Luton Town manager, assistant AND head coach walk out

[TheArsenal]

Luton Town manager Kevin Blackwell has resigned from the financially stricken League One club which is currently in administration, it has emerged.

Blackwell will depart after the home game against Bournemouth on 9 February, reports BBC Three Counties Radio.

His assistant Sam Ellis and head coach John Carver will also be leaving.

The administrator has agreed to sell key players without consulting the management. Five players have left while three others are under offer.

3CR sports editor Simon Oxley said: "The club's in a state of chaos.

"[blackwell, Ellis and Carver] have read out a prepared statement effectively giving a month's notice.

"They don't want to walk out but they've had enough of players leaving.

"They had been assured players wouldn't be sold before the FA Cup replay against Liverpool but they've had the rug pulled from under their feet."

Midfielder David Edwards, 21, is joining Wolves for £675,000 and defender Chris Coyne (club captain), 29, heads for Colchester for £350,000.

Midfielder Ahmet Brkovic, 33, has made his loan move to Millwall permanent.

Lewis Emanuel and Ed Asafu-Adjaye have gone on loan to Lincoln and Salisbury respectively, while bids have been lodged for three other players.

The administrator has accepted an offer by an unnamed club for goalkeeper Dean Brill while Calvin Andrew and Drew Talbot are considering offers from Plymouth.

Edited January 11, 2008 by TheArsenal

[LexChaney]

I didn't expect that, Luton were a big team years ago and I hope like you said that this isn't the end for them.

[Lineker]

xfd, Luton.

Please knock down Kenilworth Road, Luton needs another job centre...

[Sir Alan LCSugar]

Luton Town is going nowhere, money had to be managed whilst the club sorts out the deal with one of the TWO bids in for the club. Kevin Blackwell isn't leaving because the club is collapsing, he's leaving because the vision he had when he joined has been cruelly ripped from under him. His players have been sold with his consent and now he's decided to leave and take his staff with him.

Unless something incredible happens? You live in Luton, don't you know anything about whats going on in the club? There has been two bids to take over the club, both of which have the money to help and stabalise the club. To most fans its obvious we may have to take a step back if we want to move forward, so maybe the sale of a few players and the loss of a frankly poor managerial team will happen but the future of our club is still there.

It's annoyed me, which players we've let go, in the sense of Chris Coyne, we don't have any centre backs now with the exception of Chris Perry, so Don Hutchison or Paul Furlong may have to go back. However, because we're selling Talbot and Andrew too, they may have to play upfront. It's a sad situation this season, and i have no doubt we'll go down, but next year we'll be out of admin, be able to pick up players and make a fist of getting this club back to where it belongs.

The bid that the fans are supporting is fronted by TV presenter Nick Owen and is backed by two former players and all this supporter groups, it has the money to back this club up and the administrator would be stupid to not pick this bid. It is the group that ony has the club at heart, unlike the last two groups that took the club over.

Heres hoping they can get the reigns sooner rather than later.

[TheArsenal]

I know of the bids... although not much is publically known about the extent of financial backing of them.

THe reason I say something incredible needs to happen is because when Pinkney took over in April it was supposed to be the dawn of a new era, but less than a year later Luton are hanging onto existance by their fingernails. And this isn't the first time. Luton go through chairmen like some clubs go through managers, and with each chairman that leaves, there seems to be a real desperation when the new guy comes in because money is always a worry. Luton need a chairman with enough financial backing to get the club somewhere - not just keep them afloat for a year or two.

I think half the problem is Kenilworth Road. It's far too small for a League One side, and considering Luton were a Championship side last season mean it's is ridiculously small. Luton just can't make enough money out of that ground. I know all the "Junction 10/Junction 12/Stockwood Park/everywhere else in Luton" debates rage on, but they have been going on for 15 years or more. Luton's new chairman needs the sort of financial backing that will deliver the "Kohler-dome" and get the club out of Kenilworth Road because, as David Pleat said, that ground is strangling the club and their financial troubles will never end while they stay there.

[TheArsenal]

Luton Town manager Kevin Blackwell has been sacked from the financially stricken League One club which is currently in administration.

Blackwell had already handed in his resignation on Friday and was due to leave the club on 9 February.

But a club statement said: "Brendan Guilfoyle, joint administrator of Luton Town, has terminated the contract of Kevin Blackwell with immediate effect."

Assistant manager Sam Ellis and coach John Carver have also left the Hatters.

Blackwell and his staff had intended to work a month's notice, even though they were not required to do so, after announcing they were leaving.

But the administrator has ended his stint at Kenilworth Road after the FA Cup replay loss to Liverpool on Tuesday.

Blackwell, who was angry with the administrators after they sold off key players at the start of the January transfer window, told BBC 5 Live: "It is not so much a shock.

"We made it clear that we didn't agree with what was happening at the football club.

"Players were being sold at a crucial time was wrong and the administrator has taken humpage to it and he has done what he has done.

"I said after the game against Liverpool I didn't know what the future held because no-one was speaking and letting us know what was going on.

"That was a major bone of contention for the last couple of months.

"You just have to get on dust yourself down and start all over again and that's exactly what I will do."

Luton agreed a deal with a consortium led by television presenter Nick Owen to buy the club on Tuesday and are close to sealing the takeover.

Owen, who will be the club's non-executive chairman, said he had not spoken to Blackwell about the manager's future.

"I haven't spoken to him (Blackwell)," said Owen. "I'm more the face of the bid. I'm not going to be part of the decision-making process. I really can't make decisions or forecast what's going to happen."

The administrators of the club have sold defender Chris Coyne, 29, to Colchester for £350,000.

Midfielder David Edwards, 21, has joined Wolves for £675,000 and Ahmet Brkovic, 33, has made his loan move to Millwall permanent.

Lewis Emanuel and Ed Asafu-Adjaye have been allowed to go out on loan, while bids have been lodged for three other players.

The administrator has accepted an offer by an unnamed club for goalkeeper Dean Brill while Calvin Andrew and Drew Talbot are considering offers from Plymouth.

Luton are third from bottom in League One after being given an obligatory 10-point deduction for entering administration in November last year.

Blackwell confirmed he had not spoken to the new consortium set to buy the club and played down any return to the club as manager.

"I have not spoken to anybody," he added. "When the new owners come in they need to make their own appointment to give a mandate for a manager to manage.

"By doing what I was doing it would give the opportunity to say if they wanted me or if they didn't and that's how I've left it.

"As it is now I've left the club and I don't see them going back on that."

[NobBe Nobbs]

My goodness, this just goes from comedic to farcical.

[TheArsenal]

Mick Harford has been named Luton manager for the rest of the season, after Kevin Blackwell was sacked by the club's administrators.

Harford, who scored 93 goals in 217 appearances in two spells at the club, will be assisted by QPR and Portsmouth defender Warren Neill.

"I look forward to working with Mick and Warren," said Luton's administrator Brendan Guilfoyle.

"Their appointment is another positive development for the football club."

Blackwell was sacked on Wednesday less than 24 hours after Luton's FA Cup third-round replay against Liverpool, and the day after a consortium led by television presenter Nick Owen secured a deal to buy the club.

He had already stated his intention to step down next month as he was unhappy at the way the administrators had sold players without informing him, and said news of his sacking did not come as a surprise.

"I said after the game against Liverpool I didn't know what the future held because no-one was speaking and letting us know what was going on," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"That was a major bone of contention for the last couple of months.

"You just have to get on dust yourself down and start all over again and that's exactly what I will do."

[Lineker]

Dum, Dum, dumdumdumdumdum....

[Sir Alan LCSugar]

You lot actually know jack shit about whats going on at the club. The fans hated Blackwell he didn't represent the club in a way the fans would have liked. Whose just taken over the club? Oh, thats right the fans backed bid, they have pretty much made it clear that they didn't want Blackwell and so it was sorted that he went and their choice for manager be in place as soon as possible. Harford is a huge fans favourite, so in truth it really isn't too strange whats happened.

I swear TheArsenal for someone who lives in Luton you actually know nothing.

[TheArsenal]

I know that sacking Blackwell means the club has to give him a payoff. Blackwell resigning means the club pays him nothing.

So for the sake of waiting three weeks, the club could have saved themselves a fair bit of money. Isn't that the more important to Luton at the minute?

[FireDoughnut]

I don't Blackwell will get anything as Luton remain in administration.

Plus, I doubt he wants anything. He's a honorable man.

[Sir Alan LCSugar]

He wasn't under contract, as FD said, so no it's fine.