A mid-summer look at what awaits for the Hatters in the Championship - Part 1
In this preview Phill takes a look at our upcoming opponents in our return season to the Championship.
Jordan Clark spoke earlier this week about the target which has been set by Rob Edwards for the club this season…to win the league; so with that being the barometer for expectations, let’s take a look at our opponents and put some predictions in for where we think they may finish.
Blackburn Rovers - 14/12/24 (a) & 12/4/25 (h)
Blackburn now have in place a manager that could potentially really push them forwards after years of mediocrity and at times trepidation in the Championship. John Eustace (cruelly sacked by Birmingham City last season in pursuit of a household name, before they went on to get their comeuppance) is a capable manager despite his previous links to W*tford and if he manages to keep hold of star player Sammie Szmodics this summer, they’ll be in good stead for a mid-table spot, with an eye on being a dark horse come the end of the season for a play-off spot. Luton have had some good recent memories at this level against Rovers and will be looking to secure a win at home and take at least a point away from home if we are serious about reaching that goal of being league-winners.
Last Season – 19th
24/25 Prediction – Lower Mid-Table
Bristol City - 26/12/24 (a) & 21/4/25 (h)
Led by Liam Manning, a promising manager with unfortunate links to MK, Bristol City are perennial high-hopers, dark horses etc etc, but rarely have they delivered a decent assault on the Championship. They have ambition which is a real credit to them, but they never seem to get the job done. I expect much the same this season, a mid-table finish.
From a Luton Town perspective, Kal Naismith could return to Kenilworth Road alongside former Hatter Harry Cornick, but realistically Bristol City will be targeted for another 4-6 point haul this year given our ambitions.
As a side note, take a look at the Bristol City goalkeeper kit…I don’t know whether to like it or be appalled by it…certainly one to debate in the stands when they finally visit in the spring.
Last Season – 11th
24/25 Prediction – Top half
Burnley – 12/8/24 (h) & 8/3/25 (a)
Battle recommences with Burnley on the opening day of the season, this time though Rob Edwards will pit his wits against the sour-faced cardigan wearing Scott Parker. Many have scoffed at his appointment in the off season, but credit where it’s due, he took Fulham up to the Premier League in fine fashion and subsequently also led Bournemouth back to the Premier League with relative ease, before an unsuccessful spell with Club Brugge.
Despite positive performances against Burnley over the years, we’ve rarely experienced true success, scraping the odd draw, but losing our fair share which was costly last season in the home game, having worked so hard to get back in the game. They’ll be contenders for the league too and I expect them to be promoted back to the Premier League despite the loss of Vincent Kompany to Bayern Munich FC (what an agent he must have by the way). Taking points from Burnley will be positive this season as many won’t achieve that…hopefully we catch them cold at KR on the opening weekend (Monday).
Last Season – 19th (Premier League)
24/25 Prediction – Automatic Promotion
Cardiff City – 6/11/24 (h) & 11/3/25 (a)
The Hatters have to take the trip back to Wales again this season, with the fixture list being pretty unkind. We’ll travel away to Cardiff midweek, with our visits to Swansea and English neighbours Bristol City over the New Year break within a couple of days of each other. Hatter will be well acquainted with the M4 over the holidays.
Cardiff settled for a drama-free mid-table berth in the final standings last season, finishing 12th. Never realistically pushing for play-offs, but being a side that typified the Championship, they can beat anyone and lose to anyone! Their manager has been there a year now and it’ll be interesting to see how his side progress now he knows the league and his players. They’ve made a decent signing in Aston Villa defender Calum Chambers, it’ll be interesting to see if they can revive his career after endless years spent on Premier League benches. Cardiff again will be a side we’ll need to target for a 4-6 point return this season.
Last Season – 12th
24/25 Prediction – Top half
Coventry City – 26/10/24 (a) & 26/4/25 (h)
I have nothing against Coventry City. Our last experience against them was the best day in my footballing life…and with the way the footballing world works, I’d be elated to see us secure promotion against them in our final home game of the season. I can dream right!?
Coventry are well known to us and we almost always end up sharing the points following a score draw, so I’m confident we’ll pick up a point away from home before doing the business at KR late on. Coventry continue to be led by Mark Robins, who is a very, very capable manager. He has an eye for developing talent, last year personified by the impressive Haji Wright. They have players that could arguably do a fantastic job in the Premier League and I’m sure they are grateful for their cup run last season for topping up the accounts so they can keep some of their star players. They were robbed that day in the semi-final by the way.
Anyway, they’ll have another fine season I am sure, securing a place back in the play-offs if they don’t have a cup run to contend with.
Last Season – 9th
24/25 Prediction – Play Offs
Derby County – 21/12/24 (h) & 18/4/25 (a)
We’ll get the chance to welcome back The Rams to Kenilworth Road for the first time since February 2022, when Danny Hylton got the winner. Luton and Derby have been on very different journeys since then, but we will face each other with very different ambitions this season in the Championship.
Derby County, Led by former Rotherham manager Paul Warne gained promotion from league 1 last season with the help of a couple of Hatters legends (Sonny Bradley & James Collins). Whilst they have dropped a couple million on transfers this summer, securing a couple of further loan deals too, they’ll have their eyes on survival and building a base onwards and upwards from that. It could be a tough season for them and will be one where Luton will look to take a full 6 points from.
Last Season – 2nd (League 1)
24/25 Prediction – Battle for Survival
Hull City – 23/11/24 (h) & 29/3/25 (a)
This lot are a bit confusing to be honest! I was shocked that they sacked their manager Liam Rosenior so quickly after the end of last season, when they had pushed so hard for a play-off position, narrowly missing out. I guess the owner has high ambitions, which is to be respected, but perhaps is naïve to underestimate how tough the Championship is.
Hull City have now employed German manager Tim Walter as the man to make an assault on the league, with a view to returning to the promise land of the Premier League. He has been a manager of Stuttgart and until February of this year, Hamburger SV, with a win percentage in his managerial career of 50%.
It’s tough to know how they’ll perform this year with a new manager and the loss of a key player in Philogene, but Luton will again expect to pick up points against Hull this term, in their push for promotion.
Last Season – 7th
24/25 Prediction – Top half
Leeds United – 26/11/24 (a) & 5/4/25 (h)
Leeds will be gutted not to have secured a spot back in the Premier League at the first attempt, losing out to eventual Play-Off champions Southampton. I’m sure Leeds fans will be fearing the worst this summer about potentially losing talents such as Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter who were hugely influential for them last term. Leeds have already sold one of their top youth talents (Archie Gray) for close to £40m, in deal that saw Joe Rodon return to Elland Road permanently. Have no doubt about it, under the stewardship of Daniel Farke, they’ll be right up there again this season, and will be looking to make sure they take one of the automatic promotion spots. We’ll hopefully be a contender for the same spots with them, so any points taken off of Leeds at their place will be a huge bonus, especially in hostile midweek under the lights conditions. We play them at home at the business end of the season which will surely be a telling indicator as to where both sides will finish.
Last Season – 3rd
24/25 Prediction – Automatic Promotion / Play Offs
Middlesbrough – 9/11/24 (a) & 15/3/25 (h)
Whether we see Boro’s full side, or have to settle with seeing their ‘B Team’ at Kenilworth Road will be interesting. They finished a couple of places outside the play-offs last year, having failed miserably in our promotion year to overcome Coventry in the play-off semi-final. They never really made a true assault on the top 6 last year, with their final position quite flattering for them in many ways.
They have some great talent in their side and are managed by a fantastic former player that will be eyeing a promotion spot this season having completed his first full season last term. They can call on the speed on Isaiah Jones and the goalscoring prowess of former Brentford striker Marcus Forss. Luton will look to ruffle the feathers of one of the more precious fan-bases in the league and again take points off them, particularly at home. They also have probably the most basic Sunday league looking kit going, I feel sorry for their fans being asked for £55+ for such a dull design.
Last season – 8th
24/25 Prediction – Mid table / Top Half
Millwall – 14/9/24 (a) & 25/1/25 (h)
Before a further sentence is written, I want to send condolences and best wishes to Millwall fans following their sad losses recently, particularly goalkeeper Matija Sarkic. We are of course rivals, but the loss of any member of the footballing family brings things into perspective.
We head to The Den early-ish in the season and will as always be tested. I recall our last game at The Den to be one of the most dreary bore draws I’ve seen in recent years, so hopefully this one will be better, with Millwall back under the management of Neil Harris after 5 years elsewhere. They also welcome back defender Japhet Tanganga after a successful loan period last year. Millwall have also invested in a prolific goalscorer from the lower leagues, with shades of the Lee Gregory transfer that proved so fruitful for Millwall back in the mid 2010’s when he joined from Halifax after that battle for the Conference Golden Boot with Andre Gray; Millwall welcome Macauley Longstaff after his transfer from Notts County where he bagged 71 goals in 91 appearances.
Luton Town will look to see a good return from Millwall, who will likely be in the bottom half of the table, potentially flirting with relegation. However they will have hope after a strong end to the season where they won their last 5 games.
Last Season – 13th
24/25 Prediction – Survival / Bottom half
Norwich City – 30/11/24 (a) & 1/1/25 (h)
Norwich enter a new era this season, with young manager Johannes Hoff Thorup. Yep, that guy. Well, he’s 35 years old and already has a year and a half of managing experience having taken charge of Nordsjaelland in January 2023. He has managed 67 games, winning 34 of them.
Norwich reached the play offs last season, before losing out to Leeds United, in convincing fashion. They have some good experience in the team, with the likes of Kenny McLean, Shane Duffy and eternal sh*thouse Ashely Barnes, complimented by pacey, skilful players such as Gabriel Sara and Jonathan Rowe. They’ll be decent, as they usually are at this level, but time will tell as to whether they’ll be in the hunt for promotion with their new boss in his first season at the helm.
In regards to our match up, it’ll be great to head up to Carrow Road and rediscover those limbs of years past…O’Donnell to Rendell style!
Last Season – 6th
24/25 Prediction – Top half
Oxford United – 1/10/24 (h) & 21/1/25 (a)
Have no doubt about it, Oxford Utd will be riding the crest of a wave following their convincing Wembley win against Bolton Wanderers in the play-off final. They were fantastic that day, thoroughly organised and stuck to their task beautifully. They’ll be underdogs in the majority of games until the league starts to settle, but they will back themselves, including their own young manager Des Buckingham. Oxford boast a former Luton Town player in their ranks, with many Hatters fans at the time upset to see him go…Peter Kioso. He’s joined by a couple of names that may be familiar, such as Josh McEachran (former Chelsea starlet) and Louie Sibley (famously pinpointed by Derby County to be better than Jude Bellingham). So they have talent and will try to make the Kassam Stadium a fortress in an effort to stay up. My long lasting memory of The Kassam was watching Kevin Nicholls see red in a miserable midweek away day, so I look forward to creating some more up to date memories on a personal level, as we bid to secure maximum points from this team that’ll be battling to avoid a return straight back to League 1.
Last Season – 5th (League 1) – Play-Off champions
24/25 Prediction – Relegated
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Tremendous write up Phill! Looking forward to part 2!