Mackail-Smith: Jones has ‘a philosophy that Hatters fans will love’

by Chris Dunlavy

LUTON striker Craig Mackail-Smith reckons new gaffer Nathan Jones will replace blood and thunder with Tiki Taka at Kenilworth Road.

The 42-year-old managerial rookie was appointed on Friday and replaces promotion-winning manager John Still, who was sacked after a run of one win in eight games.

Jones spent two years playing in Spain and has since coached under Gus Poyet, Oscar Garcia and Chris Hughton at the Amex.

And Mackail-Smith, who worked under the Welshman at Brighton before joining Luton in the summer, says that experience should result in some crowd-pleasing football.

“I’ve seen Nathan first-hand and I think it’s a fantastic appointment,” said the 31-year-old, who started his career with Non-League Arlesey. “He’s someone that a lot of people haven’t heard of but he’s bursting with ideas and he’s got a philosophy that fans will love.

“I was desperately sad for John and, to be honest, I felt I let him down a little bit. But now he’s gone, I think it was time for a complete change of tack.

“Under John, it was all about getting the ball in the final third as quickly as possible. Nathan is a lot more about the Brighton way – passing short, moving the ball quickly, keeping possession.

“League Two is tough. You just throw everything you’ve got at the opposition and see what happens. Hopefully Nathan can bring a bit more quality and we can stand out from the crowd.

“We’ve certainly got a squad of players who are comfortable on the ball and so far we’ve underachieved massively. In Nathan, I think we’ve got someone who can bring people out of their shells a bit, encourage them to show what they can do. I think the fans will really enjoy it.”