Coyne and Brill linked with moves

Captain Chris Coyne, who is 29 and has been with the club for six years, has been linked with a possible £350,000 move to Colchester United. Colchester are set to lose on loan defender Matt Connolly after their match at Charlton Athletic on New Year's Day, and Coyne may be seen by Geraint Williams as the replacement to help shore up the defence in a bid to see the Essex side climb off the bottom of the Championship table. A more pressing concern for Luton will be the lack of cover in defence if Coyne leaves. The Australian's possible departure would leave the team with just Chris Perry as a proper centre-back, because of Fojut's imminent departure, and only Keith Keane and Richard Jackson as possible cover. So a move for Coyne may ease the pressure on the wage bill and bring in some much needed money, but on the pitch it will do absolutely no good at all. Plus it would mean the departure of one of the best centre-backs to have played for Luton in recent years, and certainly the most consistent performer.

Also linked with a move is young goalkeeper Dean Brill. Brill has been linked with a move in January to Queens Park Rangers, and the London club certainly have the money to spend, with high profile backers such as Flavio Briatore and steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal. However, from our point of view it would again have to be a move that would generate a lot of revenue, as Brill is not only one of the best players this season, but he is also the only goalkeeper with a squad number. Marlon Beresford and Zach Barrett are the only other goalkeepers at the club, and with Marlon 38 years old and with his best days long behind him, he is not really a safe option to replace Brill, and he hasn't even been given a squad number so Blackwell clearly doesn't rate him. Barrett is only 19 still, so he is too young as well, so the departure of Brill could leave us in a deep crisis at the back.

With numerous players being linked with moves away from the club in recent weeks, our first choice team could have a very strange look about it at the end of January. If Bell, Spring, Edwards, Coyne and Brill all leave we could be watching a team such as this:

GK: Marlon Beresford
DL: Alan Goodall
DR: Richard Jackson
DC: Chris Perry
DC: Keith Keane
ML: Darren Currie
MR: Paul McVeigh
MC: Steve Robinson
MC: Don Hutchison
SC: Drew Talbot
SC: Paul Furlong or Calvin Andrew

Subs: Lewis Emanuel, Stephen O'Leary, Calvin Andrew or Paul Furlong, Dean Morgan, Ryan Charles.

That's assuming that the injury situation stays the same and that Dean Morgan is recalled from his loan at Southend. It is also assuming that Blackwell carries on with no keeper on the bench and changes his formation to play two up front. If we pick up any more suspensions and injuries with the team above, we will have trouble choosing players. Hopefully, footballing sense will prevail and we will only have to sell some players. One thing is for sure, the Football League and FA will do absolutely nothing to try and help us.