GRAEME JONES has experienced plenty of highs and lows during a lifetime of supporting Newcastle United. He attended his first match with his father in the 1974-75 season, cheering on Malcolm MacDonald from the paddock at St James’ Park, and as an aspiring centre-forward in his primary school team, he idolised Peter Withe in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Ask him for his abiding memory of his early days of football fandom though, and it revolves around a family holiday at Haggerston Castle that was hastily cut short.

“It was 1982-83, and I can remember I was at Haggerston Castle with my family,” said Jones, who was born and raised in Gateshead. “It was seven days. My dad worked really hard, seven days a week, and it was our only holiday of the year.

“The next thing you knew though, Arthur Cox was signing Kevin Keegan, and my dad got the four of us packing our suitcases and we ended the holiday early to come back to Newcastle United to celebrate the fact that Kevin Keegan was signing. From that point on, the football club changed a lot.”

Jones has mostly watched that development from afar, as his career has taken him all around the world before eventually seeing him return to his native North-East.

He began his playing career with North Shields in the early 1990s, and also spent time with Bridlington Town before signing his first professional contract with Doncaster Rovers. He had a successful spell at Wigan Athletic – his 31 league goals in his first season for the club remains a Latics record – and also spent time at Southend, Boston and Bury as well as Scottish clubs St Johnstone, Clyde and Hamilton.

He became assistant manager of Hamilton after he was forced to retire through injury, and his coaching career really took off when he joined Swansea City to work under the recently-appointed Roberto Martinez.

He followed Martinez to Wigan and Everton, and then on to the national set-up at Belgium, where he was part of the backroom team that helped guide the Belgians to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup at Russia.

A brief coaching spell at West Brom proved the precursor to his first, and so far only, full-time spell in management at Luton Town. Jones led Luton for just under a year, initially stabilising the Hatters after their promotion to the Championship under Mick Harford, but leaving in April 2020 with the club in the relegation zone.

“It (his spell at Luton) has certainly given me the dress rehearsal for experiencing everything that a manager goes through,” he said. “I think in my time there I had some real lows, but there were also some real highs, especially in my last period there.

“It was a proud achievement when you go through a difficult period, but you’ve got the character to dig in and see things through it. The ship had certainly turned when Nathan (Jones) took over, and from that point on, Nathan has done an incredible job. I see it as an experience, and certainly one I’ll be calling on when I’m stood in the dugout (at Palace).”

Following his departure from Luton, Jones resumed coaching at Bournemouth before jumping ship to join Steve Bruce’s backroom staff at Newcastle in January.

His standing in the game was emphasised in the summer when he was drafted in as a last-minute addition to Gareth Southgate’s England coaching staff at the European Championships, an experience he feels has greatly benefited his personal development.

“I know what elite looks like,” he said. “I had it with Roberto for a long, long time, and I saw it with Gareth and the rest of the England coaching staff in the summer. I know what it looks like, I know what it takes, and I know what elite can bring you.

“Ultimately, that’s what you want to get in every aspect of the football club and with every single job, on and off the pitch. Hopefully, with the new owners, that will be the long-term strategy.

"It (the takeover) gives you a chance. If you are going to win leagues, FA Cups, you need the best players. Only money buys that. There is huge scope for the club."