Former Luton manager Graeme Jones has been drafted onto Gareth Southgate’s England coaching team for the European Championships.
The 51-year-old left the Hatters in April last year after just shy of a year in charge of the club, with his departure coming after football was suspended due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
Jones went to Bournemouth as first-team coach under Jason Tindall and was then signed by hometown team Newcastle United in January, taking up the same role on Steve Bruce’s coaching team. He will return to the Magpies after the summer.
During the last World Cup, Jones was No.2 to Roberto Martinez as they guided Belgium to the semi-finals.
The former Hatters boss completed his UEFA Pro License course with England boss Southgate and his inclusion in the Three Lions’ set-up was announced today alongside the naming of a provisional 33-man squad.
It came after England’s striker coach Allan Russell left his role with the national team after serious car accident involving his brother.
Speaking of the change in his coaching team, Southgate said: “We won’t have a like-for-like replacement in that specific area. I’m disappointed for Allan and for us that that situation occurred.
“But we’re pleased to bring in Graeme Jones, who’s been working with Newcastle. He’s got fantastic tournament experience from working with Belgium and Roberto Martinez.”
Good on him. Sure he’s not necessarily a manager (though I still think we might have stayed up last year with him). But this is a completely different job to being the manager of Luton moving up to the championship with a league two squad and league one set up. He’s done the business at Belgium and is clearly respected by some very good coaches and players as part of a wider set up. It might pay off. And if it doesn’t there’s another scapegoat for people to wrongly blame for why England have gone 65 years without winning anything. But why not imagine England winning with an ex Luton manager in the set up?
Absolutely perplexed by this???
This bloke proved how clueless he was taking Luton’s League 1 Champions and planting us at the foot of the Championship. Luckily Nathan Jones came in and normal service resumed, and a 12th placed finish.n
In this meantime this fool gets a job at Bournemouth, then Newcastle, now England. Probably be given the Spurs hot-seat next.
He’ll probably recommend Izzy Brown gets called up to the England squad!!
Now, now. Play nicely!