Four wins from five have given Wilshere an immediate foothold and renewed belief at a club that has spent two years sliding.
Jack Wilshere has made such a strong start at Luton Town that supporters are already singing his name, only a month into his first senior managerial job. Four wins from five have shifted the mood completely, turning early frustration into genuine optimism.
Wilshere’s debut match brought a home defeat to Mansfield, and he has admitted he still replays that game on his laptop trying to work out what went wrong, but since that opening setback, his side have responded with four straight wins in league and cup, the most eye-catching of which came in a 3-0 away victory at League One leaders Stockport County.
Goals from Jake Richards, former Arsenal defender Cohen Bramall (now 29), and Isaiah Jones sealed the win, and even a late Stockport penalty was kept out to protect their clean sheet. The scoreline did not flatter Luton, who defended well under pressure and were clinical when their chances arrived.
The turnaround has impressed people inside the club as much as those in the stands. Long-serving figures at Luton talk about Wilshere’s work rate, his communication, and the way he has quickly restored confidence in a squad that has been through two difficult years.
Senior players have also responded to him, with several describing the arrival of a clear structure and a clean slate under a manager who understands both pressure and expectation at this level. “Jack has brought back a good feeling, I can’t speak highly enough of him since he came in,” said former Gunner, James Shea, who was at Arsenal’s Academy with Wilshere. Shea, now 34, is currently Luton’s number two.
After the win at Stockport, away fans broke into the old chant used during Nathan Jones’s rise through the divisions, this time with Wilshere’s name attached. For a new manager still finding his way, hearing that support mattered. As he put it, hearing his name sung as a coach was “honestly one of the best things”.
Luton are still a long way from the Championship – they are currently ninth in League One – and nobody inside the club is pretending otherwise. But Wilshere’s start has given them a foothold again.
He has steadied the dressing room, improved performances and brought supporters back onside.
For a first month in management, that is more than many expected.