Luton Town
“It is hard to argue against…” – Luton boss Nathan Jones receives major accolade: The verdict
This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
The annual EFL awards show was held in London last night, with Luton Town boss Nathan Jones being named manager of the Sky Bet Championship team of the season.
Jones has done a fantastic job at Luton Town this campaign, with the Hatters sitting 5th in the Championship table with just two games remaining.
We are delighted to announce that Nathan Jones has been named the @SkyBetChamp Manager of the Year! 🙌@EFL | #COYH pic.twitter.com/QSMMEcXAbl
— Luton Town FC (@LutonTown) April 24, 2022
Given that they are six points clear of Millwall in seventh place, they have all but secured a top-six berth – a remarkable achievement for both the club and Jones.
With that being said, we asked three of our writers here at FLW for their verdict on whether or not Jones was a deserving winner of the award, and if there any other managers out there that can feel hard done by.
Here’s what they had to say.
Adam Jones
It’s nice seeing someone less spoken about win the gong because Jones has done a remarkable job within such a small budget.
Steve Cooper could perhaps feel hard done by considering his record with Nottingham Forest since taking charge last November, because not only has he changed things on the field, his transfer deals off the pitch have been superb and he’s definitely built a good relationship with the second-tier side’s fans.
Wayne Rooney may have also been in with a shout – but Derby’s poor form in recent months pretty much rules him out of the race for now.
Jones has worked well within a limited budget with players who perhaps wouldn’t have been expected to be competing in the play-offs this term, so the fact he has managed to coach his squad into promotion competitors is a real reflection of the Welshman’s talents.
Declan Harte
Jones has done an unbelievable job with Luton Town to have them chasing promotion to the Premier League.
It is hard to argue against his recognition at the EFL Awards.
Steve Cooper and Wayne Rooney may be the only managers who could feel too hard done.
Only die-hard Luton Town supporters will get at least 20/25 on this higher or lower quiz
Both have done well to restore belief to the both East Midlands clubs.
Carlos Corberan has also done a great job to bring Huddersfield Town into automatic promotion contention, defying pre-season expectations.
However, Jones is a worthy winner and if he can seal a play-off victory to earn promotion then it will prove any doubters wrong.
Simmey Hannifin-Donaldson
You certainly wouldn’t say Nathan Jones isn’t deserving of the award.
To have Luton Town sitting where they are is a fantastic achievement, and in the coming weeks, Jones’ accolades may get even greater if he can pull off the unlikeliest of promotions.
However, what you would say is that there were three or four names that could have quite easily won the award this year.
Marco Silva has dominated the league at Fulham, Wayne Rooney has done an excellent job at Derby amid their administration and points deductions, and Steve Cooper has done brilliantly at Nottingham Forest since taking over there.
Any of the above names, Jones included, would have been a worthy winners this year.
