Striker James Collins is hoping to play more centrally under returning manager Nathan Jones, but has defended the way he was deployed by former boss Graeme Jones.
The hitman was signed by the Welshman in 2017 and was Town’s top scorer, firing 20 and 26 goals respectively, in back-to-back promotion-winning seasons to reach the Championship.
Graeme Jones took over in the summer and, as a former striker himself, spoke glowingly of Collins, saying, “There is nobody that gives more to the Luton Town cause than him.”
But while the forward has notched 11 times this term, plus once on his full international debut for the Republic of Ireland, he was often seen operating in wider areas, for which many fans blamed the former manager’s tactics.
Collins, who scored in a 4-3 friendly victory over Brentford yesterday, said of Nathan Jones: “His way of playing the diamond is different to the old manager, he likes his centre forwards staying more central, which is better for whoever is playing upfront and maybe not as much running as it was before.”
Talking of his time with Graeme Jones, the goalscorer said: “To be honest, it was a different role. It’s how Graeme wanted to play.
“I was playing and I’m the type of person that, if I’m playing, I’ll do whatever the manager at the time is telling me to do.
“To be fair, he never said to me, don’t get in the box, it was just more a case of defensively a bit wider.
“I always tried to get in the box as much as I could, but we’ve stepped up a level and we’re coming up against better sides, so we didn’t see the ball as much and that’s probably why it seemed like I was out wide a lot.
“It will be nicer to play more centrally, but I don’t think it was a massive issue.”
