A GOOD SHOUT
Wigan goalkeeper Jamie Jones explains why it’s good to talk
WIGAN’S Jamie Jones has a lot to shout about – he’s making sure he’s both talking the talk and walking the walk at the DW Stadium.
The 29-year-old shot-stopper is calling on more than 300 gamesworth of experience to keep Wigan’s sheets clean and his vociferous approach has undoubtedly caught the eye of late.
During his first league appearance of the season in January, Jones helped the Latics to a 3-0 win over Aston Villa and their first clean sheet in ten games.
Now, he is focussed on remaining Paul Cook’s number one for the rest of the season and bringing assurance to those around him by making the most of his vocal cords.
“I am a big talker and it doesn’t half help the back four and two midfielders in front of them to give them a boost,” said Jones.
Boost
“It came up the other week because the fans wanted to know why I was shouting all the time and what I am shouting about – well, sometimes it is good things and sometimes it is bad things. “It is just simple instructions that could give us all a five per cent lift but, at the end of the day, it could be that five per cent that is the difference between a win, a loss, a point and a clean sheet. “I am organising the team and there is a lot of experience in my game. I have played in a lot of games, so I am just bringing that to the young players that are in front of me. As long as I can keep everyone in check and calm, I know I can keep hold of that shirt.”
Jones earned his first league title last season as Cook’s side won League One, picking up 98 points along the way with more clean sheets than anyone else.
And the former Leyton Orient man is confident Wigan can rediscover the form that saw them flying high earlier this season with the talent in their ranks.
“Anthony Pilkington brings that Premier League quality that some of us just don’t have,” said Jones. “We already have Nick Powell, who definitely carries that standard and we are lucky to have him at Wigan.
“We have also got Reece James on loan from Chelsea, who is one of the best talents I have seen in a long time – the club, the fans and the players can’t speak highly enough of him.
“It’s a credit to our manager and our recruitment staff for getting him in, really.”
Quality
The Kirkby man kept another clean sheet in Wigan’s midweek visit from Stoke as the game fittingly ended in a 0-0 draw in the Potters’ first game since their legendary former keeper Gordon Banks passed away aged 81. Jones had the pleasure of greeting the World Cup winner while he was an Everton academy player – an encounter he remembers fondly. “I was lucky enough to meet him on a Mediterranean family cruise holiday back in 1998,” he said. “My dad pointed him out to me – I can’t have been more than nine-years-old – I went over and shook his hand and was just in awe. “At that point, I was two years into my time at Everton and I remember thinking, ‘this man has won the World Cup’. “He goes down as the greatest goalkeeper this country has ever had, as far as I am concerned. He played like he was standing on a trampoline when he was in that net.”