Nathan Jones…. You’ve been gone too long

Just over 10 years to be precise, when the then highly rated young coach left to join the burgeoning project at Brighton.

Now the Addicks board are in deep consideration of offering him the vacant position of head coach at The Valley.

Other names still appear to be in the frame, but if the SE7 Partners board can agree then it looks as if Nathan Jones will be offered the job. This in my mind would be a significant upgrade on compensation and quality of what we have seen at Charlton in many years.

That alone of course does not equal success, and Jones has a couple of blemishes on his CV, but which manager doesn’t.

Understand this. Jones was highly thought of enough to be given a Premier League job. He was a Premier League manager, but only for 14 games. He did win five of those matches and under his watch took the Saints to the semi-finals of the League Cup and 5th Round of the FA Cup.

Too honest, too authentic, too naive. Jones said stuff out loud that came back to bite him on the bum. He has since had a year out of the game to reflect and take stock. His record at Southampton does not change his abilities and record as a manager or coach for me, but those experiences do make strong willed, hard working and intelligent people better.

In between incredible successes at Luton, a club now flying the role model club flag that we used to, he also failed in the hot seat at Stoke, but so has everyone else in the last 5 years.

Southampton nor Stoke didn’t improve after Jones left. We have to improve, we have to get better in so many ways but mostly at this present time on the pitch. I feel Nathan Jones can bring that and I’d be excited to see his name over the door.

I hope it happens, but I’m sure this tale like everything else at Charlton has some more twists and turns to come.