers.
He left the Emirates to move to Norwich City as first team coach in October 2024, with two games in temporary charge of the Canaries when Johannes Hoff Thorup was sacked, before leaving Carrow Road in the summer and had to wait for patiently for his first chance at a top job, which came last month when Luton parted ways with Matt Bloomfield after a poor start to the campaign.
They quickly turned to Wilshere and although he has only been in situ for five weeks now, asked just how all-consuming the task of being a number one is, he said: “The way I am and the way I like it, and the way I want it to be, and the way I want the staff to be, is all-in. I don’t believe that, ‘I want to do a little bit.’ No, if we’re going to do something, we’re going to do it properly. Speaking to managers, some past, some present about that, what was your routine? What did it look like? I’m still trying to work it out. Some days are longer than others.
"I’ve got a way that I see the week in terms of training and schedules, normally it’s to focus on us for the early part of the week and then build into the game as the week goes. Probably as we build into the game the days are a little bit longer, you spend more time looking at clips, sitting with the analyst, so it has taken over my life, but in a good way. Football is my life though, football has always been my life, but to have something like this now, it makes it even better and more exciting. It makes me more hungry and I’m genuinely loving it. I probably look a little bit older than when I started, but I’m loving it.”
After a 2-0 loss to Mansfield in his opening game, Wilshere has found things far more palatable since, earning four straight wins in all competitions until that was ended by a goalless draw against Rotherham on Saturday. Asked to sum up his time at Kenilworth Road so far, and whether there has been anything in particular that has stood out for him to date, he added: “It’s been outstanding, I’ve loved every moment. Of course it helps when you win four games in a row, but in terms of all the processes that we’ve started, we feel like we’re in a good place.
"We have to keep working this way and keep trying to improve the team, but we’ve got four wins in a row and now a clean sheet at home, it’s a good platform to build from. The truth is that Stockport away (3-0 victory) was a nice moment. It felt like a big moment for everyone, for the players, for the staff, for the fans, but honestly, the way that I see it and the way that we’re working at the minute is the next game.
“It’s hard, I learnt this when I was at Arsenal with the 18s, when you’re in the season it’s really hard to reflect. You try to, of course you do, but it’s just go, go, go and it’s the next game or next thing. I found out the end of the season is really good to reflect and see was there a moment? Or what moments did I enjoy? Or what moments didn’t I enjoy?
"Honestly, what I’ve learnt in the last five weeks is you don’t have time for that, you just have to keep going and keep building with the things that you believe in. The truth is, it’s going really well. I’m very aware that management isn’t always like this and there’ll be times where you question yourself, your decisions or style of play, a tactic you chose, or a player you left out, but right now I haven’t experienced that.”