Nathan Jones appointed as new Stoke City manager

Brighton and Hove Albion’s popular former first team coach Nathan Jones has taken the latest step on his managerial career by being appointed the new boss of Stoke City.

The Potters sacked Gary Rowett earlier in the week after just eight months in charge at the Bet365 Stadium with the club sitting 14th in Championship, eight points off the playoffs and having won just eight games out of 26 so far this season.

After being turned down by former Fulham manager Slaviša Jokanović, Stoke have now instead turned to Jones who has built up a reputation as one of the brightest young managers in English football during his three year reign at Luton Town.

Since his appointment at Kenilworth Road in January 2016, he has successfully led the Hatters away from the League Two relegation zone, taken them out of the bottom tier last season via a runners up position and now leaves them second in League One with a very real chance of securing back-to-back promotions.

We got a glimpse of Jones’ managerial potential in the two games he had as caretaker boss of the Albion after Sami Hyypia’s departure in December 2014. Jones took charge for the first time against Reading on Boxing Day at the Amex and inspired the side to come from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 against the Biscuitmen. A certain Glenn Murray scored both goals for the visitors that day.

Better was to come three days later away at Fulham, the Albion putting in their best performance of the season to win 2-0 at Craven Cottage through Adrian Colunga and Solly March. Jones going absolutely mad in front of the away end at full time was one of the defining images of an otherwise dreadful campaign.

Those two results and his passion in the dugout restored his popularity among Brighton supporters after he’d fallen out of favour following his departure for Yeovil Town nearly a decade previously.

Jones had been an immensely likeable figure for his ridiculous hairstyles and his completely unnecessary step overs as he racked up 183 appearances for the Brighton out on the left wing between 2000 and 2005.

Other Jones highlights included scoring from the halfway away away at Nottingham Forest in 2002 and being outpaced by a squirrel at Withdean during a pre-season friendly against Leicester City in August 2003.

That good work was undone as Jones lost a lot of respect among some Albion fans during his time with Yeovil for what can only be described as several instances of brilliant bastard behaviour when he subsequently came up against the Albion.

These included;

• Managing to wind up the entire Withdean North Stand on one return to Sussex

• Standing in the goal in front of the Huish Park away end at full time of Yeovil’s 2-1 in December 2007 clenching his fists and screaming in delight towards the Brighton supporters, leaving Paul Samrah looking like he was going to explode with rage

• Getting Joe Anyinsah sent off by feigning injury in 2008, leading to Micky Adams to cut short an interview on BBC Radio Sussex to have an argument with Jones which began with Adams using the infamous line, “Here he is, Jonesy, just seen it mate.”

This all led Jones to be treated by suspicion by large sections of the fan base when he was appointed as assistant in the summer of 2013, firstly to Oscar Garcia and then to Hyypia. Jones was widely mocked as a “yes man” and someone who had no clue beyond standing up and getting animated in the technical area.

Those two games in caretaker charge changed all that though and he remained with the Albion in a new role as first team coach team after Chris Hughton’s appointment. He departed for Luton a year later after being headhunted by the Hatters.

Jones has been touted by many as a potential successor to Hughton when the time comes for the current Albion boss to move on, so we’ll be keeping a close eye on how he gets on at Stoke.

If his achievements so far are anything to go by, it should be quite well.