championship run-in: the race for 3rd place & the £200m game

[LonghornSean 4101]

Oof, cool for Luton but hate to see it end on a total miss like that, without either keeper coming close to a save.

[Tailgate 3057]

They need to switch goals during a penalty shootout in a championship like this. You can’t have the other teams fans wrapped around the goal during the entire penalty+.

Still stoked about the game and know nothing about either team…but have always liked red. 

Edited May 27, 2023 by Tailgate

[Schulz2.0 29276]

7 minutes ago, The Dog said:

PREMIER LEAGUE STADIUM 

[shadow_operative 15932]

my entire family were all talking about how unsure of himself the guy who missed the penalty appeared as he approached the spot, and then sure enough he skied it. i feel terrible for that guy. 

[Hagbard Celine 11201]

Daniel Davis For Mailonline

Published: 17:31 EDT, 26 May 2023 | Updated: 17:31 EDT, 26 May 2023

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The prospect of the likes of Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah gliding atop the pitch at Kenilworth Road next season is now tangible indeed. After Luton sealed their spot in the Championship play-off final, they stand just one game away from destiny. 

Undeniably, the thoughts of many at the club have turned toward a bright future, albeit one now relying on the blood, sweat and, potentially, tears of others. If they are to become Premier League ready, they will have to improve their home.

There is no hiding away from the fact that the ground, nestled unassumingly inside the town and encompassed by Victorian houses, is in desperate need of an overhaul. However, performing open heart surgery may well strip away its beauty.

 

It is rustic and old-fashioned, a welcome throwback to an older era in football still viewed with fondness even today. Yes, it has not moved with the times or modernised, but Luton supporters are fiercely passionate about their stadium - and rightly so. Indeed, Luton's CEO admitted mocking of Kenilworth Road annoys him.

The image of travelling match-goers from Manchester United, Man City and Liverpool streaming through the creaking turnstiles of the Oak Road stand, sandwiched between homes down a terrace street, will put a smile on their faces.

[Image: Luton edged closer to the Premier League after reaching the Championship play-off final]

Luton edged closer to the Premier League after reaching the Championship play-off final

[Image: Kenilworth Road does not meet top-flight standards, however, and would require changes]

Kenilworth Road does not meet top-flight standards, however, and would require changes

[Image: CEO Gary Sweet estimated the club may have to spend around £10million on the renovations]

CEO Gary Sweet estimated the club may have to spend around £10million on the renovations

For them, the unfamiliarity only adds to the venue's charm. Away supporters walk up winding stairs and are given a glimpse into the gardens of surrounding neighbours before taking their seats. Where else in the Football League can you experience that?

But while much, if not all, of the home crowd will want to hold on tight to Kenilworth Road's current rough and ready feel, there must be a realisation that work is needed should they seal their promotion into the top-flight. Simply, the rules require it.

As it stands, the ground is the smallest in the Championship. In fact, its capacity of 10,356 pales in comparison to many sides in the leagues below. Of course, this is not necessarily a stumbling block, as proven by Bournemouth's modest number of seats.

The primary issues, though, are that new floodlights are needed, more space must be made for broadcasters and the Bobbers Stand will effectively have to be rebuilt.

The seats will also need addressing. Many of them are wooden and in some sections of the stadium aren't technically seats, owing to the fact they have no back rests. 

Luton CEO Gary Sweet estimated the club will have to splash out around £10million to complete the renovations and meet the Premier League's minimum requirements. Achieving their dream of stepping into the promised land will not come cheap.

It does not help either that this hefty expense would still be incurred despite Luton's ambitious plan to move to their new ground for the 2024-25 campaign. 'If ignored now, Kenilworth Road would be incompliant and sub-standard,' Sweet said last year. 'Not just 'quaint'.'

He also added: 'We've got around £8m, maybe £10m of improvements to do, which is pretty much rebuilding one stand in about less than three months, which is some task that we've got on our hands.

[Image: The entrance to the Oak Stand is nestled between houses, with stairs looking out into gardens]

The entrance to the Oak Stand is nestled between houses, with stairs looking out into gardens

[Image: Due to the unusual image, the visiting supporters' stand has become a social media sensation]

Due to the unusual image, the visiting supporters' stand has become a social media sensation

[Image: The Luton faithful are fiercely passionate of their ground and create a raucous atmosphere]

The Luton faithful are fiercely passionate of their ground and create a raucous atmosphere

'It's just really to comply with the Premier League's broadcasting requirements and some facility requirements that are needed.'

The Bobbers Stand, now the Executive Boxes stand, is likely to be the end that will be given a much needed facelift. The other stands come with various difficulties, largely because of how close they are positioned to the houses surrounding the stadium. 

More specifically, the Kenilworth Road stand could undergo work but does not appear to be a priority. The Main Stand, meanwhile, would require more than three months' work, effectively forcing Luton's hand on where to conduct the overhaul.

Sweet has made no secret of the fact that the changes would be a mad dash.   

'If recruiting a new squad fit for top-tier football isn't challenging enough, the rebuilding of the physical infrastructure in the shortest time imaginable is the hardest task on our hands should we be fortunate enough to get promoted,' he said.

The club must be careful to strike a balance. On its day, the atmosphere is ferocious.

Sunderland ace Amad Diallo was subjected to a rowdy, hostile reception and would have heard it all, such is the proximity of the crowd around the pitch. He would have felt it, too, having been manhandled by a Luton supporter in a disturbing video. 

When used for good, though, the level of the feverish support and the sheer decibels of the atmosphere can be enough to decide matches. It is a powerful weapon. It is no surprise, then, that the Luton faithful are so steadfast in defending it.

[Image: The stadium is the smallest in the Championship and also dwarfed by lower league grounds]

The stadium is the smallest in the Championship and also dwarfed by lower league grounds

[Image: Supporters flooded onto the pitch to celebrate beating Sunderland 2-0 and reaching Wembley]

Supporters flooded onto the pitch to celebrate beating Sunderland 2-0 and reaching Wembley

[Image: Eventually, Kenilworth Road will be knocked down and replaced by the Power Court Stadium]

Eventually, Kenilworth Road will be knocked down and replaced by the Power Court Stadium

Sweet said: 'This is real life, real football, history, tradition right here. This isn't a sterile bowl. This is lively. This is emotion. This is white knuckles, tears and joy in this stadium. This is a cauldron. If you can't embrace it you don't love football.

'We might have a lick of paint and new signage every so often but let's embrace this. It annoys me and makes me giggle when you get the social media content about an away end going through gardens. 

'It's been like that since World War II or even before. Why is it raised now, just because we might be going to the Premier League?

'Erling Haaland's not going to walk through that entrance, he's going to walk through the other s*** entrance we've got. Embrace it... We've got thick skins and it just shows you don't necessarily need lavish surroundings to succeed.

'You can do it with hard work and guile, with intelligence and sensible financial management and absolute determination and commitment. You can do all that without having a beautiful stadium. It is beautiful though. The old girl is beautiful.'

Dave Gregory of the Oh When The Town podcast told i: 'Mock all you want. It's unoriginal and expected from those supporters that visit us who are normally used to sitting in their soulless brand-new shiny stadiums. 

'I don't blame any of the younger generation as they would look at our stadium as a relic. Most of us will just let it wash over and politely remind fans in the Premier League that we have hosted every single one of them before. 

'It doesn't matter how you enter a stadium; it might be old, ragged and in need of some real TLC, but you won't find a stadium with a better atmosphere. When it's good, that old girl rocks. I'd rather have that every time.'

Sadly, Kenilworth Road will be knocked down and replaced by the Power Court Stadium. It has been a long time in the making, but the farewell will still be raw.

No matter how hard they have tried, Luton have simply not been able to prise themselves away from their home. A new ground was weighed up in the 1950s and two attempts to relocate the club to Milton Keynes failed to come to fruition. 

But while Luton brace themselves for the most important game in their 137-year history at Wembley, they will also keep a fond and wistful grasp on the past.

Kenilworth Road is bursting to the seams with culture, its old beams positively creaking with legacy-defining moments, and will certainly never be forgotten. And for a year longer at least, it may well play host to many of the world's best players.

Providing the repairs can be made on time, this will be a fitting tribute and goodbye. 

[The Dog 44853]

 

[Napoleon 8822]

No one mentioned this:

Luton captain Tom Lockyer was taken to hospital for tests after he collapsed on the pitch early in the first half. The centre back, 28, fell to the ground with no player around him and was treated by medical staff before being carried off on a stretcher.

"He is responsive and talking to his family, who are with him," the club said.

https://www.espn.com/soccer/report/_/gameId/669097

That’s kind of a big deal.

 

EPILOGUE: 

I just googled Luton Town F.C. and Google had fireworks 💥 blowing up on the screen. 
 

Edited May 27, 2023 by Napoleon

[Napoleon 8822]

I just learned that there is a large carnival that occurs on the Sunday before the last Monday in May…

TOMORROW!

That mother-fucking carnival is going to be off the hook!!

Edited May 27, 2023 by Napoleon

[WBT 20954]

9 hours ago, Hagbard Celine said:

Erling Haaland's not going to walk through that entrance, he's going to walk through the other s*** entrance we've got

Lulz

[The Dog 44853]

On 5/18/2023 at 4:46 PM, Ted Lange said:

 

 

On ESPN+ now

 

[Schulz2.0 29276]

1 hour ago, The Dog said:

 

Right before they would have gone to PKs.

[The Dog 44853]

 

[Pathetic Shark 94]

Playoff final pics.  
 

Everyone goes on about the Kenny being tough to play at but Luton were better away from home this season.  The ground used to hold 30k with people clinging halfway up the floodlight pylons and kids sitting on their parents shoulders.  The tunnel is small but the dressing rooms are worse; I don’t know how all the premier league support staff will fit.  Teams will enter the ground through a tunnel that goes beneath the railway.  I’m told season ticket prices won’t go up, reward for all the fans who filled the ground when the team was in the football conference. Other things that people don’t mention, the focus is on the 30 point deduction.  The club was about to go bankrupt in the 70’s and stayed alive at the last minute by selling a player (could sell players anytime back then).  All the fans contributed money to keep the club going.  Then there was the attempt to move the club to Milton Keynes by a shite owner; it was vociferously opposed like only football fans can.  They eventually moved Wimbledon instead of Luton.