SKY BET CHAMPIOnSHIP
2019-20
LASTSEASON
LEAGUEONE1stFACUPThirdRound
LEAGUECUPFirstRoundTOPSCORERJamesCollins(25)LASTSEASON
CHAMPIONSHIP 7th FA CUP Fourth Round LEAGUE CUP
Quarter-Finals TOP SCORER Britt Assombalonga (16)52 Season Preview 2019-20 FourFourTwo
LUTOn TOWn MIDDLESBROUGH
FFTVERDICT
19TH FFT VERDICT
9TH
What a crazy 12 years it’s been for
Luton supporters. Relegated from
the second tier in 2006-07, they
rocketed down to non-league and
have now fought their way back
thanks to some highly impressive
football, which should keep them
in the Championship for 2020-21.With hindsight, maybe Tony Pulis
was never the right choice as Boro
manager – a relegation-battling
specialist, suddenly expected to
win every week. Anything could
happen under rookie replacement
Jonathan Woodgate, but the club
has drifted since the drop in 2017.The big talking point among the fans
is the appointment of Graeme Jones
[below] and the start of a new era.
This season will be different because
we probably won’t wipe the floor with
the division this time around!
I won’t be happy unless we stay up.
Our most underrated player is
Andrew Shinnie [above]. He makes us
tick and always uses the ball smartly.
The best away ground is Griffin Park.
We played there in our last match
before relegation out of the Football
League in 2009; it’ll be sweet to go
there again as a Championship team.
The opposition player I secretly
admire is Barnsley’s Kieffer Moore.
Imagine a tank that can play football.
Our best celebrity fan is the great
Eric Morecambe. Comfortably our
worst is David James, who claims to
be a fan but also loudly supports
Watford. That’s your fandom revoked.
The one change I’d make to the club
would be to leave Kenilworth Road.
We already have planning permission
for a new ground. I’ll miss the old girl
but we really do have to move.
Save the date for Stoke at home on
February 29. Fans will want to show
Nathan Jones we’re doing just fine.
The best Hatters social account
account is writer @KevinSCrowe.
The best thing about the matchday
experience at Luton is watching
football in one of the last remaining
‘traditional’ football stadiums.
Did you know that we were the first
English club to start paying a Living
Wage to the entirety of its staff.
The fans’ opinion of the gaffer is
that it’s early days but the signs are
good. He has an exceptional CV, fits
the club’s culture and will be given
the time and patience he needs.
If he left, he should be replaced by
Lee Bowyer and Johnnie Jackson,
who have done well at Charlton under
difficult owners. However, our last two
bosses hadn’t previously managed at
first-team level...
We’ll finish 17th: fairly comfortable.
We’ll be on a small budget relative to
the league, but we’ve got good staff
and some good players.The big talking point among the fans
is the decision to appoint Jonathan
Woodgate [above] as manager. Some
say his promotion from assistant lacks
ambition; for others it’s a step on the
way to giving the club its identity back.
This season will be different because
it’ll be more interesting than watching
another season of Pulis-ball.
I won’t be happy unless Lewis Wing
[below] bags five 25-yard screamers.
Our most underrated player is
Darren Randolph, who is comfortably
a Premier League goalkeeper.
Look out for talented teenager Djed
Spence, a pacy attacking right-back.
The best away ground is Craven
Cottage, especially via Boro boat.
The best away fans are Leeds’, sadly.
The player I’d happily drive to
another club is striker Rudy Gestede.
The opposition player I secretly
admire is Pablo Hernandez: he’s just
too good a footballer for this level.
Our best celebrity fan is comedianBob Mortimer, obviously. Just don’t talk
to me about Roy Chubby Brown.
The pantomime villain will be Neil
Warnock. He’s back, baby!
The one change I’d make to the club
would be to introduce an 18-21 ticket
price. Like most grounds, the Riverside
Stadium is increasingly an older crowd.
Save the date for Luton away on
August 2. Not been there for decades.
The best Boro social media account
is news account @EverythingMFC.
The signature local dish is the one
and only Teesside Parmo. Flattened,
breadcrumbed chicken breast with
bechamel sauce and heaps of grated
cheese: 3,000 calories of delicious.
Our key player will be Lewis Wing.
His front-foot, aggressively attacking
style from his non-league upbringing
makes him a vital part of Woodgate’s
mission to transform Pulis-ball into
something much more appealing.
The fans’ opinion of the gaffer is
that he’s brand new and box-fresh,
but the first five games are going to
be massively important. Really hope
this one works out.
We’ll finish 8th but have more fun
than last year!FAn FILE
OLI WALKER
@olivermpw_
FAn FILE
JOSH HOLLIS
@joshhollis