Jones ready to sign three-year contract

Nov 9 2006 EXCLUSIVE By Andy McGilvray

HAMILTON are on the verge of fixing up assistant manager Graeme Jones on a three-year rolling contract.

Jones is likely to put pen to paper within the next week on the deal, which mirrors that recently signed by boss Billy Reid.

In order to take the full-time position, Jones is quitting his job as a coach at Darlington College and will move his family over 200 miles north.

Gateshead-born Jones (36), feels that Hamilton are going places and is delighted with the new deal.

He said: “I’ve agreed to the deal in principle so I’ve just got to make sure that it’s what I want and then I should be signing within the next week.

“I’m going to do it properly. I’m going to move my wife and family up so she needs to get transferred from her job, and the kids are going to have to change school.

“But we’re quite willing to do it, because I think I’m backing a winner. It’s an amazing opportunity for me.”

Jones said he’s chosen Accies over several clubs south of the border because of his relationship with boss Reid and chairman Ronnie MacDonald.

He said: “I turned down coaching jobs at Boston and Bury and the assistant manager’s job at Scarborough in 2004, and I was offered the first-team coach’s job at Darlington as recently as six weeks ago so I’ve had opportunities elsewhere.

“I was a coach at Middlesbrough for four years and did that alongside playing, so I feel that I’ve done my apprenticeship.

“I know Billy and I know the chairman. I trust them and I think I’m giving myself the best opportunity, because of the club that I’m going to work for, and the people that I’m going to work with.

“That’s why I made the decision to join Hamilton.

“I drive past Darlington’s ground — it’s 20 minutes from my house — but I drive for another two hours and 30 minutes past it because I think that this is the right opportunity.”

He added: “I’ve got a great feeling about this. I think I’m at a club that’s full of winners.

“This is a gamble worth taking. Hamilton are a progressive club, certainly with the gaffer and chairman giving kids a chance, and hopefully it will be an education in football management.”

Jones also has the added advantage of having played alongside several of the first team and believes that stands him in good stead.

He said: “Having a lot of lads in the dressing room that I’ve played alongside has helped.

“I don’t think you get any better way of having an insight into the players — from a coaching point of view — than if you’ve played with them.

“I’ve played with 60 per cent. of them and I know their strengths and weaknesses, both as people and footballers, and that certainly gives me a head start over somebody who might be coming in with a blank canvas.”

Manager Billy Reid is delighted to have Graeme on board, and says it’s vital to have a right-hand man that he can trust.

Reid said: “It’s going to be a massive help for me because I’ve been working without an assistant for some time.

“Although I’ve handled it OK, in all honesty when you’re working by yourself there are maybe wee things that you miss in the day-to-day running of the club.”

He added: “Graeme is a good coach, which is important for me, but more importantly he’s got the respect of the rest of the players, and I think he will be a fantastic addition to the club.

“I trust Graeme and that is vitally important.

“Whoever you bring in, you’ve got to be able to trust implicitly and Graeme falls into that category.”