Jones builds up steam on the Albion express!
THEY met at Doncaster railway station, of all places. Twenty-three years later, Darren Moore and Graeme Jones are together again in the same carriage at West Brom.
Moore needed a No.2 to help him conduct his first campaign as head coach and Jones wanted a ticket to club football having helped to steer Belgium to third place at the World Cup.
Assuming recent results are no signal failure, the pair have Albion right on track for a promotion push.
Having worked as a postman and factory worker while playing nonleague, Jones got his big break in professional football with Doncaster Rovers in 1995.
Two years later, Rovers’ owner Ken Richardson asked Jones to escort his latest signing from Doncaster train station.
“Me and my wife turned up,” Jones explains. “And Darren was with Angie, who was his girlfriend at the time.
“I tried to sell the club because we obviously wanted to do better. There was a connection immediately. We both loved the game.
“You meet a lot of pros who use the game. We both loved it and the girls connected. We just had a great relationship.”
Luckily for Jones, their railway encounter was a little more cordial than when they first actually came face-to-face.
The pair had clashed, in true striker-versus-centre-back fashion, in the previous two seasons when Jones’ Doncaster had played Moore’s Torquay United.
“I played against him, which wasn’t very pleasant,” Jones adds. “I’d played against him previously at Torquay and when I went to Wigan I played against him again.
“I scored a lot of goals that season, but I didn’t score against Darren, which wouldn’t surprise anyone.”
They stayed in touch after Jones joined Wigan in 1997 and their paths crossed once more two years later when they did the UEFA A Licence coaching course together at Lilleshall.
“Darren was 25, I was 29, so we were young really – that’s how seri- ous we were about our football,” Jones says. “We roomed together for 16 days. It was heavy going. They were long days, 9am to 6pm after a long season.
“There was just a connection from a football point of view. It’s one thing playing together, but it can be different when you talk about the game. But we had that bond.”
Having played together at Wigan, Jones enjoyed a long association with Roberto Martinez. They were on the coaching staff at Swansea, Wigan, Everton and, most recently, the Belgium national team.
Having guided the Red Devils to their best World Cup finish, Jones was offered a new contract but when the call came from Moore there was only going to be one answer.
“Darren is the only person I’d be an assistant to now. That’s how much I value him,” says Gatesheadborn Jones. “I’ve worked at a senior level – seven years in the Premier League, two years of international football – I couldn’t have worked for anyone else.
“It was Darren or I go on my own. If I ever became a manager Darren knew I’d probably give him a call and vice-versa. We never had that conversation. ‘If I get a job, I’ll...’ There was just a feeling there. All good partnerships have got history. You have to have a connection on a human level, but also have similar football principles. And we have.”
Jones looked on from afar as Moore so nearly saved the Baggies from relegation during his caretaker stint last season. Yet the 48-yearold dad-of-two would have enjoyed a much closer view had Moore got his wish.
“He asked me to come in and work with him straight away, but with the World Cup I was totally committed to that,” Jones says.
“Darren managed that situation really well. As well as having a good tactical plan, he didn’t change anything. It was nothing too dramatic for the players. He went back to what they knew. He’s the kind of leader you want to fight for.
“In essence, that was why West Brom had such a good run. Maybe if it happened a little bit earlier we might still be a Premier League side now. He’s a natural leader, that’s his biggest strength. On a human level he affects everybody, because he’s genuine, honest and consistent.
“All the qualities a good leader needs, but he’s knowledgeable as well. He was promoted four times out of this league as a player. After four games you can see how tough the league is. That shows what kind of character he is and he hasn’t changed.”
Having collected just one point from their first two games, Albion fans can see light at the end of the tunnel following three straight wins in all competitions. The Baggies have plundered 14 goals in the process but there remain doubts about their defensive solidity.
Given their skill-sets complement each other perfectly, you’d back Moore and Jones to find the right balance. There’s still much to work on, but with those two in tow, the West Brom express might well be calling at the Premier League this time next year.