Bowyer: Hartlepool boss Jones has been there and done it

Dave Jones managing in League Two shows what effect foreign managers are having on the English game.
Bowyer is surprised Dave Jones has had to drop down this farBowyer is surprised Dave Jones has had to drop down this far
Bowyer is surprised Dave Jones has had to drop down this far

That’s according to Blackpool boss Gary Bowyer, who was full of praise for his Hartlepool counterpart ahead of this Saturday’s game between the two sides at Bloomfield Road.

Jones, now 60, is a vastly experienced manager who has enjoyed spells in the Premier League and Championship with Southampton, Wolves, Cardiff City and Sheffield Wednesday.

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But the Liverpool-born boss dropped down to England’s fourth tier when he took over the reins at Victoria Park in January of this year, following the departure of Craig Hignett.

It is Jones’ first managerial role since 2013 and he has eased Pools’ relegation fears, with the North East club now sitting eight points ahead of the bottom two.

“He’s massively experienced,” Bowyer said. “He’s been there, seen it and done it.

“It just shows you the quality of the managers in this league. There’s Dave who has managed all his career at a higher level but he now finds himself managing in League Two.

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“I think that’s a reflection of the knock on of all the foreign managers because if you look at the Championship, you’ve got the likes of Steve Bruce and Garry Monk who were managing in the Premier League not so long ago.

“They’re top managers so it has a knock-on effect, that’s plain to see.”

Hartlepool goalkeeper Adam Bartlett has left the club to take up a coaching role at Middlesbrough after the 31-year-old asked to be released from his current employment.