[h=3]Albion ready for pitch battle at Charlton[/h]9:00am Thursday 26th December 2013 in Albion By Andy Naylor
Charlton went down 2-0 to Derby in the last home game
Nathan Jones is confident Albion can cope with a contrasting challenge at his old club Charlton today.
The Amex pitch remained in excellent condition throughout Saturday's 0-0 draw against Huddersfield, despite relentless rain.
The same may not be true of the playing surface at The Valley, which is notoriously poor in adverse weather.
Charlton had a home game abandoned in August due to a waterlogged pitch, with unlucky Doncaster 3-1 up (see accompanying video).
It could turn into a muddy test for Albion if it rains but Jones believes the players will be adept enough to adapt their passing game accordingly.
The assistant head coach told The Argus: "We won't change the philosophy. We might have to adapt certain elements and play the conditions at times.
"The Charlton pitch hasn't been good for a year and a bit but it's the same for both teams. Charlton have to play on it, so it won't be a factor in how we prepare or how we play.
"I just know with the weather we are having at the moment it will be a difficult surface."
The festive clash is a particularly poignant fixture for Jones. The former Albion defender spent a successful year at Charlton as under-21s development coach until the lure of a return to Albion in the summer to link up with Oscar Garcia as his No. 2 proved too strong for the Spanish-speaking Welshman.
Jones said: "At the time I was very happy, very content. I was at Charlton doing the job I wanted to do.
"We were having a fantastic season. We were on the brink of winning the league and the cup. We were doing brilliantly.
"I'd had approaches but I knew to leave Charlton I needed something very, very good, because I loved my job there.
"I was offered a new contract but when Albion came in there was no decision to make really.
"It was the one I wanted and I am very content now with the job I have and excited about the job I have.
"I would have thought I would have been at Charlton for the foreseeable future but I am not naive enough to know that things change in football either way, good or bad, so you have to take advantage of every opportunity you get."
Original article
Nathan Jones is confident Albion can cope with a contrasting challenge at his old club Charlton today.
The Amex pitch remained in excellent condition throughout Saturday's 0-0 draw against Huddersfield, despite relentless rain.
The same may not be true of the playing surface at The Valley, which is notoriously poor in adverse weather.
Charlton had a home game abandoned in August due to a waterlogged pitch, with unlucky Doncaster 3-1 up (see accompanying video).
It could turn into a muddy test for Albion if it rains but Jones believes the players will be adept enough to adapt their passing game accordingly.
The assistant head coach told The Argus: "We won't change the philosophy. We might have to adapt certain elements and play the conditions at times.
"The Charlton pitch hasn't been good for a year and a bit but it's the same for both teams. Charlton have to play on it, so it won't be a factor in how we prepare or how we play.
"I just know with the weather we are having at the moment it will be a difficult surface."
The festive clash is a particularly poignant fixture for Jones. The former Albion defender spent a successful year at Charlton as under-21s development coach until the lure of a return to Albion in the summer to link up with Oscar Garcia as his No. 2 proved too strong for the Spanish-speaking Welshman.
Jones said: "At the time I was very happy, very content. I was at Charlton doing the job I wanted to do.
"We were having a fantastic season. We were on the brink of winning the league and the cup. We were doing brilliantly.
"I'd had approaches but I knew to leave Charlton I needed something very, very good, because I loved my job there.
"I was offered a new contract but when Albion came in there was no decision to make really.
"It was the one I wanted and I am very content now with the job I have and excited about the job I have.
"I would have thought I would have been at Charlton for the foreseeable future but I am not naive enough to know that things change in football either way, good or bad, so you have to take advantage of every opportunity you get."
Original article