There was a couple of minutes with NJ on 'football focus' today (about 33 minutes in) - don't think there was anything particularly newsworthy, but good to get a mention on the show again...
Yes it was a very good interview and the bit where he said about him joining was due to the new set up at the club owners, management etc are in place that enable him to start a long term project. Wonder if the usual doomsayers on here saw the interview?
Am quietly confident that Jones can bring in his own players and we can look to a minimum top six finish next season.
He has got results out of players that Appleton and Holden could not, this has to be a good sign for the future.
I imagine that he was given assurances before he signed the contract and he looks like a character that will not stand for backtracking at this level of the game.
Clubs at a crossroads. If the owners want to progress the club back to where it should be which I believe is The Championship or better still have aspirations of Premier League then this summer is the first step. I know everyone doesn’t think so but I think the squad we have is absolutely miles off so what happens this close season needs to make a significant mark. The alternative is to become an established third teir club and team. I don’t think getting promoted back to The Championship is doable in one season so although I’m expecting top eight I think getting the players we need is going to take three windows and genuine investment. I don’t see anything in between to be honest.
Yes Jones could be the manager to shoot us up the league, but that requires players at a higher quality than what we have now. Not just a 'few missing pieces'.
So how does NJ's managerial record stack up ("facts" taken from Wikipedia) :
2016-19: Took Luton from L2 to L1 and left in Jan '19 with them in 2nd position
Jan-Dec 2019:Took Stoke to 16th in the Championship and avoided relegation.Brought in 10 new players and managed 2 wins in 14 and was sacked
May 2020-22: Returned to Luton in the Championship, they were still there when he left after loosing in the 2022 play offs.
Nov 22 - Feb 23: Joined Southampton in PL where they won 1 in 8 matches before he was sacked with the team bottom of the PL.
So all he has achieved is one promotion from L2 to L1 and helped stabilise Stoke and Luton and avoid relegation Quite often he makes wholesale changes to his teams at season end which does not always lead to success.
It is too early to judge him at Charlton but his record and his expected changes concern me.
So how does NJ's managerial record stack up ("facts" taken from Wikipedia) :
2016-19: Took Luton from L2 to L1 and left in Jan '19 with them in 2nd position
Jan-Dec 2019:Took Stoke to 16th in the Championship and avoided relegation .Brought in 10 new players and managed 2 wins in 14 and was sacked
May 2020-22: Returned to Luton in the Championship, they were still there when he left after losing in the 2022 play offs.
Nov 22 - Feb 23: Joined Southampton in PL where they won 1 in 8 matches before he was sacked with the team bottom of the PL.
So all he has achieved is one promotion from L2 to L1 and helped stabilise Stoke and Luton and avoid relegation Quite often he makes wholesale changes to his teams at season end which does not always lead to success.
It is too early to judge him at Charlton but his record and his expected changes concern me.
Harsh assessment.
He left Luton when they were second in league 1 and they subsequently got promoted, for which he deserves at least some of the credit.
He kept Stoke up, another achievement
He then got Luton to the play-offs in the Championship, if only Charlton could be such failures.
No issue with people questioning Jones, I've already said what I think about the May transfer and how high risk it is but Jones' management record is strong.
So how does NJ's managerial record stack up ("facts" taken from Wikipedia) :
2016-19: Took Luton from L2 to L1 and left in Jan '19 with them in 2nd position
Jan-Dec 2019:Took Stoke to 16th in the Championship and avoided relegation .Brought in 10 new players and managed 2 wins in 14 and was sacked
May 2020-22: Returned to Luton in the Championship, they were still there when he left after losing in the 2022 play offs.
Nov 22 - Feb 23: Joined Southampton in PL where they won 1 in 8 matches before he was sacked with the team bottom of the PL.
So all he has achieved is one promotion from L2 to L1 and helped stabilise Stoke and Luton and avoid relegation Quite often he makes wholesale changes to his teams at season end which does not always lead to success.
It is too early to judge him at Charlton but his record and his expected changes concern me.
Harsh assessment.
He left Luton when they were second in league 1 and they subsequently got promoted, for which he deserves at least some of the credit.
He kept Stoke up, another achievement
He then got Luton to the play-offs in the Championship, if only Charlton could be such failures.
No issue with people questioning Jones, I've already said what I think about the May transfer and how high risk it is but Jones' management record is strong.
Particularly when you compare it to the typical track record of managers that get hired for League One jobs. We’ve had enough of them over the past decade to know that Jones’ record is head and shoulders above what you typically end up with. Obviously past performance is no guarantee of future success, and selling May seems like a crazy crazy idea to me, but I don’t see much mileage in questioning Jones pedigree - for this level it’s very strong.
So how does NJ's managerial record stack up ("facts" taken from Wikipedia) :
2016-19: Took Luton from L2 to L1 and left in Jan '19 with them in 2nd position
Jan-Dec 2019:Took Stoke to 16th in the Championship and avoided relegation.Brought in 10 new players and managed 2 wins in 14 and was sacked
May 2020-22: Returned to Luton in the Championship, they were still there when he left after loosing in the 2022 play offs.
Nov 22 - Feb 23: Joined Southampton in PL where they won 1 in 8 matches before he was sacked with the team bottom of the PL.
So all he has achieved is one promotion from L2 to L1 and helped stabilise Stoke and Luton and avoid relegation Quite often he makes wholesale changes to his teams at season end which does not always lead to success.
It is too early to judge him at Charlton but his record and his expected changes concern me.
You missed the part out on his 2nd spell at Luton where they were odds on the go down to L1 when he went back. He kept them up and built on from there to get into the Championship Play Offs
I think any decent manager would have kept us up last season, coming in at the same time. I do think he has the potential to take us far higher than anyone else we could have got in though.
Comments
I'm hearing strong rumours that it is intended to rename the Covered End as the Nathan Jones stand!
Lincoln's manager easily deserves it. Unbeaten with 5 wins and a draw in February, after a similar poor run to us in December and January.
Just hope he's given the chance to prune the squad.
These numbers would look better if you don’t include the Reading defeat where he’d had barely three days to work with the players.
Goals per games conceded since Jones: 1.18
Goals per game scored before Jones: 1.43
Goals per game scored since Jones: 1.36
(Goals per game conceded since Lincoln home: 1.10
Goals per game scored since Lincoln home: 1.50)
Yes Jones could be the manager to shoot us up the league, but that requires players at a higher quality than what we have now. Not just a 'few missing pieces'.
2016-19: Took Luton from L2 to L1 and left in Jan '19 with them in 2nd position
Jan-Dec 2019:Took Stoke to 16th in the Championship and avoided relegation.Brought in 10 new players and managed 2 wins in 14 and was sacked
May 2020-22: Returned to Luton in the Championship, they were still there when he left after loosing in the 2022 play offs.
Nov 22 - Feb 23: Joined Southampton in PL where they won 1 in 8 matches before he was sacked with the team bottom of the PL.
So all he has achieved is one promotion from L2 to L1 and helped stabilise Stoke and Luton and avoid relegation Quite often he makes wholesale changes to his teams at season end which does not always lead to success.
It is too early to judge him at Charlton but his record and his expected changes concern me.
He left Luton when they were second in league 1 and they subsequently got promoted, for which he deserves at least some of the credit.
He kept Stoke up, another achievement
He then got Luton to the play-offs in the Championship, if only Charlton could be such failures.
No issue with people questioning Jones, I've already said what I think about the May transfer and how high risk it is but Jones' management record is strong.
Just a thought
His two times at Luton would put him in the top 15 of time served going from current managers.
And then he was sacked by Stoke and Southampton.
I wouldn’t really say he has a habit of moving, indeed everything in his ethos according to his interviews is about having a ‘project’