17 Jul 2026 10:57:26
Ed what's your opinion on jones? Seems to be a real love for him on this site but I've never really seen it. I hope he stays as a squad player but that's about it really. He slows the play down far too much for me and takes too many touches.
He would be a good option to have in the squad but it sounds like he doesn't want to be just a squad player. The teams linked with him speak volumes for me
{Ed001's Note - he has ability but has never had the sense to go with it. The academy is at fault for that as they had not done enough to educate his game and teach him how to work for the team. There are basic issues that should have been dealt with at academy level, particularly the way he holds onto the ball far too long. Things like defensive awareness, he lacks that massively, he should have been tutored on that at academy level, rather than having to develop at first team level.
He should have gone on to be an excellent first team player, instead he is a squad player at his best or a first team player for a lower end Prem team. I think it has got too late for him to figure out his weaknesses and work on them. I really wanted him to succeed but, for all the basic ability he has, the mentality is just not there. If he stays, he is a rotation option, more of a back up than a starter.
I see him as a figurehead of why we need to overhaul our academy set up once more. It is clearly not working and not producing the right players for our club.}
17 Jul 2026 11:21:35
I also think not nailing down a specific position, and then improving in that, has also hampered him. I do like him and hope he stays, and just want him to stick to a position.
17 Jul 2026 11:35:09
Rotation option is fine. We will have a huge amount of games playing intense football. If we're playing three in midfield, we realistically need 6 or 7 bodies.
17 Jul 2026 11:37:40
Jones has games where you think, no, he should be out the door ASAP. He literally throws the towel in and jogs about with half the effort. That's completely unacceptable. He's had games like that, and he's lucky most have not seen it with the fog of how bad we've been.
I can't speak on ability when he has that attitude. It's time for him to move on. Wharton would be an excellent addition whilst shipping Jones on.
17 Jul 2026 12:40:02
@Flo, sadly, as I also believe Jones has great ability on the ball, can press, very athletic and can see a pass, being a rotational option is all he is ever gonna be cos he has been in the first team for 6 years now and his main weaknesses are still there.
17 Jul 2026 11:21:39
Agree with Ed001, he has the ability but he lacks the application.
This is something Iraola will need to get out of him otherwise Curtis will be a bust.
You can teach application, you can't teach ability. I'm hopeful for him.
17 Jul 2026 11:51:47
The academy just seems like a trading platform Ed. I'm not convinced there's real intent behind it in terms of producing first team talent for us, it's more of a feeding ground for lower level clubs.
The fact it hasn't produced an attacking player of note since Michael Owen says it all, and before someone says Rio or Sterling they were bought in. I can't recall the last centre back of any quality either.
17 Jul 2026 13:16:37
I'm with Ed001 here. He just has too many shortcomings in his game which you can't iron out at this stage of his career. His use of the ball isn't particularly intelligent, doesn't have very good positional sense or awareness of danger, I also think he's far too casual in possession, the problem is that he sees himself as a starter/first choice but he's nowhere near that, the cognitive dissonance is off the scale.
He isn't a number 6 as he has no defensive awareness, he doesn't have the physicality to be a decent number 8 and he lacks the intelligence and final ball to be a number 10. Squad player at best. Personally I'd sell and bring in someone more effective,
17 Jul 2026 14:29:51
Very well put ed, thanks for your reply!
{Ed001's Note - very welcome mate and thank you.}
17 Jul 2026 15:46:07
I do agree with what Ed and Vik have to say, but I want the lad to kick on a little; not much – he's never going to be a world class player, he's not a starter for a top team in any league, but he's a decent homegrown squad option with bagloads of experience who can fill multiple roles if needed. People often forget you need those kinds of players; you can't fill a whole squad with world class talent (not without issue anyway). If Iraola can just coach that unnecessary ball retention out of him and introduce some urgency and awareness to his style, I think it would vastly improve his game.
I agree Vik, if the rumours of demanding guaranteed starts are true he's completely delusional and should be moved on, I hope they're not and am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for one more season to see if Iraola can get a little more out of him.
Overkill, very much agree. It has felt like that for all too long now, we've an awful habit of giving young lads a few games before flogging them off, of course this has to be done either way, not everybody's up to the level and it helps balance the books, but the serious lack of talent coming through over the years is most definitely a cause for concern, as Ed has well pointed out. The fact that Jones is currently our best academy-produced player goes to show how poorly it's being managed. To go from producing McManaman, Fowler, Owen, Gerrard and Carra in a relatively short space of time to churning out Sterling, Trent and Jones over a near 30-year period is ridiculous.