There are a few teams across the world I have soft spots for, often because I once managed them succesfully in a computer game somewhere. That's actually true of Luton Town in a 90s edition of Championship Manager, but it's reinforced somewhat by living in the suburbs there for about 15 years after Uni. I've watched Liverpool win the Champions League in a bar a stone's throw from the site of the new stadium at Power Court, and even got to Kenilworth Road once to see a 3-0 victory over Preston North End.
Plastic pitches aside, the club, ground and town itself might be a bit of laughing stock across the country, but the plucky Hatters now find themselves in the Premier League this coming season. Already tipped by many RAWKites to have the worst campaign ever, it's an open question as to just how many points they can muster, and whether it will be enough to overhaul Derby's unenviable record.
It's also apparently an open question as to whether the Premier League will allow Luton to play at Kenilworth, with its much-discussed away fan entrance. Given the talk of the ground as a 'secret weapon', no doubt there will be feverish work across the summer to get it up to standard.