With the vacancy at Southampton looking as if it is an open invitation for Nathan Jones to leave Kenilworth Road for a second time, Luton have issued a statement.
The statement on the Official Site, confirms that the club have given Jones permission to talk to Nathan but not until after the Stoke game, this Tuesday evening.
It also asks everyone to pull together for the Stoke game in the hope of getting a result.
Now, I reckon that would be a miracle if it happens, instead I can see morale being distorted with the potential for this game to go majorly awry.
Naturally, social media is awash with the views of a mainly disgruntled support, many of whom believe Jones has already made his mind up to jump into the Premiership.
Some believe that Luton should hold Jones to the deal he only recently signed, a deal I believe runs until 2027:
2020 👏👏👏 watching the same manager walk out twice in 42 months! Enforce the contract
— George Barnard (@GeorgeBarnard66) November 7, 2022
You’d have thought that his second contract with us would include something about not leaving us in the shit half-way through the season again.
— andy (@sombrerero) November 7, 2022
luton you’re supposed to deny permission 😩
— Dylan Ellis (@dylanjpellis) November 7, 2022
But can we deny permission?
Contracts in the modern game mean very little, if we were to deny Nathan the opportunity to talk to Southampton he could just walk away.
Also, there’s probably a clause in the contract that gives permission for such talks to take place.
But is the bluster from Luton just a front to smooth things over and give the club time to consider their next step?
I’m not the only one who believes that the deal is done, that Nathan has jumped ship, once again.
The following social media posting is a dark but realistic view:
He’s gone then.
Join the dots: Nathan off balance with fans’ criticism, Gary Sweet ‘inept’, new stadium now at least 6 yrs away, Saturday match full time it was like Sheffield Wednesday away – his heart didn’t seem 100% in those celebrations. ….— mick kent (@mickkent2) November 7, 2022
But returning to the subject of Power Court, has the delay in building our new home prayed on Nathan’s mind, especially when you consider his words of wisdom, as reported by The BBC back in January 2022, and also the subject of the following tweet:
Can’t help but think if we had made greater progress on the new stadium his decision might be different. He wants to grow and time stands still for no man. Good luck Nathan and thank you for all you brought us. Onwards and upwards. You’ll never take the maple.
— stcrispin (@stcrispin2) November 7, 2022
“I’m so proud to manage this fantastic club, but also of the fact that I’m the one entrusted to take it on to the next phase.
“We have been on a journey since 2016, and to be entrusted with the phases of the development here in a town and community that I love, I feel so humbled.
“I would love to be at the forefront of taking us to the Premier League, which is something that we believe is more than realistic.
“To do that a lot of things have to happen, but we’ve got a lot of continuity here, a real good structure and processes in everything we do. With that and our constant development, the Premier League is what we want to achieve.
“The new stadium is going to be fundamental to that, and it would be a dream for me to lead the club into Power Court.”
So, if a move to the South Coast is on the cards, what happened to that dream?
These are interesting times for Luton Town FC, if Nathan believes the grass is greener, at Southampton, the decision on who should replace him could make or break us.
COYH’s
Is Nathan Jones Southampton Bound?
Yes!
No!
Previous article by Mad Hatter
Luton Boss Linked With Vacant Southampton Job
if he goes (and it’s still an if) he’s only be the 3rd manager since Pleat went to Spurs in 1986 to leave us of his own free will. sure jones was also the 2nd. any sour grapes from people needs to have that context. managers almost always get sacked. anyone saying “enforce the contract” a) doesn’t understand contract law, and b) forgets that if there was a weird world where it could be enforced, it would have to work both ways. would they want him hanging around enforcing his contract if we suddenly had a relegation or 2?
if he goes, good luck to him. we’re now an established championship club for the first time since the 70s (the last time we had 3 seasons at this level was the early 90s and we were guff in that last season). this is the best it’s been since the 80s and arguably better given that a new stadium will come, the club doesn’t have evans or kohler in charge, away fans bans, a plastic pitch etc.
and if he goes, the club also has time to make the right appointment.
onwards and upwards whatever tomorrow and the day after bring.
but, in the circumstances, should he be on the coach to Stoke?
if he hasn’t resigned yet, yes he should be on the bus. people go for talks with potential new employers all the time. in no other walk of life would they be expected to not continue their job until they’ve decided to go. he’s professional, he’ll do the job he’s paid to do till he’s stopped being paid to do it.
i reckon he’d have a pretty good case for constructive dismissal if he wasn’t allowed to work, didn’t take, or get offered the southampton job, and then walked away from us because of how we’d handled it.
the club are doing the right thing, let him talk, as us to support him tomorrow as usual. i’ll be there and he’ll get a clap from me
good points Jim, an air of sensibility in what are mad times?
in the modern game contracts are not worth the paper they’re written on!
the contract is worth it’s paper. if he goes of his free will, we’ll get compensated. if we ever sack him, he’ll get compensated. it wasn’t any different in earlier decades. and the restraint of trade on players was rightly upended in the 90s.
only worth it when it comes to money 🙂
No way….
If he takes the Southampton job I think he will be either an unemployed Premier league manager next season having been sacked or a Championship manager again having been relegated.
The grass isn’t always greener…..
good points but I reckon his self-belief could influence his judgement!
Hi mh, As I have already posted to another of your posts in reply to Andrew. I have it from 2 different sources in my contacts that a deal is done. I cannot believe that he will be going to Stoke with the team it would be catastrophic for the club. The fans will go ballistic at him an anyway even if he did stay now. Do you believe the fans will want him any more.
all talk of loyalty and Luton being his home has now gone out of the window, I have a gut feeling all this was sorted, in principle, on Sunday evening, if he’s willing to talk to Southampton it wouldn’t take much for another low end Premier League club to sway him! I dread to think what reception he will get if Stoke get the upper hand, early on, tomorrow night. Also, his potential appointment hasn’t gone down well with the Southampton fans but more of that tomorrow.
Mh, it won’t matter if Stoke start well, the damage has already been done certain sections of fans are already looking to give him the send off he deserves if he turns up. I hear he’s expected to be in Southamptons dug out sat. So when I said it’s a done deal I believe it.
first game – Liverpool, now that’s unfortunate lol
Makes you wonder why the club are not being straight with the fans. Their statement says ‘ Southampton can talk to NJ after the stoke game’ so how can it he a done deal…..why the cloak & dagger approach. Just get it done now we move on…..makes no sense dragging it on….
my view is that a discussion was held, between all three parties, on Sunday evening, sounding out Nathan and agreeing compo with Luton. If it all collapses, I’m sorry but Nathan has tarnished his reputation, my fear is that a deal is done and Nathan takes all his backroom team with him. If that is the case, we start from scratch, but I’d be tempted to go for Sean Dyche, putting to one side his Watford connections!
Dyche was a cult hero at luton when on loan. So I’d have no problem with him. Alan things go on fans aren’t party to before they played Newcastle on TV it was mentioned that if they lost he was gone. Do you think plans had not been hatched before he got sacked. How often do we hear a manager has been approached before the man in place has been sacked. Compensation takes time to be agreed by clubs. Today we are told the club has been properly approached today and agreement on compensation reached by the clubs all in a day. Come on Alan it does not take a genius to work it out.
Vote Sean Dyche then if Jones takes most of his backroom team with him! Like I said in a previous post, I have my suspicions all three parties were in discussion on Sunday night!
Don’t think sheehan will go….
hope not, if we can at least keep one or two for the sake of continuity, those who recognise the Luton ethic