http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/sport/16176535.Exclusive__Former_Charlton_midfielder_wants_Valley_return_one_day/Jordan Cousins wants to return to Charlton one day as a player or coach.
The Addicks academy graduate, 24, left the Valley to join QPR after the club’s relegation to League One in 2016.
Greenwich-born Cousins made 136 first-team appearances and says Charlton will always have a place in his heart.
The midfielder, who is running his sports summer camp Evolution Sports in Greenwich at the end of July, told News Shopper: “I’d like to go back there one day, later in my career.
“I’ll always be grateful to Charlton because without them, I wouldn't be the person I am today.
“It’s my local club. It’s five minutes from the house where I was brought up in. In the latter years of my career, when I get a bit older, and I’ve achieved what I’ve wanted to achieve, I’d love to come back.
“If not as a player, then working with [Charlton academy manager] Steve Avory as a coach and helping the young players. That’s the route I want to take after football.
“I want to be connected with Charlton in some shape or form further down the line.
“I feel the academy is such an important thing, it’s such a great thing that they’ve got there. It’s something I’d love to be a part of later on in my career.”
Charlton moved four points clear of seventh-placed Plymouth after beating promotion rivals Portsmouth on Saturday.
With Plymouth and Scunthorpe needing to play each other, the Addicks will secure a play-off spot if they win their remaining two games against Blackburn and Rochdale.
And Cousins, who captained Charlton in the absence of Johnnie Jackson and Chris Solly, hopes the club wins promotion via Wembley on May 27.
He said: “I always check up on their results. I always want to see them do well - I’d like to see them come back to the Championship.
“So it’s good that they're in the play-offs now and I hope that they stay there and get promoted. Charlton will always have a place in my heart, so I want to see them do well.
“I know other teams have got games in hand but I think if Charlton win their next two games, they’ll definitely be in the play-offs. After that, it’s about who can hold their nerves.
“It’s a good squad and they’ll have a good chance going into the play-offs. I want them to get back in the Championship, because the club and the stadium, everything around it, it’s a club that needs to be there.”
A 19-year-old Cousins was beginning to establish himself in the first-team when unpopular owner Roland Duchatelet bought Charlton in January 2014.
He starred under Chris Powell, Jose Riga twice, Bob Peeters, Guy Luzon and Karel Fraeye - managers who felt Duchatelet’s wrath.
Comments
Granted he’s had an injury since he’s been at QPR and not had a proper run, but I’m not seeing a career in the Prem for him at all
That said I think he has started a few games and if we did go up he would be right up there with who I would want us to sign. I can just imagine a midfield 3 of him Kashi and JFC, Kashi and Cousins with the energy and engine with JFC keeping it all ticking over.
Fook off Jordan. Come back earlier and achieve what you want to achieve with Charlton.
was always going to be asked about us when promoting his summer camp in the news shopper.
Picking up on one badly phrased sentence is the reason that sports people are all now media trained and say very little of interest.
If injuries slow him down and he loses that edge he had (like Solly) then he may have to drop down a level.
I said at the time when the Arsenal rumours were doing the rounds that Jordan's close control wasn't of premier standard and unless he was going to play RB or CB I couldn't ever see him playing above Championship.
Not sour grapes just an honest appraisal of Jordon's ability.
I was still gutted to see him leave Cafc.
1) this was almost certainly part of a larger conversation that was cut into quotes by the writer
2) the context around it in the article indicates very clearly that he means accomplished all he wants to accomplish in a playing sense as what he's talking is a move into coaching. Basically, he means when he's ready to retire. Maybe the choice of wording isn't great, but even then I think it's clear what he meant in context and wasn't intended as a slight at us.
Everything other than that is just meaningless noise.
Seems fair enough to me and comes across as a good guy.