‘Thought they crossed the line’: Luton Town boss defends Portsmouth title winner and ex-Bristol City man after altercation with fans
Kal Naismith amassed 94 appearances and claimed the League Two title with Pompey during a three-year stay at Fratton Park.
Jack Wilshere has leapt to the defence of Kal Naismith after an altercation with Luton Town supporters on Saturday.
The Hatters boss and the ex-Pompey title winner were both involved in heated exchanges with a section of home fans at Kenilworth Road after the full-time whistle.
After four defeats in six matches, Luton’s poor run of form continued over the weekend, with Fabio Tavares netting a 92nd-minute equaliser for relegation-threatened Burton Albion in a 1-1 draw.
That led to visible anger from the stands, with supporters across the stadium venting their frustration with boos and jeers.
Naismith appeared to be pulled away by Wilshere following a heated exchange with supporters after the full-time whistle as tempers flared in Hertfordshire.
Jack Wilshere defends ex-Pompey man after altercation with supporters
He told our sister paper, Luton Today: ‘I’ve said it before about Kal that I love him and I think he's a great leader. I know that's quite controversial at times, but I can't quite get my head around that.
‘If I was a supporter of this club then I'd want someone like that leading it, because he really cares, he drives standards every single day.
‘He doesn't want to accept that we're in the level we're at, as I know that he came back to the club to try and get the club back. We can have questionable performances, but it still needs to be respectful and Kal was always respectful, always.
‘But it has to remain that way and I think probably Kal thought they crossed the line. I said, ‘Kal, ignore it, let’s stick together.’
Luton Town boss explains angry clashes with fans
After initially pulling Naismith away from a section of supporters, Wilshere was himself involved in an angry clash with another area of the Kenilworth Road crowd.
His appointment in October represents his first full-time managerial role after taking temporary charge of Norwich City last term but has struggled to close the gap to the play-offs.
And the ex-Arsenal and West Ham man apologised to supporters and explained what went on after the full-time whistle.
Wilshere added: ‘I was just trying to hear what he was saying, I've done it before. I think he was questioning the tactics, which is fine.
‘Fans come, they pay their money and they watch and they have an understanding of football, so I was just trying to find out what he didn't like about the tactics, find out that.
‘Maybe a bad moment, but I also think I want to be respectful to the fans as well because I can see the frustration. We're trying so much, so much, to turn it around and we'll keep trying.
‘There's no entitlement to just win games. I know we're playing against a team that are lower than us, but I said it before, they're not just going to turn up and give us anything.
‘We have to fight and fight and fight. We did that, but unfortunately we fell a bit short.’
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