Blackwell loses the plot - Profile of the Croatian Sensation
Last updated : 25 October 2007 By Peter Bulkeley
 | Never mind, there's always Currie |
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Lewis Emanuel, who is 24 years old, played 42 matches for Luton last season, scoring two pretty good goals for the team in a failed effort to avoid relegation. However, his form from around last October has been poor, so the move is an understandable one. Lewis has only played two games this season, one of which was in the Mickey Mouse Cup, and hasn't been considered good enough for the team this year by Kevin Blackwell. Hopefully, he can pick up some form at Brentford and return to Luton to compete for a regular place in the team. Although moving Emanuel out is logically a good move, it is a shame that he hasn't yet been given a chance in the league to show what he can do. It looks like Blackwell has had enough of Morgan starting already, so only Bell and Talbot out of the first-team squad have any real pace. Emanuel may not be the greatest left-sided player in the division, but he does have pace that can worry defenders, so a couple of games surely wouldn't have done him any harm. Good luck at Brentford Lewis, and hopefully you can return and challenge for a first-team place.
Brkovic, who is 33 and probably a bit too young and tall as a player for Blackwell's liking, has also been sent out on loan to Millwall.
Brkovic's Luton career started under Joe Kinnear, when he was signed from Leyton Orient on a free transfer. His appearances were relatively minimal in
 | Brko and Keane after goal against Swindon |
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that season in Division Three, but his contribution was good to the team. Brko scored just once in the league that season, a winning goal at Torquay United, where he also picked up a season ending injury. He returned to the team the next season in Division Two, and scored on the opening day of the season in a 3-2 home defeat to Peterborough United. His form then improved throughout the season, which was shown in the 4-3 victory over Stevenage in the Mickey Mouse Trophy, where Brkovic scored a six-minute hat-trick away from home to give Luton the win, and the memory of watching my Teletext screen change from 2-1 to Stevenage to 4-2 to Luton, Brkovic hat-trick will haunt me forever. Two more goals in the FA Cup against Guiseley followed, before a great goal away from home to Tranmere a few weeks later helped Luton pick up an excellent 3-1 away win. After that, he became somewhat more anonymous through the season, with his form diminishing, and just one more goal straight from a corner at Chesterfield in a 2-1 defeat. At this point, most Luton fans considered him a decent player, but nothing more than that, and certainly not a player capable of being in a title winning team week in week out. His next season at Luton seemed to prove this, with an unspectacular season and just one goal to his credit in Mike Newell's first season in charge.
At this moment in time, many Luton fans were starting to get on the Croatian's back, and wouldn't have been too bothered when Mike Newell dropped him for the start of the 04-05 season for Stephen O'Leary. However,
 | Brko after Hull goal |
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Brkovic ended up proving his critics very much wrong, by performing well and scoring a goal in the 4-3 victory over Barnsley early on in the season. Two more at Blackpool followed as Luton went on a superb unbeaten run. It was this season that Brkovic started to prove his knack for scoring important and incredible goals - his overhead kick at home to Bradford was the goal of the season, and a scissors kick in the last ten minutes at home to Port Vale gave Luton an important win. However, his finest moment that season came in a crucial home match to title rivals Hull City. Brkovic got on the end of a Robinson cross to head the ball home and give Luton a 1-0 win. His performance throughout that season was absolutely superb, and although Kevin Nicholls was rightly awarded the Player of the Year, Brko could so easily have won it for his incredible turnaround in form and his general attitude to the team, which didn't appear to be as passionate as Nicholls' attitude, but he was definitely part of a key group of players who cared for the club, along with Howard, Curtis, Nicholls, Foley, Sol Davis, Marlon, Vine, Coyne, whatever happened to them?
 | Croatian Sensation scores again |
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Brkovic carried his form into the next season as well. On the opening day of the season, he helped Luton to a completely unexpected 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace by scoring another late goal. He would also score in the midweek win over Southampton, although Dean Morgan would be the unlikely inspiration for that win. A few matches later, he then pulled off another goal of the season with an overhead kick against Leicester City that helped Luton on the way to a 2-0 away victory. Although his form that season wasn't as strong as the previous season, he still proved his worth to the team with late goals at Derby and Watford that rescued points for Luton.
The relegation season last year saw Brko's appearances restricted due to injuries, but when available he was a definite first choice, as he added passion to the team as well as ability. Not passion in the Kevin Nicholls style, but just the will to perform well, which was sadly lacking that season in other players. He again popped up with a last minute winner at Barnsley that season, although this was maybe more because of a keeper mistake, but nevertheless he was still in the right place at the right time. His injury could well have been one of the factors in the relegation of last season as well. Most people would think that Brkovic would have a role to play in the team at League One level that would see us challenge for promotion, but sadly he is not deemed good enough to be given for a chance in this team of fools (with some exceptions).
Sadly, because of me living much further away from Luton than I used to (which wasn't very near Luton in the first place anyway), and because I have to live off students money, I am unable to attend tomorrow's home game for various reasons. With the style of football the team is currently playing and with recent performances, this wouldn't bother me too much. After today, however, I am gutted about missing Saturday's match. Missing the chance to join in with the Brkovic chants that will hopefully be ringing around Kenilworth Road when the team are losing against Forest is devastating for me. In fact, the next game I will be able to get to is probably Walsall away, by which time Blackwell would be long gone if things carry on as they are. Therefore, I am using this moment to vent my opinions to the man in charge of the team.
Mr Blackwell, it may be the case that Brkovic isn't good enough for this division anymore. None of us have seen him much for a while, and it is possible that he isn't good enough anymore for League One. However, leaving him on the bench, leaving him to rot in the reserves for a while and
 | Hutchinson: Not as good as Brko, or Emanuel |
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then sending him on loan to League One rivals is an absolutely disgraceful way to treat one of this club's most loyal servants from this decade. The fact that you haven't even given him a chance to prove himself whilst persisting with players such as Hutchinson and Currie is a farce. To be fair to Currie, he has shown he can at least have some good moments, but then so can Brko. He is still the best crosser of the ball at the club, even better than Bell I believe, and the best set-piece taker at the club. We are currently in the bottom half of the table and not performing well either, so why are you ignoring the Newell players when your players definitely aren't working for you? Apart from Edwards and Furlong, no one else from your signings really stands out as being worth a place in the team, and it is that that is keeping many fans away. There is only Coyne left out of the old crowd that you need to alienate now, and there is no way that Chris Perry is a better centre-back than Coyne in League One as well, even if Coyne has got dodgy knees. And there is no need to sign a loan keeper either, at least not yet. Give Dean Brill a chance to impress, and I'm sure he'll prove his worth.
Good luck to Ahmet Brkovic at Millwall, he was undoubtedly one of the best and most loved players of this decade at Luton, and his moments of brilliance seemed to epitomise the style of football we played under Mike Newell, and sadly a hoof upfield from Richard Jackson epitomises the current football. The strange thing is, when we hoof the ball upfield we don't even seem to aim for Furlong, who is the only player with a chance of winning the ball in the air - we always aim for the shorter player. Anyway, good luck Brko, and I for one certainly hope to see you back at Kenilworth Road soon.
 | Brkovic after scoring at Vicarage Road |
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