When he managed the U21s all those years ago, you got the impression that those kids would run through brick walls for him...
After seeing his speech in the dressing room at Wembley on Sunday, you can see why...
Churchillian
Its an interesting dichotomy with Jones as while on the one hand he's very successful and focused on creating this feeling on camaraderie and being a team he also simultaneously has an extremely controlling and demanding personal style where its HIS decisions that everyone else abides by.
That's not a criticism at all as its obviously a successful style and a hard one to maintain but it does interest me as to how he keeps that balance.
As Nathan will continue to remind us even in 2035 after 5 seasons of champions league football
And if he does it will continue to cause rancour with some supporters who don't like him bringing it up. It doesn't bother me in the slightest. In fact, if it helps him be the best version of himself he can be, I'd rather he did so we can continue to reap the rewards.
Credit where it’s due, let’s be honest, a few raised eyebrows when George and Alfie left, ie what is he doing?
But to turn around a sinking ship (we were heading for league 2 under Appleton) and end up in 16th was pretty amazing.
I tried to dampen expectations for this season, at the start, with my eldest son, and said what do we realistically expect this season, we agreed 8-10th based on the previous season, playoffs was beyond us, it’s too much of a jump.
To then not only get into the playoffs comfortably, but to win it at Wembley is remarkable.
It’s nice to have the summer thinking about all the ‘big clubs’ we’re going to play next season, rather than having the drudgery of league one.
My youngest son however, lumped £20 at the start of the season,on us to get promoted, and ended up winning £140.
His bet kept going up and down during the season, and he kept saying to us, you were laughing at me, you’re not laughing at me now! (Bit like Nathan perhaps).
Five months ago I said that I believed that, from the start of the season, it was NJ's intention to make us hard to beat first (he talked about getting us to "do the basics" in his post match speech on Sunday) and foremost and then to add an attacking dimension to that.
We did that first bit initially but then injuries to key players (particularly Jones and Ramsay - they've started together in 28 matches and had they done so for the duration the points gained indicate we would have finished second) meant that we were still playing relatively sterile football but without the success So, we had neither the results nor the football. We then became slightly more expansive but still with that desire not to concede.
I'm seeing a lot of people saying that staying up in the Championship will be a result. Without more creativity we are still going to be trying to win games "dirty" so here's hoping that he is allowed to buy those two or three players that will add that extra dimension. Otherwise, I do wonder how long it will take for some to revert to that previous criticism of NJ?
Jones is clearly pissed off that he got some stick in the dark days of November and December, but you have to expect that when you have just lost 2-1 at home to Crawley and have only won six out of nineteen games, losing seven games, and playing some absolutely turgid football.
It all turned on that day at Sixfields on December 22nd with that 5-0 win over the Cobblers, starting a run of three straight wins from which we never looked back.
Pretty amazing form over the last 27 games, to lose just four games, draw four and win a staggering nineteen games - form which would have given us 103 points if maintained the whole season.
Even more amazing to do it with a razor thin squad, if anyone had told me at the start of the season that Miles Leaburn would only start 14 league games and score just six league goals, I'd have been sure that we would be nowhere near promotion - but Godden, Campbell, Berry, Gillespie and Doherty all chipped in to make up for the big man's absence.
Couldn’t agree more.
That was definitely the lowest point of our season. Right after the game, I remember thinking it was a sackable offence. Emotions were running high. But once I had time to cool off, I realised that sacking him would’ve just set us back even further.
What we needed more than anything was stability — especially when you consider we haven’t had a manager complete a full season since Chris Powell (apart from Bowyer).
Glad to say my gut feeling proved right in the end. That said, we still need to strengthen going forward.
Also proof that a Charlton Manager needs to have a previous connection with the club if we want them to be successful.
Let this put the bed the modern day myth that we can hire someone who has never had a connection with the club, before becoming Manager and thinking they can achieve anything
Five months ago I said that I believed that, from the start of the season, it was NJ's intention to make us hard to beat first (he talked about getting us to "do the basics" in his post match speech on Sunday) and foremost and then to add an attacking dimension to that.
We did that first bit initially but then injuries to key players (particularly Jones and Ramsay - they've started together in 28 matches and had they done so for the duration the points gained indicate we would have finished second) meant that we were still playing relatively sterile football but without the success So, we had neither the results nor the football. We then became slightly more expansive but still with that desire not to concede.
I'm seeing a lot of people saying that staying up in the Championship will be a result. Without more creativity we are still going to be trying to win games "dirty" so here's hoping that he is allowed to buy those two or three players that will add that extra dimension. Otherwise, I do wonder how long it will take for some to revert to that previous criticism of NJ?
Not sure on the exact stats ( @Callumcafc will probably know) but i think including his first 14 games in charge Jones said in his interview we only kept something like 5 clean sheets in about 45 games.
To go from that to keeping 23 this season is an incredible turnaround.
I think we all can guess that our results are going to take a bit of a hit next season. The Championship will be exactly like Nathan Jones has described it. Another planet. The difference this time around is that NJ has earned a lot of respect and admiration from the fan base which he didn’t completely have when he took over. When things are’nt going great next year and that’s almost a given and the results are worrying NJ will be cut an awful lot of slack and the kind of criticism he got in 2024 won’t be there, or at not least from the majority. For me he’s achieved a promotion at least a year ahead of time and I’d even say against the odds. The Championship will be tough but I trust Jones 100% to work it out and get it right. Very much doubt that’ll be next season which will be all about staying up.
Five months ago I said that I believed that, from the start of the season, it was NJ's intention to make us hard to beat first (he talked about getting us to "do the basics" in his post match speech on Sunday) and foremost and then to add an attacking dimension to that.
We did that first bit initially but then injuries to key players (particularly Jones and Ramsay - they've started together in 28 matches and had they done so for the duration the points gained indicate we would have finished second) meant that we were still playing relatively sterile football but without the success So, we had neither the results nor the football. We then became slightly more expansive but still with that desire not to concede.
I'm seeing a lot of people saying that staying up in the Championship will be a result. Without more creativity we are still going to be trying to win games "dirty" so here's hoping that he is allowed to buy those two or three players that will add that extra dimension. Otherwise, I do wonder how long it will take for some to revert to that previous criticism of NJ?
Not sure on the exact stats ( @Callumcafc will probably know) but i think including his first 14 games in charge Jones said in his interview we only kept something like 5 clean sheets in about 45 games.
To go from that to keeping 23 this season is an incredible turnaround.
We actually started the season like that with 4 clean sheets in our opening 6 matches including the 1-0 defeat of Birmingham. The wheels then came off in three consecutive defeats when we had the likes of Edmonds-Green, Potts and Alex Mitchell in the side. As with all great defences it is the understanding and sum of the total that matters which is what the triumvirate of Ramsay, Jones and Gillesphey gives us. The third named has improved immensely but no one would argue that he is as good as the other two. But then Bruce wasn't as good as Pallister and they still made a formidable partnership or that Jackie Charlton was in the same post code as Bobby Moore as a defender.
Also proof that a Charlton Manager needs to have a previous connection with the club if we want them to be successful.
Let this put the bed the modern day myth that we can hire someone who has never had a connection with the club, before becoming Manager and thinking they can achieve anything
Also proof that a Charlton Manager needs to have a previous connection with the club if we want them to be successful.
Let this put the bed the modern day myth that we can hire someone who has never had a connection with the club, before becoming Manager and thinking they can achieve anything
Where's Alan Pardew?
Probably just getting out of his Ferrari before hanging out the back of one of the player’s wife/mum.
Also proof that a Charlton Manager needs to have a previous connection with the club if we want them to be successful.
Let this put the bed the modern day myth that we can hire someone who has never had a connection with the club, before becoming Manager and thinking they can achieve anything
Where's Alan Pardew?
Probably just getting out of his Ferrari before hanging out the back of one of the player’s wife/mum.
Getting on a bit now for that ain't he? Probably their nan
I think the most important game for NJ not getting fired was the home 0-0 against Mansfield, which seems an insane thing to say, but we played well that day, and it felt like something had turned a bit
I think the most important game for NJ not getting fired was the home 0-0 against Mansfield, which seems an insane thing to say, but we played well that day, and it felt like something had turned a bit
Totally agree, the 2nd half especially was to me the turning point of the season.
I think the most important game for NJ not getting fired was the home 0-0 against Mansfield, which seems an insane thing to say, but we played well that day, and it felt like something had turned a bit
Poor memory from you I think - that game was awful, we were awful and an out of form Mansfield were the better team, to be honest!
If that game Was the turning point it was because it made him finally realise something had to change!
Nathan, if you’re reading this, when I said several months ago on this thread that you were dragging us into the abyss, I should have explained that ‘the abyss’ is my nickname for the Championship.
I think the most important game for NJ not getting fired was the home 0-0 against Mansfield, which seems an insane thing to say, but we played well that day, and it felt like something had turned a bit
Poor memory from you I think - that game was awful, we were awful and an out of form Mansfield were the better team, to be honest!
If that game Was the turning point it was because it made him finally realise something had to change!
Reckon it was actually one game earlier - Lincoln away.
After the defeat against Crawley, Lloyd Jones came back in and it was last time REG saw any significant minutes for us as well.
Three back to back clean sheets against Lincoln, Mansfield and then Northampton where the 5 nil win showed that we potentially found a formula.
This was a comment (and reaction) to NJ’s post match comments against Mansfield. We started taking advantage of the clean sheets from the next weekend onwards until the end of the season.
My recollection was for the Northamton game, we had injuries and sickness and that was the first game we started Small in the advanced role with TC playing up front. For me, that is when the formula appeared for better attacking play.
Nathan, if you’re reading this, when I said several months ago on this thread that you were dragging us into the abyss, I should have explained that ‘the abyss’ is my nickname for the Championship.
“ I will tell you this, there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over 99 righteous people who have no need of repentance”.
My recollection was for the Northamton game, we had injuries and sickness and that was the first game we started Small in the advanced role with TC playing up front. For me, that is when the formula appeared for better attacking play.
We had tried Small on the right away at Huddersfield, it just didn’t really work out well because we didn’t have TC on the left and it needs both of them to work.
This is why I never called for Jones head, the amount of key players we had injured there is literally no way he could have set the team up to win games. He deserved time to get players back and see if he could get results again, thankfully the club agreed. Take Jones, Ramsay and TC out of our team at the end of the season and we’d probably have had similar struggles
Also proof that a Charlton Manager needs to have a previous connection with the club if we want them to be successful.
Let this put the bed the modern day myth that we can hire someone who has never had a connection with the club, before becoming Manager and thinking they can achieve anything
Comments
Boy, does our Nathan look sinister in this. He looks like the bastard child of Bryan Mills and Francis Begbie, "I will find you and I will glass you".
That's not a criticism at all as its obviously a successful style and a hard one to maintain but it does interest me as to how he keeps that balance.
But to turn around a sinking ship (we were heading for league 2 under Appleton) and end up in 16th was pretty amazing.
I tried to dampen expectations for this season, at the start, with my eldest son, and said what do we realistically expect this season, we agreed 8-10th based on the previous season, playoffs was beyond us, it’s too much of a jump.
To then not only get into the playoffs comfortably, but to win it at Wembley is remarkable.
It’s nice to have the summer thinking about all the ‘big clubs’ we’re going to play next season, rather than having the drudgery of league one.
My youngest son however, lumped £20 at the start of the season,on us to get promoted, and ended up winning £140.
His bet kept going up and down during the season, and he kept saying to us, you were laughing at me, you’re not laughing at me now! (Bit like Nathan perhaps).
We did that first bit initially but then injuries to key players (particularly Jones and Ramsay - they've started together in 28 matches and had they done so for the duration the points gained indicate we would have finished second) meant that we were still playing relatively sterile football but without the success So, we had neither the results nor the football. We then became slightly more expansive but still with that desire not to concede.
I'm seeing a lot of people saying that staying up in the Championship will be a result. Without more creativity we are still going to be trying to win games "dirty" so here's hoping that he is allowed to buy those two or three players that will add that extra dimension. Otherwise, I do wonder how long it will take for some to revert to that previous criticism of NJ?
That was definitely the lowest point of our season. Right after the game, I remember thinking it was a sackable offence. Emotions were running high. But once I had time to cool off, I realised that sacking him would’ve just set us back even further.
What we needed more than anything was stability — especially when you consider we haven’t had a manager complete a full season since Chris Powell (apart from Bowyer).
Glad to say my gut feeling proved right in the end. That said, we still need to strengthen going forward.
To go from that to keeping 23 this season is an incredible turnaround.
Do you mind? I wanted to enjoy my morning.. 😉
This tweet is about Nathan Jones apparently.
I just can't see him leaving.
Edit: the more I am reading, yes I can. 😂
If that game Was the turning point it was because it made him finally realise something had to change!
After the defeat against Crawley, Lloyd Jones came back in and it was last time REG saw any significant minutes for us as well.
Three back to back clean sheets against Lincoln, Mansfield and then Northampton where the 5 nil win showed that we potentially found a formula.
This was a comment (and reaction) to NJ’s post match comments against Mansfield. We started taking advantage of the clean sheets from the next weekend onwards until the end of the season.
I'm just wound up this is taking most of the 1st-10th June transfer window.