Maybe he's just doing a tour of the shittest places to live in England. Next stop Boro.
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[Football] Gary Rowett sacked / Nathan Jones **NOW CONFIRMED AS REPLACEMENT**
- Thread starter Crispy Ambulance
- Start date
What's horrible about Stoke City FC? Much like the Albion, it's a club owned by a local family who recognise the importance the club plays in the local community and they have invested heavily to keep it at the heart of that community. I don't have much love for the area itself, and a minority of their fans aren't the nicest, but the club itself is a decent club with a rich history.
For Nathan Jones, it's a fantastic opportunity: a club with a very strong squad and parachute money to try and get back to the Premier League. He's not going to get a Premier League job - they're not given to young British managers - so Stoke, or similar, is as good as it's going to get.
mejonaNO12 aka riskit
Well-known member
What an opportunity.
Icy Gull
Back on the rollercoaster
- Jul 5, 2003
- 72,015
Nathan Jones to Stoke?
Looks like it’s gathering pace.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/46810017
Looks like it’s gathering pace.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/46810017
Austrian Gull
Well-known member
Have you been to Luton!? Stoke is probably a better place all in all.
Expectations too big to make this a good move this early IMO.
Genuinely unsure if it would be a good move for him or not?
Potential to turn himself into a Premier League manager if he gets it right (and put himself firmly in line as CH's successor), but also the job looks a bit like a poisoned chalice currently.
Undoubtedly, it is a step up, but would it be worth giving up a (seemingly) good thing at Luton for a bit of a gamble?
Anywhere is a better place than Luton.
Having said that, the surrounding area (St Albans etc) is lovely and I'd guess that NJ lives there.
Icy Gull
Back on the rollercoaster
- Jul 5, 2003
- 72,015
I imagine any big club job he gets offered is going to be a gamble. I think he’s pretty ambitious so unless he sees Stoke as a basket case after checking it out, I think he’ll grab the chance.
He could always do a Smug.
If it all goes tits at Stoke then Luton would probably welcome him back with open arms. He'll have pocketed a huge wad of cash and everyone (except Stoke) would be happy.....
Austrian Gull
Well-known member
You're absolutely right. I spent my teenage years in Harpenden which is five miles away from Luton but might as well be a different continent.
Biscuit Barrel
Well-known member
I think this would be an excellent move for NJ. Luton are a good club but if he does succeed in getting them promoted to the Championship, it would be a struggle to keep them there.
Stoke are a well run club with a big budget for the Championship. He would stand an excellent chance of getting Stoke promoted next season if he his good enough.
He would be mad to turn this offer down IMHO.
Stoke are a well run club with a big budget for the Championship. He would stand an excellent chance of getting Stoke promoted next season if he his good enough.
He would be mad to turn this offer down IMHO.
Thunder Bolt
Silly old bat
Fair comment, I don't know much about the owners, but the area, the fans (along with Port Vale) are both horrible.
I've only ever been to Luton once. My wife (then girlfriend) was on a course there and as it was her birthday I drove down to meet her and take her out for dinner.
After wandering around the town centre for a while (and genuinely considering fish and chips in the hotel room) we finally found the one half decent looking place to eat. Pizza Express.
I spent the following day driving round the little village and towns nearby, had lunch in a beautiful village pub etc. The contrast was quite extraordinary.
Shortly afterwards Luton came first in a list of "shittest towns in England" much to my complete lack of surprise.
This was about 14 years ago and from what I've read it's only got worse......
I assume when you wish to move job you resign first before applying for anything else ?
Why is it so bad?
All of this. Nothing wrong with Stoke City. Crap area, a few twats in their support for sure, but a decent enough club IMO.
If I was a Stoke fan, I'd be loving the idea of Jones going there - far better than the usual tired merry go round managers they've been saddled with for several years now.
I used to live in the Luton area. It's a very ordinary town, but scruffy and far too much racial tension. Some of the estates in the area are proper grim too - I'm thinking in particular of Lewsey Farm, but there are others.
Two Professors
Two Mad Professors
One of Stoke's fans was on the telly last night appealing for swashbuckling football so Crouch could play to his strengths.Sorry,but he always looked like Bambi on ice to me.
GT49er
Well-known member
Starting to look very, very likely according to SSN. "Announcement expected later today".
New vocabulary on SSN too - "...he will be required to galvanate the squad.....!"
New vocabulary on SSN too - "...he will be required to galvanate the squad.....!"