Former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan has erred on the side of caution following news that Millwall are looking to appoint ex-Southampton boss Nathan Jones to succeed Gary Rowett.
Rowett had been in charge at The Den for four years, having replaced Neil Harris in 2019 and came close to guiding the Lions to the Championship playoffs last season, eventually finishing eighth, one point behind sixth-place Sunderland.
However, results rapidly declined in the current campaign as Millwall sat 15th with four wins from their opening eleven matches in England’s second-tier before the board decided to pull the plug on the former Derby County manager’s time in the dugout.
On Halloween, journalist John Percy reported that Nathan Jones is being lined up as Millwall’s next manager, despite the club also being linked with former Queens Park Rangers boss Michael Beale and even Yokohama F. Marinos manager Kevin Muscat.
Jones worked wonders with Luton Town, taking the side from League Two to the Championship playoffs across two separate stints in charge, but has also had disastrous tenures at both Stoke City and Southampton.
Speaking on talkSPORT on Wednesday, ex-Palace chairman Simon Jordan believes Jones could be a solid appointment at Millwall but has also voiced his concerns about the Welshman [quotes via Football League World]:
“Well I think it’s about levels, and it’s undeniable that the fella did a decent job at Luton twice and a lot has to be said for that.
“I don’t know if he should be selling tickets of himself about being the most aggressive team in Europe and things of that nature because that makes him an object of ridicule with people who look at him from that position.
“Stoke had been relegated from the Premier League. There was an expectation that they would get back there with parachute payments.
“He went in there and literally, metaphorically and factually stank the place out.
“You go to Southampton, and whatever you may or may not say about the fact that he will talk to the media and he is good ticket value for listening to him, he didn’t have the levels and he didn’t have the ability to operate with Premier League players.
“When I spoke to certain people at Southampton, they were surprised,” he continued.
“No doubting the man’s work ethic, no doubting the man’s passion, but there is a difference between communicating and translating passion into an outcome that is of any meaning to a football club, and being very busy and sleeping at the training ground and whatever else he may have done to be able to achieve some sort of philosophy.
“But his method of communication and his ability to bring players with him of a certain level clearly wasn’t evident.
“Now if Millwall’s ambition is to get to the Premier League, well maybe because obviously Nathan Jones will have a lot of points to prove.
“He strikes me as a rather chippy little manager that’s got a lot to say for himself with very little to back it up besides two decent spells at Luton.
Writer’s View
There is a certain truth to Jordan’s remarks, particularly surrounding Jones’ comments that not many coaches in Europe were better than him statistically at Kenilworth Road during his brief stint at the St. Mary’s Stadium.
However, if Jones can replicate his success with Luton Town, Millwall will have made a fantastic acquisition. It’s still quite early into the season too so the Lions may even start climbing towards the playoff spots.
