Jones is 're-energised' and 're-motivated' for second Luton stint

Hatters boss Nathan Jones leads Town out during his first spell as manager

Town chief Nathan Jones is relishing his return to the dugout when Luton resume their Championship campaign against Preston North End this afternoon.

It’s been just over seven months since Jones took charge of a competitive game as after spending three years at Kenilworth Road, he left for Stoke in January 2019, but was then sacked on November 1 after just six wins from 38 games.

However, he returned to Kenilworth Road last month to replace Graeme Jones as Hatters manager and when asked how much he was looking forward to being involved on a match-day again, he said: “It has been a few months before anyone has actually managed out there (due to the coronavirus) but for me obviously since November.

“For me, I’ve had a sabbatical if you like but I’m motivated, rested, all those things that managers say when they’ve been out of work and had time to reflect and I have reflected.

“I’ve worked quite hard since I’ve been out of work ironically.

"I was always working to come back into the Championship so I watched tens of Championship games and players and systems, so when I came back in, I would be ready quickly.

“Preston are a side I have watched many times, they’re local to me where I live so I was able to do that.

"I’m ready, I’m re-energised and re-motivated to try and do the best I can.”

Although chief executive Gary Sweet has stated that the difference between staying in the Championship and going down to League One would be around £6m to the Hatters, Jones didn’t feel that ramped up the pressure any higher on him.

He said: “I don’t feel any more pressure than I put on myself, I’ve always said that.

“I have set standards in my life, if I fall short of those then I feel it myself, I don’t need anyone else to tell me that in anyway shape or form.

“I set my own standards so I know the importance of remaining a Championship club but I also knew the importance of remaining a League Two club and to get promoted in a certain time, then again kicking on.

“At every point in my career I’ve realised the importance of the task otherwise I wouldn’t have taken that on.

"I’ve not gone into anything naively or with my eyes closed, so I know exactly the importance of doing well here and hopefully we can.

“It’s a big challenge and I’m fully prepared for that.

"There were far easy missions I could have taken on, but I genuinely love the club, I know the group, I know the people and I wanted to get back on that journey.

"It’s going to be tough, a big, big challenge, but when I took over Luton, they were 18th in League Two.

"I return here as a Championship club, so we’ve taken on big challenge before and in my career I’ve taken on big challenges, never shirked them, it’s been head on.”

Jones also believes he has a group of players who will give their all to the cause under his leadership.

When speaking to Sky Sports News recently, he stated 'we invested in them every single day and metaphorically, they would die for me this group.'

Embellishing that in his pre-match press conference on Thursday, Jones said: "It’s a metaphorical thing. This squad, they’re not martyrs in any way, but they work tirelessly for me. If I ask them to do stuff, they go through it.

"They’re not a petulant group, I demand from them and they respond, they accept or they challenge, but in the right way and that’s what I mean, it’s a real good bond.

"It’s a metaphorical ‘die’ but in that sense, they will give everything possible, not just for me, but the club.

"The club is within them, that’s what’s important about the group.

"They love the club and love playing for the club, they feel that affiliation with it."

The group of players Jones has inherited remains similar to the one he left behind when joining Stoke, although previous boss Graeme Jones did add a number of new faces in the summer.

When asked if it was a better squad at his disposal, he said: "I think they have added certain things to the squad.

"We had a talented group and I think the biggest thing we have here again is there is no big names, there is no one above their station in anyway, it’s just a hard working group and we’ve built on that.

"We had some marquee players in League Two and League One level but it was the collective that gave us strength and that’s what we’ve got to do again.

"There are some good players here, Izzy Brown is a talented player, I have known him for a long time.

"Simon (Sluga) it’s the first time I’ve worked with him obviously but there are a lot of good players here.

"Is it significantly better in terms of quality? I don’t know because they were at a good level before."