.jpg) Jones withBrighton & Hove Albion in 2014 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nathan Jason Jones[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1973-05-28)28 May 1973 (age 52)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Blaenrhondda, Wales | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Left-back,midfielder[2] | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Charlton Athletic (manager) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1990–1991 | Cardiff City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1991–1992 | Maesteg Park | ||
| 1992–1993 | Ton Pentre | ||
| 1993–1995 | Merthyr Tydfil | ||
| 1995 | Luton Town | 0 | (0) |
| 1995–1996 | Badajoz | 21 | (1) |
| 1996–1997 | Numancia | 16 | (0) |
| 1997–2000 | Southend United | 99 | (2) |
| 1999 | →Scarborough (loan) | 8 | (0) |
| 2000–2005 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 159 | (7) |
| 2005–2012 | Yeovil Town | 185 | (2) |
| Total | 488 | (12) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2014 | Brighton & Hove Albion (caretaker) | ||
| 2016–2019 | Luton Town | ||
| 2019 | Stoke City | ||
| 2020–2022 | Luton Town | ||
| 2022–2023 | Southampton | ||
| 2024– | Charlton Athletic | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Nathan Jason Jones (born 28 May 1973) is a Welsh professionalfootball manager who is the manager ofEFL Championship clubCharlton Athletic. He is also a formerplayer who played as aleft-back and amidfielder.
Jones began his career withFootball Conference clubMerthyr Tydfil before joiningLuton Town in the summer of 1995. He became homesick at Luton so took an opportunity to move to Spain withBadajoz and thenNumancia and returned to England withSouthend United in 1997. Jones spent three seasons atRoots Hall which included a brief loan spell withScarborough in 1999. He moved on toBrighton & Hove Albion in 2000 and was part of the team that won three promotions in five years. He joinedYeovil Town in 2005 where he spent seven seasons inLeague One making over 200 appearances.
Whilst at Yeovil, Jones began taking his coaching badges, spending time as first-team coach ofYeovil Town Ladies and later player-assistant manager of the first team. He left Yeovil in 2012 and joined Charlton Athletic as theirunder-21 professional development coach, a role which he held for one season. He returned to Brighton as a member of the coaching staff toÓscar García,Sami Hyypiä andChris Hughton. Jones left Brighton in January 2016 to take over as manager ofLeague Two club Luton Town. He guided Luton to theLeague Two play-offs in2016–17 losing out toBlackpool, but earned promotion to League One in2017–18 finishing in second place.
With Luton on course for a second consecutive promotion, Jones left in January 2019 for Championship clubStoke City. His time at Stoke was ultimately unsuccessful, with him being dismissed in November 2019. Jones returned to Luton in May 2020, subsequently saving the club from relegation following the restart of the season after theUK's COVID-19 lockdown, and guiding them to a playoff place in the2021–22 season. In November 2022, he left Luton for a second time and joinedPremier League clubSouthampton, but lasted just three months in the role before he was sacked. In February 2024, Jones was appointed manager of Charlton Athletic.
Jones was born inBlaenrhondda, a small mining village in theRhondda Valley, and began his career with the youth team at local clubCardiff City.[3]
Jones was released by Cardiff in the summer of 1991 and went to play forMaesteg Park,Ton Pentre andFootball Conference clubMerthyr Tydfil.[4] He spent two years atPenydarren Park before signing forDavid Pleat'sLuton Town in July 1995 for a fee of £10,000.[5] However he soon became homesick at Luton and so moved to Spain to joinSegunda División clubBadajoz who were managed by EnglishmanColin Addison.[6] The team narrowly missed out on promotion toLa Liga in1995–96, missing out toExtremadura by one goal. Jones dropped down to theSegunda División B in1996–97 joiningNumancia and helped them gain promotion via the play-offs.[6] Jones credits his time in Spain as a major impact on his life and career.[7][8]
Jones returned to England play forSouthend United in 1997.[9] He spent three seasons at Southend, including a loan atScarborough in the1998–99 season, where he was part of the team relegated byJimmy Glass' memorable goal forCarlisle United.[10]
He moved toBrighton & Hove Albion where he made over 150 appearances during his five seasons at the club, achieving three promotions.[9]
Jones moved toYeovil Town in 2005 and established himself as a member of the first team.[9] His seven-year association with the club included captaining the team atWembley Stadium for the2007 Football League One play-off final, resulting in a 2–0 defeat toBlackpool.[11]
Jones started his FA Level Three Coaching Badge in the summer of 2008, and became first-team coach ofYeovil Town Ladies from November 2007, alongside manager Steve Phelps and assistant manager Nigel Wolfe.[12]
On 18 February 2009, Jones was confirmed as player-assistant manager of Yeovil, alongsideplayer-managerTerry Skiverton.[13] Following Skiverton's replacement byGary Johnson,[14] Jones was demoted to the role of first-team coach.[15]
On 1 June 2012, Jones left Yeovil Town by mutual consent after seven years and having played 211 matches for the club.[15]
.jpg)
On 27 June 2012, Jones joinedChampionship clubCharlton Athletic as their under-21 professional development coach.[16]
On 19 July 2013, Jones joined Championship club Brighton & Hove Albion, filling the new position of assistant head coach, working under head coachÓscar García.[17] Following Oscar's departure from Brighton and the appointment of new managerSami Hyypiä, Jones changed roles and became Brighton's first-team coach.[18] After Hyypia's resignation on 22 December 2014,[19] Jones was appointed ascaretaker manager.[20] FollowingChris Hughton's appointment as manager on 31 December 2014, Jones moved back to his role as assistant manager.[21] On 3 February 2015, after the appointment ofColin Calderwood as Hughton's assistant manager, Jones was demoted to the role of first-team coach.[22]
On 6 January 2016, Jones left his role as first-team coach with Brighton to become the new manager ofLeague Two club Luton Town on a two-and-a-half-year contract.[23] He won 11 of his 21 matches in charge during the remainder of2015–16, guiding the club away from the danger ofrelegation to an 11th-place finish.[24]
Jones made wholesale changes to Luton's squad ahead of2016–17, releasing 12 players and signing eight new ones.[25][26][27][28] Jones' Luton team spent only one week of the season outside the top seven positions,[29] while he also led the club to the semi-final of theEFL Trophy.[30] He signed a new three-and-a-half-year contract with the club on 20 March 2017.[31] Luton finished the 2016–17 season in fourth place, but were beaten 6–5 onaggregate by Blackpool in the play-off semi-final, meaning they would compete the2017–18 season in League Two again.[32][33]
Jones stated his ambition to go one step further and win promotion toLeague One in 2017–18, saying: "This year we can't have excuses, can't have that naivety about us, can't allow teams to nick draws and cost us our ultimate goal."[34] His summer recruitment was focused on signing experienced players who had previously won promotion, and he succeeded in doing this when signingAlan McCormack,James Collins andMarek Štěch.[34] Luton began the season with an 8–2 home win over Yeovil Town to set a club record for their biggest margin of victory on the opening day of a season.[35][36] Jones was named theLeague Two Manager of the Month for October 2017 after Luton recorded three wins, one draw and one defeat,[37] including a 7–1 home victory overStevenage.[38] He would go on to win the award for the second successive month, in which Luton achieved three wins in four league matches, including a 7–0 home win overCambridge United, scoring 14 goals to climb to the top of the table on goal difference.[39] Luton's win over Cambridge meant they became the first team in the history of theEnglish Football League to score seven or more goals on three occasions before Christmas.[40] They were also the highest-scoring team in the country in early December with 63 goals in all competitions, one more thanManchester City who were top of thePremier League.[41] Jones was nominated for League Two Manager of the Month for the third month in succession,[42] which was awarded toDanny Cowley ofLincoln City.[43] Luton topped the table until a 2–1 home defeat toAccrington Stanley in March 2018 saw them drop to second place for the first time since 21 November 2017, behind Accrington.[44] The club did, however, win promotion to League One on 21 April 2018 after a 10-year absence following a 1–1 draw away to Carlisle United.[45] A week later, they secured a second-place finish in the table with a 3–1 home victory overForest Green Rovers.[46] After four wins and one draw in April, Jones was named the League Two Manager of the Month for the third time in 2017–18.[47]
Jones continued to take Luton on an upward trajectory during the2018–19 season, leading the club to second place in League One by January 2019 with the highest number of goals scored. Following the dismissal ofGary Rowett, he was linked to the vacant managerial job at Championship clubStoke City in January 2019. On 9 January the club announced they had granted Jones permission to speak with Stoke City.[48] His departure was announced later the same day and he left Luton with the highest Football League points per game ratio of any manager in their history.[49]
Jones was appointed manager of Championship club Stoke City on 9 January 2019 after the club agreed a compensation package with Luton.[50] Jones won three matches of the remaining 21 in2018–19 as Stoke ended in 16th position.[51] During the summer transfer window Jones brought in ten new players to build his own squad.[52] Stoke made a bad start to the2019–20 season gaining only a point from the first six matches.[53][54] Jones was dismissed on 1 November 2019 after winning just two of the first 14 matches of the 2019–20 season.[55] Despite his dismissal, Jones later stated that he did not regret leaving Luton to manage Stoke.[56]
On 28 May 2020, Jones was reappointed as Luton Town manager, almost 18 months after originally leaving the club to manage Stoke. He replaced the outgoingGraeme Jones, who left by mutual consent the month before.[57] In his first press conference, Jones spoke of his "regret" and "remorse" over the way he initially left the club and that he understood the mixed fan reaction to his exit and return, with hopes that he could earn fans' trust back.[58] Jones went on to successfully guide Luton to Championship safety on the final day of the season with a 19th place finish, despite the club lying in 23rd when Jones re-joined.[59] Inthe following season, Jones achieved a 12th place finish after scoring 62 points – Luton's highest points total in the second tier since the1981–82 season.[60]
In January 2022, Jones signed a new contract with Luton until 2027.[61] Results continued to improve under Jones, with him leading the club to finish 6th and qualify for the playoffs at the end of the season.[62] Though the club ultimately lost 2–1 on aggregate toHuddersfield Town in the semi-final, Jones was widely praised for his management and was named the 2021–22EFL Championship Manager of the Season at the league's annual awards ceremony.[63][64]
On 10 November 2022, Jones was appointed manager of Premier League clubSouthampton, succeedingRalph Hasenhüttl, and signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with the club.[65] He lost his first game as Southampton manager toLiverpool on 12 November 2022.[66] On 20 December 2022, Jones secured his first competitive victory in Southampton's 2–1 win againstLincoln City in theEFL Cup.[67] On 14 January 2023, Jones secured his first Premier League victory in a 2–1 victory againstEverton.[68] On 12 February 2023, following a 2–1 defeat againstWolverhampton, Jones was sacked by Southampton.[69] Jones left the club with just one league win in eight matches, leaving Southampton bottom of the league.[70] He was the shortest serving non-caretaker manager in Southampton's history.[71]
.jpg)
On 4 February 2024, Jones was appointed manager of League One clubCharlton Athletic.[72] In his first interview, Jones stated that 'there is a real appetite to build something here which I am really looking forward to being a part of'.[73] In his first game as manager, Charlton lost 2–0 at relegation rivalsReading on 10 February,[74] then drew their next three games, including a goalless draw against league leadersPortsmouth on 24 February which saw the club match its record winless streak of 18 games.[75]
On 25 May 2025, Jones ledthe Addicks to promotion, defeatingLeyton Orient 1–0 in the2025 play-off final.[76] Following promotion, Jones was heavily linked with the vacant managerial position at Cardiff City,[77] before signing a new five-year deal on 6 June 2025.[78]
Jones is a devout Christian who credits his faith with getting him through bad times.[79] He has several religious tattoos on his body including praying hands and the crucifixion on his left biceps and forearm, Jesus Christ on his right biceps, and Michaelangelo's 'The Creation of Adam' across his back.[80]
Nathan Jones does not hide his faith and is very open to mentioning it during press conferences, occasionally appending 'God willing' to his hope that his tactics work.[81]
Jones is bilingual, able to speak both English and Spanish.[82]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Badajoz | 1995–96[83] | Segunda División | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 21 | 1 | ||
| Numancia | 1996–97[83] | Segunda División B | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 2[c] | 0 | 18 | 0 | |
| Southend United | 1997–98[84] | Second Division | 38 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 45 | 1 |
| 1998–99[85] | Third Division | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 22 | 0 | |
| 1999–2000[86] | Third Division | 43 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 47 | 2 | |
| Total | 99 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 114 | 3 | ||
| Scarborough (loan) | 1998–99[85] | Third Division | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 2000–01[87] | Third Division | 40 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1[d] | 0 | 45 | 5 |
| 2001–02[88] | Second Division | 36 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2[d] | 0 | 43 | 2 | |
| 2002–03[89] | First Division | 28 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 30 | 1 | ||
| 2003–04[90] | Second Division | 36 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6[e] | 0 | 45 | 0 | |
| 2004–05[91] | Championship | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 20 | 0 | ||
| Total | 159 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 183 | 7 | ||
| Yeovil Town | 2005–06[92] | League One | 42 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 48 | 0 |
| 2006–07[93] | League One | 42 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3[f] | 0 | 47 | 1 | |
| 2007–08[94] | League One | 31 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3[d] | 0 | 36 | 1 | |
| 2008–09[95] | League One | 23 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 27 | 0 | |
| 2009–10[96] | League One | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | |
| 2010–11[97] | League One | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2011–12[98] | League One | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 | |
| Total | 185 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 211 | 2 | ||
| Career total | 488 | 12 | 24 | 1 | 21 | 1 | 22 | 0 | 555 | 14 | ||
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Brighton & Hove Albion (caretaker) | 22 December 2014 | 31 December 2014 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 050.00 | [20][99] |
| Luton Town | 6 January 2016 | 9 January 2019 | 170 | 87 | 46 | 37 | 051.18 | [99] |
| Stoke City | 9 January 2019 | 1 November 2019 | 38 | 6 | 15 | 17 | 015.79 | [99] |
| Luton Town | 28 May 2020 | 10 November 2022 | 133 | 54 | 37 | 42 | 040.60 | [99] |
| Southampton | 10 November 2022 | 12 February 2023 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 035.71 | [99] |
| Charlton Athletic | 4 February 2024 | Present | 92 | 43 | 26 | 23 | 046.74 | [99] |
| Total | 449 | 196 | 125 | 128 | 043.65 | |||
Brighton & Hove Albion
Luton Town
Charlton Athletic
Individual
