The former Tottenham and Colchester midfielder is now assistant manager at Charlton, where he spent the last eight years of his playing career.
‘Stick to what you know’ is one of the world’s biggest clichés, and rarely runs true. Johnnie Jackson, however, is an exception to that.
Here he is, in an office at Charlton Athletic’s training ground, almost a year after hanging up his boots and taking on the role of assistant manager at the club he has called “home” for the past nine years.
It is, he says, a “perfect fit” when he stops to think, particularly given the disorientated nature of one of English football’s sleeping giants.
Riddled with ownership issues, Jackson is one of Charlton’s longest standing stallions, an ever-present since his permanent arrival in south-east London in July 2010.
Jackson was remarkably popular as a player – a fan favourite, as the Valley faithful will resonate – so the transition into an authoritative figure at Charlton was a natural one.
He says: “It’s the next best thing to playing, but it’s so different. My days couldn’t be more different. The days are longer – I’m in earlier, leaving later. Obviously the physical training isn’t the same, instead there’s a lot of planning for the upcoming games.”
During Jackson’s final year on the pitch, the 2017/18 season at Charlton, Karl Robinson handed him the role of player-coach to allow an easier transition into the coaching staff.
But the story of the period that followed was an unfamiliar one for the Camden-born midfielder.
“I was carrying an injury for most of last season, so spent a lot of time coaching on the sidelines. It made the transition a little easier, it didn’t just happen overnight. Having been captain for such a long time too, you find yourself taking a lead in the dressing room.”
Jackson took the opportunity to take his UEFA A licence, and hopes to attain his Pro Licence - the highest level of elite football coaching. It remains his ambition to take the reigns at The Valley should the opportunity arise.
He says: “I’m a young coach, I’ve just started out, so I’ve got to be realistic in what my goals are. Before I do anything, I need to perfect the craft.
“Sometimes you have to leave the game and come back, but I’ve been fortunate to go straight into a job. I’ve made no secret that my ambition is to manage, but I’m not prepared to do that until I’m ready to do it and be a success.
“I’d hate to have a go at it feeling not quite ready and not make a success of it. I’d hate to fall out of the game because of that.”
A self-confessed football fanatic, Jackson reveals the England manager’s position is the ultimate goal: “If you want to manage, the pinnacle of that has got to be the England job. But short term, I’d love to manage here.
“It would mean everything, it would complete the story for me. To be given the opportunity as a player, coach and manager at one club, that would be incredible. It’s one of my burning ambitions.”
Jackson endured the last couple of years of his playing career in a scenario few footballers would enjoy. Charlton Athletic, troubled by issues with owner Roland Duchâtelet, has been a tough place to be in recent years but Jackson remains in his element on the green grass of Charlton’s training ground.
The craft of being a goalscoring midfielder, one who goalkeepers feared should a dead ball situation arise, is something to be admired – and the current crop of Addicks certainly seem to be listening.
Jackson has worked with an array of managers: Glenn Hoddle and Martin Jol at Tottenham, Paul Lambert at Colchester, Chris Powell at Charlton, to name a few. He is looking to learn something from each of them.
“I’ve got to take the good with the bad if I want to be successful. Having played under so many managers, you learn a lot and I’ve got to try and implement that with my own style.”
Part of Jackson’s learning curve has been to remove himself from the playing side of things, something which can often be extremely difficult for footballers. The sight of David Beckham leaving the Parc des Princes pitch in floods of tears was enough to bring a sniffle to anyone in the football family.
For Jackson, it’s a similar story.
He says: “Nothing compares to being out on the pitch, nothing will ever beat the euphoria of my last-minute winner against QPR. It was the same level of emotion when we lost in the play-offs at Shrewsbury last year. I was desperate to bow out at Wembley but it wasn’t to be.
“It’s different now I’m on the coaching team, the dynamics of your relationships change. You find yourself taking a bit of a back step from the lads - sitting at the front of the coach instead of the back. You’re not playing cards with them anymore.
“That’s probably the hardest bit. This time last year I was still rooming with Solls [Chris Solly], I’ve known him for years. We’re not going to stop being pally overnight but, obviously, he’s still a player and I’m a coach.”
The interactions have to be different, and he says this comes naturally to an extent, through not being in the changing room and around the players so often.
He hopes, over time, that the distance will come naturally. With an influx of new players, a frequent occurrence in the lower leagues, that will become much easier.
“Of course, I miss the dressing room, you’ll struggle to find a retired footballer who doesn’t. But if there’s one place outside the dressing room I’d settle for, it’s coaching here at Charlton.”
That is already proving the case for Jackson. If his dream becomes reality, then his fear of being forced out of the beautiful game will almost certainly be a distant memory.
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