Rob Stringer (Luton Town Director) - My Best Eleven

All right, chaps, not bad, thank you. Was that the right? 11 a.m. in the morning here. You've woken me up. Marvin's all perky and cheerful and I'm half asleep, but nice.

In fact, the thing we did lose to that game. But, yeah, I mean, I think I played for Biggleswade Dynamos. That's right. And the reason I support Luton is because the bloke who used to be our coach, he was a great bloke called Steve Carter. He was the manager of Dynamos Under-12s, and he took us all to Luton. Dynamos for about five years in the Aylesbury League. Massive league, actually. Look, all the professional football clubs, actually the player that there was a professional football player did play for Stotfold? Who used to play against us. You probably remember, Marv, Charlie Palmer. Do you remember him? Yeah, he went to Watford? Actually, he went to Watford, he played for Notts County, I think. But he played at the same time as I played. But it was... yeah, yeah. And you know, it wasn't a sort of huge buzz in town, Andrew, but you know, it was like, I lived on Bedgrove, and yeah, I lived there until I was like 20, I think somewhere.

Well, actually, I'd like to say that I could say I thought it was going to be harder than it was, and then I started, I got my Roger Wash book out there just to go over a bit of facts and figures because I'm a bit of a trainspotter. And that actually it sort of panned out okay. Although I think I'm playing an extremely sort of Plea-esque attacking team, so we're probably going to win games like 8-4 or something like that. So you know, it's a bit of an over-attacking team because there were a couple of players I didn't want to leave out. So if I'm allowed to sub, I think if we were like 7-4 up halfway through the second half, I'd need to bring on a defensive midfield player because it's a very attacking team. But then again, Luton were attacking teams, you know, in the late 80s, early 90s, yes, particularly in the late 70s, early 80s, we were a very attacking team. So I think it befits the era, really.

Well, no, listen, I'm old. I mean, I just turned 60. So I've seen all these players play. I mean, I've supported Luton since 73. So, um, and if you're on your best team, from this team in your heart or your head, I think this is the best team. As I said, with a bit of a stretch on defensive duties in midfield, so it's an attacking team, but I think this is the best team. I mean, I worked out backups, and yeah, for the most part I didn't have someone who'd only played like 15 games or something because I didn't think that should count. But this team has played a ton of games for Luton, so I think it fits the criteria, hopefully.

Well, I don't think you would have played with him because it was a little bit before your time. But I'll give you an easy clue to start: Scottish. Right? You got that. Yeah, yep, yep. Gotta give another clue for people who don't know at home. But yeah, he advertised a brilliant advert for him. Advertising, I think, plywood bedrooms in the late 70s when he was at Luton. A brilliant advert, him and his wife with a sort of bedroom unit, you know, one of those plywood bedroom units they had in the 70s. He's advertising that in the Luton program. I think it's a brilliant advert. That would be great if you could find a copy of that. It's him and his wife in a suit, sort of being shown around. I think we used to be sponsored by someone who used to make bedroom and shelving units and stuff. But that's, um, that's Jake Finley. We are absolutely Mr. Jake Finley. We are. Yeah, it's an interesting thing with goalkeepers. I was obviously doing my trainspotting. I mean, we've had a lot of goalkeepers, and Marv would probably back this up. We've had a lot of goalkeepers who were good for about a season and a half, but not that many who played a lot, you know, past a certain year. I mean, obviously, let's see, I think Jake Finley got injured, and Les? replaced him, and Jace? Les? played a couple of hundred times, and then there's Kelvin. But there's a lot of goalkeepers who had like a season and a bit. I mean, like Ian Feuer for one season was brilliant, but it's very much consistent. Was he mad? You know, same with? Yeah, I thought Marlon Beresford was very good in the promotion seasons that Marvin was around for. But I think Jake Finney was a really, really solid, chunky, solid goalkeeper. And again, it was in front of a team that was very exciting. Yeah, no, definitely. So you'd have seen a bit of Jake Finlay when you went down to the town. One of the main questions I'd like to ask you is, where do you prefer to sit? I mean, if you weren't a director, and obviously sitting them mostly up in a directors box, or do you not sit in a directors box? Where is your favorite part of the ground and why? Oh, I mean, you know, when I was a kid, I used to go, it was 30p in the Oak Road, so I used to stand in the Oak Road. That got a bit hairy in the top leagues because all the fans from London used to come and, you know, climb over the fencing onto the pitch. So after that, I used to sit for a long period when I first got to know Marvin. I used to sit on the main stand terraces, just in front of the dugout, with a bunch of lads. I think some of them still go. There's a couple of guys I still see. In fact, one of the directors, Bob, used to sit there as well. And used to sit on that terrace and give stick to the bench most of the time. Their bench, occasionally our bench during a sort of tough period. But that's what I used to sit on, on the main stand terrace right at sort of halfway line. You forget that the benches used to be on the opposite side. Yeah, on the opposite side. I remember Lenny once coming across, and I sat in that same area as a teenager. I remember having to bring out the tunnel thing when Lenny was going in because he was getting absolutely pelted. Nothing to do with that stick, but I think it was Lenny's era they moved it to the other side because he was getting a degree. So I can remember Joe Kinnear being a Wimbledon manager and we were giving him stick, and he just turned around and said, 'Loads of money, loads of money.' That was when we were playing Wimbledon when they were obviously a really good team then. But it was a great place to see it. Those plastic seats were cold in the winter to sit on those pale orange plastic seats, but it was a great place to watch the game.

Okay, so this is my nod to the more recent times. I'll go, this was hard. I mean, Steve Buckley in the 70s was a piledriver, what a player he was, and he could hit a ball like a rocket, and he was really good. But then again, James, it was a toss-up between two more modern players. James Justin was fantastic, again League One though, so I went for Matt Taylor. I'm going to guess that one as well. Yeah, I mean, first of all, he was on my side when I was in the box, and I did give him, he did say that he remembers me calling him 'wanker' or something, which I feel terrible about. He was such a good player, Marvin. Really good, really good for that. And young, and could score a goal, and could get you, it was really a modern wing-back. And I had to carry John Louis as well, John Lewis' defensive work, because that's right, he played on the same side. And obviously, he went on to big things, he played hundreds of league games, isn't it like five or six hundred? But he was a flair player, but foreign, it was fun watching him. He was on that side tearing up and down, it was exciting. So between him and James Justin, but Matt Taylor played well over 100 games for us as well, I think so. Easily scored a few goals as well. And he did well considering he came down, he got relegated. And then obviously when we bounced back up with Kinnear, he got his chance because of that. He was young, I think he was 18 when he started playing. And he spoke on this pod when we had him on, he openly spoke about how he was booted from Oxford. That's right, he was a goalkeeper I think or something, yes, and they kicked him out because they said he was too overweight. Yeah, no, yeah, a dead nice lad as well, really nice. So left back is Matty Taylor. Center-backs. Too easy this. Even with Marvin on the podcast, it's too easy. I'm sorry, it's just too easy. I know you've got Marvin in the squad, but he was like this. I could have made your tea, but I've got mid-period Marvin in the squad, not late period because he was a bit injured. 1997, 96 when he's around that Ipswich winner. That Ipswich winner in the evening, I was there on the plastic bucket seats for the Ipswich winner, that was amazing. But another perm for the first center-back, another perm. Was the perm managed by a band? The other one was the perm managed by a bank? I put you back to the music business. I thought managed by a band, got managed by Slade? I thought what was that? I mean, you've got to have him in it because he was the captain of one of the greatest days of my life. He was really a, I mean, as you know, lots of people said on this podcast before, that's when we had players or internationals, England internationals. Fozzie was amazing. That era was amazing. So he has to be in it. The backup on that side I had, I thought Paul Elliott was a great player. He didn't play you know because he went quite good chart to us and then went upward, but he was a really good player, Marvin. And Curtis Davis, who you nurtured, I mean Curtis Davis was in that season a bit for us, he was amazing. But it has to be Foster because of the history. Have you ever spoken to him much about those days? No, I mean, some of the members of the team I have a lot, but I've never really spent much time with Steve Foster. I think he's a great lad, but I've never really spent much time. I've always just been a fan, which is good sometimes. He's a very quiet man, which is surprising. Very reserved, not out there personality. He's a very big great leader, and as a man, off the scenes, he's very softly spoken. He is a great man. Fantastic. Pop us the book back in, Rob, that you used as your Bible or your go-to. Well, that's Roger Wash. He is like the Luton Club. I know we've got Simon Statto Pitts, he's a great chap as well, he does the commentary. But Roger does all the stuff in the program. I see him most games because he sits near the director's box. He's a good guy. I helped out a little bit with Hannah's Heritage, which they're involved with, which is a really good thing because he's documented the past so that future generations can know all that stuff. He's a really nice chap, and obviously knows tons, and has written three or four books about Luton as well. I did have to check that I wasn't missing anybody out, so I looked at that book for a bit just to make sure I hadn't forgotten somebody, but I don't think I did.

Oh, I mean, it's weird now. Most people know I support Luton. So are there any big stars that go, 'Oh yeah, Luton, I've heard of them'? Yeah, yeah. I think the biggest thing was when David Bowie wrote a thing about me and he put Luton in it. It really made me. First of all, to work with him was like, people say you shouldn't meet your heroes, but he was just amazing. He wrote a tribute thing for some award I got, and he put Luton in it. It was just funny. I mean, that's like, you're just going, 'Oh my God.' That was around 2000, maybe 2011, 2012, a little later. But he put Luton in a reference. It's like, wow. Because I have a reference point with David Bowie. Marvin was a bit young for this, but because of Aylesbury, David Bowie is so closely associated with Aylesbury, that have your life come full circle and have David Bowie reference Luton. When you were growing up in Aylesbury, David Bowie was like a figurehead for everything that was great about music. So that's hard to beat. In my generation, I was just about young enough to remember the Beatles, but for my generation, David Bowie was the trailblazer. So to have David Bowie reference Luton, it's a bit odd and great. Fantastic, fantastic. Do you leave that book around the place just to see who picks up on it? I remember the quote. It got read out to me when I was on, actually it was late, and that was in the 2010s. I was like, 'Oh my God, I should just retire now, just stop after that.' Excellent. Did you go over to learn much extra games? Yeah, no, no, no. Mark pretends it's still like 1912, you have to get the Titanic to come back to England. But I mean, from New York, planes are like buses, there's a lot of seven flights a day, so I come back quite a lot. I try and come back when I can do a three-game week: Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, or Saturday, Wednesday, Saturday. If there are key games, I'll fly back just for a day. I was back for the playoff games against Huddersfield home and away, and I was there for the last game of the season against Reading. I'm used to it. It's not bad for New York, to get to London it's only six hours, so it's not Australia. Stephen Brown, our director, is in Australia quite a lot and he comes back quite a lot to see Luton. I'm more excited than ever. I used to be very excited when I was 11 years old, and I'm no less excited now. In fact, it's the same. You sort of dip a bit in your 20s when you're running around or have a hangover, but I'm as excited to go now as when I was a kid. I'm due back in the beginning of October, then I'll go at the end of October, and I'll be back for Christmas to see probably three games. So when Luton sends out the email and says sync calendar, you put that in and the PA works around them. Yes, definitely trying to work out combos. I'm absolutely trying to work out when I can justify being in England. I'm looking to see if someone's playing somewhere in London and I can justify being in England at that time. Actually, we're bringing everybody in from around the world in three weeks because we haven't had to put everybody together in the same place for three years because of the pandemic. And it's two home games on that Saturday and Tuesday. There's a shame. What day is the meeting on? Three o'clock on a Saturday? Yeah, oh well. I'm going to have to have the game on my phone when I'm talking nonsense to people. Yeah, number two. Brilliant. So we'll get back to football. Fuzzy and the Northern Irishman, the other. Yeah, I mean, again, a bit of a perm. They all had perms in that era. Marvin, you did a massive afro. And he had a perm at one point. But again, Marvin, another quiet one. I mean, Mal Donaghey was an incredible player. Look at the number of games he played. Another one who's like 600 games. He was fantastic. And obviously a great partner with Steve. He played longer than Steve for us. He was amazing. What a career he had. And then to play for the clubs he played for, I know we all love Luton here, but to also play for United and Chelsea, it's incredible. I've got my backup as Marvin here, just said squad player. And I actually broke into the team originally because, I look back now on my career, you said Fozzie, unbelievable leader, captain, player, Northern Ireland international, Mr. Consistent. When he left to go to Manchester United, Ray Harford, God bless him, said, 'I'm not going to go out and purchase, I'm going to give you the opportunity.' I was very grateful, but it was the First Division, which is now the English Premier League, for an 18 or 19-year-old to come up and hold his place down was very difficult. I'm very grateful for the career I had. I look back now and think it was impossible to come to that team and establish myself as a player forever more. So I'm very grateful to be mentioned in that defense. Then Marv, who was your mentor when you were 18 years old at the club?

You became a leader. You were very front-foot, in fact you were quite a modern center-back compared to how people play now. You weren't just hoofing it or elbowing somebody. You actually played it out. That's how center-backs play now. Did the back-pass rule change help you, Marvin? It made you run, you didn't have that default anymore. Did they bring a rule in? Well, you weren't allowed to keep the ball back. Sorry, okay. Yeah, I think he was on one leg by the time the back pass rule came in, he wasn't stringing 10 games together in that era. I was coming on for John Louis, and when Joe got a little bit pissed off with John Louis not picking up, he pushed me to left-back and pushed Matthew Taylor up to left midfield to see the games out. So you played there for the whole of winter then? Because we didn't see John Louis between the 1st of November and the 31st of February. Has anybody picked John Louis in the teams? A couple of people did because he was an absolute gun player. But it wasn't 50 games, it was about 15 when he was amazing. I'd say the first three. Oh, I saw the first three, he was amazing. Unbelievable. Orient away, and talking at home, the brilliant thing about the Torquay at home game is that Kevin did, who's our goalkeeper, as everybody knows, he's a great bloke. We were all sitting around on an away game at the hotel, and we were talking about that game. Kevin was in goal for Torquay in that game. When John Louis scored two in two successive home games and scored a great goal away at Orient as well, Kevin was in goal. I think Carl Griffiths got a hat-trick maybe in that game. Scored that goal against Kevin Dearden, which is just brilliant. Did he give that information himself or something? Oh, just brilliant information, comic gold. So Kevin's great, but to be in goal that game, we would have ended up in the back of the Kenilworth Road stand with the ball if you tried to stop that.

Okay, Rob, favorite sport? It was cricket, but now I've moved to America, I've been here like 16 years, I go and watch a lot of baseball. I go and watch the Yankees. Yeah, there's a lot of cricket on television now, but it was harder. I really like baseball, I've got season tickets for the New York Yankees, and I love going to baseball. You took me actually, we went one time, that was great, wasn't it? Yeah, I do, it was fun. Quick question: VAR? I think now it's in, I look at some of our games, sometimes you wish you had it when it goes against you, but now you've got used to it. Pele or Maradona? Pele, because when I was a little kid, you had to get that sticker in the 1970 World Cup, it was really hard to get, you had to trade a lot of Panini stickers. Are you collecting them? I've got the full 70. No, meant for the 2022 one. I read the piece, Andrew, that if you get unlucky, it cost you 830 pounds. I did see that on BBC. Quickfire 60 seconds, sorry Marvin. Bundesliga, La Liga, or Syria for quality? Probably the leader, but I prefer to watch the National League than European football. Fish and chips, pineapple chips, or pasta? Pine chips? I've got a lot of Cornish pasties in my freezer. Lager top? The majority of people have said all to that? Favorite holiday destination? England, because I love going back to England. Probably if I had to pick somewhere, Turks and Caicos. Best player you've seen live? I've seen everybody, I watch England a bit. I saw Pele play for New York, and that was like watching ten kids running around a playground and Pele just orchestrating, the other 10 players were irrelevant. It was pretty amazing. Best ground you've visited? Absolutely away, I could park my car right by the goal, that was really good. So the National League. One more, Marvin: if you could change one rule about the game, what would it be? I would penalize players much more harshly for playacting and rolling around and diving. It's so prevalent. I think if players do that, there's a reason to go a bar on that and get them off the pitch if they're faking injury. I can't stand people faking injury. Interesting, interesting. So we're going to keep going with your best 11. So you've got three midfield. How are you doing this? Are you doing one holding or two forward? No, I've gone two obvious ones and one I've sort of squeezed into midfield, it probably doesn't fit there, but I couldn't leave him out because I love him. So two obvious midfielders, one is probably more an attacking player, and as I said, we'd probably have to be three up quickly with this formation. So start whichever one you like. Okay, so we'll go right, center, left. I mean, obviously, a clue: diminutive. That's obvious. Foreign. Yeah, there you go. Opposite of you, Marv. No one ever described you as diminutive. And play a ton of games, just played over 300 games. Foreign. Diminutive priest? But it might catch on. He was a great player, David, and actually played for us when it was difficult after the great years in the top league, and was still a great player for us after that point.

Really, and you were playing a lot there, Marv. I mean, really, in the early 90s, sort of held us together. He was really our best player in the early 90s, especially when Police came back and we had the cup run. I mean, he was incredible, incredible player.

Yeah, I mean, there's a couple of players in this team. I mean, I've got three or four that you wonder what would have happened if they'd gone to a top top team. I agree with you, David Priest definitely. And he was like a conductor as well. You're right, Andrew, he was calm in amongst it. He could find that pass. I think goal scorers are a premium these days, but someone who can play that pass is the biggest premium in football now. Goal scorers are always going to be in demand, but someone who can play that – it's hard to find those players, really hard. Midfield players who can do that. So I mean he'd obviously be in the team.

No, I was a vice president then. I think I've met his family, but his family had been back at games. Obviously it's incredibly tragic that he died so young, but his family, his daughter's been in the director's box and everything. It's a great move though, isn't it? You know him, he was just too young, and very popular at the club anyway. But the family is still part of the club, and I think there's still a charity involved in them as well, which still goes. So I think the club is very reverential towards David Priest. Very reverential. Excellent. So David Priest, who's the next attacking midfielder? Well, the middle one's obvious. The middle one's the greatest, certainly my era, the greatest player ever played for Luton. So that's right. Not everyone has him in there, but some people have him out on the right. I have him in the middle. You've got to have him in the middle. I'm very friendly with Ricky. I saw his first game against Bristol Rovers, I think 76 maybe. What a player. What would he have been like playing for Real Madrid? Or never mind an English team, what would he have been like playing for Barcelona or Marseille? Exactly. I think plait was pretty good about never playing him when scouts came. There was that story about he used to – if someone was coming down to see him, he wouldn't play him. What a player. A little bit unlucky with England because of Hoddle playing at that time. But what a player. Everything: power, strength, vision. I remember him in one of the first games, maybe the Bristol Rovers game, he just dribbled the ball for about 40 yards. He was a kid when he played for us. Then I think plait rested him for a while to stop Man United getting him. But what a player, and a great human being. The best player I ever saw play for Luton. I'm sure people who saw the team of the late 50s will say those England players were great, but from my point of view, the best player that ever played for Luton. Amazing. Yeah, and I definitely agree. Would you agree, Andrew?

Yeah, I know a lot about that era because I was involved in the club. It was an odd era, a bit topsy-turvy with the way the club was run. My view is that I wish he had come back as first team coach, not as manager, because it was a turbulent time. The club had just changed ownership, Lenny had just left. I wish he'd come back as first team coach. I think it would have been great, but it was a complicated time. In hindsight, is it fair that he only had 16 or 17 games? Football's brutal, and we weren't playing very well. I wish Ricky had been at the club as long as Marvin was around. It would have been ideal if he had been involved in coaching for a long time. But that's the simplest I can put it: I wish he'd been first team coach and not manager straight away. Yes, no, thank you. So Ricky, David Priest, and well, this is squashed in a bit because really should be a forward, but I had to put him in the team because I loved him. Stafford in central midfield. I just imagine – I'd vomit. Mick Nick would say, 'What the are you doing putting me in midfield?' No, I mean, this player was elegant and could go past people. Again, this is Matt. Funnily enough, we were talking about this because he's back involved with the club. He's got a lot of goals for the position he played in. He was really a winger. Not many of his head. And do you know, he's been on, Andrew, you know who he is? I didn't know he was that heavily back involved with the club. I knew I know who you're talking about, but I didn't realize. Being a hook about 25,000 ks away, I don't really keep up with that. David Moss, yes. He was God. He was good. The statistic: he scored 88 goals in 221 games as a winger. 88! That's basically under one in three games. He took penalties, he was a great penalty taker, so that helped, but even so, that's an amazing statistic for a winger. One in two and a half games. Pretty mad. He was such a graceful player. He was one of the catalysts, I think, for us going from being a flair team under Plait to being a winning team. He made a real difference. He played a bunch of games for us and had a really good career after. What a graceful player. So I know it's a bit of a squash. Someone's gonna have to do a bit, Matt Taylor's gonna have to be a little bit more defensive probably. But you're right, where you sat in the enclosure in the front section of the main stand, you must have had Mossy and even Ricky Hills going up and down that flank. It must have been amazing to watch. Yeah, that era with that Plait team when it was on the way up was magical. The culmination was the League Cup and Ray Harper took us there, but the foundation was Plait's team in the late 70s. It was an exciting team to watch, we scored a lot of goals. Eventually we got the blend right to be a proper top league team. Going up the league with that team was really exciting.

Oh, definitely away at Watford. That was amazing. I even went to see that season – well, maybe it was a season after. I went to see Harlow play at Watford in the Harlow end. The rivalry was so mad with Watford. It was a bit dicey, I think we nearly got a good kicking going home from that game. But definitely away at Watford because it was Boxing Day, we had a great team, we were really good then. That winning score in the last minute – magic, just magic. I remember tumbling down about 25 terraces when we scored. That was amazing, fantastic.

I did make a reference to Marvin at my birthday a few weeks ago because he came to my birthday. I said he played 465 games, he wasn't all great, but I remember sitting on those seats when he scored against Ipswich. That was great for 3-0 and Marvin tearing away, definitely trying to catch him. That was really great. The weird thing is when I got involved in the club the first time and Marvin played when we won League Two. He made a reference that early he made a real difference in the last 15 games, his experience coming on and making sure we got sorted. I think you were injured a bit, Marv, weren't you? But you really showed your experience coming on, making sure we got settled. I remember you vividly from that period. Also because I knew you a bit then. We started to go dicey, then we got pumped 5-1 by Mansfield? Or maybe a different season. We did lose. I think that was the late forties, is that one, Andrew? We did lose at Bristol Rovers. Joe slung about five players at the team after that. I won't name any names. I went to that game at the Memorial Stadium and they were much better than us. After that, we went on a really good run. Marvin will name them.

Right now, also Adam Lock, Chris Wilmot. There was a lot era, wasn't it? Lucky, I mean, we won the league, I think we were second anyway. We played well after that, but we were very poor that day. You thought perhaps we were in for a really tough season. But as it turned out, I'm pretty sure the transfer deadline wasn't then, so we got in two or three players. Maybe that's when we got in Val while Marv and all that. The transfer window used to be end or middle of March. You could go all, it was nothing like it is now with two little gaps. We have digressed again. But Andrew, just before you go, I've never actually found this out Rob: what position did you play when you were growing up? What did you play? Bedgrove Dynamo? I played left back in that and we won, beat Scouts in the house – must be Under 12s final. Played left back, then I sort of graduated as I got older to center forward. I could hit it, Marv. I wasn't, I could head it. I played football until I was 37, for a team in the London music business league on Sunday mornings. I played center forward. And you still get out now, a bit of five-a-side? No, I did the cruise ships. Being a Sunday league player, I did my cruise ship twice, playing football. I've had about five knee operations, so I don't want to get carried away. But the fact is I did my knee twice, had cartilage operations. For that, you'd have been playing for Luton and Man United by now. Yeah, I was beyond the trials, good enough for me. Excellent. And you said the coach that took you to your first Luton game – he was a young lad, a great coach. He was probably in his twenties. He took about eight or nine of us. My best friend, who I still go to games with, we all went in 1973. I was on the phone to two of them on my birthday. We lost at home to Preston. I phoned them on the way home from the game. They asked what game we went to the day before the Aylesbury Under 12s final. I remember it: we beat Preston 4-2 in 1973 promotion season. Bobby Charlton was the manager of Preston. Good trainspotter. They laugh, they go how do you remember that? I go, I don't remember anything about the last 20 years, but I remember 1973 like it was yesterday. So if it had taken you to Arsenal, would Arsenal have been your team, Rob? Then he'd been a Watford fan. Aylesbury is in between Watford, Oxford, and Luton. Could have been any. Obviously I'd prefer to spark so than Watford. But he just took us to games on a Keith's coach from Aylesbury bus station for 27p. Bargain. The goalkeeper in that game, my mate John and another guy Alan, they were at the Preston game three weeks ago. Fantastic. So up front, we got three people up front. Well, they're too obvious, and one probably reasonably obvious. Formation wise, I'm struggling to put this on a board in the dressing room, Andrew. People are going to say, is that a formation or just a bunch of great players? Are you walking in Ted Lasso style? Exactly. So the first one – an easy tip – another Charlton player came from Charlton like Paul Elliott. Do you go to Liverpool? You play for Liverpool? He did Tottenham. Mr. Paul Walsh. That's right. His first few games for us were unbelievable. I think he scored a hat trick or two against Swansea when we stayed up. He was a kid, 19, Marvin. He was in the England squad at 19, full England squad. He was unbelievable. He had pace, you couldn't get the ball off him. He played 80 games for us, 25 goals. He didn't play that long, two seasons. But what a surprise that he let him go. How good he was for foreign? Charlton produced great footballers. Nico came from that area, John Terry was from that South area. He was a commentator now, should have been one of the best players England's ever had. He was great for us. So Paul Walsh. Next to Paul Walsh – that's easy. I couldn't leave him out. I love him as a human being. You literally couldn't leave him out because you're worried about going to a Luton game. He'd give me that look. He's one of my favorite people in the world, obviously a legend. You've got to have him as a center forward. He got around. Did he go up in your eyes after the dodgy goal he scored to keep us up? He admitted he did it on board. I've read it. I'll tell you what I do like him even more for: when loads of Watford players are doing that daft fly thing and they're upside down – they're brilliant. Listen, it is everything you could ever hope for from a human being. Funny. All of us on this podcast and everybody listening, every single person loves him. Never mind what a great human being he is, he was an incredible player technically. What a touch. Technically great for a big player with all that strength and power. So yeah.

No, it's probably, actually Andrew, we had a few players like that in that squad who didn't play very much. I'll try and think who else. There was that when he brought in a lot of old pros. Chris Perry was good. There was a full back he brought in from – Joe brought in Kimball maybe, he was good. There was someone else who didn't play very much. I can't remember. Best forget the Blackwell era. Marvin. So we've gone with Bruno's team. Yes, again, I remember seeing his first games. There was a bit of concern at the beginning that Brian might be a bit lightweight, but after about 10 games he settled in and was phenomenal. He had a great partnership with Mick, and also with Bob Hatton. He was great. What a player. Another player like Ricky that you wonder. He played in our most successful team of the last 50 years, he played for England, but was he good enough for top European level? He had everything: pace, skill, could ghost past people. I know Brian from his time at the club afterwards, a humble guy. Like Marvin said about Steve Foster, the humility of these players is unbelievable. Looking at that team, Rob, that's a top team you've picked. If we put these teams to play against other Luton teams, it's a top Luton team. These players played a ton of games: Steenie over 400, Ricky over 400, Priest over 300. The reason I picked them is because you saw them a lot. I saw Brian for 15 years, it was part of the fabric of your life. Personality wise, that team knows. You know what more would you want to learn from Ricky or Brian Stein? Incredible. We've got some players at the moment who are fantastic, and I've been lucky to see them develop. That team picks itself, with possibly the exception of left back where there were a few choices, but I went with Maddie Taylor. If I'm allowed a sub, in the old days you could have one sub. We'd be 7-3 up and I'd bring Brian Horton on just to make it. You're talking about stares. I'm surprised you weren't worried about the stare from him for not picking him. You spoke about that, Marv. The knobby stare, staring at him with the glare. The gang will still be going on for two minutes and they'll still feel him staring at them. Fantastic. When you get those players, like Alan McCormack was a bit like that. You wouldn't want Adam McCormack following you around the pitch. Nico was a bit like that too. You want one of those players. Maybe Brian would play some of the games. But that team is hard to beat. I think the second 11 would be much harder to pick. Then you've got Mitchell Thomas, Emerson Boys, Thorpy, Pembridge, Scotty Oaks, Kerry Hughes, Roy Wagley. For the previous year, I loved Peter Anderson, a goal-scoring midfield player. The second 11 I really struggle to get 11 vs 11. What about the butchers? Did you see? Unbelievable player. Before your time, Andrew. He looked like he was going to be Bobby Moore, then he went to Man City at the wrong time. He was incredible. His brother was a good forward. Paul Fletcher was like a proper Bobby Moore, elegant center-back. I had him written down too. The second 11 would be harder to pick. What about the manager? Who are you picking to lead this? You had to get that in there, Martin, you had to make it controversial. Okay, I'm going to hedge my bets. It's Plait's team, so gotta be the manager. I'll have Nathan as first team coach. That's right. I love what Nathan's doing at the club. To get us where we are, along with Mick in the interim, it's an incredibly exciting time. We're at the very least an established Championship team now, and that's down to Nathan. Just explain a bit about what you do. A lot of fans know you as a director. What's the major part? I've worked with the same company 37 years now, Andrew. I grew up in Aylesbury, which had music as part of the culture with Aylesbury Friars. I saw every great artist of that era play at Friars. I worked there as a junior. A lot of people from Aylesbury went into the music business. It's not coincidental, it's because of that club. I had the best musical education. So that's what I wanted to do. Marvin was lucky to live out his dreams as a professional footballer. I was lucky to work with music. I started straight after college at the company I'm at now. It's a privilege to work with great musicians every day. I've got to where I am by respecting that privilege. And your role at Luton? What's your role as a director? I'm in the States, so it can't be as hands-on. But Gary does a good job making it close-knit. I was a director briefly in the early 2000s, then stopped. The other directors from 2020 deserve all the credit for getting us out of the difficult period. I was a vice president for a long time. We're all proper supporters, passionate Luton fans. No one tries to be overpowering. We trust Nathan and Gary. It's a close-knit bunch. It's tough when you lose, but for the most part, it's been a joy. We haven't got the finances with only 10,000 people in the ground, but we've found a manager and setup that suits who we are. We get the best out of people. Credit to Nathan, Gary, David Wilkinson, and the rest of the board. There's a culture at the club that is genuine. Marvin's been through several cultures, some brilliant, some not so great. This is a really good culture. I'm proud of how we are principled and true to the club's roots. I'm proud of what we represent. Some clubs don't have that attitude. What we have is very unique. The fans feel that too. I do, I definitely agree. So final question. I'll go to Andrew's got another one, Rob. I'm looking forward to it. The Derby – when they got back into the league, I'm thinking the two games. Where are they? Watford away is towards the end of October. It's weird because we played Watford away during the pandemic with no one there. It was a bit of a damp squib. I don't think it'll be like that this time. I went to the Luton home game because directors could go. It was mad, 10 of us in the stadium. When we beat Watford home, it wasn't as good as if everybody was there, but still pretty good. It was great because the fire came off. He kicked a water cooler and was running. I was waving at him and he was getting more annoyed. I thought he was going to come up from the terraces into the director's box. I like Andre Gray, but I didn't like that bad nonsense. It was great. I'll be back for the Watford home game on April Fool's Day. It's gonna be amazing.