"And Tony Thorpe's Mother is a..." - The FM08 Thread of your very own Luton Town!

(Info from Wikipedia)

Luton Town Football Club are an English football team based in the town of Luton in Bedfordshire. They are nicknamed The Hatters due to the historical association of the town with the hat-making trade. The club competes in the League 1 division in the 2007-08 season, following their relegation from Football League Championship just two seasons after winning promotion. They are currently managed by Luton Town legend Mick Harford, who has been appointed until the end of the 2007/08 season.

The club is known for its tradition of attractive, attacking football, for its record of developing youth talent and for its cup exploits in the 1950s and 1980s. Luton Town won their first piece of major silverware in 1988, when they won the League Cup, under the management of Ray Harford. The game is considered one of the greatest ever played at Wembley. Luton Town were defeated 2-1 by Nottingham Forest in the 1959 FA Cup Final.

Luton Town were the first professional club in southern England, making payments to players as early as 1896. In 1936, the striker Joe Payne scored 10 goals in a single match which remains a football league record.

Less salubriously, the club are known for a series of financial catastrophes which have plagued its history, the controversial "plastic pitch" of the 1980s, a notorious incident involving rioting hooligans from London in 1985 and the subsequent ban on visiting supporters that lasted until 1991. Financial mismanagement has caused the club to enter administration three times in recent years. Luton's old and historic Kenilworth Road ground has caused the club to run at a loss for decades.

Luton are one of a relatively small number of teams to have played in all four divisions of the Football League. Rarer still is the fact that Luton have achieved this twice. Their most recent spell as a top division club was from 1982 to 1992. They then fell through the leagues and were relegated to the basement division again in 2001.

One of the clubs biggest days was the 1989 Littlewoods Cup final, where the mighty Arsenal were vanquished by the brave town.

As current (with the 8.02 Patch) the club have been administrated, and start with a -10 points deduction

Squad

1 GK Dean Brill

3 DF Alan Goodall

4 MF Don Hutchison

5 DF Chris Perry

7 MF Dean Morgan

8 MF David Bell

9 FW Sam Parkin

10 MF Darren Currie

11 FW Paul Peschisolido

12 DF Richard Jackson

14 MF Steve Robinson

15 MF Steven O'Leary

17 MF Lewis Emanuel

19 FW Drew Talbot

20 FW Calvin Andrew

21 MF Keith Keane

22 MF Richard Langley

24 DF Paul Underwood

25 MF Matthew Spring

26 DF Sol Davis

28 FW Paul McVeigh

29 FW Paul Furlong

32 FW Ryan Charles

35 GK Marlon Beresford

36 GK Ross Faulds

37 DF George Beavan

38 DF Edward Asafu-Adjaye

Where to strengthen

Everywhere if possible! The most urgent need is defence. Get 2/3 new CB's in. Then a hardman in central midfield who can tackle and some wingers, before finally getting some prolific strikers.

David Bell will be a key man, you can sell if you wish, but, he will be a key player if you keep him

There are also NO scouts, and a lack of staff, this also needs remedying

So, keep up the traditions of developing youth, playing attractive football and being better than Watford and Franchise FC!

Good Luck, I have a feeling you will need it

Good starting post, I think ill start a luton game!

Originally posted by Jack Edwards:

Good starting post, I think ill start a luton game!

Nice one, keep us updated!

-----

Setting up my game in a bit after I've finished tweaking the DB. Going to disable transfer budgets to start with, so I gotta work with what Big Mick has ATM

Should give me time to try out all my players

Looking to get some friendlys against big clubs for some extra cash

Great thread! I Normally buy some of Lutons players at the start of the game because there in administration which makes them easier to buy.

Matt Spring and David Bell are class.

Yeah, Thats a good idea, Getting some freindly's, You should release some of your reserves or U18'S So the wage budget gets cut

Originally posted by Jack Edwards:

Yeah, Thats a good idea, Getting some freindly's, You should release some of your reserves or U18'S So the wage budget gets cut

Well I've added Pesch's injury in (like IRL) so I'm going to release him, and loan most of the kids out...may release Hutch, but am not sure atm

Ok, had a v poor pre season, 2 draws and one win were the only positives.

Like IRL, Jackson and Goodall are rubbish

However, got Charlton as a parent club, so they loaned me two players! and I also loaned Richard Duffy from Pompey

Best season i ever done on FM with luton, i'm in the premiership in my fourth season, 1st season: 12th in L1, 2nd season: 2nd in L1, 3rd season 6th in Championship (won the playoffs)

Being a Luton fan I always have a Luton game running.

I have just started a new game and just completed the 1st season.

I finished 16th (board wasnt mega happy - but I was happy we kept our league 1 status considering the 10point deduction).

Here is my record / player history so far:-

Completions:-

--------------

League = 16th

Fa Cup = 3rd round (replay - lost to Sheff Weds at Hillsborough)

League Cup = 3rd round (lost to Wigan at Kenilworth Road)

Johnstones Paint Trophy = 1st round (lost to Millwall at Kenilworth round - 7-6 on penalties)

Transfers:-

------------

In:

- Sam Vokes (Bournemouth £275k)

- Jason Puncheon (Barnet £250k)

- Kerrea Gilbert (Arsenal Loan)

- Rhoys Wiggins (Crystal Palace Loan)

- Paulo Monterio (Charlton Loan)

- Josh Wright (Charlton Loan)

Out:

- Dean Morgan (Lincoln £120k)

- Steve Robinson (Shrewsbury £70k)

- Darren Currie (Brigton £50k)

- Paul McVeigh (Stevenage £50k)

- Matthew Spring (Southend £300k)

- Alan Goodall (Accrington £50k)

- Paul Peschasolido (Free)

- Paul Furlong (Free)

- Don Hutchinson (Free)

- Paul Underwood (Free)

- Richard Langley (Free)

I took a massive hit on my balance (standing at -£850k for most of season) to release those players but they are off the wage bill now which is the important thing.

Plus my balance was greatly replenished by a lump sum of:-

£1,400,000 (15% of Curtis Davies sale to Aston Villa)

£250k (from West Brom for promotion - from sale of Leon Barnett)

I am currently going through close season and have just agreed to sign 'super' Kevin Nicholls back from Preston for just £85k.

Will regularly update as seasons go on.