Inside Jack Wilshere’s Luton Town revival: How former Arsenal man is winning players over with hard work and late-night WhatsApps, the special role he’s given injured star and the response to vile abuse that proves his emotional intelligence

Jack Wilshere had the second screening on Thursday evening. On his television in the background, England v Serbia was being broadcast live from Wembley Stadium. On his laptop is a recording of his first match as Luton Town boss.

A home defeat to Mansfield, his only defeat in five games, but his eyes were constantly drawn to the small screen, searching for answers.

What was wrong? Was this relevant to the next game, another home game, today against Rotherham? Was anything needed to be done differently to extend a four-game winning streak?

Just over a month’s work and Luton has consumed its life. “In a good way,” insists Wilshere, before joking about his failing eyesight and the need to wear glasses if his visual habits don’t change. “If we have to do something, we’ll do it right. »

Wilshere is, as he often likes to say, “all in”. His WhatsApp messages flow late into the night and his new colleagues got a glimpse of his work ethic when their phones rang before 7am on the first day because he had forgotten the code to the training ground’s front gate.

“Jack is genuine,” says Luton living legend Mick Harford, who remains part of the fabric of the club as a senior scout and ambassador despite stepping down from his role as director of recruitment this summer.

Former England and Arsenal player Jack Wilshere takes first steps into senior management with Luton

“Jack has an aura about this place,” says Luton legend Mick Harford. “He has a presence. He doesn’t use it. He’s a good guy’

Wilshere is already a popular figure with Hatters supporters. They chanted his name after a 3-0 win over League One leaders Stockport County last month.

“He has an aura about this place. He has had around 30 caps for England and deservedly so. He has a presence. He doesn’t use it. He’s a good guy, very competent, very diligent. Clarity, communication and commitment are what I see every day in training.

“Being here at seven in the morning and leaving at eight in the evening doesn’t make you a good manager, but he sets a good example and the first month as a whole has been really, really good. The results prove that.

Four wins in a row after Wilshere’s side were booed following Mansfield’s defeat at Kenilworth Road, which culminated in a 3-0 win over League One leaders Stockport County last weekend, with traveling supporters serenading the 33-year-old with a chorus from an era when they were going through the divisions under Nathan Jones.

After two years of sliding, it was a moment of salvation for those who experienced it and the emotion was not lost on the new boss. “I hate to say it, but when I was playing it was easy sometimes,” says former Arsenal midfielder Wilshere.

“I was good at it. I knew I was good at this from a very young age. It wasn’t always like that, of course, I went through some tough times but I was really confident when I was playing because I had a lot of faith in my abilities.

“I’m doing it now as a manager, but it’s my first experience as a first-team manager. And while I’m confident in my abilities, you never know until you’re that guy sitting there making decisions. Hearing the fans chant my name as a manager was honestly one of the best things.

Elijah Adebayo (left) is out for an extended period with a cruciate ligament injury, but has been ordered to report to his manager’s office once a week.

Teden Mengi, thanks to Wilshere’s support, produced an outstanding performance at Stockport, visibly lifting the players around him and bringing the supporters back into the camp.

Wilshere admits there were butterflies before he first addressed his players and appreciates there won’t always be bouquets of roses from the outside, but he has had a positive impact on many people since his arrival in mid-October.

Elijah Adebayo, on a long-term absence due to cruciate ligament damage, is ordered to report to the manager’s office once a week, under the guise of helping his new boss understand the club with stories about Luton’s career.

After his own career ended prematurely, Wilshere might be expected to have an affinity for the injured and he appears to be bringing together a fractured club.

“It wasn’t an easy situation to be in,” says Harford. “Without considering where we were and where we want to get. We are in a fantastic place in terms of a new stadium. We’re just not in the right league. Our motivation and our ambition is to return to the championship and Jack understands that.

“But we won’t get there just because Jack Wilshere is our manager, we’ll get there because Jack Wilshere is going to take us forward.”

Like Adebayo, Teden Mengi looked at home in the Premier League and was at times accused by fans of sulking during the Championship slump when they failed to return to the top flight and niggling injuries disrupted form.

Mengi, an England under-21 international signed by Manchester United in 2023, was the target of racist abuse in a direct message on Instagram after an error in the FA Cup win over Forest Green Rovers last month.

Wilshere jumped to his support, bursting with praise, defiant on issues of unity and Mengi responded, producing an outstanding display in Stockport, visibly lifting the players around him and bringing the fans back into the camp.

Wilshere enjoyed success as a youth coach with his boyhood club, Arsenal.

The former England international has always had confidence in his talent as a player. He is now building confidence in his management skills.

These are small but significant victories for a newbie boss. Small signs that he has the emotional intelligence to handle the big personalities in the locker room and reach out to the disenchanted. He convinced his players that it was a clean slate and restored confidence.

“Jack has brought back a good feeling, I can’t speak highly enough of him since he arrived,” says James Shea, Luton’s back-up goalkeeper who has known Wilshere since they were both 10 years old at Arsenal’s academy.

“He was always the Golden Boy. You could tell that he was good, that he would always be something and that he didn’t change. He’s grown up, matured as you’d expect, but he’s still just as cheeky as ever.

But he now spends his free time agonizing over defeats on his laptop. Welcome to management, Jack.