The Jones Enigma (1 Viewer)

better days

Well-Known Member
The point that I made still stands though, at the very period of the season where it is likely he would have played, he was injured again.

You’re right that there have been times when he could have been used but wasn’t. I would also far sooner see Jones coming on than Shipley.

The fact is that we don’t know if there were other circumstances that stopped him being picked. COVID is definitely one. I think Better Days felt that he might have been in line for a start about the time his wife had a baby, but due to his lack of sleep etc, he was passed over.
In fairness to Robins Jones started against Northampton in the League Cup and didn't do
particularly well
But looking back at the side we put out that day Raheem Sterling wouldn't have stood out
Football is a ruthless business and all managers are only as good as their last few results
 

johnwillomagic

Well-Known Member
I think he made a big impact when he came on - my thoughts on Jones have been made in the past - possibly getting carried away when saying if he doesn't start we lose.....which we did on that occasion mind!

However very frustrated at his lack of game time cannot really understand it but hope that he can stay on and if he does he gets a lot more game time. Think there will be lots of chopping and changing this summer between now and start of the season.
 

Irish Sky Blue

Well-Known Member
In fairness to Robins Jones started against Northampton in the League Cup and didn't do
particularly well
But looking back at the side we put out that day Raheem Sterling wouldn't have stood out
Football is a ruthless business and all managers are only as good as their last few results
I think he’s got better the more minutes he has played. Not surprisingly, he seemed a bit wary of contact in his first few appearances. I think his half hour plus at Southampton saw him running at players again, something that he did yesterday too. The other players obviously have confidence in him as they kept on feeding him the ball. I hope he stays, gets game time and proves to be an asset next season.
 

PUSB-We_are_going_up

Well-Known Member
I think he offers the pace, directness and good crossing we tend to lack on occasions as you could see the quality from his crosses compared to Kane and Bidwell against Hudd’field as it looked like they started to panic when he put balls into the box, they seem flat and to hover unto the box which players like Godden would Prosper from
 

Grendel

Well-Known Member
Robins and his coaching staff see Jones everyday in training so they see a lot more than we do.

It’s more I suspect the fact he was signed by Mowbray who operated a different style of football

He doesn’t fit the robins and Viveash jigsaw of how they prefer to play.

Even on his return to the side against Forest he bizarrely played at LWB

There’s no actual place in the system we play is the issue. I’m sure he trains hard he’s tried to play in as many U23 games as he can and he just doesn’t fit in
 

Sky_Blue_Dreamer

Well-Known Member
It’s more I suspect the fact he was signed by Mowbray who operated a different style of football

He doesn’t fit the robins and Viveash jigsaw of how they prefer to play.

Even on his return to the side against Forest he bizarrely played at LWB

There’s no actual place in the system we play is the issue. I’m sure he trains hard he’s tried to play in as many U23 games as he can and he just doesn’t fit in
I don't think he's really been tried in the position he'd most naturally be able to adapt to, even though it's one we've been crying out for all season - ACM. He'd be a great foil/alternative to O'Hare and take some pressure and attention away from him. Someone on here wrote that they'd seen O'Hare say he likes playing with Jones.

Of course people will say MR sees him everyday in training and so knows better, but we've all seen instances of managers having blind spots either in favour of or against a player. They're human like the rest of us and will have preconceived thoughts that will override what they're actually seeing. What we've seen in the few games he's played he looks capable enough, yet MR then doesn't bring him on in following games. Meanwhile we've seen Shipley play numerous poor games in that position and yet still get picked in the following fixtures. Surely what you see on a matchday has to have a big influence in your thinking?

If there was some sort of disciplinary issue or something you could understand it, but I don't get any other vibe from Jones other than being a hard-working, nice guy.

It's not so much the fact that I think we're likely to release a player who is going to set the team alight, more one who looks like he could add something to the squad but we've not taken the opportunity to find out. Especially having given him three new contracts while he was injured to then not even try him out when he is fit just beggars belief as to why we bothered with the previous extensions.
 

procdoc

Well-Known Member
It’s more I suspect the fact he was signed by Mowbray who operated a different style of football

He doesn’t fit the robins and Viveash jigsaw of how they prefer to play.

Even on his return to the side against Forest he bizarrely played at LWB

There’s no actual place in the system we play is the issue. I’m sure he trains hard he’s tried to play in as many U23 games as he can and he just doesn’t fit in
Fair point. He was out long term when we switched to wing backs like Jobello was. Jones is someone I really want to see succeed though as he has gone through so much. His injuries must have affected him mentally just as much as they did physically. He’s also a down to earth genuinely nice lad as well, the kind of guy you root for in general. If he’s got no future here then I hope wherever he goes he succeeds
 

better days

Well-Known Member
I think he’s got better the more minutes he has played. Not surprisingly, he seemed a bit wary of contact in his first few appearances. I think his half hour plus at Southampton saw him running at players again, something that he did yesterday too. The other players obviously have confidence in him as they kept on feeding him the ball. I hope he stays, gets game time and proves to be an asset next season.
He's definitely rated by his teammates from what I hear
 

Earlsdon_Skyblue1

Well-Known Member
The first half of the season was really strange. I remember at the time posting about how it seemed as if he had won a charity prize to sit on the bench. Game after game and he was just not used. I think it was Swansea when it almost caused a shock that he came on for more than three minutes.

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PVA

Well-Known Member
I think Jones was lined up to play in the AM spot last season, either as backup to O'Hare or to get a few starts in the box formation.

He played there in pre season and was one of our better players. Then of course the injury struck.

Whether he hasn't quite recovered from this one (and you wouldn't be surprised given it's the third one) I'm not sure, but I do feel like Robins had him lined up for a big role last season.
 

SkyBlueCharlie9

Well-Known Member
robins got lucky but he is a joke. buy your season's tickets i have money to spend?. he plays players to parade for a sale not to win a promotion
You really believe that.....
robins got lucky but he is a joke. buy your season's tickets i have money to spend?. he plays players to parade for a sale not to win a promotion

Me thinks someone was out on the razzle dazzle !
 

Grendel

Well-Known Member
I think Jones was lined up to play in the AM spot last season, either as backup to O'Hare or to get a few starts in the box formation.

He played there in pre season and was one of our better players. Then of course the injury struck.

Whether he hasn't quite recovered from this one (and you wouldn't be surprised given it's the third one) I'm not sure, but I do feel like Robins had him lined up for a big role last season.

His only lengthy appearance at the start of the season was the opening game at LWB - he was available for most games - on the bench for 28

He certainly wasn’t lined up for the number 10 role - the return of the prodigal son was signed for that role
 

PVA

Well-Known Member
His only lengthy appearance at the start of the season was the opening game at LWB - he was available for most games - on the bench for 28

He certainly wasn’t lined up for the number 10 role - the return of the prodigal son was signed for that role

I said last season. Not this season.
 

curly_tom

Well-Known Member
I have a feeling Jones will stay. I wonder if the injury and the management of the injury has played a part. It seems obvious that he can do something in this division, based on the cameos we have seen. Watching the way the players were treating Shipley on Saturday, after the game, it was obvious that he was the only one who knew he was leaving, none of the others were stepping forward for a bow and the players were very much giving Shipley his moment.
 

Sick Boy

Well-Known Member
I have a feeling Jones will stay. I wonder if the injury and the management of the injury has played a part. It seems obvious that he can do something in this division, based on the cameos we have seen. Watching the way the players were treating Shipley on Saturday, after the game, it was obvious that he was the only one who knew he was leaving, none of the others were stepping forward for a bow and the players were very much giving Shipley his moment.
Jones hasn’t started a game for the first team in what, 5 years? Shipley has been with the club since childhood, they’re hardly comparable.
 

better days

Well-Known Member
I have a feeling Jones will stay. I wonder if the injury and the management of the injury has played a part. It seems obvious that he can do something in this division, based on the cameos we have seen. Watching the way the players were treating Shipley on Saturday, after the game, it was obvious that he was the only one who knew he was leaving, none of the others were stepping forward for a bow and the players were very much giving Shipley his moment.
Think a decision on Jones was made last week
Slightly strange that nothing has been said
But then it wasn't clear that Shippers was off until his reaction when he came off on Saturday
 

SlowerThanPlatt

Well-Known Member
I have a feeling Jones will stay. I wonder if the injury and the management of the injury has played a part. It seems obvious that he can do something in this division, based on the cameos we have seen. Watching the way the players were treating Shipley on Saturday, after the game, it was obvious that he was the only one who knew he was leaving, none of the others were stepping forward for a bow and the players were very much giving Shipley his moment.

What would be the point of him staying? It’s been well publicised we have little depth in attacking midfield and still the manager wouldn’t play him.

Julien Da Costa played more minutes!
 

steve101

Well-Known Member
It's a shame we can't hold off until after pre-season to make a decision. Last pre-season there was understandably a lot of hesitancy regarding his reintroduction. Now after accruing months of training and some game time across first team and mainly u23s, he is in a better place and could perhaps really stake a claim.
 

SlowerThanPlatt

Well-Known Member
It's a shame we can't hold off until after pre-season to make a decision. Last pre-season there was understandably a lot of hesitancy regarding his reintroduction. Now after accruing months of training and some game time across first team and mainly u23s, he is in a better place and could perhaps really stake a claim.

We need to stop messing him round and let him go and play actual football somewhere, something he hasn’t done since 2017. It’s been a waste of another year for him
 

robbiekeane

Well-Known Member
I really like the look of Jones in the glimpses we’ve had and he’s got such a unique style. His ability to shift his body weight around and send someone to the shops with the drop of a shoulder is a great asset.

Would be a huge shame to let him go as I think he could add something different m.
Sadly I think he will be offski
 

slowpoke

Well-Known Member
We need to stop messing him round and let him go and play actual football somewhere, something he hasn’t done since 2017. It’s been a waste of another year for him
I think if Jones wants to go elsewhere the club wouldn’t stand in his way equally for another twelve months I think the club has that option keeping him in the squad wouldn’t break the bank and there’s the January window where he could move on.
 

SlowerThanPlatt

Well-Known Member
I think if Jones wants to go elsewhere the club wouldn’t stand in his way equally for another twelve months I think the club has that option keeping him in the squad wouldn’t break the bank and there’s the January window where he could move on.
It doesn’t really matter how little he costs if the manager doesn’t use him
 

Briles

Well-Known Member
I really like the look of Jones in the glimpses we’ve had and he’s got such a unique style. His ability to shift his body weight around and send someone to the shops with the drop of a shoulder is a great asset.

Would be a huge shame to let him go as I think he could add something different m.
Sadly I think he will be offski

Fully agree but how long should we keep him given what's gone on? For both his and the clubs sake. Maybe a loan?
 

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