Hindsight might be a wonderful thing, but Nathan Jones won’t be subscribing.
‘Worst thing you can ever look at,’ says Jones, unequivocal as ever while busily repairing a reputation shredded in 95 days at Southampton by reviving the fortunes of Charlton Athletic.
The South London club were 18th and flirting with relegation to the fourth tier for the first time in their history when he was appointed in February last year. Now, they are fourth and finishing like a train, with 58 points from a possible 75 since mid-December and a return to the Championship in their sights five years after relegation.
On Monday they thumped promotion rivals Wycombe 4-0, equalling a club record 20th clean sheet of the season. On Saturday they are at second-placed Wrexham, looking to spoil the happy ending they are expecting on the Disney Channel.
The scene is set perfectly for Jones in his role as a footballing insurgent. He led Luton up through the divisions to the brink of the Premier League, ruffling the established order in two spells either side of 10 months at Stoke.
And the 51-year-old has generated the same aggressive energy at the Valley. More than 20,000 watched them beat Northampton on Good Friday. When Northampton visited last season, less than a fortnight before Jones arrived, the crowd was under 11,000.
Nathan Jones has transformed Charlton’s fortunes since his appointment last February
Jones has set about rebuilding a reputation that was destroyed during his spell at Southampton
Jones won five of 14 Premier League games, losing nine and was sacked after just 95 days
‘I’m not a manager who likes to jump around,’ says Jones. ‘I’ve had four clubs in my managerial career, but I always plump for a project. I was three years at Luton, then went for what I felt was a different project.
‘I wanted to be there for a while, but it didn’t work out that way. I came back to Luton and built it again to the brink of the Premier League and then went for another project I felt was right.’
That was Southampton in November 2022. Saints had made a poor start in the Premier League and Rasmus Ankersen, chief executive of the ownership group Sport Republic, selected Jones to replace Ralf Hasenhuttl.
‘It was a wonderful opportunity,’ says Jones. ‘I made the decision with all the information I had available and that’s all you can do in life.’
He won five of 14 in the Premier League with Southampton, losing nine and was sacked with fans calling for him to go. Ruben Selles took over and they went down. This season, Saints have been relegated again with a record seven games to spare. They won twice under Russell Martin and Ivan Juric.
Jones waited a year for another opportunity, and it came at Charlton, where his coaching career started on the academy staff in 2012. They have been good for each other.
‘I was waiting for the right one,’ says Jones. ‘Somewhere I felt I could be for a long time and build something. This club has the foundations, the history and infrastructure to be a massive club. The academy is one of the best in the country.
‘There’s no ceiling. It can be a Premier League club. It has been a Premier League club. It is a Premier League club. We have to build that again by making good decisions over a long period.’
Charlton thumped Wycombe on Monday to continue their stunning late push for promotion
Jones takes his Charlton side to Wrexham on Saturday in a crunch match at the top of the table
Hollywood-backed Wrexham, pictured, lie second in the table and Jones admits he was ‘a bit flippant’ when he declared his side would have ‘to go to the circus’ in an interview this week
Jones believes Charlton have no ceiling having previously been a Premier League club
Jones started by making his team difficult to beat and added attacking fluency. A tactical tweak in midseason was key to the evolution, unlocking the potential of 21-year-old academy graduate Tyreece Campbell, who has attracted attention while easing the load on 19-goal top-scorer Matty Godden.
Birmingham have run away with League One but there is a thrilling tussle for the remaining promotion places.
‘We have to go to the circus and see what we can get,’ said Jones on Monday, hyped up after the win at Wycombe, but clarified his feelings ahead of a trip to his native Wales, conscious perhaps of offence taken by his hosts.
‘It was a word I used, probably a bit flippant at the time,’ he says. ‘It’s a very well-run club and the owners have done a fantastic job, not only galvanising the club and taking it forward but taking the community with it. It’s a Welsh community so one in my heart.
‘What I meant was that a lot of pomp and ceremony follows Wrexham around, a lot of cameras and a lot of coverage, a lot of scrutiny and they’ve handled that very well.
‘At times that can be a distraction and I don’t want it to be for our team. We can’t be distracted by what anyone else wants to do.’
