Graeme Jones
English football manager and former forward.
Graeme Anthony Jones, born 13 March 1970, is an English football manager and former player. He is best known as Roberto Martínez’s assistant from 2007 to 2018 at Swansea, Wigan, Everton, and Belgium. His first head coach role came with Luton Town in May 2019, after they had just won promotion to the Championship.
Quick Facts
- Full name
- Graeme Anthony Jones
- Born
- 13 March 1970
- Birthplace
- Gateshead, England
- Position
- Forward
- Total caps
- 315
- Total goals
- 113
Facts from the source article.
Playing career
Born in Gateshead, Jones began his career in 1991 with North Shields, moving to Bridlington Town in 1992 before earning a £10,000 move to Doncaster Rovers. He joined Wigan Athletic in 1996 after scoring 30 goals in three years at Doncaster. In his first season with Wigan, he scored 31 league goals, a club record, and recorded four hat-tricks. He scored 18 goals over the next two seasons before moving to Scottish side St Johnstone for £100,000.
While at Wigan, he was an unused substitute in the 1998–99 Football League Trophy final. Jones scored on his St Johnstone debut but was hampered by injury. He returned to England in 2002 with Southend United, then joined Boston United in 2003 and Bury in 2004, scoring on his debut against Yeovil Town. After limited appearances at Bury, he moved to Clyde, scoring the winning goal on debut, and later joined Hamilton Academical in July 2006. He retired in March 2006 due to injury.
Coaching career
In March 2007, Jones became assistant manager at League One side Swansea City under newly appointed head coach Roberto Martínez. He followed Martínez to Wigan Athletic in June 2009, where they won the 2013 FA Cup. In 2012, Jones was linked to the vacant managerial position at Swansea after Brendan Rodgers left, but talks broke down and Michael Laudrup took over. Burnley also expressed interest in appointing him as manager, but no move materialised and Sean Dyche got the job.
In July 2013, Jones moved to Everton as Martínez's assistant after Wigan's relegation from the Premier League. He left upon Martínez's sacking in May 2016, then became Martínez's assistant coach for the Belgium national team in August, working alongside Thierry Henry. On 1 August 2018, Jones joined newly relegated Championship club West Bromwich Albion as assistant coach to Darren Moore, leaving his Belgium role. This was the first time since 2007 that he was not coaching alongside Martínez. He was relieved of his duties on 10 March 2019, shortly after Moore's dismissal.
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