Ex-Luton boss hopes Town go up after winning Manager of the Month award

Ex-Luton manager Nathan Jones has won the Sky Bet League One Manager of the Month for December.
Hatters boss Nathan JonesHatters boss Nathan Jones
Hatters boss Nathan Jones

The 45-year-old, who departed Kenilworth Road on Wednesday to take over at Championship side Stoke City, led the Hatters to a near perfect month with 13 points out of a possible 15.

It was a third successive nomination for Jones, who would now like to see whoever succeeds him lead the Town to promotion, saying: "First of all, I am proud to have won this four times in my managerial career.

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"It is the first time I have won it in League One, so I am very proud to win for myself and my staff and the players who and obviously a thanks to the Luton fans for all the support they have given me throughout my tenure.

"I know that there are frustrations there, but as I said I would like to thank them for everything they have done for me because they took me to their club and I will never forget that.

“I would like to see them achieve promotion, we put in place very good things, very good processes, a real good culture and environment there with excellent players that are capable of getting automatic promotion.

"I would like to see the job done and I would like to see them in the Championship because that is where the club at a minimum deserves to be and as I said they are group of players that are talented enough to be able to do that.

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“Ours (Stoke’s) is the first result I look for and then it will be Luton’s, Brighton’s, Yeovil’s and clubs that I have been associated with.

"We achieved real good success at Luton and put things in place that will stand them in good stead for a long, long time.

Former Scotland and Ipswich boss George Burley, who chairs the Sky Bet Manager of the Month judging panel, said: "Nathan had Luton pushing up near the top of Sky Bet League One and they have shown great consistency in the last few months.

“December was another near perfect month in which they collected 13 points from five unbeaten games.

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“It is great news that Nathan’s work and success at Luton has been recognised by his appointment at Stoke City.

"He is another young British manager who has really earned the opportunity to work in a higher division.”

Sky Sports’ EFL pundit Don Goodman said: “It’s no surprise that Nathan has been given a chance to prove himself in the Championship with Stoke as what he has done with Luton over the last couple of seasons has been magnificent.

“He had the team playing with style, with solidity at the back and had the whole club pulling together in the same direction.

"If he can build the same thing at Stoke, then seeing him in the Premier League in the future is not unlikely.”