Luton striker James Collins says that the reappointment of manager Nathan Jones is a ‘stroke of genius’ which offers Town the best chance of beating the drop.
The Welshman returned for a second spell in charge of the club last month, after 16 months away, tasked with steering the club to Championship safety, starting with the visit of Preston North End on Saturday.
Jones had appeared to burn his bridges with the Hatters board when he left for Stoke in January 2018, but they buried the hatchet and now he has nine games to haul them out of the drop zone where they’re six points from safety.
Asked about Jones’ return, Collins said: “I loved it as I really get on with the gaffer and even when he left for Stoke, I still kept in contact with him and we got on really well.
“To be fair, I think it’s a stroke of genius getting him back as, managing wise, I think he is the best chance of us staying up this year.
“He knows all the lads, he knows the way we play, he knows the club and I think the lads are really happy to have him back and so am I.
“He hasn’t changed one bit. He’s the same Nathan he was when I signed for him three seasons ago.
“He’s really enthusiastic, (with a) work ethic, (he’s) demanding and obviously a joy to work with, so not a lot has changed at all.”
Jones has insisted he’s a better manager for his experiences at Stoke. He left Luton, then in League One, aiming to take the Potters to the Premier League. But he ended up battling at the bottom and was eventually sacked in November.
Collins said: “I think that, from his experience at Stoke, he would have learned a lot and just talking to him one-on-one, he hasn’t changed from when he left.
“But I’m sure, coming into these games, and further down the line with new experiences from Stoke, I think it will benefit us because he would have learned quite a lot I think and that can only benefit us as well.”
Collins credited former boss Graeme Jones with helping to improve him as a striker but admitted that slipping back into the old routine with has been enjoyable.
“The sessions are different, there’s a different structure throughout the week,” said the forward, adding: “I think Graeme was a little calmer than the gaffer now.
“The one thing I will say about the gaffer now, I really enjoyed his training before he left. We knew what we were doing on certain days and I really enjoyed his sessions. It’s nice to have some familiar sessions back at The Brache.”
Barring James Justin and Jack Stacey, who left last summer for Premier League Leicester and Bournemouth, respectively, Jones takes charge of a squad packed with players that he brought to the club.
Collins said: “He knows over 80 per cent of the squad and he probably signed them all, apart from the ones that have come in this year.
“That’s part of the reason he wanted to come back because he knew what a good squad he had and good characters.
“I think he can see from the lads and how they’ve been in training – and the new lads he hasn’t worked with before – there was a real spark about training, and it seems like they’ve got a bit of a fresh start.”
